welcome
Take this opportunity to go round and find out how everybody is doing. Pray for those people who have expressed needs.
worship & word
God’s Natural Attributes
There are seven specific attributes of God to look at this week. Depending on the number of people in your group, give each person one of the points below to look at, with the relevant bible verse.
reflect and discuss
Take ten minutes of quiet for each person to reflect on their respective point - you may find that writing things down helps the mental juices flow! When you think people have had enough time, go round and hear from people their thoughts. Use these as a basis for discussion on the different attributes of God considered here. The comments underneath each point are there to help you in your discussion.
- God is absolutely unique. No-one is like God. He is different from any other being in the universe. Satan lies, and tries to deceive us that he is like God, but he does not have all power, or all knowledge. He had a beginning, and we know he will have a nasty end, and he is not present everywhere, or a trinity. Human beings are not like God in his nature either - we do not have the natural attributes that God has. Only God is God, unique and awesome.
- God is infinite. In every one of his attributes, He is infinite. We cannot put boundaries on God. He is limitless in all that He is. The Bible says He is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3 (NASB)
- God is all-powerful. Jeremiah 32:17-19. He is the only one in the whole universe with all power. The scriptures tell us to look at the heavens to see the power of God. If we study the Solar System and look at our sun, we begin to see the incredible power of God. The sun is 93 million miles away from the earth. If an aeroplane could travel to the sun, travelling at 1000mph it would take over ten years to get there! Our second nearest star, Sirius is 50 million, million miles away from earth, and 40 times brighter than our sun. When we think about these things, we see the enormity of God, and His infinite power. Nothing is too difficult for God. He has all power; but he has chosen to limit his power in one way - by creating human beings with free will. In the normal course of events, God will not use His power to override humanity’s free will.
- God has all knowledge. His understanding has no limit. Psalm 147:5. God knows everything that is knowable. Not only does He understand all about science and maths, and everything like that, He also knows the secrets of our hearts. Psalm 44:21.
- God is everlasting, eternal. God never had a beginning, and He will never end. He is the only uncreated being in the universe. Everything else has had a beginning, but God has always existed. In fact, God is the source of all being. Psalm 90:2.
- God is everywhere present. God is spirit, and He fills the heavens and the earth. The Bible says that his eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. Proverbs 15:3, and Psalm 139:7-10, are wonderful verses explaining this attribute of God.
- God is a trinity of personal, spiritual beings. Each member of the Godhead is God. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They have different functions, and do different things – for example, only the Son came down to earth to die - but they are absolutely one (united) in purpose.
discuss
Do these natural attributes of God alone qualify God to be the best ruler of the universe? In other words, what if a being with these incredible abilities was evil, not loving?
pray giving God honour for who He is, and thanking Him that He is loving as well.
witness
Ask the group to share, out of their their acquaintances and friends, the ones they think are most likely to come to Christ: those who have shown an interest. Pray for them by name that the Spirit of God will move on them week by week throughout the rest of the term.
