I wanted to highlight a point of the table talk this week because I know our home groups are largely not able to dive into the discussion this week. Our group had an evening of fellowship last night and I know the other Rowell group is prepping for a rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. So, 2 quick things:

1) I want to remind you that regardless of whether you are in a group or not, the table talk is intended to facilitate personal as well as group study of the scriptures. You can let these questions be a way to help guide your devotional time, family discussion, interaction as you meet and spend time together during the week, etc. Obviously, you can discard the table talk and some will, but I wanted to remind you guys that we take seriously our preparation of those guides so that it might be helpful and profitable to you all as you seek to grow in your relationship with Jesus. I hope you will give it some time and a chance to benefit you if you have not yet done. This is especially true for those of you that have not established a regular habit of personal time in the Word to grow in the gospel and become more intimate with Jesus for your joy and his glory.

2) As a shameless plug, on Sunday I pointed us to scripture which says that the Holy Spirit is our primary teacher. I urged you toward searching out the scriptures and seeking to learn from the Spirit through study and through circumstances asking 4 questions as you examine a text or life: 1) Who is God? 2) What has God done (particularly in Christ) 3) Who am I? 4) How should I live?

I apologize for not having the table talk out on Sunday at our gathering, and I suspect many of you have not gone to the website to download it. I spent my personal devotional time on 2 of the questions on that outline this morning I had a sweet time reflecting and being ministered to by the Holy Spirit. I wanted to encourage you guys to read 1 Peter 2:9-12, take 15 minutes to try to come up with 20 or more insights into this text and then answer those four questions listed above. Write down your answers and give them some real thought. This led me to a wonderful time of prayer, thanksgiving, repentance, realignment with God, and asking him to really cement these things in me.

I deeply want to see you all learning to learn from the Holy Spirit himself and not from people only or primarily. As I stated on Sunday, I see this as an important and necessary responsibility of discipleship: to equip you to equip yourselves and others. I hope and pray that you will make time to search out the hidden things of God which he deeply longs to reveal to you and to me in a very personal way.