SoMi / Online
I Have Enough
City
It's Time to Grow Up

Crew Leader

Introduction (2 minutes)

Use the Zoom chat feature to keep everyone connected. As people join in, ask for their first and last name, email address, and where they are tuning in from. Save the chat as an attendance record.

Reflect

Ask Crew members to share their favorite points from the talk. What phrase or moment did they relate to the most?

Icebreaker: Reflection or Conversation Starter or Virtual Icebreaker (5 minutes)

For your icebreaker, choose from the options below. Have Crew members unmute themselves to share.

Conversation Starters (Choose One)
  • What's something you did this week that you feel proud of?
  • What did you eat for breakfast?
  • Name the best book you’ve ever read.
  • What’s your morning routine?
  • What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
  • If your life was a story, what would the title be?
Virtual Icebreakers (5 minutes)

Preaching Game - Choose random items and allow individuals to find ways to encourage others using that item. (Pick 2-3 volunteers)

Show-and-Tell - Pick an object in your home that has significance for you, something with a funny story behind it, anything unique, or something you've used to simply pass the time.

Crew Discussion

I Won't Make It

Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr.

Continuing the Conversation
VOUSCon 2023: Reflect

VOUSCon was nothing short of a miracle! We're still praising God for all He did. Reflection builds gratitude. Spend the first few minutes of Crew sharing a testimony or reflection from VOUSCon 2023.

Continuing the Conversation
Last Crew's Call to Action

God calls for us to forgive while maintaining boundaries necessary to steward and nurture our souls. This week, lean in to the wisdom of Solomon and study the book of Proverbs to help you develop tools for cultivating Godly relationships while asking God for the courage to forgive. Don’t forget to check out additional resources at https://www.vouschurch.com/care.

Scripture

2 SAMUEL 9:1-8 NIV

David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. When Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied. “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”

REFERENCES: 2 SAMUEL 4:4, 9:8-13

Main Idea

Have you ever set out to achieve a goal you knew would be great, only to have a door slammed in your face? Have you ever been presented with an opportunity, only to have an unforeseen obstacle doom you to failure? Or, perhaps found yourself picking up the pieces of your life because of the shortcomings of someone else? Unmet goals, uphill battles, and failures of others can all lead us to feelings of shame, hopelessness, and isolation. They can leave us stuck in the past, unable or unwilling to move forward. Maybe this is where Mephibosheth found himself when David extended him undeserved kindness. Each and every day, and in every situation, this is the grace that God wants to extend to us. No matter what he has called us to, or what obstacles we may face along the way, he is there to lead us. He is there to extend his hand when we feel stuck, in his way and in his timing. Because without him, we won’t make it!


Your struggle is squeezing out strengths that stories will be written about.

1. Mephibosheth in Lo Debar

Lo Debar represents a state of not having enough, fruitlessness, and suffering in silence. This representation of someone filled with shame, paralyzed, and stuck in a desolate place is one that we can all relate to. But God is calling us out of that place and extends his hand to lead us.

Your sins or the sins of others may have you stuck, but you don’t have to stay there
You don’t have to suffer alone in silence, speak to your Father
You can’t walk out on your own, God has to carry you

The King still knows where you are!

Have you ever been in a Lo Debar season? How did God take you out?

2. Mephibosheth at the Table

King David extended grace to Mephibosheth when according to tradition, he should have died. Not only did he spare his life, but he offered him a seat at his table. In the same way, Jesus has offered us grace and welcomed us to a seat at his heavenly table.  


Grace is a person, his name is Jesus
There is no sin grace cannot cover
The kindness of God leads to repentance, the kindness of the Church leads to revival

I won’t make it without grace.

Discuss a time when you know that without God’s grace, you wouldn’t have made it.

Summary

The story of Mephibosheth reminds us that God offers grace to all. Grace is security, it is kindness, it is restoration, and sonship. He is always there to carry us out of our personal Lo Debar into Bethlehem, the house of bread, the place of satisfaction. There is no need to suffer in silence, for when we focus on God each day, he will show us the way out. We don’t need to be filled with guilt and shame because we’ll always have a seat at God’s table.

Call To Action

Consider an area that you are struggling with today. Take a moment to be open and vulnerable in your prayer time with God. Allow him to begin to write the story.

Announcements

Sundays at VOUS

VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS Miami Gardens
10:30AM / 12:30PM

VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM

Church Online
10AM / 5PM Español

Visit VOUS


Growth Track

After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack

Sign Up

Easter at VOUS

Good News: Hope is here! Celebrate Easter in community. With gatherings all weekend, there’s something for everyone.

Friday, March 29 – Good Friday

Saturday, March 30 – Easter Egg Drop

Sunday, March 31 – Easter Sunday

Learn More

Help host Easter Egg Drop, one of our largest outreaches of the year!

Sign Up To Serve

VOUSCon 2024

We live in the tension of present hard times and coming good times. In this gap, our faith is formed. The gathering of the saints produces perseverance for you to run your race of faith. VOUSCon is this moment.

June 20-22

Miami, FL

Get Your Ticket

Serve at VOUSCon

As we create an atmosphere that glorifies God, we create space for Him to move. As servant leaders, we carry the culture. Because we value Con, we invest in it.

Sign Up to Serve

Crew Leader

Introduction (2 minutes)

Use the Zoom chat feature to keep everyone connected. As people join in, ask for their first and last name, email address, and where they are tuning in from. Save the chat as an attendance record.

Reflect

Ask Crew members to share their favorite points from the talk. What phrase or moment did they relate to the most?

Icebreaker: Reflection or Conversation Starter or Virtual Icebreaker (5 minutes)

For your icebreaker, choose from the options below. Have Crew members unmute themselves to share.

Conversation Starters (Choose One)
  • What's something you did this week that you feel proud of?
  • What did you eat for breakfast?
  • Name the best book you’ve ever read.
  • What’s your morning routine?
  • What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
  • If your life was a story, what would the title be?
Virtual Icebreakers (5 minutes)

Preaching Game - Choose random items and allow individuals to find ways to encourage others using that item. (Pick 2-3 volunteers)

Show-and-Tell - Pick an object in your home that has significance for you, something with a funny story behind it, anything unique, or something you've used to simply pass the time.

Crew Discussion

It’s Time to Grow Up

Pastor Manouchka Charles

Continuing the Conversation
VOUSCon 2023: Reflect

VOUSCon was nothing short of a miracle! We're still praising God for all He did. Reflection builds gratitude. Spend the first few minutes of Crew sharing a testimony or reflection from VOUSCon 2023.

Continuing the Conversation
Last Crew's Call to Action

God calls for us to forgive while maintaining boundaries necessary to steward and nurture our souls. This week, lean in to the wisdom of Solomon and study the book of Proverbs to help you develop tools for cultivating Godly relationships while asking God for the courage to forgive. Don’t forget to check out additional resources at https://www.vouschurch.com/care.

Scripture

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5:12-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity….” ‭

Additional Scripture References: ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭9‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬ 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Samuel‬ ‭16:13‬ ‭NIV‬, 1 Samuel 16:18, 1 Samuel 17:15, ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17:38-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Main Idea

Have you ever tried to run a long distance? If you have, you know that it requires real and consistent training to achieve your goal. No matter what your intention, without training, you may find it difficult to arrive at the finish line. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. In the same way, our journey of faith is one of endurance. Training at every stage of our development is important. Time does not dictate maturity, but our training will. You can be old and immature, and young and mature. It’s not about arriving, but simply starting. We can trust that God will give us everything we need at the time that we need it. We’re not delayed, we’re destined!

If you want to win the battles of life you need training.

1. You Are Set Apart

Our becoming comes from our believing. Do you believe that you’re called? That you’re chosen? That you’re cared for by God? Securing our identity in Christ allows us to develop and mature with him. If we don’t know who we are, we will never know who we can be. You’re not like the world, you’re not like everyone else, you’re not missing out.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. [1 Peter 2:9]

What God has for you is for you
You can’t be like what you are called to lead
It’s not about being more gifted, it’s about being more disciplined

You are not delayed, you’re being developed.

In what area do you find it difficult to believe what God says about you?

2. You Are Growing

You are called and chosen by God. You are anointed but may not yet be appointed. Maturity prepares you to steward what God has called you to. An untrained David could never beat Goliath. He was able to fight appropriately because he had trained for years. Spiritual maturity is the process of becoming more Christ-like in character, attitude and behavior. You can’t go where God’s taking you without maturing along the way. 

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” [1 Samuel 16:7]

Time will not dictate your maturity, your training will
The mark of maturity is not just hearing the word, but listening to what the Word says
Although you might have not walked in it yet, you are it

If you never train, you will never become

What are you doing today to mature for tomorrow?

Summary

Availability unlocks the door of maturity in our lives. King Saul was supposed to fight but David made himself available for growth. His willingness to embrace the season he found himself in and make himself available to be developed allowed him to step up when he was called upon. Are you open to maturity? Are you open to growth? Are you open to change? The world will try to put on fear, insecurity, and failure. Pick up courage, security, and peace. God’s strength is with you as you daily surrender to Him.

Call To Action

Reflect this week on how you are investing your time to mature. Commit to spend time in one of these 5 areas:

  1. Dedicated time to prayer 
  2. Time off of social media
  3. Sabbath/Rest 
  1. Reading the word
  2. Serving others 

Be prepared to share your experience at Crew next time!

Announcements

Sundays at VOUS

VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM

VOUS Miami Gardens
10:30AM / 12:30PM

VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM

Church Online
10AM / 5PM Español

Visit VOUS


Growth Track

After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack

Sign Up

Easter at VOUS

Good News: Hope is here! Celebrate Easter in community. With gatherings all weekend, there’s something for everyone.

Friday, March 29 – Good Friday

Saturday, March 30 – Easter Egg Drop

Sunday, March 31 – Easter Sunday

Learn More

Help host Easter Egg Drop, one of our largest outreaches of the year!

Sign Up To Serve

VOUSCon 2024

We live in the tension of present hard times and coming good times. In this gap, our faith is formed. The gathering of the saints produces perseverance for you to run your race of faith. VOUSCon is this moment.

June 20-22

Miami, FL

Get Your Ticket

Serve at VOUSCon

As we create an atmosphere that glorifies God, we create space for Him to move. As servant leaders, we carry the culture. Because we value Con, we invest in it.

Sign Up to Serve

Sign Up for a Crew ->