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Above It All
What Did You Expect?
Above It All
What Did You Expect?
Por encima de todo
¿Que esperabas?

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

Icon: Stewarding a Fire

Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr.

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

Leviticus 6:12-13‍

The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.‍

‍

Additional scripture references: Hebrews 12:29, Revelation 1:14, Matthew 3:11, Numbers 9:15, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Acts 2:1-4

Main Idea

You may remember a time when you gathered around a campfire with friends and family and enjoyed time together. Maybe you sang songs and toasted marshmallows as you warmed your hands by the flames. In the same way, the church gathers around the fire of the Holy Spirit, a roaring fire that sets our hearts ablaze. As Christians, we keep the fire of the Holy Spirit alive in our lives through prayer, serving, and being in God’s word. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide us in every season of life. Our surrender to him is how we keep the fire burning for generations to come.


Being on fire for God is more than a feeling

1. Surrendering to the Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us. Knowing the Holy Spirit means recognizing his holiness and responding with surrender. He is an all-consuming fire who leads us, purifies us, and speaks to us. We surrender to him by obeying his direction, listening to his voice, disciplining our lives to know him more, and enjoying his presence. As we surrender, he is faithful to change us from the inside out, setting us on fire with him.

Surrendering to the Holy Spirit is how we steward the fire of God
A brush with fire will mark us forever
We’re either surrendering to the Spirit or suppressing him

What is started in the Spirit, cannot be sustained in your own strength

How have you seen the Holy Spirit work in your life as you’ve surrendered to him?

2. Stewarding the Presence of the Holy Spirit

In the Old Testament, the priest would throw wood on the fire to keep the flame from going out. In the same way, our lives are meant to look like an eternal fire. God will start the fire for us, and it’s our job to maintain it. We throw wood on the fire through prayer, time in God’s word, serving, and getting plugged into Crew. As we steward the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives, we can go to him as a constant source of guidance.

The Holy Spirit is a flame that never goes out
We are keepers of the flame
We can’t start the fire but we can keep it burning

We have a daily choice to surrender to the Spirit or suppress him.

How can we encourage and support one another in stewarding the presence of the Holy Spirit? What role can Crew play in fostering an environment where the fire of the Holy Spirit can burn brightly?

Summary

The ones on fire are the ones who have surrendered. As we choose to surrender to the Holy Spirit and steward his presence in our lives, we will become a blazing fire.In seasons where we find ourselves feeling tired and burned out, it’s the Holy Spirit’s fire that keeps us burning and enables us to persevere. The body of Christ is a people on fire for God. Let us never become a campfire, emitting warmth for a moment, then turning into ash. Our God is an all consuming fire that never burns out.

Call To Action

Learn more about the Holy Spirit that dwells inside of each of us by studying the New Testament: Book of Acts. Visit https://www.vouschurch.com/icon for resources to learn more about the Holy Spirit and how He connects us to the Lord.

Announcements

Care Request Form

If someone in your Crew needs care, we want to come alongside you. Our Care Response Team is designed to equip you to walk with people in different seasons of their life.

Our team is committed to celebrating life’s best moments with you and offering support through its hardest ones.

We would love to come around you for the following life events:

+ Marriages

+ Births

+ Deaths

+ Hospitalizations/Illness

Please submit a request at vouschurch.com/requestcare

Team Conference 2025

There are only a few times each year when our VOUS family gathers under one roof. Team Conference is one of them. It’s the moment we come together as one team, united in vision and ready for the season ahead.

Team Conference is a free 1-day gathering that celebrates and equips the servant leaders of VOUS Church, with leadership sessions, God's word, unforgettable moments and so much more.

Don’t miss it. Team Conference is more than a gathering. It’s a family united, and the room won’t be the same without you. Click here to register!

Where: VOUS City

When: Saturday, September 13

Time: 8:15AM

Address: 6101 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127

Baptism Sunday

We are having baptisms this Sunday, September 14th, across all of our locations, and on the beach.

To sign up for baptisms, please click here.

VOUS College Preview Day

Experience what it’s like to be a VOUS College Student for a day at Preview Day!

Meet our staff, connect with current students and discover how VOUS College can be the place where you grow in your calling.

To sign up for Preview Day, click here

Where: VOUS Miami Gardens

When: Thursday, October 9th

Time: 12:00PM - 3:00PM

Address: 17801 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33169

Sundays at VOUS

VOUS SoMi

10:00AM / 12:00PM / 6PM

VOUS City

10:00AM / 12:00PM / 6PM

VOUS Miami Gardens

8:30AM / 10:00AM / 12:00PM

VOUS Design District

8:30AM / 10:00AM / 12:00PM

Church Online

10:30AM / 12:30PM / 5PM Español

Growth Track

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

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

What Did You Expect?

Pastor Luke Barry

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

Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Additional Scripture References: John 11:32; Job 13:15; John 11:5; Matthew 14:31

Main Idea

Life often doesn't meet our expectations, leading to frustration and disappointment. We may hope for one outcome, only to be met with something entirely different, creating a gap between what we expected and what we experienced. This gap can lead us to question God, our faith, and our hope. But through stories like that of Lazarus and Job, we learn that God isn’t in the business of just meeting expectations, He’s in the business of exceeding them.

God’s power to perform exceeds our ability to ask

1. Hope and Expectation

Faith grows through hope and trusting God’s timing. Positive expectations can fuel faith, while unmet expectations can lead to disappointment. Often, we expect something specific from God but find ourselves limiting Him to only a particular outcome. When we don’t see Him come through just as we expected, we can find ourselves frustrated and disappointed — where was God? The truth is, God is always at work. We may not always see Him moving, or understand His plan, but He has something greater in mind.

Disappointment can tempt us to give up on expectations, but it’s an opportunity to strengthen our faith
God’s plans always exceed our expectations
Don't allow your expectations of what God was “supposed” to do get in the way of what He wants to do

If God always met your expectations, how could He ever exceed them?

What areas of your life are you waiting for God to show up? How can you operate from faith in the present as you hope for the future?

2. Endurance and Enjoyment

Job’s story is a powerful example of enduring pain and disappointment without losing faith. Even in his suffering, Job declared, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” Despite the immense loss, he continued to trust God, showing us that our hope can remain, even in the midst of struggle. Endurance is the ability to trust that God is working, even when we can’t see it.

Endurance strengthens our faith through trials
God hasn’t called us to merely endure life, He’s called us to enjoy it
Enjoying life is appreciating the little, it’s not a pain-free life, but a grateful one

We can say: “God, I don’t understand everything but I trust you in everything”

How has a difficult season strengthened your appreciation for God’s blessings?

Summary

Possibly the greatest source of frustration in life is unmet expectations. The difference between what we expected versus what we experienced often leads us to stop expecting. But there’s an invitation of faith amidst the frustration. Don’t lower your expectations; lift your faith. Give God something to exceed. God can do it, the question is: can you believe it?

Call To Action

Identify areas where you may be limiting God by expecting a specific outcome. Practice finding gratitude by celebrating the little things.

Announcements

Care Request Form

If someone in your Crew needs care, we want to come alongside you. Our Care Response Team is designed to equip you to walk with people in different seasons of their life.

Our team is committed to celebrating life’s best moments with you and offering support through its hardest ones.

We would love to come around you for the following life events:

+ Marriages

+ Births

+ Deaths

+ Hospitalizations/Illness

Please submit a request at vouschurch.com/requestcare

Team Conference 2025

There are only a few times each year when our VOUS family gathers under one roof. Team Conference is one of them. It’s the moment we come together as one team, united in vision and ready for the season ahead.

Team Conference is a free 1-day gathering that celebrates and equips the servant leaders of VOUS Church, with leadership sessions, God's word, unforgettable moments and so much more.

Don’t miss it. Team Conference is more than a gathering. It’s a family united, and the room won’t be the same without you. Click here to register!

Where: VOUS City

When: Saturday, September 13

Time: 8:15AM

Address: 6101 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127

Baptism Sunday

We are having baptisms this Sunday, September 14th, across all of our locations, and on the beach.

To sign up for baptisms, please click here.

VOUS College Preview Day

Experience what it’s like to be a VOUS College Student for a day at Preview Day!

Meet our staff, connect with current students and discover how VOUS College can be the place where you grow in your calling.

To sign up for Preview Day, click here

Where: VOUS Miami Gardens

When: Thursday, October 9th

Time: 12:00PM - 3:00PM

Address: 17801 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33169

Sundays at VOUS

VOUS SoMi

10:00AM / 12:00PM / 6PM

VOUS City

10:00AM / 12:00PM / 6PM

VOUS Miami Gardens

8:30AM / 10:00AM / 12:00PM

VOUS Design District

8:30AM / 10:00AM / 12:00PM

Church Online

10:30AM / 12:30PM / 5PM Español

Growth Track

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

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