Questions for reflection, application, and discussion 1. From the time ... [PDF]

Questions for reflection, application, and discussion 1. From the time that David was anointed by Samuel, his success was attributed to the fact that “the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward” (1st Sam. 16:13), while Saul’s fall was attributed to the fact that “the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul” (1st Sam. 16:14). a. How does David’s receiving the Holy Spirit relate and compare to our receiving of the Holy Spirit as followers of Christ? (see Acts 1:8, Acts 2:1-4, 1st Corinthians 12:7, Ephesians 1:13) b. When we read that the Holy Spirit departed from Saul, how does that relate and compare to what the Bible teaches about our relationship to the Holy Spirt as followers of Christ? Might the Holy Spirit depart from us? Explain your answer? (see Ephesians 1:13, 2 nd Timothy 1:14, Hebrews 13:5) c. What does it mean to “quench the Spirit (1 st Thessalonians 5:19)? What does it mean to “grieve the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:30)? How can we do this, and how can we defend ourselves from these dangers? How does this relate to the story of Saul? d. Read Galatians 5:16-26. Practically, what does it mean to “live by the Spirit” and to “keep in step with the Spirit?” To what degree are you doing this in your own life? 2. In 1st Samuel 16:1-13 we read that God had the prophet Samuel go and anoint David to be the next king of Israel. Do you think that David knew what he was being anointed for? After being anointed by the prophet Samuel for some great purpose, David went back to the fields to tend the sheep. Why is that significant in understanding David? Why is that significant to understanding God’s call on your life? 3. After David was anointed by Samuel as the next king, King Saul invited David to be his personal musician. a. What is the significance of this that we can now see, but that neither David nor Saul could have seen our understood at that time? b. What principles about God can we learn from this part of David’s story that we can apply to our life story? 4. The story of David and Saul in 1 st Samuel 16 teaches us about the power of music to change our perspective and shape our hearts. Verse 23 tells us “whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.” a. What is the power of music and worship? Why is it so powerful? b. Why is music especially important in the difficult seasons of life and the times that we struggle with dark emotions? c. If some music has such healing and restorative power, is there some music that has negative power? Explain your answer. d. Respond to the following statement; “Music can literally help us tune into God’s Holy Spirit, or it can make us more vulnerable to the influence of evil spirits.” If you would like to listen to more worship music, but don’t know where to find it, here are a few recommendations. Moody Radio, WCRF (103.3 FM), offers a great combination of music and

teaching. The Moody Radio app lets you choose between numerous internet stations featuring various music styles (in addition to other programing). If you search for worship music on a music app (like ITunes, Pandora, etc.), you can look up the title of the songs we sing on Sunday, or search for groups that specialize in worship. Hillsong, Elevation Worship, and Bethel are a few great groups to start with.