AWAKEN PEOPLE
Pastor David Jones
Sunday Morning’s Message – 2nd August 2026
Message on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/5FITKGvZXAA
Theme:
Awaken is more than a new name—it is a call for God’s people to awaken to His purpose, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and live on mission for Jesus. Join us as we discover how God transforms ordinary people into faithful witnesses who reveal Christ and bring hope to the world
Leader Guide:
Please choose what best suits your group and fits the time well. You do not need to discuss every question. Create your own questions that fit your group. Choose two or three areas to discuss.
Have fun, Jesus people!
Awaken – God Changes People
Key Thought
Today we celebrate more than a new church name. Throughout Scripture, God often marked a new season by changing a person's name—not because their identity was found in a name, but because God was calling them into His purpose.
Our prayer is that Awaken would not simply become our church name but would describe what God is doing in our hearts.
Opening Question
Can you remember a season when God led you into something new? What changed in your life?
Read Together
Isaiah 60:1
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you."
Romans 13:11
"The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber..."
Ephesians 5:14
"Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
Throughout Scripture, God often gave people new names as they stepped into His calling.
Person | Before | New name | After |
Abram | Exalted Father | Abraham | Father of many nations |
Sarai | My Princess | Sarah | Mother of nations |
Jacob | Deceiver | Israel | One who wrestles with God |
Simon | Listener | Peter | The Rock |
Saul | Hebrew name | Paul | Apostle to the Gentile world |
About Saul Becoming Paul
Interestingly, Scripture never records God formally changing Saul's name the way He changed Abram's or Jacob's. Saul was his Hebrew name, while Paul was his Roman name. From Acts 13 onward, Luke consistently refers to him as Paul as his ministry turns toward the Gentile world. His Roman name reflected the wider mission God had called him into, showing God's heart for all nations.
Discussion – Choose a question that works for your group
What do these stories teach us about how God prepares people for new seasons?
Why do you think God often changes the person before He changes their circumstances?
Have you ever sensed God changing your heart before opening a new opportunity?
God Calls His People to Awaken
God's mission has never changed. His Gospel has never changed. But throughout history God has continually called His people to awaken to what He is doing.
Paul reminds believers that they have already been made alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5). Spiritual awakening is living in the reality of the new life Jesus has already given us.
Discussion – Choose a question that works for your group
What does it mean to "wake up" spiritually?
What are some signs that someone may be spiritually asleep?
How can believers drift into spiritual comfort without even realizing it?
Illustration
When we're asleep, we usually don't know we're asleep.
People can:
hear while asleep
talk while asleep
walk while asleep
even sing while asleep
Likewise, it's possible to attend church, serve, and know Scripture, yet become spiritually comfortable and lose sight of God's mission.
One of the greatest dangers of spiritual sleep is becoming more concerned with our own comfort than with our neighbors who need Jesus.
Discussion – Choose a question that works for your group
Which distractions are most likely to lull Christians into spiritual complacency?
What helps keep you spiritually awaken to be attentive to God?
Awakened People have Receive the Holy Spirit
Read Acts 1:8 - Jesus gave His followers three enduring truths.
Receive the Holy Spirit
Jesus didn't command His disciples to manufacture power. He promised they would receive it. The Christian life was never meant to be lived in our own strength.
Discussion
Why do we sometimes rely on ourselves instead of the Holy Spirit?
How have you experienced the Holy Spirit giving you strength, wisdom, or courage?
Awakened People Reveal Jesus
Jesus said, "You will be my witnesses." A witness simply tells others what they have seen and experienced. Our lives should consistently point people toward Christ.
Discussion – Choose a question that works for your group
What does being a witness look like in everyday life?
Who first helped reveal Jesus to you?
Who is someone God may be asking you to influence this week?
Awakened People are people with influence
Jesus finished by saying His followers would take the Gospel: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. God's heart has always been for every person.
We are not to be focused only on inward things but continually reaching outward with the love and hope of Christ.
Jesus also described His followers as the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13–16). Salt preserves and influences; light reveals and guides. As God's people, we are called to make a visible difference wherever He has placed us.
Discussion – Choose a question that works for your group
What does "living on mission" look like in your workplace, school, neighborhood, or family?
How can our church continue to be salt and light in our community?
Closing Reflection
When Jesus stood before the tomb of Lazarus, He declared, "I am the resurrection and the life." He called Lazarus from death into life.
That is still what Jesus does today.
Our prayer is that Awaken Church will not simply be known by a new name but by transformed people—people awakened by the Holy Spirit, living on mission, revealing Jesus, and loving others well.
As Paul reminds us:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."— 1 Corinthians 13:13
Prayer:
Invite the group to pray together:
