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Notes
God with us—how
do we respond? - 22 October 2007
Link to life
When we were
babies, parents took great joy and wonder when we took our first
wobbly steps. Then we become toddlers and parents had to work hard
to keep us from walking around and getting into things that may hurt
us. Then into childhood when we relied on parents and others for
guidance on how far to go and what to do.
Then we hit
adolescence. All the rules appeared irrelevant as we went into the
storm of life learning lots along the way. Of course our parents
were still in the background caring and guiding, but we tended to be
independent. So the cycle goes on through life as we struggle and
then use what we have learnt to grow.
What is the
pattern for your life (we aren’t all the same)? Briefly share about
the ways you have grown, have relied on others and had joys and pain
Bible focus
(Psalm 113:7)
He raises the
poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap
Discussion
Part 1 – Reflect
Last meeting you
were challenged to commit to spend some quiet time with God on a
regular basis. How did you go? Tell each other about your joys and
challenges over the last fortnight.
What ways can
you help each other to spend time in god’s presence?
Part 2 – Attack
from outside and inside
Discouragement
is a natural response when the work is hard and seems never ending.
The account of the people of Jerusalem led by Nehemiah, shows they
were in a place just like that:
Meanwhile, the
people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out,
and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall."
(Nehemiah 4:10)
The Jews didn’t
only have a problem with how they felt within themselves, soon were
under attack, both verbal and likely to be physical:
When Sanballat
heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was
greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his
associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble
Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer
sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones
back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?"
(Nehemiah 4:1-2)
Nehemiah gives a
great example of what to do when things get tough. In the situation
of the Jews rebuilding Jerusalem and its wall Nehemiah guided them
to:
-
Be
disciplined and work with purpose and order.
-
Acknowledge
how far they had come and what has yet to be done.
-
Above all,
realise who God is and that He is in control. (Look at Nehemiah
4:14.)
Perhaps one of
your group is going through a tough patch right now? Listen to their
story and, knowing that change often takes time, encourage them and
reflect on how God cares for the oppressed.
Part 3 –
Responding to God by helping the poor
The story of
Jesus shows him standing up for the poor and oppressed. He came to
earth for all people, but by His words and actions He demonstrated a
special care for the poor. As we get to know Jesus we grow to be
like Him, so helping those in more need than ourselves is a natural
thing to do. But we don’t always succeed.
Often when
people get up on their feet after a big setback they can forget
where they have been and go too far to see they never go there
again. Look at what happened to the Jews as they rebuilt the wall.
Read Nehemiah 5:4. In verse 5 what was Nehemiah’s response? What
would your response have been?
Nehemiah urged
the rich to help the poor and they agreed. Read Nehemiah 5:12.
Notice the way the people told others of their commitment to help
out.
How do you think
God was working in this situation? Look again at the Bible focus
(Psalm 113:7)
The Big Question
God is with us
through good and bad, and as we get to know Him we become more like
Him. God acts for the poor and oppressed. How can you join with
other Christians to make a difference for the poor?
Make a
commitment to the others in your group that you will have at least
an 80% chance of keeping. If you don’t think you can be 80% sure of
doing it, change your commitment into something that you can be sure
of doing.
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