Brentwood
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May 11/12LESSONS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENTAaron and Hur – strengthening the weary!
We are very grateful to Lyn for preparing our last three studies. This week and next we will continue to look at Old Testament characters, trying to see parallels between their experiences and ours. Although our life situations may be very different from theirs, we can learn from them because we serve the One Living God who is the same yesterday, today and forever!
Begin by reading Exodus 17:8-16. Then pray that God will show you all how this passage of Scripture is relevant to our lives today. We can draw parallels between this story and many areas of Christian experience and service. Some examples of this are outlined below, but there will be many others. Talk through a number of situations which are relevant to members of your Group.
1)
The battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites in this story can be
compared with all kinds of “battles” in Christian experience and service. What
parallels can the Group suggest? 2) Look at the parallels you have suggested one by one. a) Who in today’s situation could be compared to Moses? b) Who in today’s situation takes the parts of Aaron and Hur? c) God gave Israel the victory because Aaron and Hur supported Moses and helped him to fulfil the responsibility God had given to him. Suggest ways in which WE can be “Aaron and Hur” strengthening the weary hands of others in practical or spiritual ways today.
SOME POSSIBLE PARALLELS YOU COULD TALK ABOUT MIGHT INCLUDE:
The battles to proclaim the gospel in a hostile world. The modern counterparts to “Moses” could be, for example, Michele, Anna and Shelley leading the Alpha Course. In that context, we can be “Aaron and Hur” for them in practical ways by preparing or serving a meal, and in spiritual ways by surrounding the course in informed prayer. Equally, modern counterparts to Moses could be missionaries serving the Lord overseas. You would then discuss ways in which we can be “Aaron and Hur” supporting missionaries by keeping in touch, informed prayer and generous giving.
The battle of working with children or young people. The modern “Moses” could be Leaders in Family Church, XS, BB, The Club, Bar’n’Bus, Brentwood Schools Christian Worker Trust, etc. Work through for yourselves ways in which we can be “Aaron and Hur” for workers in these areas of Christian service.
The challenge of loving and serving our neighbours. Each of us can find ourselves having to be “Moses” in all kinds of struggles in the workplace or even with family or neighbours. Identify the battles Group members are involved in, and try to find PRACTICAL ways you could support each other better.
The battle for holiness and growth in our personal spiritual lives and walk with God. In that case we each take the part of Moses in our own struggles against temptation. We need to find ways to play the parts of Aaron and Hur in supporting each other e.g. prayer.
The battle between the church and the post-modern world. You might consider the Minister, Elders and Deacons as successors to Moses, and discuss ways in which church members might be able to support the Leadership. May 18/19HEARING GOD’S CALL Isaiah 6:1-8 Acts 26:12-18 Romans 10:11-15
This evening’s study looks at ways God commissions people for service. Following on from Sunday’s sermon on “Being a Sending Church” we also think about the part the church plays in calling and commissioning for mission.
1. Read Isaiah 6:1-8.
In his dramatic encounter with God, which aspects of God’s character were
especially revealed to Isaiah? (e.g. Holy, Almighty, Glorious)
2. Now read Acts 26:12-18 and answer the same questions. Which aspects of God’s character were especially revealed to Paul? (e.g. the fact that Jesus was risen from the dead and all that implies) What impact did this experience have on Paul? (5 mins)
3. Look again at Isaiah 6:8 and Acts 26:16-18. Isaiah and Paul were both sent by God. To what were they sent? For what were they commissioned? (5 mins)
4. To what extent are these experiences of Isaiah and Paul exceptional? Do their experiences show us a pattern for every Christian, or just for “special” Christians like missionaries or ministers? Should only missionaries or ministers expect to have special experiences of being “called” by God? Or is the call to witnessing and going where God sends a part of the “conversion/salvation package” for EVERY Christian? (10 mins) Answer: every Christian is sent by God! But also ministers/missionaries may expect to have some special or unusual experiences which contribute to their sense of “call” to full time Christian service.
5. Read Romans 10:11-15. Paul teaches here that preachers (evangelists) need to be “sent”. Is he contradicting his own experience here? Read Acts 13:1-3. What is the relationship between an individual’s experience of “being called or sent by God” and the church’s role in “setting apart and sending”? (10 mins) Answer: the individual’s sense of call should expect to find strong prayerful support from their church. Despite his Damascus Road experience, Paul did not begin his missionary journeys until his gifts had been tested in the churches in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26-30) and at Antioch (Acts 11:25-26). Of course, some of the greatest missionaries have been exceptions to this rule!
6. What are the responsibilities
of a church which sends one of its members to be a minister or a missionary?
(e.g. practical, financial, spiritual)
You may find it useful to have a spare copy of the handout “Becoming a Sending Church – Lyn, James and Andrea” for anybody who missed Sunday morning. LEARNING FROM KING SOLOMON June – July 2005
God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man. (1 Kings 4:29-31)
There are many things we can all learn from the great King Solomon. We looked earlier this year at some of the teachings ascribed to him in the book of Proverbs. For this series we look at the man and his experiences of God – his successes and also his failures!
There are six Home Group evenings in June and July: June 8/9 Solomon asks for wisdom 1 Kings 3:1-15 June 15/16* Solomon’s wise decision 1 Kings 3:16-28 June 22/23 Solomon’s Temple – “Sacred spaces” 1 Kings 6:1-38 June 29 PowerHouse July 6/7 Solomon’ Prayer dedicating the Temple 1 Kings 8:22-60 2 Chronicles 7:1-10 July 13/14 Solomon and the Queen of Sheba 1 Kings 10:1-29 July 20/21 Solomon’s downfall 1 Kings 11:1-14 July 27 PowerHouse
* Borrowing a promising idea from Jim Hamilton, we are going to try scheduling our Home Group Leaders’ meetings whilst the Home Groups are meeting. Hopefully this will be a time which most leaders can make and allow us to have more regular meetings for support and encouragement as well as planning. So our next Home Group Leaders’ meeting will be on THURSDAY 16th June at 8 pm at the Manse. I am confident that leaders of Thursday night Groups will be able to nominate a deputy to lead their group in their absence.
The first three studies are here and another three will be available in a couple of weeks. I expect that some groups will want to have some kind of social event, perhaps on 20/21 July. Feel free to invite Peter, Michele or Steve to these if you likeJ You may therefore wish to choose to ignore the dates on the studies and choose for yourselves which one(s) to miss out.
June 8/9Solomon asks for wisdom 1 Kings 3:1-15
To begin with, read 1 Kings 3:1-15. We will use the story as a springboard to invite the Group to discuss their own answers to just two important questions.
1. Solomon’s request was pleasing to God because he asked to be equipped to serve God better. Ask the Group to share the areas in which they each hope and pray to serve God better.
2. God invites Solomon, “ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Ask the Group what their personal answers to God’s gracious invitation would be. Then spend time praying for each other for those things.
June 15/16Solomon’s wise decision 1 Kings 3:16-28
This story is the single greatest example of “the wisdom of Solomon”. But is it as simple, or indeed as wise, as it appears?!
1. Read 1 Kings 3:16-28. Ask the Group, “What is your initial reaction to the story?” If their responses are rather “cerebral”, remind them that this is a story of two women and a baby and a deep personal tragedy, and our response should be emotional as well as intellectual. If we couldn’t care less about what happens to the baby, we have missed the point!
2. Is there any significance in the fact that these women were both prostitutes? What clue does it give us as to why they are both so desperate to keep the baby? (Hint: with no husband to depend upon, a son and heir would care for the mother in later years?)
3. Solomon’s “solution” to the problem was to propose killing the baby. This “wise” answer should raise all kinds of questions in our minds! For example:- (a) Do you think that Solomon actually would have killed the baby? (b) Solomon’s “wisdom” took the form of a bluff. Does that count as lying? (c) Some people think “the end justifies the means”. Would you say that was true in this situation? Or would you agree that Solomon stepped over moral boundaries in his answer?
4. What does this, as the supreme example of Solomon’s wisdom, reveal to us about God’s kind of wisdom? You may like to look at 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5. June 22/23Solomon’s Temple – Sacred Spaces 1 Kings 6:1-38
In the good old days, preachers drew all kinds of parallels between the details of the Jewish Temple and the church today, or the life of Christ, or the life of the believer. You may guess that I am not particularly convinced by that kind of allegory or “typology”. So instead I suggest we think about Solomon’s temple as a way of exploring the idea of “Sacred Spaces”.
1. Ask the Group, “is there a place anywhere in the world where you feel closest to God?”
2. Read 1 Kings 6:1-38. Ask the Group, “Why do you think it was that the Jews needed a special place and a special building to worship God?” How can special places help us?
3. Ask the Group, “What kinds of building do you find it easiest to worship God in? Large or small? Old or modern? Ornate or simple?” (Light or dark? Loud or silent?)
4. We know that God is with us wherever we are. So is it a good or a bad thing if we find or create for ourselves a “sacred space” which helps us to feel closer to God? Ask the Group to share their experiences of what helps them to recognise the presence of God in worship or prayer. Encourage folk to try something new in the week ahead to see if it helps them – e.g. Some may like to try visiting Brentwood Cathedral, or walking in the woods, or looking up at the night sky for a time of personal prayer. Richard Foster suggests lighting a candle as one way of creating “sacred space” wherever we happen to be. Studies on Solomon - sorry for the wrong dates!!!
My apologies for giving the wrong dates! However a number of groups which did not meet on June 1/2 have some catching up to do, so I will stick to my original plan of only 6 studies leaving 20/21 July as a week for catching up, or else for a Social evening. The revised dates are:
June 1/2 1. Solomon asks for wisdom 1 Kings 3:1-15 June 8/9 2. Solomon’s wise decision 1 Kings 3:16-28 June 15/16 * 3. Solomon’s Temple – “Sacred spaces” 1 Kings 6:1-38 June 16 Also Home Group Leaders Meeting 8 pm at the Manse on the Thursday June 22/23 4. Solomon’ Prayer dedicating the Temple 1 Kings 8:22-60 2 Chronicles 7:1-10 June 29 PowerHouse July 6/7 5. Solomon and the Queen of Sheba 1 Kings 10:1-29 July 13/14 6. Solomon’s downfall 1 Kings 11:1-14 July 20/21 Catching up week or social (or even evangelistic!) event. July 27 PowerHouse
You should already have the notes for studies 1 to 3. 4 is below, 5 and 6 will follow next week.
By now you may have guessed that there is an underlying agenda to these studies on Solomon. Many Christians and too many sermons assume that “Old Testament characters” are easy to study and preach about. My original preamble stated that, “Although our life situations may be very different from theirs, we can learn from them because we serve the One Living God who is the same yesterday, today and forever!” This is entirely true. But hopefully these studies are also highlighting the enormous differences between Solomon and ourselves – not only cultural, but also theological. Some examples: his “wisdom” is very different from ours (2); buildings and “sacred space” mean much more to Jews and some Christians than they do to us (3); wealth and prosperity have a different spiritual significance nowadays (5); polygamy is no longer the norm (6) !
June 22/23Solomon’ Prayer dedicating the Temple 1 Kings 8:22-60 2 Chron 7:1-10
1.Intro Read 1 Kings
8:22-30.
Verses 27 and 29 seem to contradict each other. Build on last week’s discussion
of “sacred spaces” to ask, “Is it actually at all meaningful to think of the
Almighty and Omnipresent God being present in any special way in a particular
place?” 2.Theology Why was Solomon the King doing the prayer of dedication anyway? Why not a priest, or a prophet? Read 1 Kings 8:31-53. Identify some of the different functions the Temple would have in the nation as well as the religion of Israel. Do we have buildings today with similar functions? How important was the Temple to the identity of Israel the nation? (Very)
3. Theology A brief aside: In light of question 2, what does the Fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD imply for the nation of Israel and the Jewish religion? What does John 2:12-22 teach us about the place of the Temple in God’s plan of salvation?
4.Devotional Read 1 Kings
22:54-62. What does
Solomon’s prayer teach us about God and about us? 5. Devotional Read 2 Chronicles 7:1-10. Have any of the Group ever experienced an encounter with God in worship as powerful as that?! Should we expect to do so? Occasionally? Often?
July 6/7Solomon and the Queen of Sheba 1 Kings 10:1-29
My apologies that these notes were not
available earlier. Other things crowded in last week.
These final two studies on Solomon illustrate the distance between 900 BC and 2000 AD, Ancient Near East and Western Europe, early Judaism and post-modern Christianity. Specifically this week, we see how wealth, prosperity and success have a very different spiritual significance for us.
1. Some churches teach that if we are faithful to God he will bless us materially and we will prosper in this life. Do we believe this is true? Why? Why not?
2. Read 1 Kings 10:1-29. Certainly God blessed Solomon with riches! “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.” (v. 23) Is it significant that “riches” is mentioned before “wisdom” (and in v.6 “achievements” before “wisdom”)? Go through the passage and highlight places where material prosperity is equated with God’s blessing. Do we expect this to apply to us today? Why? Why not?
3. Can the group suggest passages of Scripture which challenge or oppose the “health, wealth and prosperity” gospel? After they have thought about it for a while, you may like to read e.g. Luke 6:20-26.
Words of explanation: In Solomon’s time the Israelites did not have a developed theology of “the afterlife.” They certainly did not believe in heaven and hell in the same senses we do today. So for them, both blessing and judgement were to be experienced in their earthly lifetime. Material blessing would be equated with God’s blessing. Suffering would be equated with God’s judgement. The “health wealth and prosperity” gospel is based on literal interpretations of Old Testament texts while ignoring radically opposing New Testament passages.
4. Was the Queen of Sheba more
impressed by Solomon’s wisdom or by his success and riches? (Look carefully at
the passage e.g. verse 4.) In these days do we expect (even sub-consciously)
that riches, large buildings, lots of people, lots of resources, and “success”
will still bring glory to God as they did with the Queen of Sheba? Please note: the answers people initially give to these questions may just be the answers they think are theologically “correct”. The following questions are designed to tease out our underlying attitudes to success and prosperity in church life.
5. Read the following news report to the Group:
From NBC5 News 3/7/05 CHICAGO --
Nearly 10,000 worshippers attended the inaugural service of the nation's newest
megachurch Sunday on Chicago's South Side. Church officials said the 203,000
square-foot complex, called the House of Hope, is the third largest church in
the country. It's also one of the largest indoor centers in Chicago, second in
size only to the United Center. The $50 million facility boasts regulation-size
basketball courts, a TV studio and a $1.4 million sound system. It also has a
"cry room" where parents with babies can watch sermons on flat-screen TVs. Among
the many dignitaries attending Sunday's festive opening were state Senate
President Emil Jones and Rainbow Coalition leader Jesse Jackson. Some churches (in
USA or Korea) seem to believe that “bigger is better”. Do we agree?
6. The bottom line:- Do you think God wants Brentwood Baptist Church to grow numerically? Or financially? Or do you think it is His will specifically to keep us at the size we are and with the level of resources we now have? If we grow will that be a sign of God’s blessing? If we don’t grow is that a sign of our failure or of God’s displeasure?
July 13/14Solomon’s downfall 1 Kings 11:1-14
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was certainly foolish in one area of his life, and his sins there led to the division of the nation of Israel into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms! This study could lead you in a wide variety of directions!
1. Read 1 Kings 11:1-14. What were the sins which Solomon committed which angered God so much?
2. Solomon followed the other gods which his various wives worshipped. What lessons does this have to teach us for today? What might “following other gods” mean for us in Brentwood in the 21st Century? What specific temptations does this warn us to avoid?
3. IF THIS QUESTION IS TOO SENSITIVE FOR ANY MEMBERS OF YOUR GROUP – DO NOT USE IT!!! What does Solomon’s downfall teach us about the importance of choosing the right marriage partner? What are the dangers for a Christian of marrying somebody who follows another world religion (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism) or who has no Christian faith at all? Read 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 which certainly seems to forbid such a marriage. Is this an absolute rule, or just good advice?
4. God was angry with Solomon’s
worship of foreign gods, NOT with his polygamy!
5. Read verses 9-13 again. The whole history of the nation of Israel would be shaped by God’s judgment on Solomon’s sins. Was that fair? How far are God’s dealings with whole nations today still shaped by the actions of individual leaders?
6. Solomon was wise and rich and successful. God spoke to him directly. He built the first Temple in Jerusalem. He was in the ancestral line of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is mentioned 244 times in the Bible. He is credited with writing much of the book of Proverbs, a couple of Psalms and the Song of Solomon. But was he, on balance, “a good king”? What have these studies taught us about Solomon the man, the believer? PROVERBS – Wisdom for Everyday LivingHome Group Studies for February and March 2005
The Book of Proverbs is well known and very popular in most American Churches but strangely neglected in this country. Questions of dating and authorship are largely irrelevant as we read Proverbs! The important thing is that we hear what the text says, and act on what we learn. These sayings are designed to stand alone, to be memorable, and often to provoke thought rather than give us prepackaged answers. For these reasons the book does not lend itself to systematic study.
The approach I suggest you take to Proverbs is therefore different from most other books. It is deliberately more open and less structured, to allow the text to speak for itself! We should encourage people to share “what the verses mean to me” rather than looking for “the right answer”. Over six weeks we will look at six recurrent themes in this book of Wisdom. For each theme I give a set of passages of 6-12 verses. For each passage there are three essential questions. 1. What does this passage say about the theme? Sometimes there will be more than one idea expressed. There will be one or two particularly striking verses. 2. Do we agree with what the passage says? Occasionally Proverbs advocates attitudes or actions which we might question in the light of the New Testament. Occasionally the sayings are intended to be ironical, mocking the ideas they superficially convey. 3. How should this passage affect our daily Christian living? In the Bible wisdom is not an abstract intellectual quest but practical instruction for everyday life.
In reading these sayings, you may well find that modern translations such as Good News or the Living Bible express the meaning in a much more lively way than, say, the New International Version. So you will want to have a variety of translations available.
On any particular evening, you could work through the set of passages one by one. For this you will need to keep moving quickly if you want to complete the set! As an alternative, on some weeks you might like to divide out the passages, giving each one to one or two people. Encourage them to read the passage and think about our questions, alone or in pairs, for say five minutes. (Passages could even be assigned and prepared in advance.) Then spend the rest of the time allowing each individual or pair to feed back what they have learned, and allowing the group to chip in their comments.
2nd / 3rd February On Wisdom and Foolishness Proverbs 1:1-7; 2:1-11; 2:12-22; 3:13-20; 4:1-9.
9th / 10th February On True Religion Proverbs 3:1-12; 15:7-19; 15:20-23; 16:1-19; 21:30-22:16.
16th /17th February On Wise and Foolish Speech Proverbs 10:6-14, 18-21 & 31-32; 11:9-14; 12:5-8, 13-23 & 25-26.
23rd February Powerhouse Prayer Meeting at the Church
2nd / 3rd March On Wealth and Poverty Proverbs 10:2-6,15-17; 11:15-31; 12:9-12, 26-28; 13:2-12, 18-25; 18:22-19:10.
9th / 10th March On Righteousness and Wickedness Proverbs 1:8-19; 3:21-35; 4:10-19; 4:20-27; 5:1-10; 10:28-11:11.
16th /17th March On “The Perfect Wife” Proverbs 30:10-31. Is this REALLY God’s pattern for marriage? Discuss J
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