The Story Teen Edition Chapter 19
Its important to realize that God does not falter or change. He is constant and his nature, while complex, is reliable. He, unlike us, does not change who he is. Through scripture we can identify and take refuge in God's consistent character. Let's examine, through chapter 19, two truths about God and what they mean to us.
God...
1) Is faithful
Two weeks ago we learned about the prophet Jeremiah whom God used to speak to His people. A very famous, albeit misinterpreted, prophecy given through Jeremiah can be read in Jeremiah 29:10-11
"This is what the Lord says: 'When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future' "
So what became of this promise?
Ch. 19 video, pause at 0:40
God made good on His promise and brought His people back home and out of captivity through King Cyrus.
Why is this significant?
We can see that God will not promise something and then fail to deliver it.
In what ways do or don't our actions determine whether God follows through on a promise?
They don't. God is faithful despite and in the midst of our unfaithfulness.
We are not exiled Jews, so God's promise through Jeremiah being fulfilled may not seem significant in the here and now. What Promises has God made to you?
Look for discussion, especially with respect to God's promise of eternal life through Christ. Titus 1: 2-3
Why is it important to know that God will keep His word when He promises something?
We build our faith on the foundation of the gift of Christ. We must know that our salvation comes from a God who is always faithful. It's also helpful in further understanding God's heart, and the fact that God...
2) Desires to be with us.
Finish Ch. 19 video. Restart from beginning.
God brings the Israelites back home and provides them with the resources with which to rebuild the temple that the Babylonians had destroyed.
Why is the temple important?
The temple was where God dwelt among his people. Notice that God did not simply bring home the Israelites and allow them to rebuild the temple, but instead brought them home for the purpose of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem.
The construction of the temple halted for a whole 16 years. What had clearly been a priority for God ceased to be so for his people. God sent word through his prophets (Haggai especially) that the Israelites failed to find prosperity in their home land because God's house still remained in ruins. Thus, He instructed them to immediately finish the temple construction.
Haggai 1: 6-8
" 'You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.'
This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to our ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,' says the Lord."
What does this passage say about God's priorities? What does it say about how we should respond to God's calling when it doesn't line up with our priorities?
Pray and close.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
on modesty.
An open letter to women everywhere:
I'd like to speak on behalf of the men of the body of Christ. Let me start by apologizing. The conversation about modesty has largely been handled very badly by men, myself included. We can be harsh, insensitive, and unfair. I've heard numerous female friends of mine say that they have felt guilty, restricted, judged, and all around burdened, as if the weight of controlling the desires of men hangs over them at all times. Let me apologize on behalf of myself and the men of the church. I'm sorry. That's not your burden to bear and it is wrong of us to put that on you.
That being said, I feel that we as men often walk away leaving you feeling as if you have to battle our temptations for us. It's a touchy subject for everybody and as a result discussing it often ends in hurt, offended, and irritated men and women walking away having not accomplished anything. And while I do have my opinions on the subject, I don't believe it is my place to tell you where your responsibility is or is not. So I want to approach this from a different angle. I'm going to be honest. I'm going to try to earnestly express where I, and many men, are coming from. Please understand that the only reason we insist on talking about modesty is that you are precious to us. We as humans, and human men at that, are fighting daily to love you in a God honoring way. Our intention is never to burden you with our responsibilities.
You've heard people tell you how men are pigs. That we are sex-crazed, and we only have one thing on our mind. But you should also know that many of us are genuinely pursuing a Christ-like attitude towards women and sexuality. We are struggling to block out the world and the sex culture that constantly berates us from all sides. It's a constant battle. The Bible tells us that we are to love our wives as Christ loved us. I may not be married, but as a single Christian guy who does one day intend to be married, I am striving to be that kind of man. But I am imperfect. I am sinful and I am "a full time fool who occasionally dabbles in getting it right" (Scott Evans, Failing from the Front). I am locked in a lifelong battle against my sin nature as I strive to live in a way that glorifies God and His creation.
It's a new battle everyday. Some days I win, and some days I feel as if I've been beaten to a pulp and ruthlessly ravaged until it's all I can do to crawl back into bed and pray for the strength to rise again in the morning. Sexuality is a massive aspect of our spiritual lives, and thus one that we tend to be passionately opinionated about. But we are not helpless. We have a habit of painting a picture of ourselves as cowering little children fixed in battle with a Goliath that we have no hope of defeating. But Christ paints a very different picture. Through Him we are empowered and equipped to overcome sexual sin. Sin which we no longer live in and which Christ overcame for us when He died in our place. Still, it is a daily battle and it is in our struggle to learn how to love, respect, and protect you as God's beautiful creation that the issue of modesty arises. It is not, or at least it should not be, our way of shirking the responsibility that we have.
We know that it is our job to take our thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). We've no intention of blaming you and we certainly have no right to. Instead, we come to you, humbled as sinners and men in need of God, with this request:
Please help us. We have a battle to fight, and we know that in Christ we find victory. We are the men of the body of Christ and as such we are constantly learning and constantly growing. Its a new battle each day, and we sincerely desire to treat you with the love and respect you deserve. But we are not perfect. We have and we will fail. We don't mean to take away your rights and we certainly aren't asking you to fight our battles for us. We are only asking for your help. So if there is any way you, as our sisters in Him, can ease the burden of that battle, will you do it? Please?
Sincerely, an aspiring man of God
This is in response to an article by Relevant magazine that has been floating around social media lately.
The original article, titled "The Problem With Christian Cleavage" was renamed, edited, and eventually removed.
You can read the response article from Relevant here.
I'd like to speak on behalf of the men of the body of Christ. Let me start by apologizing. The conversation about modesty has largely been handled very badly by men, myself included. We can be harsh, insensitive, and unfair. I've heard numerous female friends of mine say that they have felt guilty, restricted, judged, and all around burdened, as if the weight of controlling the desires of men hangs over them at all times. Let me apologize on behalf of myself and the men of the church. I'm sorry. That's not your burden to bear and it is wrong of us to put that on you.
That being said, I feel that we as men often walk away leaving you feeling as if you have to battle our temptations for us. It's a touchy subject for everybody and as a result discussing it often ends in hurt, offended, and irritated men and women walking away having not accomplished anything. And while I do have my opinions on the subject, I don't believe it is my place to tell you where your responsibility is or is not. So I want to approach this from a different angle. I'm going to be honest. I'm going to try to earnestly express where I, and many men, are coming from. Please understand that the only reason we insist on talking about modesty is that you are precious to us. We as humans, and human men at that, are fighting daily to love you in a God honoring way. Our intention is never to burden you with our responsibilities.
You've heard people tell you how men are pigs. That we are sex-crazed, and we only have one thing on our mind. But you should also know that many of us are genuinely pursuing a Christ-like attitude towards women and sexuality. We are struggling to block out the world and the sex culture that constantly berates us from all sides. It's a constant battle. The Bible tells us that we are to love our wives as Christ loved us. I may not be married, but as a single Christian guy who does one day intend to be married, I am striving to be that kind of man. But I am imperfect. I am sinful and I am "a full time fool who occasionally dabbles in getting it right" (Scott Evans, Failing from the Front). I am locked in a lifelong battle against my sin nature as I strive to live in a way that glorifies God and His creation.
It's a new battle everyday. Some days I win, and some days I feel as if I've been beaten to a pulp and ruthlessly ravaged until it's all I can do to crawl back into bed and pray for the strength to rise again in the morning. Sexuality is a massive aspect of our spiritual lives, and thus one that we tend to be passionately opinionated about. But we are not helpless. We have a habit of painting a picture of ourselves as cowering little children fixed in battle with a Goliath that we have no hope of defeating. But Christ paints a very different picture. Through Him we are empowered and equipped to overcome sexual sin. Sin which we no longer live in and which Christ overcame for us when He died in our place. Still, it is a daily battle and it is in our struggle to learn how to love, respect, and protect you as God's beautiful creation that the issue of modesty arises. It is not, or at least it should not be, our way of shirking the responsibility that we have.
We know that it is our job to take our thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). We've no intention of blaming you and we certainly have no right to. Instead, we come to you, humbled as sinners and men in need of God, with this request:
Please help us. We have a battle to fight, and we know that in Christ we find victory. We are the men of the body of Christ and as such we are constantly learning and constantly growing. Its a new battle each day, and we sincerely desire to treat you with the love and respect you deserve. But we are not perfect. We have and we will fail. We don't mean to take away your rights and we certainly aren't asking you to fight our battles for us. We are only asking for your help. So if there is any way you, as our sisters in Him, can ease the burden of that battle, will you do it? Please?
Sincerely, an aspiring man of God
This is in response to an article by Relevant magazine that has been floating around social media lately.
The original article, titled "The Problem With Christian Cleavage" was renamed, edited, and eventually removed.
You can read the response article from Relevant here.
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