Agape (Strong’s #26) – irresistible admiration, wonder and sincere appreciation; when one sees, recognizes, understands, or appreciates the value of another
Chairei - #5463 - overjoyed, elated, ecstatic, exhilarated
Adikos - #93 – unrighteousness of heart and life
Truth - #225 – reality; what is true in any manner under consideration; candor of mind free from affectation, pretense, simulation, deceit, falsehood
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[Love] always protects, 1 Corinthians 13:7 NIV
Stego – Strong’s #4722 – to cover, thatch, to protect by covering, preserve, endure, hide or conceal faults
History Counts – Defenses confuse and distress
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Minimizing, denying, deluding, suppression, repression, disassociation
“They didn’t mean to, intend to, or know any better.” – minimizing
“It’s all your fault I am this way; I can’t change; there’s nothing I can do.” – deluding and denying
- Physical – overt or covert
- Intellectual – overt or covert
- Emotional – overt or covert
- Sexual – overt or covert
- Spiritual – overt or covert
Abuse – any experience that is shaming, or less-than-nurturing
Accountability – acknowledge what happened, who did it, and accept the process of recovery for self
Home Study Group - Session 4
In preparation, read Ezra 2, 3, and Psalm 126.
Remember that the Israelites had been exiled to Babylon for 70 years (2 Chron. 36:21). (Why 70 years? They had violated the law [Lev. 26:40-45] to give the land rest; 70 years “makes up” for the years the Israelites did not rest the land as commanded.) Ezra 2 notes all the people that returned from captivity, and lists their geneology. Think about the scattering that has taken place after hurricane Katrina. Even with all our modern technology, this scattering has been devastating. The search for family is confused and frantic. Yet, all these many years ago, a whole race is taken into captivity, 70 years have passed, and most family records are still intact. Family was vitally important to the Israelites; lineage determined destiny, and in many cases your job.
Who do you come from? In unhealthy families, one of the things we often lose is a sense of family. I read somewhere that most families in treatment have trouble identifying their family heritage, because the chaos, confusion, and broken relationships make it a painful and often impossible task. Spend a few minutes sharing together one interesting piece of information about your family tree.
“Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built an altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.” (Ezra 3:3)
For 70 years, these people had been servants. They knew they were Prince and Princess Warriors, but they lived as slaves. Finally, they are free – free to worship, free to rebuild. But fear is still present – real danger lurks. They live in a city without walls, and they are in constant danger of being over-run by the people who live around them. Spend some time talking about what is fearful about finding freedom from our virtual prisons. How can each of you relate to the vulnerability that comes with new-found freedom?
Finally, the work begins. But notice the different emotional responses of the people. Some laugh, others cry – all were praising God. Recall Psalm 126. Talk among yourselves about how differently we all respond to spiritual awakenings, new beginnings, and loss. I appreciate how everyone was allowed to praise God without being shamed for their true grief over their lost past. How does knowing this make us more effective at delighting, diligent looking, and delicate exposing? Don’t forget that big question!
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Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:7 NIV
Love - Agape – (Strong’s #26) irresistible admiration, wonder and sincere appreciation; when one sees, recognizes, understands, or appreciates the value of another
Protects - Stego – Strong’s #4722 – to cover, thatch, to protect by covering, preserve, endure, hide or conceal faults
Trusts – Pisteuo – Strong’s #4100 – to think to be true, place confidence in, to credit, to be entrusted with a thing, to see beyond problems, to see the highest potential
Hopes – Elpizo – Strong’s #1679 – hope, hopefully trust in, expectation of good things
Perseveres – Hypomeno, Apomeno - #5278 – to remain, tarry behind, not recede or flee, to persevere, hold fast, endure, bear bravely and calmly ill-treatments
Love protects, shields, guards, covers, conceals and safeguards people from exposure; love strains forward with all its might to believe the very best in every situation; love always expects and anticipates the best in others and the best for others. Love never quits, never surrenders and never gives up. 1
“A healthy person has functional internal habit patterns regarding the body, thinking, feeling, believing, and behavior that are necessary for a mature adult to be capable of having healthy relationships while simultaneously experiencing a reasonable level of comfort in life.” (Definition adapted from Mellody’s working definition of codependency in Facing Codependency - workbook)
Home Study Group - Session 5
In preparation read Ezra 4, 5, and 6. Pay particular attention to 4:1-5 and 6:21-22.
In light of what you have read, answer the following:
Do you really think the enemies of Judah and Benjamin made a sincere offer to help rebuild the temple? Why do you think that? When their offer was rebuffed, how did they respond? Should they have accepted the offer of help? Why do you think that?
Healthy people develop “functioning internal habit patterns.” In light of what happens in the rest of the chapters, it seems that the Israelites had indeed developed (and were utilizing) these healthy internal habit patterns. (I am reminded of what “messy spirituality” the Israelites modeled for us – sometimes brave and bold in the faith, sometimes forgetful of God. Can you relate?)
One way that we test our functioning is to look at our relationships and our level of contentment. I believe that the Israelites passed the test. Why? Because they managed to have healthy boundaries – they kept the “bad” out while embracing the “good” – they worked well together as a team to accomplish a tremendously difficult task in the face of unrelenting opposition. They did the will of God and experienced the joy that came from getting a God job done, and done well. (Do you remember the emotions they experienced in last week’s study?) Spend just a couple of minutes and think about how their bodies, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors all came together internally to produce people who externally demonstrated both maturity and reasonable contentedness. Specifically, focus on the discernment they demonstrated regarding what they believed about God, and what they understood about their enemies. Notice how they kept working in the face of opposition.
Thoughts for you: spend a few minutes discussing with your group how you have or have not rebuffed the enemy (an enemy is anyone who does not encourage you as you seek to live out God’s plans for you). What do you want to take away from this study to use in your life? Is there anything you need to leave behind?
1 Adapted from Rick Renners paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13:7 found in Sparking Gems from the Greek, Teach All The Nations, 2003, September 14 th devotional.
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The Codependent Way
Codependents have:
1. Difficulty experiencing appropriate levels of self-esteem
2. Difficulty setting functional boundaries
3. Difficulty owning and expressing their own reality
4. Difficulty taking care of their adult needs and wants
5. Difficulty experiencing and expressing their reality moderately
A New Way
and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. Philemon 6:1 New American Standard (1995)
Fellowship – koinonia – (Strong’s #2842) – community, intimacy, fellowship,
Effective – energeo – (Strong’s #1756) – activated
Knowledge – epignosis – (Strong’s #1922) – acknowledging, precise and correct knowledge
Good thing – agathos – (Strong’s #18) – good nature, useful, joyful, excellent, upright, honorable
What is my way?
Home Study Group - Session 6
Read Ezra 7, 8, 9 and 10. Extreme make-overs of any sort are inherently messy, time consuming, and just plain hard work. At NSC, two of the principles we practice are: (1) respond, don’t react and (2) pause to prepare. How did Ezra prepare (7:6, 10)? This kind of preparation developed within Ezra internal habit patterns that enabled him to step up to the plate and accept his place in history. This wasn’t easy work – he was living in a foreign land, exiled from his homeland – he had other options. Many of his countrymen embraced the life in Babylon, experienced financial success, and grew comfortable. When the opportunity to return home was presented, these families chose to stay in Babylon. What made Ezra different? His internal habit patterns made him different. If he had not paused to prepare in the years prior to his return to Israel, if he had reacted to the opposition rather than responding, what might the outcome have been like for Ezra and the Israelites? One commentator points out that idolatry was a recurring sin pattern in the life of the Israelite people – one that never dominated them after their return from captivity. They had problems, but according to this historian, Ezra’s reform efforts had lasting positive consequences for the families that followed him home.
Many scholars think that Ezra is the author of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. If this is true, than Ezra is describing himself to the reader – he says he devoted himself to the study and observance of the law of the Lord. What about you? How would you describe yourself? What have you devoted yourself to? Share a story with your group that helps them know you better. What creative, quirky passions has God planted in your heart that is related to your “ever-increasing glory”?
What was Ezra’s take on this situation (7:6, 9, 27, 28; 8:18, 21-23, 31)? Another leader with different internal habit patterns could have been in this exact situation and taken a “less-than” attitude. Every little thing that went wrong could have been an opportunity for doubt and discouragement to take hold of his heart. I wonder – how would I have responded? How do you think you would have responded? Ezra was unstoppable – are we?
The Israelites again expressed messy spirituality. They were among the brave and faithful who returned to reclaim God’s land – and – they misbehaved sexually. What can we learn from Ezra and his people? Messy, Messy people, who are filled with hope (10:2). Messy, messy people – capable of great deed and misdeeds. How can you relate? What’s your take away from this study? What are you leaving behind?
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In the beginning…
I am valuable (self-esteem from within)
Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love. Ephesians 1:4(a) The Message
I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born. Isaiah 44:2(a)
You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; you know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Psalm 139:15 The Message
I am vulnerable (functional boundaries)
I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from your birth. Even when you are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned gray, I will take care of you. I made you and will take care of you. Isaiah 46:3-4
I am imperfect (accountable)
They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. Hosea 8:7
A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7
The Lord…said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.” Genesis 8:21
I have needs and wants (I am interdependent)
God formed the earth…He did not create it to be empty but formed it to be inhabited. Isaiah 45:18
I am in process (Immature, age appropriate)
You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your Book! Psalm 139:16 Living Bible
God’s wisdom…goes deep into the interior of his purposes…It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest – what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us.
1 Corinthians 2:7 The Message
Home Study Group - Session 7
Read Nehemiah 1 and Deuteronomy 30. Use these two chapters to strengthen your knowledge (“precise understanding”) and internal habit patterns. Here are some questions to guide your community discussion…
Carefully read both chapters and make a list of all the things the authors’ of these books knew about God. Spend time making and even expanding the list – you can bring in other scripture references to support your knowledge of the character of God. Make the list as if your life depended on it…
Spend some time meditating on this list and inventory your internal patterns. Does your thought life, feelings, behaving, and even your body reveal to you belief or unbelief when it comes to understanding and knowing God? (Example: if our list includes that God is always with us and won’t forsake us and intends to prosper us, then our stress level will be reduced, our contentment level will be increased, our behavior will reflect our awareness of His presence – even when we’re alone…but if we regularly think about far away God seems, how capricious His whims, if we are highly anxious, fearful, etc., AND WE SAY WE BELIEVE GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US AND WON’T FORSAKE US AND INTENDS TO PROSPER US then something is not adding up.) When I complete this inventory for myself, I often find myself quoting scripture, “Lord, I believe! Help me in my unbelief!”
Now make a list of all the “cause and effects” illustrated in these writings. As we know, healthy family systems guide us in the growing up process – and one important lesson is the law of “cause and effect.”
Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful (What does sin mean?) nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 NIV
An effective community respects the law of cause and effect. What are some personal examples that some of you are willing to share that illustrate either how you have embraced the “cause and effect” principle – or tried to avoid it? How does one reinforce the teaching of the law of cause and effect? How can one hinder the process for self and others?
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Two Extremes
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. Prov. 25:28
“It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.
“After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
“The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
“The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’
“The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.
“ ‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’1
Home Study Group - Session 8
Read Nehemiah 2 and 3 as you prepare for your community meeting.
According to my notes, Nehemiah waited four months before approaching the king with his problem. What did Nehemiah do while he waited (Nehemiah 1:4)?
Nehemiah took some time to prepare and process. He immediately recognized the need – what was it (Neh. 1:3)? He also came to understand what he wanted (Neh. 2:1-6). We can relate to Nehemiah – we have strong emotional responses too! Can we relate to how he paused to prepare? Note carefully what he did, who he went to, and the order in which he sought a solution to his longing.
Truthfully, I do not always pause to prepare. Instead of taking my needs and wants straight to God, I often run “all willy nilly” to trusted friends and family. I think it says a lot about Nehemiah that he could model for us – “Be still and know that I am God.” He models this again in Nehemiah 2.
Pausing to prepare allows for our neurology to catch up with our good intentions. Remember that for many of us, our brains are in a state of renovation. Our pre-frontal cortex (the part of the brain that helps us choose to delay gratification, think about cause and effect, etc.) could be temporarily out of service due to the damage of the fasciculus retroflexus (that little road that connects the cortex with the mid-brain). (Alcohol use, smoking, drug abuse, etc. are known factors in F.R. damage.) We all know that road delays slow our travels. If your F.R. might have a few pot holes and lane merges, this slows down the trip neurologically. Pausing to prepare gives the pre-frontal cortex time to do its thing and give feedback to the mid-brain (the part of the brain that is reptilian in nature and very primitive). Hey, if you don’t want to be accused of being a snake or acting like a, uh, cave person – slow down. Do what Nehemiah did!
Spend some time in your study reflecting on the principle of pausing to prepare. Encourage each other to develop this skill. Share a story that illustrates either your need to learn this skill, or the benefits you’ve experienced when you’ve practiced it.
Don’t forget to look for and acknowledge that ever-increasing glory in those around you!
1 Peterson, E. H. 2003. The Message : The Bible in contemporary language . NavPress: Colorado Springs, Colo., Matthew 25:10 -
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If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help, You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. James 1:5-6 The Message
If any of you lacks (leipo) wisdom (sophos), he should ask (aiteo) God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:5-6 NIV
Leipo - to leave, leave behind, forsake, to be left behind; to lag, be inferior; to be destitute of, to lack; to be wanting, to fail
Aiteo – to be adamant in requesting and demanding assistance to meet tangible needs; the one who is asking has a full expectation to receive what has been firmly requested
Sophos – enlightenment, insight, special insight
Finding my place in the story
I am valuable (self-esteem from within)
I am vulnerable (functional boundaries)
I am imperfect (accountable)
I have needs and wants (I am interdependent)
I am in process (Immature, age appropriate)
Home Study Group - Session 9
Read Nehemiah chapters 3, 4, and 5 as you prepare for your community meeting.
During our series on relationships, you have heard three principles repeatedly: God delights in us, we therefore should diligently look for the delightful in self and others, and finally, sometimes we must delicately expose the bad or painful. Foundational to these principles is the assumption that living in community is a must in order for us to become our true God-created selves. Community doesn’t just happen – it is hard work. It takes time, commitment, dedication, and sacrifice. (Notice community in action in chapter three. Everyone took a chunk of the work. No one worked in isolation.)
Which of these principles do you find hardest to practice? Can you think of some examples of individuals within your study group who model one or more of these principles? What is it about them that you can specifically affirm?
Review these principles as they relate to the life of Nehemiah. How did he demonstrate these principles in the chapters you’ve read this week?
As usual, Nehemiah and the Israelites faced opposition every step of the way. But in chapter five, it was revealed that some of the opposition was found within their own community. Nehemiah delicately exposed this bad thing, and amazingly, (5:12) the response of the wrongdoers was repentance. Not a single defensive, angry word was spoken by the offenders. They made amends.
Perhaps it is just me, but my personal experience has been that this is rare. When my pain or bad is delicately exposed, I’m not usually so receptive. How about you – how do you respond to delicate exposure of pain or bad? What a great example of community! Wrong was exposed, amends were made – and life went on.
Spend the rest of your time asking each other questions. Why were they so teachable?
How did they build community? What can we learn from them?
We are all a pretty messy group of people finding our way back to God. I suspect that is not going to change. But what we can change, by the grace of God, is how we respond to the messiness within ourselves and others.
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Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven…
Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?” He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence – and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.” Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define neighbor?” Luke 10: The Message
- Who might I be in the story of the good Samaritan? Am I more like Martha or Mary?
The person who shuns the bitter moments of friends will be an outsider at their celebrations. Proverbs 14:10 The Message
- Is it possible that I have watched too much television? Do I expect real life to be like my fantasy ideal? Have I blocked out some realities about the messiness of life on planet earth that have been detrimental to my maturation process?
Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Proverbs 4:23 The Message
- Do I know my place in the story? Am I willing to forsake all people, places and things that stand in the way of my assuming my rightful position in the center of God’s epic adventure?
Home Study Group - Session 10
As preparation for your community meeting, read Nehemiah 6 and 7. If anyone has The Message translation of these chapters, bring it with you to group and read from it. It is awesome! Notice how Nehemiah’s dedication to the study of God’s word, and his reliance on God enabled Nehemiah to have great discernment under grave pressure. Take some time and notice the “functional internal habit patterns” that Nehemiah displayed in his rebuttal of Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem and the others. He was fearless. He was brave. He was focused. But he was also flexible. He was willing to meet with Shemaiah, but was wise enough to know when he was being conned. Nehemiah “gets it” – he not only paused to prepare, but he understood the concept of reaping and sowing. He understood that his actions would have consequences, and he was wise enough to understand the implications of the seemingly innocent request to meet at The Temple.
How about you? How are your internal habit patterns? Are you making reasonable progress in strengthening your internal patterns? What’s working? What’s not quite working? What could use some tweaking?
Once Nehemiah set out on the course of building the walls back, he was unstoppable. It doesn’t mean he was free from worry. Think back to all the times he faced opposition and then the scriptures would say – Nehemiah prayed. But towards the end of chapter 6, we read this in The Message – “When all our enemies heard the news and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies totally lost their nerve. They knew that God was behind this work.” Nehemiah has it right. He gave God the credit! Note also that the opposition continued.
I think Satan continues operate just like Sanballat and the others. The Evil One knows that he is hosed – all is lost for him – he is a defeated foe. But he keeps plugging away – harassing, denigrating, discouraging, one little voice of opposition – persistent in his efforts to wear us out and defeat us.
How is the enemy working on you? You may ask your community to assist you in some way in defeating this already defeated foe. Is there a particularly insistent voice of dissent that needs to be silenced? Bring the message of defeat into the light – report on it, and ask for prayer for it to be silenced. But even if the negativity continues – remember what Nehemiah knew – with God, all things are possible. We must continue to be unstoppable! Now, encourage each other in their ever-increasing glory! Go Warriors!
Vision Casting Service God speaks - we step
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In the beginning, we were Celebrate Recovery
“I HAVE SEEN HOW THEY ACTED, BUT I WILL HEAL THEM. I WILL LEAD THEM AND HELP THEM, AND I WILL COMFORT THOSE WHO MOURN. I OFFER PEACE TO ALL, NEAR AND FAR!” Isaiah 57:18 Good News Bible
God had plans for us
“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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back from captivity.” Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV
He began a new thing
But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, he who formed you – “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth – everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:1-3(a), 4, 6-7, 18-19
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to reclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve – bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord of the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV
He will equip the called
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NIV
He (Jesus) said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8
Home Study Group - no notes this week
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Desperate dreams
What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven – and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all – life healed and whole.
I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him – with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. The Messiah’s Spirit let them in on some of it – that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves – through the Holy Spirit – the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this! I Peter 1: 5-12 The Message
Do you realize how fortunate you are?
Home study group - Session 11
As preparation, read Nehemiah 8, 9 and 10. Notice the following: In chapter 8, the people assembled as one, they worshiped, and then they came to understand what the word of God meant – they wept. Why do you think they wept? Why do you sometimes weep upon hearing and understanding the word of God? I believe that the people had a step 1 through 3 encounter. Discuss this idea and see what you think.
In chapter 9, the group did a collective step 4. Could you write a collective confession of all the sins of your family? I appreciate particularly what The Message translation says in 9:2 and following - , “Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. While they stood there in their places, they read from the Book of the Revelation of God, their God, for a quarter of the day. For another quarter of the day they confessed and worshipped their God. “ That pretty much sums up the Christ-centered 12-step experience – and they did it in two days!!!!
Honestly, and I’m only half joking when I say this, I sometimes have the feeling that we could have a two day experience of the 12-steps as well – if we were as focused, as serious, and as inspired as this group became as they heard the word of God and made personal application.
I know that you know that I am not seriously suggesting we abandon our serious study and significant time investment in the 12-step process. But I do want your community to wrestle with these questions:
- Has my desperation gone on longer than is necessary?
- How am I dragging my feet in the healing process?
- Do I really want to become my true God-created identity?
- How much?
- What am I willing to sacrifice?
- How unstoppable am I willing to become?
- What do I need to “just do” and what do I need to separate myself from?
- How has my attention to my desperation distracted me from God’s dream for me?
- Have I peered as intently into God’s word as the community we have just read about?
Points to Ponder
How has God changed you since coming to NorthStar?
What new things are happening in your life?
What has your ever-increasing glory compelled you to do differently?
If you could dream your largest dream for yourself, what would it be?
How can your group begin to pray for this dream on your behalf?
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Holiday hopes in a real world experience
“Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.” Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22 The Message
Family counts
The family tree of Jesus Christ, David’s son, Abraham’s son…Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile of Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. Matthew 1:1 The Message; Matthew 1:17 NIV
Redefining family
The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life he brings into Light. He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn’t even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn’t want him. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten. The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish. John 1:10-14 The Message
Who do you make room for at your table?
Home Study Group – Session 12
Finish our study of Nehemiah by reading chapters 11, 12 and 13. Notice the listing of the names of the volunteers who chose to live in Jerusalem. Why is this list here? Scripture is God’s inspired word. He knows it’s going to be around for thousands of years. Did the heavenly editors with human hands who wrote this document ponder – should we or should we not include this list? Did they wonder – who’ll give a rip in one thousand years? Obviously, God cared.
God is a personal God. He wants relationship with not just all the people, but with each one of the people who will respond to his voice. Read Revelation 21 and 22. He’s making a new thing! We who call upon his name are his sons and daughters! Praise be to God!
Have you gotten personal with God? Have you allowed Him to get personal with you? Toward the end of 21, the Angel says this – “Don’t seal the words of the prophecy of this book; don’t put it away on the shelf. Time is just about up. Let evildoers do their worst and the dirty-minded go all out in pollution, but let the righteous maintain a straight course and the holy continue on in holiness.” Wow!
Continue on in holiness. Maintain a straight course. I doubt any of us experience our lives as straight courses of holiness, do we? But hear this: the question is not only how we experience our life, but also how God experiences our life!!!!
God is calling us home. He’s calling us, wooing us, romancing us, leading us toward home. We, however, are limited in our seen world earth suits, and we experience life as a function of time. This is not God’s way. Time has no meaning in the heavenlies because it has been made irrelevant. Discuss all the disappointments, the “too lates,” the “if onlys,” the “never will happens,” the missed opportunities of your life. Aren’t they just a function of your limited view of time? Find God’s perspective, helping each other along the way…
What if the reality is that we are on a straight course? What if the truth is that we have been “credited as righteous”? Conclude your group time discussing the potential you see in each other. Dream big dreams. Expect the unexpected. After all, that’s what scripture says is true for those who believe…March on, Warrior Prince or Princess. March on.
Enjoy your break from your home study group, and be ready to begin anew in February! Whenever your group ends, please let your facilitator know your plans for February, March and April. Will you be returning to this group? Will there be any openings in your group if we have someone who might like to join a group in February? Blessings to you and yours during this holy season, t.
