That’s the message Pastor Steve Trint brought us from Kampala Church in Uganda. On Tuesday, he encouraged us to seek God’s call and outlined the attributes of the calling of God in your life — the indicators of what the Lord would have you do. There are too many to list here, so you can pick up a copy of the message on Sunday. Friday night, Steve addressed our monthly men’s meeting and urged us to follow our call, overcoming our self-imposed barriers. He took us to Exodus chapters 3 and 4, where we saw Moses’ struggle with his identity, his lack of intimacy with God, intimidation, inadequacy and his inferiority. Through all of his objections, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 (ESV) You and I need to remember that, too.
This Tuesday, we will be discussing the first chapter and I came up with a few questions, as well as a couple from the discussion guide. Some of these questions are meant to be considered and answered privately.
- The parable is traditionally referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Who is Jesus really speaking to and how did you come to that conclusion?
- Was it a revelation to you that the first Christians were called atheists? How do you think we differ from those first believers and how are we alike?
- Do you think it’s a true statement that “people like Jesus, but not the church?” If so, why do you think the church in America is so unlikeable?
- If you agreed that “people like Jesus, but not the church,” do you think you might part of the problem?
- Do you think our Christian institutions, our buildings and programs are a barrier to the “younger brothers” in our culture? What do you think our attitude to such things should be?
- How can we be more inviting to the “broken and marginalized” around us?
- Tim Keller shifts from Jesus and His attraction to “younger brothers” to ask if our churches are inviting to those outside the faith? Do you think that is a valid question – I mean, do Jesus and His church serve identical roles?
- What do you think about a Church, where a crowd of “younger brothers” always seems to be around? Would you consider it a healthy Church or a “worldly” one?
- How do you resolve the tension between Jesus’ frequent rebuke of obedient, religious, “older brothers” in the Gospels and Scriptures like Matthew 5:20 when He says, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven?” (ESV)
Continue reading about The Prodigal God: The People Around Jesus
![](http://nccftoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/51-sjw-uil_bo2204203200_pisitb-sticker-arrow-clicktopright35-76_aa240_sh20_ou01_.jpg "\\"Love or Die\\" by Alexander Strauch"){kind=icon}
Please join us for the next 5 weeks as the Ladies Tuesday morning Bible Study will be reading “Love or Die” by Alexander Strauch. This book examines the alarming rebuke that Christ gave to the church in Ephesus, Rev. 2:4 “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” We will search Scripture for instruction on LOVE. And, we will examines our own hearts as we study practical ways to cultivate LOVE in the local church.
This week, Nov. 17-24th we will be Reading Part One, pg. 3-23, and studying the Problem of Lost Love & Christ’s Remedy. The study guides are available to download.
This Tuesday we will begin reading and discussing Tim Keller’s book, The Prodigal God. It’s a nice change-up from the more technical books we’ve been reading at Java John’s and I think it will be helpful to a wider audience. Please feel free to join us in reading and dialogue online or in our gatherings. Don’t panic if you haven’t gotten a copy yet… we will begin slowly and let everyone catch up. This week, we’ll warm up with the Introduction and The Parable.
From D.A. Carson:
There is more than one way to run away from God and defy him. But there is only one way back: God is so prodigal in his grace that he reaches out to humble and restore and receive both. Few books unpack this theme with greater force than this slim volume from Tim Keller.
This is a book that fits nicely with our Mission and reaching out with the Gospel
Continue reading about The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
We are enjoying celebrating together every Tuesday night. Come at 6:00 for a meal(it’s free…bring cookies!) and stay for the Bible studies at 7:00. There is something for everyone…Nursery, Kids, Youth, and Adults. By 8:30 we are upstairs sharing a rousing but reverent time of singing, prayer and worship. Join us and come comment here. We welcome your input.
The Tuesday morning crew at Java John’s just finished George Eldon Ladd’s Gospel of the Kingdom — it was a very worthwhile look at the Kingdom of God and the “already and not yet” quality of Christ’s reign on the earth. We closed with this thought, which is both timely and relevant to our mission at NCCF:
Do you love the Lord’s appearing? Then you will bend every effort to take the Gospel into all the world [beginning with the Brunswick and Nevada County]… All authority is His. “Go ye therefore.” Wherefore? Because all authority, all power is His, and because He is waiting until we have finished our task. His is the Kingdom; He reigns in heaven, and He manifests His reign on earth in and through His church. When we have accomplished our mission, He will return and establish His Kingdom in glory. To us it is given not only to wait for but also to hasten the coming of the day of God (II Pet. 3:12). This is the mission of the Gospel of the Kingdom, and this is our mission.
Over the next couple of months, we will be discussing The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Tim Keller. Even if you don’t join us on Tuesday mornings at sunup, please get a copy and join us in online discussion or when we get together.
Before I move on, did anyone have any comments about The Gospel of the Kingdom?
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance 1 Peter 3:9
My time in preparation to teach through 2 Peter 3:1-10 was rich, as I considered the will of God and the different uses of that term in the Scriptures. There are at least three senses the will of God is expressed in the Bible:
God’s sovereign will: some call it God’s will of decree or His decretive will. It’s sometimes referred to as His hidden or secret will. In this sense, His will is absolute, independent, unlimited and fixed. It’s expressed best in Daniel 4:35 “He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’”
God’s perceptive will: It’s God’s will of command or revealed will for all of us in the form of laws and commandments. (as I pointed out Sunday, these are theological labels and not Bible words so you are free to come up with your own categories – if you look this up online you will find a variety of descriptions and spellings of God’s (pre)perceptive will)
God’s will of disposition describes God’s attitude or disposition. It reveals what is pleasing to Him and what grieves Him.
If you would like to pursue the subject in a little more depth, I would direct you to these resources:
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/wills_sproul.html
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2009/05/the-meaning-of-gods-will-pt-1.html
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/1995/1580_Are_There_Two_Wills_in_God/
I came away, resolved to think and live in such a way that I will embrace God’s sovereign will by following His perceptive will, while asking Him to bring me in line with His will of disposition. I think it looks something like this:
1. God displays His sovereign will in the full range of His glory: mercy and wrath, grace and justice, people living eternally or perishing: I want to trust God and work with Him, not against Him, even though His ways are mysterious and sometimes troubling.
2. He declares “that all people everywhere should repent…” (Acts 17:30) and gives ” His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ…” (1 John 3:23) I must repent, believe and take up my cross daily to follow Jesus. Then, I urge others to do so, as well.
3. God says, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23) I want to have God’s heart for the lost, so I won’t become callous and indifferent to “those who are perishing.”
I recently finished reading Real Love for Real Life: The Art and Work of Caring by Andi Ashworth (her husband is writer, performer and producer Charlie Peacock). Hospitality and caregiving in a Christian context has been an interest of mine since the first time I read the Acts of the Apostles. Denise and I have always been blessed to enjoy fellowship in Christian communities that value table fellowship and deep relationships. Alex Strauch’s Hospitality Commands came along to provide a Biblical framework for the experience.
Real Love takes the discussion even further, emphasizing the creative nature of caregiving that flows from a deep sense of calling or vocation, as followers of Jesus. This is a particularly valuable insight for moms and others, providing care without financial compensation for family, friends and neighbors. From Amazon.com:
In Real Love for Real Life, caregivers of all kinds can find the help and hope they need to fulfill their calling. Through personal illustrations, timely research, and thoughtful quotations, Andi Ashworth addresses the practicalities, philosophies, challenges, and joys of providing care in the relationships of home and community – leading readers to a greater understanding of the value and the validity of their call to be caregivers. With the encouraging hope and creative insights they’ll find in these pages, they can serve others in more effective, more fulfilling ways–in the name of God.
