MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM EXODUS: PEOPLE OF PILGRIMAGE 27/9/09
Sunday was our last in the series on 'People of Pilgrimage'. We looked at Exodus 33:7-24 and talked about different views of God in culture: Old Man – harmless and uninvolved; Dictator – thunder bolt from heaven if you do something wrong Distant and unreachable – clockmaker (wound up universe letting it run); Plural – not a God but many gods; Impersonal - God is seen as karma or a moral force -. What do you think the most common view of God is among your friends?
The passage undermines all these views of God. It focusses on one of God’s attributes: Friendship.
Matt looked at two main headings:
1) Moses’ friendship with God
2) Gods’ friendship with us
1) Moses Friendship with God
Main part of this passage is a conversation between God and Moses. God speaks to Moses (verse 11) ‘face to face as a man speaks to a friend’ and God graciously responds to Moses’ prayers for the people of God.
Therefore, not only does the passage give us an insight into friendship with God but you have Moses willing to risk everything so that ALL the people could experience friendship with God.
He wanted access for all and he knew the journey was pointless without friendship.
Practically, it raises many questions:
Is your spirituality life giving or dead?
Have you settled for religion without friendship?
Have you missed the friendship of God and settled for less.
Do you know what it feels like to know you have met with God?
Do you feel heard by him?
Or do you relate to God through the religious professionals?
Or do you think he just tolerates you, deep down you feel guilty and alone.
How does God reveal to you his grace and compassion (like he does to Moses in verse 19)
2) Gods friendship with us
Friendship isn’t just the outcome of salvation but it is also the means of salvation. Jesus comes to earth, takes on human flesh and befriends the lost, vulnerable and the poor.
At the cross, we see the ultimate expression of friendship.
Because Jesus was our ultimate friend we can be friends with God and true friends with one another.
How does knowing Jesus make you a better friend?
How does knowing the Ultimate friend help you overcome insecurity and self centeredness?
What can you do practically to become a less needy friend?
What friends can you introduce to our Ultimate friend, Jesus?
MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM EXODUS: PEOPLE OF PILGRIMAGE 20/09/09
On Sunday, Matt Hatch took us through Exodus 32 and Acts 7 looking at how the people of God had fallen into idolatry - placing a golden calf at the centre of their world.
Matt broke it down into four helpful titles:
Define Idolatry:
At it’s heart, Idolatry, is a rejection of God, v39.
“A God is whatever we expect to provide all good and in which we take refuge in all distress… what ever you set your heart on and put your trust in, that, I tell you, is your true god” Martin Luther
Q - talk about this quote - do you agree?
Q - What does a rejection of God look like?
Q - Where else can you see rejections of God (Scripture, culture, society, etc.)
Describe Idolatry:
Matt described how in the New Testament, our idols are called sinful desires. Things like approval, sex, power, money - these aren’t in and of themselves sinful - but we can make a good thing an idol. Basically an idol is anything that takes the throne in the centre of your life.
Are you on your throne? Is Jesus on your throne? - We will always choose what we believe to be the best, to bring us most delight!
Q - What or who is on your throne?
Q - Take a few moments to thing about what things in your life battle for the throne.
De-construct Idolatry:
In Acts 7:42 we see how God gives us what we really want. If we really want something other than God on our throne, He gives it to us. But when we take the other, we lose Him in the process.
Q - What do you really want?
Q - Is God at the centre?
Defeat Idolatry:
In the book of Exodus Moses Intercedes, mediates and atones for the peoples sin. In the New Covenant, Jesus, intercedes for us, mediates, and atones for our de-throning of God in our lives. Jesus is the true and better Moses. The only way to defeat idolatry is to place God at the centre of our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit in us - we cannot do it by ourselves.
Q - Why do we need a true and better Moses?
Q - How can you be free from idolatry?
Matt finished by asking the question: How do i know what an idol is in my life? Answer: Luke 6 - it will produce bad fruit.
MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM EXODUS: PEOPLE OF PILGRIMAGE 13/9/09
Steve reminded us that the climax of Exodus is God dwelling with his people (Ex 40:34-38). The book finishes with the people of God being led by the presence of God. Why? This is how God wants to save the world.
Steve showed how the bible tells the story of God dwelling with his people.
Eden - God’s presence with Adam and Eve and perfect harmony between mankind and God, man and women and mankind and the world.
Fall - Sin enters and mankind is excluded from God’s presence.
The Tabernacle - God is back with his people.
The Problem - God’s presence is holy and impossible for mankind to enter
The Cross - Jesus dies as a substitute for us and cleanses us from our sin
The Church and the Spirit - God’s presence once again dwells with his people
The New Creation - No temple anymore, God’s presence covers the whole earth.
We live in the age of the church and therefore we must ask how God’s presence transforms us in order to transform the world?
The Apostle Paul suggests in Eph 2:14-22 that the Holy Spirit creates UNITY and DIVERSITY.
God’s plan for the church is for it to become one new humanity and through this he will transform the world.
Mission group Questions:
1) What boundaries to unity are there in society?
2) What boundaries to unity can we find in our church?
3) How does the Holy Spirit help us love people?
4) How can we love our enemies?
5) How can we use our money and time to serve others -can you think of someone you can serve?
6) How can you do this with friends that aren’t Christians?
7) How can your non Christian friends see your community life in Mission group?
8) Does your community life reflect the Trinitarian community?
MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM EXODUS: PEOPLE OF PILGRIMAGE - 6/9/09
This last week we looked at the theme of "the presence of God" through the Tabernacle in Exodus 25-45.
Firstly we look at the breakdown of Exodus
(1) The God who delivers (Ch1-18)
(2) The God who demands (Ch19-24)
(3) The God who Dwells (Ch25-40)
And we noticed that God has always related to his people through a covenant of grace - he only demands once he has rescued us and brought us into a relationship with himself.
Then we looked at the significance of the tabernacle and saw how firstly the tabernacle connected people to God but more than that, was an act of re-creation - restoring what was lost in Eden (God’s undiluted, unmediated presence which brings life, joy and harmony to all other relationship).
However, there is a problem with the presence of God (as the death of Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6 shows us) - God cannot dwell easily with a sinful people, there has to be blood and death to enter his presence. And that is where Jesus comes in, he was Immanuel, God with us. John tells us he “tabernacled amongst us” (John 1.14). He was God’s undiluted unmediate presence with his people and he brought healing, joy, peace and harmony to the world. He brought heaven to earth - he began to restore what was lost in Eden. He did this primarily through his death. Jesus was killed for claiming to be the temple (Matthew 26.61) and it is through his blood we are all able to enter confidently into the presence of God - the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
However, the best is yet to come because through Jesus’ death, that powerful presence of God that shook mountain Sinai and killed on contact comes into our life to transform us from in the inside us. We are now the tabernacle of God, the place where the Holy Spirit dwells and we are called to go into all the earth and restore what was lost in Eden - to bring heaven to earth until “the glory of the Lord covers the earth like the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11.9 & Habbakuk 2.14). God’s powerful presence lives in us to transform us and through us to transform the world.
Reflection/Application
(1) Use Psalm 24 (esp. verses 7-10) & Psalm 84 as a way of reflecting on the importance, privilege and blessing of God’s presence. Thank God for his presence with us.
(2) Reflect on Hebrews 4.14-16 + Hebrews 10.19-25 and thank Jesus that through his death we can enter God’s presence with confidence.
(3) How do you view the Holy Spirit? Do you have a high view of him as God’s powerful presence to change your life and through you to change the world?
(4) How would this view of the Holy Spirit change your attitude to what you do each day? Would anything ever be “ordinary” again? If not, why not?
(5) What areas in your life (either intern or external) do you need the empowering presence of God to help you with? Where would you like to change?
(6) We will look at this more next week but….how do you view the church? Do you have a high view of the church as God’s people who are filled with his Spirit to change the world?
(7) How do you think practically we at Mosaic can play our part in “being the people of God empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring joy, peace and harmony to the world”
Part 2 is coming this Sunday and we’ll be looking at how the New Testament applies all this from 1 Corinthians 3.16-17, 1 Corinthians 6.18-20, 2 Corinthians 6.14-21 & Ephesians 2.19-22.
5PM Service Returns
After a small break over August, the 5pm service returns to Mosaic.
We’d love to see you this Sunday evening. We’ll be meeting in the large foyer and sharing our vision for the coming term. With students and professionals returning and loads of freshers visiting - we’re expecting this to be our biggest term ever! Intro (an Alpha style course) and Beta will be running in October and we’re launching a new training program called 6.30 Leadership on Tuesday 6th October, funnily enough at 6.30am at the Warehouse. More details to follow. See you this weekend!
North 09 update
Over the bank holiday weekend, 1500 campers (including 70 from Mosaic) gathered to be equipped for our mission together as the Newfrontiers family in the north.
Around 50 different Newfrontiers churches arrived to a beautiful campsite to find high winds but no rain! After setting up camp we had a few days of hanging out together followed by a weekend of talks, worship and seminars. Dave and Philippa Stroud (ChristChurch - London) and Jeremy Simpkins (Jubilee Church - Teeside) were our main speakers and encouraged us to see our lives, our churches and communities transformed by the Kingdom of God. Downloads will be up soon on the North website click here
Not only did we receive teaching on the Kingdom of God we saw a demonstration of God’s kingdom! A number of healings were reported including that of deaf ears opening, tone deafness healed, various back problems, asthma, neck injuries, frozen shouders and numerous other healings including our very own James Richardson.
Overall, North 09 was a great success and I think everyone agreed how good it was to spend lots of time together and getting to know each other better. If you missed it this year, North 2010 is between 26th-30 August.
