MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM HEBREWS: CURIOUS ABOUT CHRIST SERIES - 14/6/09
Our God is a Consuming Fire: Hebrews 12:18-29 Steve Vaughan explained that the book of Hebrews is more like a preach than a letter. The author is pastoring a struggling house church full of doubts and troubles and for some reason his final point is focussed on 'God being a consuming fire' (12:29). Why?
Steve made three points:
1) God is a consuming fire because he is a God of love.
Do you agree with this? Or can God be loving without his righteous anger?
When did you last think and meditate on the ‘fear of the Lord’.
2) God is a consuming fire makes us live in light of eternity
One day God will get rid of everything bad on earth therefore only invest in things that last into eternity.
How can you invest in the future? What things in your life will survive into the future?
3) God is a consuming fire that causes true worship to rise up in us.
If we fully appreciate God’s saving work through Jesus, it fuels our worship.
How can your mission group regularly remember the cost Jesus has paid to save us?
Discuss together the cost of God’s love.
Is your life of worship marked by awe, reverence and gratitude or is the Jesus you worship safe and cuddly?
Comments
Steve Vaughan
Hi guys,
It’s Monday afternoon, 1.30 and there is a massive thunderstorm going off over Beeston at the moment - major lightening, loud thunder, rain and general gloom. It is scary and fits well with the description of Sinai in Hebrews 12.18-21. Maybe thinking of a thunderstorm is a good way to bring home to us what it is to approach The Consuming Fire and what it must have been like for the Israelites (cf. Exodus 20.16-19 +21.18-19).
Also, maybe for your times of worship in your Mission Groups this week you might want to reflect and pray over Psalm 29 where God’s voice is likened to a thunderstorm. What is the result? Vs9 “all cry Glory”
But then there is the message of Grace - God offers strength and peace to his people (vs12).
P.S On a practical note, the thunderstorm made my internet go down for a while which was a bum (I nearly lost this ‘priceless’ post!!!!!)