Lesson from Sunday February 28, 2010

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This week the passages covered the fall of Israel as the nation moved from being united under one king to being divided, under separate kings.  David’s sin with Bathsheba and Solomon’s failure to pass a strong faith on to his son play a large part in this.  Still, both David and Solomon do great things for God.  This continues what is now a familiar pattern: God uses flawed people to lead his people and advance his kingdom.  When the Lord appears to Solomon and asks him what request he might grant for him (passage) he asks for wisdom, saying, “I am only a child” (3:7).  He is generally thought to be about 20 years old at this time as he takes on the role of king.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson from Sunday, February 21st, 2010

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Conversational Prayer

Reflect on some N.T. experiences of early Christians in group prayer.

•     Peter went to the house of Mary where many were gathered for prayer. Acts12:12
•     “They all joined together constantly in prayer“. Acts 1:13-14

Reflect on your personal experience of praying aloud in a group.
___Almost never?   ___Occasionally?   ___Often?

Lesson from Sunday February 21, 2010

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The readings for this week focus on the transition in leadership from Samuel to Saul to David.  We will focus on Saul, as David will be the focus of the message this week during the service.  Saul takes up the throne reluctantly, hiding among the baggage so Samuel cannot anoint him (10:22), and then, to put it mildly, makes a mess of it.  In his last speech, which takes place as he is retiring from leadership and after he has anointed Saul as King, Samuel repeats the language of the covenant that is to between the people and Yahweh.  It is the covenant first made with Abraham, then Isaac, Jacob, Moses and the Judges:

Lesson from Sunday February 14, 2010

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There is a very obvious pattern presented in the book of Judges, it is one of cycles in which the people fall away from their faith commitment, experience the consequences, cry out to God for help, receive the help, and then, sadly, start the cycle again.  To wit: “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.  Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord …”  (Judges 2:10-11).  This last phrase is repeated at Judges 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6.  This has been referred to as the second generation syndrome and/or as the spiritual law of entropy and some feel it can be observed not only in individuals but also in organizations like churches and schools as well as countries like our own.  Another way this same idea is expressed is that God has no grandchildren, only children.  This emphasizes the need every person has to be in relationship with Christ.