Sunday, September 26, 2010

Jonah Week Three: Questions for Reflection and Discussion

God give Jonah a second chance to participate in His mission, this time he obeys. Jonah 3:1-3, “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you." So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the LORD’S command.”

While it is true that Jonah obeys, he does so less than wholeheartedly. Tchividjian observes, Jonah “hasn’t had a change of heart. He is still the reluctant prophet who does not tell the Ninevites that there is a way out. All he preached is doom and gloom” (page 96). Yet, the people of Nineveh did repent.

Read Jonah 3. What can be learned about God from this passage? What additional insights to the following scriptures provide?

Numbers 14:18—

Ezekiel 33:11—

Psalm 86:15—

Why do you think God sent Jonah to preach this message?

Have you ever encountered a hardhearted person soften their stance toward God and grieve over their sin? If so, what prompted the change and what did it look like?

Read Luke 3:8 and Acts 26:20. Is genuine repentance always accompanied by outward evidence? Why or why not?

How are you living a lifestyle of repentance?

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Jonah: Week Two Questions for reflection and discussion



After being identified as the reason for the violent storm on the sea Jonah, in 1:9 responds, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship Yahweh, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.” And in his prayer in 2:7, “As my life was fading away, I remembered Yahweh.”

Some of those who have studied the book of Jonah have debated whether or not Jonah’s repentance was genuine. Tchividjian in his book, Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels, observes, “It’s easy to perceive the character of Jonah too one-dimensionally and to fall short of engaging all that’s here. After all, this is a pretty fast read… There’s no fluff here. But what is here is a gold mine. Every line and phrase has weight and purpose that contribute to the intended effect… revealing Jonah as a forceful and complex personality with apparent strengths as well as crucial flaws.” (Page 32)

The driving force of the book of Jonah for the reader or hearer is that we are Jonah! Like Jonah we run from God. Like Jonah, our repentance is often incomplete. Best of all, Like Jonah, “Whenever we try running from God, he’s committed to making your lives miserable—for our sakes. And so often, he’ll use some kind of storm to do it, not to punish but to mercifully intervene” (Page 57).

Jonah’s prayer echoes several Psalms. Compare the following to the Psalms:

“I called t the Lord in my distress, and He answered me. I cried out for help in the belly of Sheol; You heard my voice” Jonah 2:2

Psalm 18:6
Psalm 30:3

“You threw me into the depths, into the heart of the seas, and the current overcame me. All Your breakers and Your billows swept over me.” Jonah 2:3

Psalm 42:8

“The waters engulfed me up to the neck; the watery depths overcame me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. Jonah 2:5

Psalm 69:1-2
Psalm 18:4-5

“I sank to the foundations of the mountains; the earth with its prison bars closed behind me forever! But You raised my life from the Pit, Lord my God!” Jonah 2:6

Psalm 40:2
Psalm 71:20
Psalm 88:6

“Those who cling to worthless idols forsake faithful love” Jonah 2:8

Psalm 31:6
Psalm 106:36

“But as for me, I will sacrifice to You with a voice of thanksgiving. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the Lord!” Jonah 2:9

Psalm 50:14
Psalm 66:13-14

How does Jonah’s use of the Psalms provide you with greater understanding of his heart’s desire and prayer?

What counsel, if any, would you offer Jonah that would have allowed him to experience a more authentic repentance?

Does your prayer life change when you are facing a crisis? Have seasons of hardship drawn you closer or further away from God?

How are you intending to apply what you’ve learned from this study on the life of Jonah?

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Jonah: Week One Questions for reflection and discussion

This week we kick off a fall teaching series on the book of Jonah. Our attention focused on the first two verses, “The word of the LORD came to Jonah so of Amittai: ‘Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because their wickedness has confronted Me.’”

In Surprised by Grace, Tullian Tchividjian comments, “This book’s original audience, hearing or reading those opening two verses in Jonah for the first time, might immediately have high expectations about what should come next. Will it be a thrilling scene-by-scene unfolding of how an obedient messenger courageously carries God’s warning to the very face of his enemies—followed up perhaps by a plenty of wrath-of-God fireworks?”

Before settling into the familiarity of this story, take time in your group or on your own to soak up how the story begins.

Read 2 Kings 14:25-27. This reference to Jonah in 2 Kings is the only Old Testament Reference to Jonah outside of the book of Jonah. What can be learned about Jonah from this passage?

Read Deuteronomy 18:15-22. What does this passage reveal about the role of a prophet?

Application:
Read Jonah 1:1-2.

Have you ever sensed that God was asking something of you that was unrealistic or impossible? How did you respond?

If you ignored God’s call, do you think He would find someone else or repeat His call until you obeyed?

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Changed lives! (It really doesn't get any better than this)




Sunday before scattering to serve our community we celebrated the baptism of three women. Real special for me was the opportunity to baptize my mom! BIG thanks to the Biltnikoff life group for welcoming and showing Jesus to my mom.

Fall Equip kicks off TONIGHT at ZCC

GAME PLAN FOR LIFE PROMO Joe Gibbs from LifeWay Media on Vimeo.



Fall Equip kicks off tonight at ZCC, 6:30-8:00. There is a men's class and women's class. The men's class features the video study by Joe Gibbs and will explore the top eleven issues facing men today. For more visit www.GamePlanForLife.com. The women's study features teaching by Kay Arthur, Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer and is entitled, Faithful, Abundant and True. For more visit www.lifeway.com/women.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Surprised by Grace

Surprised by Grace trailer from Crossway on Vimeo.



We're kicking off fall teaching at Zion with a study of Jonah. Do you think you know this story? I encourage you to check out Tullian Tchividjian's book Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels, for a fresh take on this familiar story.Tullian explores the reality that there is something of Jonah in all of us... and the good news of God's grace.

Pick up a copy this week at Guest Services ($15).