This blog contains:
- Community group/family study
- Daily bible studies
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COMMUNITY GROUP/FAMILY STUDY 4: LEARNING
ABOUT TEAM
Exodus 18 has much to teach us about working as a
team. The chief role of a leader and leadership team is to release others
into service for the vision God has given. Every sport, army, work place,
government, family has authority and submission - life works better with
healthy teams. Read Exodus 18 and pray
that God would speak to you.
ARE YOU LEADING WHERE GOD HAS PLACED
YOU?
•
Moses appoints leaders to
help him to ‘carry the load’. This means that these people needed to be
willing to sacrifice time and effort to do so. What reasons might stop one from
being willing to lead and serve?
•
What does Ephesians 4:11-12
say about spiritual gifts and their purpose?
•
What gifts do you have and
how are you using them to build the local church - are you helping to 'carry the load’?
•
God has given you a number
of spheres beyond the church (workplace, family, street, college etc.) How are
you or could you lead and serve here?
ARE YOU BEING LED WHERE GOD HAS PLACED
YOU?
•
What does Hebrews 13:17 say
about our attitude to leaders in the church?
•
What experiences might cause
us to view authority with suspicion?
•
Read 1 Peter 5:2-3. It’s
vital that elders (same term as pastor, bishop, overseer) are not overbearing,
but they do have authority from God. The eldership team, in liaison with the
church, has a vision from God that requires unified faith and action. You are
invited to join the team. We need your help! Are you serving on a Sunday team?
Please talk to Jem or email the office about opportunities that are available?
NOW PRAY AND WORSHIP TOGETHER
•
Spend some time thanking God
and praying together out of today’s text and discussions.
•
Please pray for the
eldership team: Jem, Jason, Andy, Nev and Matt as they, under God, seek to lead
this church.
DAILY BIBLE DEVOTIONAL
PERSONAL BIBLE STUDIES WEEK 4 – EXODUS 18
MONDAY: GOOD NEWS SPREADS
Exodus 18:1 Now Jethro, the
priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done
for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of
Egypt.
Good news spreads! Word of mouth is still the best advertising! If the
good news of Jesus does not spread from us, something is wrong. Are your
friends hearing ‘everything God has done’? Pray that we would become like
the Thessalonian' church,
1 Thessalonians 1:8 The Lord’s
message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia – your faith in God
has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,
TUESDAY: LET CHILDREN TELL THE STORY
Exodus 18:2-4 After Moses had
sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her and her two
sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in
a foreign land”; and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God
was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
I love the names of Moses’ sons. Our culture reveals it’s values as it names
its children after unworthy celebrities and the aesthetics of it (how nice it
sounds to us) rather than what it means! These names reveal Moses’ struggle and
source of strength on his journey; he desires for his children to know the
story of God. Are we teaching our children the gospel so they can tell the
story of the love of God?
WEDNESDAY: MOSES SHARED THE GOSPEL
Exodus 18:7-8 So Moses went
out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each
other and then went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law about
everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and
about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved
them.
Moses’ priority is to reiterate what God has done for him - how He ‘saved
them’. Let’s pray and make the most of every opportunity to greet and tell our
families the gospel of salvation.
THURSDAY: NOW I KNOW
Exodus 18:9-12 Jethro was
delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in
rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. He said, “Praise be to the Lord,
who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued
the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater
than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel
arrogantly.” Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and
other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a
meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
Moses’ witness encourages Jethro to see God’s victories and supremacy
which leads to him bursting out in praise and worship. We live in a culture
that equates all religions as equally valid or equally useless. Israel’s
journey acts to show God’s jealousy. Pray that you would inspire praise in
others to the only God.
FRIDAY: YOU CANNOT HANDLE IT ALONE
Exodus 18:13-18 The next day
Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him
from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing
for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you
alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till
evening?” Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek
God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide
between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and
instructions.” Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is
not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out.
The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.
Jethro brings wisdom to Moses. Moses needs to learn that leadership is
about creating teams rather than bottlenecks. Too often the church still
operates like the ‘pastor’ is the one who does the ministry while the
congregation receive ministry. This story teaches us that it is vital that a
church recognises and releases leaders of all sorts if we are to be effective;
as we read
Ephesians 4:11-12 So Christ
himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and
teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ
may be built up...
SATURDAY: MOSES DID EVERYTHING HE SAID
Exodus 18:19-24 Listen now to me
and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the
people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them
his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how
they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people – men who fear
God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them as officials
over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the
people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the
simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter,
because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you
will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home
satisfied.” Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything
he said.
It’s a rare thing for someone to 'listen and do’. Moses is
humble enough to listen to advice and share
leadership responsibilities. Will you be a Jethro and seek to bring good
advice? Will you be a Moses who will take advice? Will you be a leader who will
receive delegation to serve and relieve a load? Will you be led by those
appointed to leadership? If the church is to journey in a healthy manner, she
needs to embrace the principles of authority, submission and service.
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