1) Listen to podcast here
2) GG Questions
Between Semesters, 12/10
Freed to Serve: Teamwork
Exodus 17:8-18:27
1. Neighborhood bully: The Bible describes God as Israel’s father (Exod. 4:22) who lovingly fed Israel and taught her to walk (Hos. 11:1, 3-4). The Amalekites attacks fledgling Israel, seeking to destroy them when they were at their most vulnerable (Deut. 25:17-18). What does God’s decree against Amalek (Exod. 17:14; Deut. 25:19) teach us about God’s heart of a Father? How would you respond as a parent, emotionally and actively, if your young child was under attack?
2. Moses lifted his staff: Israel’s victory over the Amalekites was somehow mysteriously connected to Moses raising up his staff. Read this account in Exodus 17:9, 11-12 and a similar one in Joshua 8:18, 26. What might these stories teach us about prayer, identification with symbols of faith, and God’s unshakable control over our every battle?
3. Storytelling: Is Jethro an Israelite (18:1)? How was it then that he exclaimed, “I know that the Lord is greater than all gods!” in Exodus 18:11? What transpired between verse 1 and verse 11 and what lessons can we draw from this when telling our own stories?
4. Teamwork: Quite often in churches 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. Jethro noticed the
unsustainability of this mode of ministry (Exod. 18:13-18). What does this passage (Exod. 18:19-23) and the rest of the Bible (Acts 6:2-4) teach about the principle of shared responsibility in the church? What are some of the needs of the Body of Christ at New Life, Pacifica? What are you doing or what can you begin doing to meet some of those needs?