Welcome From Pastor Justin Greene

Welcome From Pastor Justin Greene!

Welcome to the Fade Blog. I pray that that you are reading this as result of making a personal one year commitment to FADE. It is my hope that you will find the devotions and materials suggested here helpful to you as you pursue a deeper walk with Christ and the life change that will accompany it.

The commitment card you were asked to sign in the third message was a slightly modified version of the one found at the end of the book Radical by David Platt and many of the devotions and application questions that will be posted will be coming from the church at Brook Hills where he is the pastor. Other books that were inspirational to me as these messages were brewing in my mind will also be noted, along with a link to purchase them on Amazon.

It is my greatest desire that each one of you would see the Lord stoke the fire of your first love. I pray that your passion for Christ and the lost would be unquenchable, and that your commitment to the local body of believers will stretch your heart, mind and resources. The goal? That you would agree with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”(John 3:30), and Paul,

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. . . Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”( Phil. 3:7,8,13,14)

They are calling us to FADE.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Week 5 (October 31 -November 6) Discussion and Application Questions

Introduction

This week we will be completing our reading in Job (Ch. 25-42), explore a bit of Psalms and start in Exodus 1-4.

God is Always at Work and is Always in Control

• Sometimes God seems silent. He is not defined by our schedule.
• But God is always working out His story of redemption in the world.
• God’s people can be confident that He remains active on their behalf for their good and for the sake of His own glory.

Discussion

• Read Exodus 1.
• Reread 1:1-7, 12, 20. How is God’s promise to Abraham being fulfilled?
• Read Exodus 12:40. 430 years is a long time for us. But God was building a nation the entire time. God’s plans were on schedule. Read Genesis 15:13-14.
• How do fulfilled promises and prophecies glorify God and His Word?

Application

• How can God’s trustworthiness give us hope in the midst of difficult circumstances?

• How can God’s faithfulness inspire our patience and trust?

• How can this story teach us to pray in the midst of suffering?

• How can these Scriptures encourage us as we pray, give, and go for the lost of Salem and the world, even those who seem unreachable? (i.e., they’ve been followers of another religion for so many years; they’ve personally rejected God for so long, etc.). See Revelation 7:9-10.

God can use Radical Obedience to Create Radical Change

• The midwives and Moses’ mother took big risks. God blessed it.
• God uses behind-the-scenes people to accomplish His purposes.
• God orchestrated everything according to His will.

Discussion

• Read Exodus 2:1-10. Review 1:15-22.
• Why did the midwives risk disobeying the king? (1:17)
• Why do you think Moses’ mother decided to hide Moses?
• Describe all the factors that had to come together for baby Moses to be protected and ultimately saved?
• Who is in control here, God or the pharaoh?
• What role did God use Moses’ mother to play in the deliverance of Israel?

Application

• What is the root of radical obedience?

• What are the results of radical obedience in this passage of Scripture and beyond?

• Did God bless this type of obedience? Will God bless radical obedience today? Can this obedience take many forms, “big” or “small”? Does radical obedience always have a happy ending (from an earthly perspective)? Why or why not?

• How can radical obedience create radical change in the world? What kind of radical change do you/does God want to see in the world? What kind of radical obedience will it take?

• How can this Scripture encourage those who work behind-the-scenes?

• How can God’s sovereignty give confidence to our lives?

• What are some ways God has protected you?

God Hears the Cries of His People

• God always hears our prayers.
• He sees our suffering and cares for us.
• God sent a deliverer for Israel. God sent His Son to deliver us.

Discussion

• Read Exodus 2:11 through Exodus 4 (end).
• Review 2:23-25. Did God hear the people when they cried out earlier (assuming they did)? Why or why not? Why did God not act earlier?
• Does God care about our sufferings?
• Review Exodus 3:7-9. Was God unaware of their sufferings earlier? Did prayer tell God something He didn’t know? Who is ultimately the Deliverer of Israel? (verse 8) How does this passage reinforce Job’s statements in Job 19:25-27?
• Who is our Deliverer? What has He delivered us from? How is Moses a foreshadowing of Christ?

Application

• Why should we keep on praying in the midst of suffering?

• How can God’s intimate knowledge of our problems and His care for us give us comfort?

• What has Jesus delivered you from? What is He delivering you from today?

• Give thanks to God for delivering you.

God is Faithful

• God does not give up on His plans.
• God does not give up on His people. (See also 2 Timothy 2:13)
• God is merciful to us. Our response is worship and obedience.

Discussion

• More than 400 years passed. But God did not forget His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How does God introduce Himself to Moses? (3:6)
• How does the name “I AM” give us insight into God’s view of time? Insight into his greatness?
• Did God give up on Moses after he killed an Egyptian? Did God give up on Moses when he was tending sheep in the wilderness? Did God give up on Moses when he made excuses? Why not? What does this tell us about God?
• What is the proper response to God’s Deliverer? (Read 4:31)

Application

• Do you believe God has plans for you, to use you? Why or why not? What do you think are some of those plans? What are some of the plans God has revealed in His Word?

• Does God give up on His people when they fail, when they sin? Is God patient with us? What are the results of our disobedience? What are the results of our obedience?

• How does God’s faithfulness convict us? How does it encourage us after we sin?

• God mercifully sent His Son to redeem us. What is our response to be?

• Spend some time praising God for His mercies.
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