"Going Further - Week 2"

GOING FURTHER

Week 2 ­ TAKING UP THE CROSS AND FOLLOWING GOD

Day 1. Matthew 4:18-22

This is the call of the four fishermen by Jesus. Jesus called them from "catching fish" to "catching people" for the Kingdom of God.

1. What does this passage say to us about reaching out to people?
As referred to in the study for Week 2 it is very easy in the Christendom model to assume that people will acquire the faith and grow in it. However, the Apostolic model calls us to be outreaching and to bring people to faith in Christ.
What adjustments do I need to make to move to an Apostolic model of thinking?

2. Is the Church seeking to reach out to people in ways that are effective in bringing them to
Christ?

Day 2. Matthew 9:9-13

This is the call of Matthew. Matthew was a tax-collector. In those days, tax-collectors were hated and despised. In this passage we find Jesus eating at table with tax-collectors, sinners and outcasts.

1. How easy do you find it to reach out to those who are not "of the same socio-economic and
interest group"? What are some of your inhibitions?

2. In recent times the government has taken over some of the mission and outreach work that the Church formerly undertook? Do you believe this is a problem?
Certainly some people have argued that the Church has lost its cutting edge because we no
longer provide the medical services that we once did, the outreach to those in physical and other need and so on.
Can you think of an area where the Church may develop a new cutting edge?

Day 3. Acts 9:1-19

(This is the same reading as the one for Day 3 of last week. Last time the focus was on Ananais. Today I want to focus on Paul.)

In this passage we find Paul the persecutor on the road to Damascus, being converted to becoming Paul the "proclaimer" of the Good News. In many ways it was like a U-turn. People were suspicious of Paul.

1. How hard do you think it would have been for Paul to go from being a persecutor of Christians to being a "proclaimer" of the Gospel? If you had met someone in a similar situation what would your suspicions be?

2. People's lives do change. Sometimes they change suddenly. How would you respond if
you came across a person whose life had changed say, "overnight"? What does that say to me?

Day 4. Exodus 3:1-17

(The next three readings are from the Old Testament and are call passages.)

The call of Moses - Moses was called by God but he saw himself as a nobody. He was also concerned about what he would say to people when they asked him who had sent him.

1. Moses felt inadequate to the call that God had placed upon him. Do you feel inadequate as God calls you? What are some of the issues for you in understanding the call of God? God said that He would be with Moses. As mentioned before God is always present. The question for the Christian is, Are we present to God? So in living out our call how present are we to God?

2. We acknowledge that we do not have all the gifts required for ministry and ministry within ourselves. What gifts, skills and abilities has God blessed you with, and how are you using them in His service? The Burning Bush is sometimes referred as a theophany, i.e. God revealing Himself. How has God revealed Himself to you? What impact has this had on your life?

Day 5. Isaiah 6:1-8

With the call of Isaiah, we have those wonderful and beautiful words, "Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord Almighty is Holy, His glory fills the world". Isaiah, knew he was called by God. He was also purified. His sins were forgiven. Then God issued the challenge, "Whom shall I send?" and Isaiah responded, "I will go, send me".

1. First of all, Isaiah heard the call of God. Are you hearing the call of God upon your life? Is your response "I will go, send me"? If it is, where do you believe God is sending you, and how is He equipping you to go?

2. Isaiah had no idea what this would have meant in all its fullness, but he went forth in faith. What part does faith play in living out the call of God?

Day 6. Jeremiah 1:4-10

The call of Jeremiah.
It is interesting in this passage that God had chosen Jeremiah before God gave him life. It is also interesting that God had countered the arguments of Jeremiah in regard to being too young, and also being afraid.

1. How often do we make excuses? Just as it is easy to make excuses to other people it is easy to make excuses to God. Have you made excuses to God in the past? What have some of your excuses been? I recall my Year 6 teacher saying to us as a class that excuses are just that, excuses and he was not interested. However, he said he would listen to a reason. I also recall that in the Diocese of Gippsland, a leading person in regard to financial stewardship saying that Christians need to remember that excuses are impressive to people, but they are inadequate in the sight of God.) Do either of these two statements speak to or challenge you?

2. Jeremiah was called to be a prophet. A prophet proclaims God's message now. How prophetic are you? How prophetic is the Church? Are we really proclaiming God's message now?