love – Page 7 – New Connexions Church

Study Questions: Zephaniah 1

Keith Waters Bible Studies, Prophecy 24th April 2017bible, discipline, faithfulness, Grace, hate, hope, humility, judgement, justice, law, love, mercy, morals, new connexions, redemption, scripture, second chance, sin, truth, unfaithfulness 0 Comment

This study relates to the sermon: God’s Love Seen Through Judgement

Zephaniah starts his prophecy telling us his family background (1:1); he is a fourth-generation descendant of King Hezekiah (King of Judah from 715-686BC). Does this pedigree matter to you? Why or why not?
His opening words of prophecy tells of a terrible judgment to come: “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth” (1:2). It closes on the “day of the Lord” when God “will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth” (1:18). This just might be the harshest, most universal judgment announcement in the Bible. How does this make you feel? How does this make you feel about God?
God is clearly a little upset with Judah. What has Judah done wrong? (see 1:4-6)
Why is this book relevant to Christians today? On Sunday we talked through a lot of application for us today – what did that include?

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Feasts of Israel – Study 1

Keith Waters Bible Studies, Prayer 16th January 201717th January 2017bible, feasts, hope, law, love, mercy, new connexions, redemption, scripture, truth 0 Comment

Study based on the sermon: Jewish Feasts part 1

Reading: Leviticus 23:1-14

What does it mean to keep the Sabbath? How might we either be too legalistic or too liberal in this?
Are these feasts in Leviticus 23 really relevant to us today? If so how, and why don’t we celebrate them within the modern church?
As a group discuss each of the first three feasts; how are they a reminder of past things and in which ways do they speak of things that were to come.
In the sermon we looked at the dates of Passover, preparation, selecting the sacrifice etc. and how the prophecies of Daniel 9, Psalm 118 and Zechariah 9, Luke 11:29 form part of the picture. Discuss how all of this fits together in God’s plan, how tradition has confused things and what this might teach us about the importance of studying the whole of scripture.
Please use the points below to guide you in a time of prayer.

This term’s prayer pointers:

Give regular thanks for answered prayer;
Pray that The Lord will build His Church at New Connexions: spiritually, physically and numerically;
Seek the Lord for direction as to outreach in the year ahead.

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Micah 6 – A Study

Keith Waters Bible Studies 14th November 2016forgiveness, healing, hope, humility, judgement, justice, love, mercy, Micah, new connexions, prayer, redemption, truth 0 Comment

Note to leaders: As with all studies, please don’t feel you must cover all questions, fine if you can, but rather take a few of the questions and do them justice that rush through 🙂

If you missed the sermon, you can pick it up here: God doesn’t want your religion

Read Through Micah 6

Why are the mountains called as witnesses? And who does the Lord ask to state their case?
What is the Lord’s charge? In verse 3? What does it mean?
Look back in your bibles at each reminder the Lord gives, why should have Israel remembered?
In verse 6 and 7 look at the people’s questions, what do you notice about them? Discuss The Lord’s answer.
What does it mean that we should fear the Lord?
Where are the key lessons for us in this chapter today – how should we apply those lessons in our lives?

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A Committed Christian?

Keith Waters Bible Studies, Christian Comment, Prayer 10th October 201613th October 2016bible, communication, discipline, faithfulness, forgiveness, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, love, mercy, morals, new connexions, prayer, redemption, repentance, resurrection, second chance, Trinity, truth, unfaithfulness 0 Comment

So often in our Christian lives we spend inordinate amounts of time talking about prayer, wanting to seek the Lord and do His will; which I believe are great sentiments, but as we approach the end of the year I’m drawn back to some words we used at the start of our year in our covenant service, words which were borrowed from a great puritan called Richard Alleine:

I am no longer my own but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly give all things to you. Glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. This my covenant with you my God, made here on earth, let it be confirmed in heaven. Amen

Why not take that prayer again, study it, meditate on it, discuss it and consider: as individuals, and as Christ’s Church, have we yet made this prayer our own? How can we encourage one another, and what is the Lord asking of us as individuals walking in covenant with Him? If studying in a group: spend a good time in prayer seeking the Lord for each other and the wider Church. When studying alone: also, of course, pray through the issues that arise in your heart.

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