Purpose Driven Life Day 29-31

Home Group Meeting – 11/09/2005

Opening
Introduction and partner picking for newcomers

Brief Review of last week
Last week we covered the 2nd half of the 4th week – You were You Were Created to Become Like Christ, days 25-28:
Transformed by Trouble – all things God works for the good of those who love him.
Growing through and defeating Temptation – Do not fight them, avoid them.
It Takes Time – Something to look forward in your life.

5th week (1): You were shaped for serving God
Day 29 – Accepting Your Assignment
“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24-15
Q1. What is your understanding about “Serving God”?
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples build by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything.” Act 17:24-25
“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” Luke 16:13

Day 30 – Shaped for Serving God
Day 31 – Understanding Your Shape
Q1. What are SHAPE?
Q2. Is there anything you would like to add to SHAPE?

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:22-23
Jonah
Jeremiah

Q2. According to the Bible, how important are ‘effectiveness’ and ‘success’ in our ministry (Serving God)?

Sharing time
From this week’s reading, do you have a passage from the book or from the bible that you want to share?

Prayer time
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Jeremiah
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"Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem" by Rembrandt van Rijn
Jeremiah or Yirmiyáhu (יִרְמְיָהוּ "Raised-up/Appointed of the LORD", Standard Hebrew Yirməyáhu, Tiberian Hebrew Yirməyāhû) (or, perhaps meaning "YHWH throws") was one of the "greater prophets" of the Old Testament, and the son of Hilkiah, a priest of Anathoth.
His writings are collected in the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Lamentations. Jeremiah is considered by some modern scholars (as well as some ancient Rabbis) to have written, or redacted much of the Old Testament, as we have it today. His language in "Jeremiah" and "Lamentations" is quite similar to that in Deuteronomy and the "Deuteronomic history" of Joshua, Judges, the Books of Samuel, and the Books of Kings. Jeremiah is also famous as "the broken-hearted prophet" (who wrote or dictated a "broken book", which has been difficult for scholars to put into chronological order), whose heart-rending life, and true prophecies of dire warning went largely-unheeded by the people of Judah. YHWH told Jeremiah, "You will go to them; but for their part, they will not listen to you".
According to the Book of Jeremiah, he was called to the prophetical office when still young; in the thirteenth year of Josiah (628 BC). He left his native place, Anatoth, (where Jeremiah was perhaps a member of the priesthood) and went to reside in Jerusalem; where he assisted Josiah in his work of reformation. (Josiah is one of the most famous "good kings" of the Israelites; one of the Hebrew scribes "found" a copy of the Old Testament Scriptures, and the chief scribe brought this copy to Josiah. Upon hearing it read to him, Josiah "tore his robes" in grief, at the revealed knowledge of the coming wrath of YHWH, because the nation had not been following the Scriptures. Josiah subsequently embarked upon a furious assault upon idolatry in Judah, removing the idolatrous priest-hood, and restoring the worship of YHWH to Judah.) He (Jeremiah) wrote a lamentation upon the death of this pious king, which has not survived.
During the three years of the reign of Jehoahaz, we find no reference to Jeremiah, but in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the enmity of the people against the prophet was expressed with persecution, and Jeremiah was apparently imprisoned. In his most famous confrontation with Jehoiakim, Jeremiah warned the king that "God would roll him up into a little ball, and would throw him out of Judah"; a prophecy which includes a possible pun on the use of Jeremiah's name, which means "YHWH throws".
He remained in Jerusalem, uttering from time to time his words of warning, but without much effect. He was there when Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city (Jer. 37:4, 5), 589 BC, as Jeremiah had prophesied before-hand. The rumour of the approach of the Egyptians to aid the Jews in this crisis induced the Babylonians to withdraw, and to return to their own land. However, this siege was raised only for a short time. The prophet, in answer to his prayer, received a message from God, stating that "the Babylonians would come again, and take the city, and burn it with fire" (37:7, 8). The princes, in their anger at such a message by Jeremiah, cast him into prison (37:15-38:13). He was still in confinement when the city was taken (588 BC). The Babylonians released him, and showed him great kindness; allowing Jeremiah to choose the place of his residence, according to a Babylonian edict. Jeremiah accordingly went to Mizpah with Gedaliah, who had been made governor of Judea.
Johanan succeeded Gedaliah, who had been assassinated by an Amorite spy, "for working with the Babylonians". Refusing to listen to Jeremiah's counsels, Johanan fled to Egypt, taking Jeremiah and Baruch (Jeremiah's faithful scribe and servant) with him (Jer. 43:6). There, the prophet probably spent the remainder of his life, still seeking in vain to turn the people to the Lord; from whom they had so long revolted (44). He lived into the reign of Evil-merodach, son of Nebuchadnezzar, and may have been about ninety years of age at his death. We have no authentic record of his death; he may have died at Tahpanes, or, according to a tradition, may have gone to Babylon with the army of Nebuchadnezzar.