Thursday Bible Study

  [Nehemiah] FOUR: Opposition from the outside_ Nehemiah 4   “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me” is a phrase that many of us were taught as children… but it’s not true. Words can be way more destructive!   [Discussion starter] When have you seen a person or a group of people crumble under the pressure of opposition to ministry?   The enemies of Israel started out at the “sticks and stones” level, but moved quickly to things like slander, intimidation and threats. Israel faced possible disappointment, distraction and discouragement. Our enemy will always oppose the work God. We need to expect and be able to fight opposition if we are to do God’s work.   [Read Nehemiah 4]   In verses 1-6 what is the progression of Sanballat and Tobiah’s threats?     What is usually your response to opposition aimed at you and what you’re doing?     How does Nehemiah respond to these di...

  [Nehemiah] THREE: Working together_ Nehemiah 3 A good leader can motivate others, but a job usually gets done because of prayer and unity among believers. Vision is primarily spiritual not material. When there’s a lot of mundane work (like rebuilding a damaged city wall) there needs to be unity for the job to be completed. People need to feel they’re part of the process or they won’t commit to the work. This describes much of the work of the church too…   [Discussion starter] How do you feel when you’re part way through a job that you thought others were also committed to, only to find out that you’re actually only one of a very few who are committed to the task?   [Read Nehemiah 3]   Who are the main groups / individuals in this chapter who give themselves to the rebuilding work?     If you lived in Jerusalem at this point in history, what part of the work would you feel motivated to do?     What are some of the oc...

  [Nehemiah] TWO: The planning process_ Nehemiah 2   D L Moody was sailing on a boat and a fire broke out. One of his travelling companions said, “Don’t you think we should go and pray, Brother Moody?” and Moody replied, “You can go and pray, brother, but I am going to man the water buckets. There is a time to pray and a time to put the fire out.” Quite often we create this either/or when it comes to prayer and action… and then end up neither praying or doing very much! Discipleship is about finding the healthy balance of both/and… between dependency on God and action on our part.   In this second chapter, Nehemiah shows evidence of carful planning on both sides… praying and doing…   [Read Nehemiah 2]   How does Nehemiah show evidence of having a well-thought through plan in verses 1-9?     What are the differences between the praying Nehemiah does in this chapter and his prayer in chapter 1?     Nehemiah take...

  [Nehemiah] ONE: Depending on God_ Nehemiah 1 Maybe you have heard someone else say (or even said yourself) things like, “I’m too busy too pray” or “This little thing is too insignificant to bother God with” or “That’s too big a problem, it’s too much of an ask for God” or “Who am I to ask that ?” or “What right to I have praying a prayer like that?”   [Discussion starter] How do you respond when you hear bad news about people you care about?   [Read Nehemiah 1]   In verses 1-3 what event is being discussed?     How easy would it have been for Nehemiah to just ignore this report and why?     What four things does Nehemiah do when he hears Hanani’s report?         In verses 5-11 what are the specific concerns that Nehemiah talks about in his prayer?     [Activity] Using the well-known ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication) how do you see these f...

  [Grace and Peace] EPHESIANS_   [Activity] Explore the logical flow of Ephesians 6:10-24…   [Read Ephesians 6:10-17]   In verse 10, what strength does Paul tell us we have for this ‘battle’?     What kind of warfare are we engaged in (verses 11-12)?     [Activity] To win battles, God has provided a set of armour for us (verses 13-17). Identify the six pieces of armour and a specific way that we might use each item today…   In what way is the ‘sword of the Spirit’, which is the word of God, an offensive weapon in contrast to the other defensive weapons?     Which piece of the armour is difficult for you to utilize and why?     How can you learn to actively “take up” that weapon?     [Read Ephesians 6:18-20]   The final weapon (if we can class it as one) is prayer. How does prayer help us to fight spiritual battles?   Look at verse 18 again. How is...

  [Grace and Peace] EPHESIANS_   [Activity] Spend some time exploring the logical flow of Ephesians 5:21-6:9…   [Read Ephesians 5:21]   Paul addresses different relationship types (marriage, family, co-workers) when he writes to the Ephesians. Before he gets specific in his instructions, he gives a general one. What attitude are we supposed to have towards others?     What should submission look like in daily life?     [Read Ephesians 5:22-33]   In verses 22-24, why does Paul tell wives to submit to their husbands?     How does remembering that a wife is really submitting to the Lord affect submission to a husband?     In verses 25-33, how are husbands, in turn, to treat their wives?     How does comparing a husband’s love for his wife to how the Messiah loves the church remove any danger of the husband abusing the wife’s submission?       What ...

  [Grace and Peace] EPHESIANS_   [Activity] Spend some time exploring the logical flow of Ephesians 5:3-20…   [Read Ephesians 5:3-10]     In verses 3-4 & 7, what is Paul’s remedy for immorality?     Paul has a real way of getting to the heart of an issue. “Don’t be fooled” he says, “There are a lot of empty words out there…words that sound big and important… which echo and resonate with our culture, but they have nothing inside them, no life, no truth.”     In contrast to the culture of Paul’s day, in verses 8-10, how are we to behave?     [Read Ephesians 5:11-20]     In verse 11, what should our attitude be towards “the works of darkness”?     What are some “works of darkness” that we encounter on a regular basis?     In verses 12-14, how are we told that we can expose those works of darkness to the light or truth?   What commands, doe...