YAM eNews Week of June 1, 2003
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IN THE eNEWS THIS WEEK
Calendar
Coming Up
NewsFlash—Training Day
Service Opportunity—Summer Sunday School Volunteer
[Your Contribution Could Be Here]
How To Be God’s Hero—Pastor Charlie
The Gathering—Looking Ahead
Soul Work—What kind of God do you want?
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CALENDAR
SUNDAYS
Worship @ 8:45 am—Main Worship Center
Current Study: Pastor Charlie is teaching through Paul’s Letter to the Romans
The Gathering @ 10 am—YAM room
Current Study: “Oh my god, you’re God!” taught by Laura
Coming Up: Orientation… yup. Orientation :)
An online summary is available weekly at http://tfbyam.blogspot.com/
Eating together (most weeks) @ 11:45 am—restaurant changes, meet in the patio or see Mike N
TUESDAYS
Bible Study @ 8 pm—YAM room
Current Study: Big Rocks, taught by Laura
Coming in July—Song of Songs
An online version is available weekly at http://tfbyam.blogspot.com/
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COMING UP
SATURDAY, June 14
9:00 am to 12:30 pm
TRAINING DAY: UNIQUELY YOU
Trying to figure out what you were made for?
Discover your divine design!
SATURDAY, June 21
8:00 to 10:00 pm
EXPERIENCE
Consuming Fire
alt.worship event
TFB Youth Room
SUNDAY, June 22
10:00 am
“They’re here…”
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FRESHMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SUMMER EVENTS… at least so far (send in your ideas!!)
Sparks games
Baseball
Weekend retreat
Taco Saturday
Pool Party
MTA Los Angeles Art Tour
LABOR DAY WEEKEND, August 29 to September 1
COLLEGE BRIEFING
Forest Home
In our world we are often faced with hard and challenging situations.
What do you depend on during these times?
Jesus Alone!
…CHRIST IS ALL THAT MATTERS… Colossians 3:11 NLT
Cost: $145, $25 non-refundable deposit due at sign-up
Scholarships available, ask Laura or Tom
Visit http://www.gospelcom.net/foresthome/collegebriefing2003.htm for info
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NEWSFLASH—TRAINING DAY
June 14
9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Ever wonder what God has planned for you?
Think you know, but want to make sure?
Wanna be involved in YAM leadership?
Ya gotta go to UNIQUELY YOU
See how your gifts and personality work together in God’s design.
Price is $25
If you need assistance, scholarships are available.
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SERVICE OPPORTUNITY—SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL VOLUNTEER
Helpers needed urgently for the Preschool Sunday School class beginning June 8th, one Sunday a month on a rotation with other volunteers. Both guys and girls needed.
Contact Lynne Foster ASAP if you can help:
tfbce@pacbell.net
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[YOUR CONTRIBUTION COULD BE HERE]
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THE GATHERING—
[also available at http://tfbyam.blogspot.com/]
Ever think you know someone, then something happens and you realize that there is a bunch of stuff you didn’t know. Often, we think we know God until something happens—usually something bad—that raises questions and confronts our assumptions. We have a God-encounter. There are different kinds of God-encounters. Some are tame and quiet. Others are messy and loud. But they are all God-encounters.
The bible tells us about some incredible God-encounters—some extreme confrontations. In the next three weeks we’ll look at five of these encounters. Today’s encounter is probably the longest encounter story in the bible. This guy had everything: money, kids, stuff, and righteousness to boot. Then he lost everything: no money, no kids, no stuff, and ;his “friends” questioned even his righteousness. He sat on as ash heap for days, covered with sores, listening to his friends attack his goodness. Job told them that if God would just give him his day in court, God would vindicate him. God would pat him on the back and confirm that Job was a good man. Then it happened—the God encounter. Job had his day in court. Open your bible and take a couple minutes to skim through Job 38-41.These chapters describe Job’s God-encounter. In these chapters God does not vindicate Job; he does not pat Job on the back and say, “well done.” In these chapters God confronts Job with reality. Job’s only option is to sit down and do a major rewrite. What does he rewrite?
Turn to Job 42. The first six verses are the climax of the book of Job. This paragraph is the point of it all. This is where we see what gets rewritten.
The first thing a God-encounter rewrite is our knowledge. Before this encounter, Job thought he knew God, but what he knew was only hearsay. It was not direct testimony. Now he had direct testimony. Verse 5 says that before Job had heard about God, but that know he had seen God—direct testimony. Job’s knowledge of God was rewritten. How was it rewritten? Job was a good worshiper. He thought that as long as he was righteous, everything was ok. He figured that if he could just stand before God and make his case, that all this suffering would make sense and his righteousness would be vindicated. Look at verse 2. Job learned that Job wasn’t the center of the story. God was. Job learned that knowing God—being intimate with God—was more important than doing good things.
The second thing a God-encounter rewrites is our responses. Before this encounter, Job boldly proclaimed that if he could only get a hearing in God’s court, he would be vindicated. He declared his righteousness to his friends. After this encounter his responses were rewritten. First, God rewrote Job’s words. Instead of declaring his righteousness, Job confesses his ignorance. Instead of proclaiming his good standing, he confesses his lack of knowledge. Look at verse three. Basically Job declares, “I’ve been a dork. I confess, I’ve been flapping my lips without a clue about reality.” Job’s words are rewritten: he now proclaims direct testimony: God has the power to do anything he wants to do.
Second, God rewrote Job’s attitude. Job turns from surety to sorrow, from self-focus to God-focus. Read verses four through six. Job takes back his foolish hearsay and mourns his ignorant pride. Job says, “I’ve been a snot—a self-absorbed navel gazer.” God rewrites Job’s attitude, and humility replaces arrogance. Job realizes that knowing God is all about God.
A God-encounter rewrites our knowledge and our responses. It transforms our assumptions and changes our words and our attitudes. Take a few minutes and think about your assumptions about God. Are there any that need to be rewritten? Are there any areas that need to be transformed? Get together with a friend and discuss.
Get a head start on next week: Ezekiel 1:26-28; Revelation 1:9-17. What is the encounter like? How do Ezekiel and John respond? What are the implications for worship?
- Laura
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TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY
YAM Tuesday—Big Rocks
[also available at http://tfbyam.blogspot.com/]
[A "Big Rocks" guide will be available sometime in June. This guide can be used to lead communal manuscript studies on your campus. Send an email to tfbyam1@hotmail.com if you're interested.]
THE MENU
First: Read the passage a few times.
Second: What do you notice—who, what, when, where, how? Connections? Repeated ideas?
Third: Ask a bunch of questions about the passage.
Fourth: Map your discoveries using words, pictures, or symbols.
Fifth : Share your discoveries with your group and work together to answer your questions.
Sixth: Ask, “So what?” What difference does/should this passage make in our lives?
This Week: Big Rock Eight: Church--Jeremiah 31:31-34
Here’s a few thoughts from Tuesday:
- The big idea: Before Judah went into exile in 586 BC (for stepping out on God—committing spiritual adultery with other gods), Jeremiah prophesied to Judah. His prophecy was basically, “You totally messed up on your relationship with God and you will be disciplined—there’s no hope for change now.” Included in his prophecy, though, is the promise of a new covenant to replace the Mosaic Covenant—the Law (think ten commandments—plus the 613 others—lots of laws). Jeremiah 31:31-34 is about this new covenant.
- WHO: God makes the new covenant with Israel (the northern kingdom, already in exile) and Judah (the southern kingdom, on the verge). God shows himself to be a forgiving, trustworthy, stubborn-love, disciplining person. Israel and Judah are helpless to fulfill the covenant without God’s help.
- WHAT: There are four elements in the new covenant: the LAW will be in their heart/mind; they will BE God’s people; all will KNOW God; and all sins will be FORGIVEN.
- WHEN: “…after that time…” some time after the Babylonian captivity (which lasted from 586 BC to 480 BC). Messiah Jesus declared the covenant at his death (Luke 22:20), so the first installment of the new covenant—real, though incomplete—is now (Hebrews 10:7-25). The final installment of the new covenant is in the last day (Romans 11:25-32).
- HOW: “I will” God makes the covenant because it is his will to do so. The covenant is made by divine means, not human means.
- WHY: Because God keeps his promises (Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:7-9).
Thinking it through:
- Read the passage again.
- What kind of person is God? Given what God is like, what should his people be like?
- God promised the new covenant to the Jews, his chosen people, when they were about to go into captivity for rejecting God and for committing spiritual adultery with false gods. Despite their situation—and because of their weakness—God promised a new covenant. Look over the WHAT of the covenant again. These four elements enable God’s people to keep God’s covenant. When your life gets rough—your fault or someone else’s—how might the four elements—LAW, BE, KNOW, and FORGIVEN—help you get your bearings?
Coming up...
Big Rock Eight: Church--Ephesians 4:11-22 [NOTE change]
Big Rock Nine: Future--Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 20:11-15
Big Rock Ten: Why Do Theology—Matthew 22:37-40
Completed:
Big Rock One: The Word: 2 Timothy 3:10-17; Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Big Rock Two: God: Psalm 145:17-21; Hebrews 12:4-11
Big Rock Three: Man: Genesis 1:26-31; 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:4
Big Rock Four: Sin: Genesis 2:25-3:7; Ephesians 2:1-3
Big Rock Five: Christ--Isaiah 9:1-7; John 1:14-18
Big Rock Six: Redemption-- Isaiah 53:10-12; John 3:16-21
Big Rock Seven: Spirit--Ezekiel 36:22-32; John 16:5-15
Big Rock Eight: Church--Jeremiah 31:31-34
--Laura
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SOUL WORK—What kind of God do you want?
“when I find someone really struggling with belief in a god, or a Christian having a hard time with actual obedience, I sometimes ask “if it were up to you, would you like there to be a god?” “If so, would you want god to be fully god? To totally express his god-likeness? To completely have his way?”
Todd Hunter’s Blog, Thursday, May 29
