Image Credit:  Ben White - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

The following is a short summary of week one of our ladies' Bible study, Jonah:  Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer.

Life Interruptions Don't Always Make Sense

Life interruptions don't always make sense.  Sometimes the things we feel God is calling us to do make no sense to us at all.  If it doesn't make sense, then I don't want to do it.  I'd much rather stay in a place that makes sense - a place where I'm comfortable.

Jonah faced a situation that made no sense.  He was being asked to leave his homeland where he had been comfortable.  He was being asked to give up everything he had always known to travel to a far away land that inhabited his enemies - a corrupt land.  He had been perfectly happy and comfortable fulfilling his God-given role right where he was.  Why would God call him to give all that up for such a corrupt people?  It made no sense. 

In our journeys with God, we will likely come across our personal Ninevehs.  For some, this might actually be a place; for others, Nineveh is a task or a relationship and just the mention of that mission or person sends us into an emotional tailspin.  We'd just rather not go.  And, like Jonah, we can point to many reasons that would keep us at home. - Priscilla Shirer

However, we are not to trust our own heart.

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick.  Who can understand it?  - Jeremiah 17:9

 Here are several key points I took away from this first week:

1.  A life interrupted by a holy God is a privilege.

2.  When God calls us and allows us to see His hand in our lives, we have to realize the significance of being asked to participate in His divine purpose and plan for His kingdom. It is a high honor.

He's purposefully given you the high honor of being the one He deemed suited for a task that has Heavenly implications - a task of divine partnership that will yield magnificent results for you and for His kingdom. - Priscilla Shirer

 3.  It was not until Jonah received a life interruption that he developed a life story that made a stamp on history.  A life interruption offers us an opportunity to write a life story of eternal significance.

Make sure your life writes a story worth reading. - Priscilla Shirer

4.  A life interruption will make us question our sincerity about our willingness to yield to God's will.

5.  It is not our legacy or lack of legacy that makes us significant.  What makes us significant is our willingness to obey.

6.  God's call on our lives do not always make sense but those who respond in obedience will enjoy the benefit of God's protection.

In order to benefit from the entire Bible study, I encourage you to complete the study with a group either at your church in a home with friends.   The leader kit below includes the DVDs and all the materials you'll need to complete the study.

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study here.

This item is available here.

Are You in the Right Place?

Our pastor is continuing his series titled Christ in Every Place.  Today's sermon was titled "Are You in the Right Place?  The following are my Bible study notes based on my pastor's sermon.

Image Credit:  Ben White - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

Christ in Every Place

 Our scripture passage is Luke 5:1-11.

Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; ² and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. ³ And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. ⁴ When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” ⁶ When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; ⁷ so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” ¹¹ When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him. - Luke 5:1-11

Are You in the Right Place? 

 You are invited to watch the entire sermon here.

Every Place - Are You In The Right Place? from Christ Place Church on Vimeo.


Christ must do something in me before He can do something through me.  I can never embrace a greater vision until I am in the right place spiritually.

 

I like my places of comfort.  I'm a pretty shy person so stepping out of my comfort zone is not easy for me to do.  If you're like me, it's easy to stay in one place in life too long.  It's easy to get used to a regular routine, staying just comfortable enough to be comfortable where I am.   Jesus said, "Go deeper."

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” - Luke 5:4

When we resolve to "go deeper" in obedience to God - to reach out beyond our comfort zone, obedience yields amazing results.

When Peter, James, and John responded in obedience and went into deeper waters, they caught so much fish that their nets began to break and their boat began to sink.

When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. - Luke 5:6-7

When we respond in obedience to go into the right places, then we will "catch men."

And so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” - Luke 5:10

Then, they left everything and followed Jesus.

When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him. - Luke 5:11

Saved people want to see people saved.  

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. - Luke 19:10

 Ask Jesus:  Am I in the right place spiritually?

 1.  Jesus invites us to join His mission.  

(Does this sound familiar?  This is the theme from our current ladies' Bible study.)

Jesus can do ministry alone but He doesn't.  He invites us to participate in His perfect plan.

 2.  Jesus uses our places to show us "our place."

If we are believers, then we all have a ministry of some sort.  Jesus meets us where we are.

3.  He calls us from out of our safe places into places of trust, obedience, and risks.

We catch bigger fish (more fish) by going into deeper waters.

God blesses us in places of obedience.

4.  Jesus brings us into places we never anticipated and it is awesome.

5.  Jesus wants us to get to the place where we are more like Him.

2019 Challenge

In order to help get us into "deeper waters," our pastor is encouraging us to focus on 5 people/families in 2019.  Do you know 5 people - 5 families - who don't know Jesus?  Perhaps you cn focus on them this year.  Build relationships with them.  Share Jesus with them.

I'd love to hear how you are "going deeper" this year.  If you feel comfortable doing so, encourage our blog community by sharing your stories in the comments below.

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study series here.

 

I'm a planner.  I plan most things out in advance.  I don't plan ahead for everything in my life but once I have a plan in place, I get all out of sorts if something interferes with my plan.  If something comes along and interrupts my plan, everything seems to fall apart.   This makes life interruptions harder for me to manage, but I've started looking at life interruptions in a different way.  Our new ladies' Bible study is on the book of Jonah.  Through this study, Priscilla Shirer is teaching us how to navigate a life interrupted.  She is helping us see that a life interrupted is a life that is privileged.

Image Credit:  Brian Mann - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

 A Life Interrupted is a Life That is Privileged

The very first verse in this study hits the nail on the head, so to speak.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. - Isaiah 55:8

I like to think that I have a plan for the year or maybe for the next 10 years . . . or 50.  I have it all thought out, but my thoughts are not God's thoughts and my ways are not His ways.

Jonah's life was interrupted.  God had a plan for Jonah and it was not the plan Jonah had anticipated.  Jonah ran from what God told him to do and it landed him in a heap of trouble - right into the belly of big fish.  

I've felt like Jonah lately.  Several months ago, almost a whole year now, my life was interrupted.  It's a bit of a long story but to make it short, I became ill and lost my business.  I had a plan to work my business a few more years and then implement another plan . . . but my thoughts were not God's thoughts and my ways were not His ways.  I was a life interrupted but I did not see it as a privilege at first.

In Jonah's case, he was told to go to a place called Nineveh.  Nineveh was a terrible place.  The people were brutal and violent.  Nineveh was a place of hopelessness and Jonah didn't want to go.  

You can read the full story of Jonah here, but to summarize the ending for you (sorry for the spoiler alert), Jonah eventually obeyed God and Nineveh saw a great revival.  

In the introduction, Priscilla said a few things that caught my attention.  

1.  One of the greatest revivals in history occurred because one man (ONE) responded in obedience.  

2.  God doesn't NEED me to accomplish His perfect plan.  It is a privilege to be called - to be favored enough by God to be asked to participate in His plan and purpose for all eternity.  WOW.  I never thought of it that way.  What a privilege!

God is showing me the direction he wants me to go from here.  It's not happening as fast as I would prefer but again, my thoughts are not His thoughts and my ways are not His ways. 

3.   The interrupted life is the cure for the search for significance.  

After I became ill and lost my business, I had no idea what to do.  I had no idea what my calling was.  However, since that time I have been able to serve others in ways I never could have accomplished otherwise.  He is opening doors of opportunity for me that never could have happened had He not interrupted my plan.  I am in awe of the things in which He is inviting me to participate. I am finding a sense of purpose again.  I still don't know all that He is working out but watching it all unfold and knowing He is orchestrating a beautiful thing out of what I first saw as a major inconvenience has been a beautiful experience.  

I am looking forward to the rest of this study, Jonah:  Navigating a Life Interupted by Priscilla Shirer.  I hope you'll stick around and allow me to show you what I learn because there is more!  I will be sharing short summaries about how I can apply these truths to my life while supporting the work Priscilla does through her ministry.

You'll find all my posts about this Bible study series here. 

In order to benefit from all this study has to offer under the direction of Priscilla Shirer, you'll need to either attend a full study group session at your church or another location.  If this option is not available for you, you can purchase the entire study, complete with all the DVDs below.

This item is available here.