Joseph’s Dreams     Sept. 30, 2012

 

Background:  Before we get into our story for today we need a little background to set the stage and help us understand the situation more clearly.  Joseph was the son of Rachel and Jacob.  He had 11 brothers and one sister. This was a mixed family, for Jacob, Joseph’s father, had married Leah, her sister Rachel and two slave girls Bilhah and Zilpah and had children with them all.  Just prior to our story Joseph’s mother Rachel died giving birth to his brother Benjamin. After she was buried her husband moved his family beyond Migdal Eber.

        During his time there, his oldest son Reuben went in and slept with his father’s slave girl Bilhah and Jacob found out.  Jacob went home to Mamre to visit his father Isaac who was now quite old and while he was there his father died.  Jacob and his brother Esau burry their father and after this Jacob decides to stay in the land of Canaan with his family.

 

Scripture:  Gen. 37:1-11

Situation:  Joseph, a young shepherd boy of 17 is tending flocks with his four brothers, Gad, Asher, Dan, and Naphtali.  Joseph brings his dad Jacob a bad report about his brothers.  Joseph was Jacob’s favourite and his father had made him a richly ornamented coat.  Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him; they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.  Joseph has some dreams and tells his brothers about them.  This only makes them angrier with him.  When he tells his father his second dream Jacob rebukes Joseph.

As we have been doing in the past we are going to examine the story closely to discover the truths by looking at what people said and did, the choices they made and the consequences of those choices.  Next we will try to apply the lessons learned to everyday living.  We will begin by looking at young Joseph.

Our story says that Joseph brought his father a bad report about his brothers.  He had obviously witnessed something and as a result made a decision.  Did Joseph have options in this situation? What might they have been?  He could have spoken to his brothers and warned them.  He could have ignored their behaviour or chosen not to say anything.  He could have lied to his father about his brother’s bad behaviour to cover for them.  What did Joseph choose to do and what does this tell us about him.  He told his father about his brother’s bad behaviour.  It could mean Joseph cared enough about his brother’s that he felt something had to be done to correct them.  Joseph could have been a righteous young man concerned for the honor and name of the family and therefore told on his brothers.  He could have been in a strained relationship with his brother’s and wanted to get back at them so he told on them. 

What were the consequences of his choice to tell on his brothers?  See vs. 3,4  Joseph’s brothers hated him, could not speak a kind word to him and in vs. 11 says his brothers were jealous of him.  Like the Song, “Doing it right on the wrong side of Town” Joseph did the right thing but ended up with some serious interpersonal family conflict. 

Have you ever heard of anyone in a similar situation today where you did what was right and got into some real difficulty? Has anything like this ever happened to you? 

Jacob, Joseph’s dad seemed to add fuel to the fire; how did he do that? What choices did he make as a father and what other options were open to him?  (see vs. 3, 4)  Jacob favoured Joseph openly, publically, and showed it by making him a special robe. Jacob could have loved his son’s equally, could have given them all special robes.  Jacob could have refused to marry Bilhah and Zilpah and saved himself some serious grief? Even though polygamy was an accepted practice culturally it was not God’s design.  What were the consequences of Jacob’s behaviour for his sons?

(Hatred, jealousy and angry and unkind words) So here we have an interpersonal family conflict which seems to be escalating.  Let’s go back to the story and see what Joseph does in this situation.  (See vs. 5, 9)

 Joseph has some dreams and for some reason decides to tell his brothers.  What is the result of Joseph’s actions, could he have made some better choices under the circumstances?  Joseph’s brothers become even angrier with him after he told them his dreams.  He could have kept his dreams to himself so as not to antagonize his brothers.  Do you think Joseph’s actions also added fuel to the family conflict?

Up to this point in the story things appear to be bordering out of control.  We have a family struggling with favouritism, hatred, and jealousy and the situation seems to be getting more critical by the day.  Where is God in all this mess, is He even around? Look closely at verses 6 and 9. Do you think that anyone in the story knew that the dreams might be significant?   How would you say the dreams fit into this story? What can we learn about God and family conflict from this story? 

Conclusion:  God works in the midst of crisis

No matter how bad the situation looks, we need not lose hope because God is at work behind the scenes.

We may often be so immersed in the family conflict that we will fail to recognize that God is at work. 

Conflict may escalate and last for a time but that does not mean that God has deserted us.

Listen to the words of encouragement from the book of Romans 8:28, 31 etc.

And we know that in all things (that means everything) God works for the good of those who love Him…If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all--- how will He not also along with Him, graciously give us all things? In all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present or future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

On Sunday, Sept. 16, we had a great day for our first ever Pancake Breakfast.  The weather was awesome, and we served about 100 people. 
The kids enjoyed games and boucy houses, and received loot bags with candy, balloons and information about our children's ministries.
It was great to connect with people in our community and enjoy visiting with them.  We were also excited to see two big fire trucks as well as the local EMS truck drive up.  The firemen and paramedics enjoyed some pancakes and showed off their trucks as well.  The kids really enjoyed checking out the ambulance and fire trucks. It was great community net-working!

Pancakes, anyone?

The big, shiny truck!

Games for the little people.

Games for the BIG people!

Help!  I'm stuck!!

Loot bags for the kids.

Ready for fun!

More games.

YUM! YUM!

 

All in all, it was a super day and we plan to do it again next year!

       A Part of Something BIGGER          Sept. 9th

                          

Scripture:  1 Cor. 12: 12-14

 Introduction:    In essence this Scripture is telling believers (the Corinthians and modern day believers) that we are all part of one Body (the Church); even though there are many parts (represented by believers everywhere) this Body is a unit. Notice the sentence which says, “So it is with Christ.” As you study Scripture you learn the rest of the story which explains that the Body (the Church) has a head, and that head is Jesus Christ.  The fact that verse 13 talks about each of us (believers) being baptized by one Spirit into this body introduces to us the idea that we as believers are “in Christ.”

Two Results of Becoming a Christian

        What does it mean to be “in Christ;” what are the implications?  There are two things that happen when a person becomes a Christian.

A) Christ comes to live in us: notice the words of Rom. 8:9, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” It is Christ living in you by His Spirit that makes you a Christian.  Notice the words of 1 Cor. 13:5 where we read, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith, test yourselves.  Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you…?  Are you a real Christian? How do you know for sure?  Is there evidence that Jesus Christ lives in you?

        So that’s the first thing that happens when you become a Christian; Christ comes to live in you. 

B)  We come to be In Christ:  The second thing that happens when you become a Christian is that you come into Christ. Notice what is said in 1 Cor. 12:13, “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one Body;” the Body of Christ, consequently we were baptized into Christ.  But what is the true meaning, emphasis and purpose of these two complementary events (Christ coming to live in us and we coming into Christ)? The best way for us to understand these ideas is with an illustration taken from a story of a very unfortunate, yet fortunate farmer.

Miraculous Re-attachment

        A farmer was bailing hay on his farm one day when something got into the bailer and jammed it.  The farmer got off the tractor to see what was wrong but he did not disengage the bailer.  He reached his arm into the machine and pulled out the debris. Immediately the machine began to work again and before the farmer could get clear, the moving parts of the bailer caught his arm, pulled it in and chopped it off just below his shoulder. In shock the farmer shut off the bailer, picked up his severed right arm and walked about a third of a mile to the next farmhouse.  He knocked on the door and when it was answered he explained what had happened to his neighbour’s wife.  She quickly put his arm in the deep freeze and called 911.

  When the ambulance arrived the attendant packed the farmers severed arm in ice and rushed him off to the hospital.  Through a long and delicate operation the surgeons re-attached the farmers arm to his body.  The story showed a picture of the farmer 3 months later standing outside his house, bare-chested flexing the muscles of both arms—the scar still visible on his right arm but the article said he was regaining the use of his right arm and that within 18 months to 2 years the farmer would have almost full use of his arm again. 

         I told you this story because it is an excellent illustration of what it means for Christ to be in us and us to be in Christ. 

A) The Arm Received the Life of the Body

When it was severed from the body the arm died and became lifeless.  It was unable to respond to the body, because it was severed from the body.  When it was re-attached to the body the sign that the surgery was successful was that the life of the body re-inhabited the arm.  The arm became re-attached to the body and became part of something much bigger than itself by now being part of the body. 

        When you become a Christian, you receive life, God’s life, when Christ’s Spirit comes to live in you.  Prior to this experience Eph. 2:1 says, “You were dead in your sins…” Now at the same time that Christ comes into you and you receive life, you, like the farmers re-attached arm, become re-attached to Christ and His life flows through you.   

What does this mean?

Now that you are re-attached to Christ and His life flows through you, that life becomes your source of power.   Look at my hand and arm; they are attached to my body which is their source of ability and power.

        Not only is our attachment to the body our source of ability and power, but it is also our source of purpose. You see my arm is no longer just an arm doing what arms do.  It is an arm working in cooperation with the body to accomplish the purposes of the head.  (example- I am thirsty, my brain tells my arm and hand to reach down take this cup hold it in just the right place and I drink).

        The significance of my arm and hand is not just that they have my life in them but they now have purpose and function that is related to the fact that they are part of something much bigger—my body.  The emphasis of being in Christ is not just that we have life—Christ in us—but that we now have purpose, we now have function—that comes from the Head of the Body into which we have been incorporated, which is Christ. 

        So if Christ in me gives me power, then I in Christ gives me purpose.  Christ in me gives me salvation and I in Christ leads me into service; operating under Christ’s headship.  Christ in me gives me resources, and I in Christ gives me responsibilities.  Christ in me is personal, but I in Christ is corporate because in Christ I am now part of something bigger—the Church which is Christ’s Body. I am no longer the lone ranger Christian; it’s not just me and Jesus, me and my little kingdom.  I am part of something much bigger, the Church—of which Christ is the head and His Spirit is its life, into which I have been incorporated. 

        Jesus still has a Body here on earth—it’s His Church, which is made up of different men, women, and children just like the ones here in our fellowship. Each part of this Body is connected to the whole and we have to learn to function as a Body, with Christ as the head, if we are going to be affective for Christ in our community. Let’s pray that God will open the eyes of our hearts that we may know Him better and understand more clearly what it means to function as the Church, the Body of Christ and to be collectively committed to the purposes of the Head of this Body which is Jesus Christ our Lord.          

                                        Peter at Cornelius’ House   Sept. 2, 2012.

 

Background:  We are now at a place in or story of Peter and Cornelius where Peter is on his way to Caesarea to go to Cornelius’ house.  If you have missed some of this story I will do a quick review to bring you up to speed. 

Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, a devout and God-fearing man has a vision in which he sees an Angel who speaks to him.  The Angel tells him to send men to Joppa to fetch Simon Peter who has a message for Cornelius.  Three men are sent from Cornelius’ house.  As these men approach Joppa Peter goes up on the roof to pray and falls into a trance.  He sees a sheet containing all manner of animals lowered to earth and a voice says to him, “Get up Peter.  Kill and eat.”  Peter refuses saying, “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”  Then the voice tells him, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”This happened three times and then the sheet was taken up to heaven.  As Peter was trying to figure out the meaning of the vision Cornelius’ three men arrive and the Spirit tells Peter they are downstairs and that he is to go with them.  Peter goes downstairs, identifies himself to them and asks, “Why have you come.” They explain the nature of their errand and Peter invites them into the house to be his guests. 

This is where the last part of our story takes place. 

Scripture:  Acts 10:23B-48

The Situation: Peter, his delegation and the men Cornelius has sent are travelling to Cornelius’ house in Caesarea.  When they arrive they find a large gathering of people, consisting of Cornelius’ friends and family.  Peter addresses the crowd reminding them about the fact that Jewish Law does not permit him to associate with Gentiles.  He goes on to share with the crowd that God has revealed to him that he should not call any man impure or unclean.  As a result of this revelation Peter answered Cornelius’ call to come to Caesarea.  Peter then asks, “Why did you send for me.”  Cornelius tells Peter and everyone gathered about his vision. 

Cornelius’ testimony helps Peter to understand that God’s salvation is not just for the Jews, but for everyone.  Then Peter shares the Good News about Jesus with the entire gathering.  The Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message which astonished the Jewish believers because they had never seen such a thing. Peter then ordered all the new believers to be baptized with water since they had received the Holy Spirit.  Peter decided to accept Cornelius’ invitation to stay on for a few days. 

There is a lot of information here but as we always do in the method of teaching we use here let’s look closely at what people said and did, what the results or consequences were and what we can learn from the people in the story. 

We Walk By Faith:

Look closely at Acts 10:23B, 21 and 29 What is Peter doing here and does he have a clear understanding of what God is doing and directing him to do?  Right Peter is enquiring as to what these people want, because he doesn’t really have a clear picture of what’s happening, only specific instructions to go with these men and a vision he doesn’t quite understand.   Now look at 10:24,33B what do the actions of Cornelius tell us about this man?  We know he has had a vision and had been given some specific instructions from the Angel which he obeyed.  Does he know what God is about to do, does he have the complete picture? No, he does not have the complete picture but he is exercising his faith in God by believing Peter will come; so he has invited friends and family to come and hear what Peter has to say.

Ready to Listen:

 Then in verse 33B we learn what the proper attitude is for those who are seeking God.  Cornelius says, “we are all here… to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us. As we seek the truth about God we must be willing to listen, to realize we don’t know everything and to be sensitive to those times when God wants to reveal His truth to us.    Notice that both Peter and Cornelius have faith and that this faith is accompanied by action. 

Let’s fast forward to today; do you see this kind of behaviour in the Church today where people who are seeking God, get part of the picture and then by faith begin to move toward God?  Has anything like this happened to you lately? 

Speak What We Know:    

Embedded in this story is the truth of the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Let’s review what Peter told the crowd about Jesus and then examine the results of the preaching of that truth. 

The Gospel

·     God accepts men from every nation who fear (respect) Him and do what is right.

·     We can have peace with God through Jesus

·     Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name

Peter told those gathered at the meeting the truth that he knew about Jesus, explaining to them that Jesus had commanded them to preach to the people.  This is an allusion to the great commission that Jesus gave to His disciples.  It is part of our responsibility to share with others the truth we know about Jesus.  Have you had opportunity to share your God story with anyone lately? 

Results of Preaching the Truth:

What happened in the meeting as Peter shared his God story? The Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.   And how does this relate to Rom. 10:17 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” As these Gentiles heard the truth of the Gospel, God opened their eyes and they believed and received the Holy Spirit. 

 What do you think would happen if you began to ask God for opportunities to share your God story with others; how would it affect your friends and family?  How would it affect our Church and the community of Chestermere? 

Conclusion:

·     God wants to do great things through us and as we honestly seek Him He will reveal Himself to us.  Our story is a reflection of this truth.  Cornelius was seeking God and God wanted to bring the Gentiles into the Church. Through Peter and Cornelius two people who listened to God something great happened.  This story is about the big things God wants to do through the lives of ordinary people like you and me.  So what can we take home from our story?

·     We walk by faith- our faith journey starts, continues and ends in faith

·     Real faith includes action

·     We must be willing to listen if we are seeking God

·     Tell what you know/share your God story

·     Truth changes lives-our lives and the lives of others

·     God’s spoken truth releases God’s power in our lives and the lives of others

 

Free Community Pancake Breakfast

Sunday, September 16^th

10 am until noon

At Chestermere Lake Middle School

Bouncy Houses, games and prizes for the kids.

         

 

Sunday, September 16^th

10 am until noon

At Chestermere Lake Middle School

 

 

             Peter’s Vision           August 26

 

Background:  Last week we heard the story of Cornelius.  He was a Roman Centurion who lived in Caesarea; he was a devout and God-fearing man.  Cornelius gave to the poor and needy and prayed regularly.  One day he had a vision in which he saw an Angel who spoke to him.  The Angel explained to Cornelius that his prayers and giving had come up before God as a memorial offering.  The Angel instructed Cornelius to send men to Joppa to fetch Simon Peter and bring him back to Caesarea.  After the Angel departed Cornelius called three of his men, told them about his vision and the Angel and then sent them to Joppa.

Scripture: Acts 10:9-23

Situation:  About noon the following day, as Cornelius’ men neared Joppa Peter went up on the roof to pray and fell into a trance.  He had a vision in which he saw heaven open; a large sheet containing four footed animals, reptiles, and birds was lowered to earth and a voice said to Peter, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” Peter refused saying, “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”  The voice said to Peter, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”  This happened three times and then the sheet was taken up to Heaven.

While Peter was trying to figure out the meaning of the vision the men Cornelius had sent arrived at the house where Peter was staying.  Peter was still thinking about the vision when the Spirit told him about the three men and instructed Peter to go downstairs and not hesitate to go with the three men because the Spirit had sent them. 

Peter went downstairs, identified himself to Cornelius’ men and asked them, “Why have you come?”  The men told Peter about Cornelius and his vision and then Peter invited the three men into the house to be his guests.

Let’s examine the actions, words and results of what people did in this story and discover what God wants us to learn. 

From the background of last week’s story you will remember that Peter had been travelling around the country preaching the Gospel and healing many.

Prayer: Where it all begins

Why do you think Peter went up on the roof to pray? Was he taking time to seek God’s direction and heart for the next steps?  Would you say his Radar was tuned to God? It is critical that as we serve we get our guidance from God through His Spirit.  We don’t pray, “God help us do what we planned but rather God guide us into your plan and will.”

When we seek God, He responds .

The next thing we notice about the situation with Peter is that he fell into a trance and had a vision. When we seek God’s guidance to discover and do His will, He will respond.  Did Peter understand the experience he had? Why do you think God used this type of revelation? Why not just spell it out clearly? Before you answer this question remember that Cornelius was a Gentile (a non-Jew) and there were strict rules forbidding Jews to eat and associate with Gentiles. At first Peter did not understand the vision.  God used this type of revelation because it fit with the next sequence of events.  We like Peter may not understand how God is working but that does not mean God sits by idly and does nothing. What happened next as Peter was still up on the roof trying to figure things out? (See verse 17, 19) The three men (who were Gentiles) Cornelius had sent arrived and the Spirit gave Peter specific instructions.      

Progressive Revelation: 

Look closely at Peter’s experience; he prays and God gives him a vision.  He does not understand the significance of the vision but continues to think and ponder on it.  He doesn’t jump into action because things are not clear to him yet.  Next God reveals another part of the revelation as the Spirit tells Peter about the three men and gives him some specific instructions. God’s revelation to us is often progressive just like in the story. Discovering God’s will can often be like putting together pieces of a puzzle; it is critical for each of us to wait on God’s leading through His Spirit.  This often involves thinking, pondering, seeking advice from trusted friends and lots of prayer.   Do you know of anyone who has experienced God’s progressive revelation; have you ever experienced it?

God uses people:

Earlier I asked the question why God acted as He did.  Take a moment and reflect on how many people there are in this story, from chapter 10:1-23.  We are not told how many are in Cornelius’ family but we can guess 7 or more people involved in this story.  If we were to closely examine the growth and spread of the early Church we would realize another important truth God is teaching us in this story.  God works through people, ordinary people like you and me.  As you reflect on your own personal spiritual journey can you figure out how many people God used to direct you to Himself?  When God works to affect His purposes He is at work in many different lives at the same time.  

Building faith:

What is God doing in the lives of the people in our story as He involves them?  Building faith.  God could have done things quite differently but He chooses to work as He does in order to build the faith of those He interacts with as well as family and friends.  God could have revealed His will directly to Cornelius but in choosing to include the people He did God affected an even wider circle of people.  What is God doing in your life right now; how is He using you and to what end?  What great thing is God doing that He has chosen you to be a part of and that is infinitely bigger than you? How is God using our Church in this community and what great plans does He have for Chestermere? 

Conclusion:      

·     If you are looking to God for guidance, waiting for Him to do big things, then you have to pray.  It all starts with prayer.

·     Remember when we seek God and His guidance we must believe that He will respond to us.

·     God’s revelation to us is most often progressive, so don’t rush into action, wait, think, pray and God will lead you.

·     God uses people so what we say and do and how we interact with others can and often is a part of what God is doing. 

·     God desires to build faith in each of us and will use people, circumstances and several other means to accomplish what He is doing in our lives and the lives of others. 

 

       Cornelius Calls for Peter              August 19, 2012

 

Background:  Prior to our story the Church had gone through a time of persecution. Steven had become the Church’s first Martyr, Saul was rounding up and imprisoning believers and the Church was being scattered.  Shortly after this Saul was converted on the road to Damascus.  Things began to settle down and a period of relative peace ensued in which the Church experienced growth in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria.  Philip, who had led the Ethiopian Eunuch to the Lord traveled around and ended up in Caesarea.  The Apostle Peter had also been travelling around the country, preaching the Gospel and healing many.  Of peculiar interest to our story is the healing of Aeneas, a paralytic from Lydda.  This miracle led to the conversion of all those who lived in Lydda and Sharon.  Meanwhile in the town of Joppa not far away a greatly loved servant of the Lord named Dorcas became ill and died.  When the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda which is not far from Joppa they sent for Peter.  When he arrived they told him about Dorcas and Peter raised her from the dead.  This led to the conversion of many in Joppa where Peter decided to stay with Simon the tanner.  This sets the stage for our story which is found in Acts 10:1-8

Scripture: Acts 10:1-8

Situation:  Cornelius, a Roman Centurion had a vision; an angel came to him and said...”your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.  Now send men to Joppa to bring back Simon who is called Peter.”  After the angel left, Cornelius sent for three of his men, told them about the vision and sent them to Joppa.

We want to examine what the people in this story said and did, what the consequences were and what we can learn.  Let’s begin with the man Cornelius. 

What kind of man was Cornelius, how is he described in this story?  (See verses 1, 2, 7, and 8)

·     A Roman Centurion (commander of 100 soldiers)

·     Devout and God-fearing

·     Behaviour- gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly

·     Listened to and was obedient to the instruction of the Angel (even though he did not have all the facts)

Go back over each point we have discovered and let’s see what else we can learn. 

         A)  A Roman Centurion- how did the Jews get along with the Romans? (They were being oppressed by them and usually hated them).  How do you think the Jews in Caesarea felt about Cornelius?

          B) Devout and God-fearing fearing (most likely a Gentile-non Jew, interested in Judaism but not necessarily a convert or proselyte- he would have observed the same God and Law of the Jews but was not circumcised)

          C) Gave generously to those in need and prayed regularly to God. What is implied here about Cornelius? 

           D) Listened to and was obedient to the Angel’s instruction. What does this tell us about Cornelius and his religious experience?

What phrase would you use to describe Cornelius in modern terms? Could you say he was a “seeker?”  Do you know of anyone like this in your circle of influence? Would you describe yourself as a modern day Cornelius?  Is it fair to say that Cornelius was a “seeker of God, knew about God but was not yet in relationship with God?”

In our story how does God respond to Cornelius and what can we learn about God’s character from our story?  See verses 3, 4, 5, and 6.  (God answers his prayer by giving him a vision in which he sees and talks to an Angel who tells him his prayers and giving has been noticed by God.  This shows us that God responds to those who earnestly seek Him and that God’s ears are open to our prayers and He sees our good works.  The Angel gives Cornelius specific instruction, which he listens to and obeys.  This tells us that God has a plan- He knew where Peter was and had Cornelius send his men to Peter- to accomplish His will and uses those who have faith.  God also builds on the faith of those who seek Him.)

Having read and talked about the story reflect on the following background points. How do they relate to the story? What do they tell us about God and what can we learn?

·     A time of relative peace and growth in the Church

·     Philip ending up in Caesarea

·     Peter’s ministry and miracles and him ending up in Joppa

God is always at work to accomplish His plans.  He is constantly putting the pieces of the puzzle of His will together.  Each of us fit into His plan somewhere and what is going on with us is often a small part of something much bigger.  How we respond to God matters, a lot. 

Conclusion:  What can we take home from this story? What have we learned about “seekers “of God? What have we learned about how God responds to those who seek Him?  What have we learned about God’s plan?

·     God answers those who earnestly seek Him

·     The prayers and good works of a person who is honestly seeking God are not in vain

·     God’s ears and eyes are open to see and respond to those who seek Him

·     If a seeker has a measure of faith God will build on it and help them to grow in their faith by bringing about circumstances to test the seeker to see if they will listen to Him and Obey instructions given

·     God is at work, has a plan and we can be part of it.  What is happening to us is often part of something much bigger.