Encounters with God

Encounters That Teach ObedienceExodus 17:1-7; Numbers 20:2-13

May 25, 2014 Prayer Requests

Ritchie Merryman & family -- Bereavement

Bob Calkins – Health Peggy & Danny -- Health Ruth Gawith -- Health Ginnie Jellison – Health Donnie & Esther Meeks – Health Keith McNew – Salvation James Alexander -- Salvation

SundayTeacher.comLesson Password: Experience

Illustrated Bible Life Password: Complex

Sandra Great Britain

David Mexico

Saurabh Bangladesh, Angola, Namibia

Ruth India, Israel, Australia, New Zealand

Keith & Ruth Switzerland

Sarah Swaziland

Wayne Africa

http://globalmission.nazarene.org/

Explosive Growth in HatiIn spite of hardships, the Church of the Nazarene is growing at an increasingly rapid pace in Haiti. The denomination has more than 650 churches in Haiti, and is the largest Protestant denomination in the country. In 2012, the JESUS Film ministry counted 11 missionary zone leaders doing evangelism outreach in parts of Haiti; this year there are 37 zone leaders. In 2013, there were 2,442 decisions for Christ in the course of the year; this year from January to March alone there were 834. In the entirety of 2013, 388 members joined the church through JESUS Film ministry. In just the first three months of this year, 400 more members joined. In 2013, 28 new churches were organized. In the first three months of this year, 22 more churches were organized.

Praying for the US & CanadaAlexanders: CA, OK, GA, QCVanderpool: NM (SE ABQ)Jellisons: UT, TX, AKShultzs: CA, DC, MA, BCMoores: AZ, NM, DC, CA, YT, QCAbby Nielson: MA, OH, VT, QCAliece Nielson: NM, VT, PEIL. Kilgore: VA, MIT. & P. Brown: IL, HW, PA, DCNielsons: OH, PEI, VT, MA, RIGriffins: VT, OH, (Northeast)C. Yazzie: NM, AZ, & Navajo NationAdams: NM, CA, MAB. Brown: GA, OR, ONB. Vito: NY,ID

http://usacanadaregion.org/usa-canada-region

National Nazarene Haitian Convention 2014

Every year Nazarenes and other sister denominations come together to praise God and to advance the work of his kingdom. You are invited to attend this annual meeting of the Haitian Strategy Committee and the Association of Pastors and Churches of the Nazarene in the USA and Canada. The meeting will be in the Boston area at the Second Church of the Nazarene located at 44 Moultrie St., Dorchester, MA 02124. The church office number is 617-825-279. Evening Services begin at 7PM. Special speakers for the National Nazarene Haitian Convention are Dr. Susan Carole, Thursday night, Dr. Dumerzier Charles, Friday night, Rev. Nahomie Samuel, Saturday night and Dr. Harry Rich, Sunday night.

Exodus 17(NIV)  17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 

Following God

What would the Israelites have remembered from their escape from Egypt?

What do you think they expected God to do in this circumstance?

What were they doing right? How should they have responded

to the situation?

Exodus 17 (NIV)2 So they quarreled with Moses and

said, “Give us water to drink.”Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel

with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?”

3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

Questioning God

If you were in the Israelites situation how would you have responded?

Was Moses’ response helpful? What would have been a good

response to the situation?

Exodus 17 (NIV)4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to

do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

5 The LORD answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

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Seeking God/God Responds

What was the nature of Moses’ prayer?

What was the people’s question? Was it legitimate? What was God’s response? Why do you think God led the

Israelites to this situation?

Numbers 20 (NIV) 2 Now there was no water for the

community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! 4 Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”

Crisis Complaints

How is the situation at Kadesh similar to the situation at Rephidim?

How is the situation different? What would you have done in

this circumstance?

Numbers 20(NIV)6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the

entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to Moses,8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” 9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

Numbers 20 (NIV)12 But the LORD said to Moses and

Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD and where he was proved holy among them.

Moses’ Disobedience What was good about Moses’

response to the peoples accusations?

Where did he go wrong? Why did God punish him? What lesson do you derive from this

account?

Encounters with GodJune – August 2014

An Unlikely EncounterActs 8:26-39