World Ahead Weekly Update Announcement – 1/11/2020

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MTC Phoenix

From February 14–16, we will have our first Men’s Training Camp for the Southwest area. The location will be on the northern outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona. Pastors Stephen Elliot, Jonathan Bueno, and Jonathan McNair will lead the event, along with Regional Pastor Dr. Jeff Fall. To find out more and to register, click here. In order to access the registration form, you’ll need to enter the password which can be obtained from your local pastor from the weekly update.” If you have questions, contact James Populo at [email protected]. Register right away, as we’ll be finalizing details shortly.

LivingEd Charlotte Registration Underway

We are now accepting applications for the 2020-21 school year for Living Education-Charlotte. Our nine-month intensive study program for young adults will begin on August 12th, as we begin our third year of student training. Apply now!

Blowing Rock Holy Day Weekend

Registration for our Spring Holy Day Weekend in the Smoky Mountains will begin next week. Blowing Rock, North Carolina will once again be the site for a gathering of members to observe the beginning of the Spring Holy Days, Arrival will be on April 8th, as we’ll keep the Night to Be Much Observed together. Departure will be on Sunday, April 12th. For more details and registration information, stay tuned for another announcement next week.

Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 45 “Amos”

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Featured Passage: Amos 1 – 9

Amos was a sheep breeder when God sent him to prophesy to Israel. He was a prophet during the reigns of Uzziah king of Judah and Jeroboam II king of Israel (2 Kings 15). This Jeroboam is not to be confused with Jeroboam I, the first king of Israel who caused Israel to sin. Jeroboam II was an evil king who continued the false religion of his ancestors. Yet, God allowed Israel to prosper during this time. It is in this context that Amos was sent to prophesy against Israel and the surrounding nations.  

Discuss:

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  • Why does God warn people through prophecy? Remember that transgression of God’s law is sin (1 John 3:4 KJV) and sin causes suffering.
  • How were things going in the land while Amos prophesied of bad things to come? Do you think this changed how the people heard his message?
  • Did the people listen to Amos? 
  • Was Amos thought of as a traitor? What should we do if we experience ill feelings from others because of our faith?
  • What were Israel’s sins that Amos pointed out in chapter 2? Covetousness was a major source of their sins. Today, our society is filled with covetousness. How can we avoid being covetous? 
  • Did the people change? 
  • What nation took Israel captive not long after Amos’ warnings? 

Memory Challenge:

Amos 3:7 

Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 2: Lesson 45 “Joshua and the Spies”

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Featured Passage: Numbers 13-14

A man named Hosea,  who Moses called Joshua, was from the tribe of Ephraim. Joshua was already used by God in the wilderness as an assistant to Moses at Mount Sinai and as a leader of troops in a victorious battle against the Amalekites! Now the Israelites were coming close to the entrance to the land God promised them and it was time for Joshua to help out again – this time as a spy! Joshua and eleven other spies were sent into the land to see what the land was like and what kind of people lived there. When they returned, the group brought with them delicious fruit, exciting news of the land, and a disagreement that would impact the lives of every person in Israel.  

Discuss:

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  • The Amalekites attacked Israel near the beginning of their journey to the Promised Land (Exodus 17:8-16). What job did Moses give Joshua in Israel’s first battle?
  • How did Joshua assist Moses at Mount Sinai? (Exodus 24; 32)
  • Why was Joshua chosen as one of the spies? 
  • When the spies came back what did they say about the land and the people they saw? What did the spies recommend? What did Joshua and Caleb recommend? How difficult do you think it was for them to stand up against the crowd? 
  • What was Israel’s punishment for refusing to go into the promised land?

Memory Challenge: 

Numbers 14:8-9

“If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 45 “Samuel and Saul”

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Featured Passage: 1 Samuel 9-12

The people wanted a king, so God had a particular man in mind for the job. This young man’s name was Saul, and he was from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul was the tallest and most handsome man in all the land! God told Samuel that he wanted Saul to be king. Little did Saul know about what was in store for him! 

One day, Saul’s father told him to take a servant with him to look for his two missing donkeys. Saul and his servant searched and searched but they could not find them. They were about to give up when they remembered Samuel and decided that the man of God would be able to help them. He was, of course, able to help them, but not in the way that Saul expected. How could Saul know that the two missing donkeys were part of God’s plan to anoint a king over Israel? 

Discuss:

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  • Saul was tall and handsome. Do you think this was part of the reason God chose him to be the first king? 
  • When Samuel first told Saul about God’s plan to make him king, how did Saul react? How do we react when someone tells us something surprising? 
  • Why do you think Saul kept it a secret that he had been anointed by Samuel to be the king? 
  • When Samuel went to proclaim to the people who would be king, where was Saul? Why do you think he was hiding? 
  • Later, God said that Saul was “small in his own eyes” at this time. This is another way of saying that he was “humble”. What exactly does it mean to be “humble” or “small in your own eyes?”  

Memory Challenge: 

1 Samuel 10:24

 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”

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Weekly Update 1/3/2020

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Men’s Training Camp—Southwest USA From February 14–16, we will have our first Men’s Training Camp for the Southwest area. The location will be the Desert Outdoor Center at Lake Pleasant, on the northern outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona. This is a beautiful facility, situated in the Arizona desert and overlooking an inviting lake. The Men’s Training Camp is open to all men, age 16 or over. The purpose of the program is to gather together as men to learn to be better husbands, fathers, and Christians. We also build bonds of fellowship and worship God, looking to Him for help in becoming the strong Christian men we need to be in this confused world. To find out more and to register, go to https://www.lcgeducation.org/mens-training-camp-phoenix-arizona/, or just go to the Living Education page and follow the “Activities” link on the menu. Registration information is available on this page. In order to access the registration form, you’ll need to enter the password “MTCPhoenix.” If you have questions, you can contact me at [email protected], or James Populo at [email protected]. Register right away, as we’ll be finalizing details shortly.—

Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 44 “Jonah”

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Featured Passage: Jonah 1 – 4

After the death of Elisha, God raised up other prophets whom He used to speak His words to the people. One of those prophets was a man from a town called Gath Hepher whose name was Jonah (2 Kings 14:25). Jonah usually delivered messages from God to the people of Israel, but one day God told him to deliver a message to an entirely different group of people in a city called Nineveh. The people of Nineveh were not Israelites, but Assyrians and enemies of Israel, and Jonah wanted nothing to do with them. So, instead of following God’s directions to deliver a warning to the people of Nineveh, Jonah decided to run away from God. But God wasn’t finished with Jonah. He was forming a plan that would get the attention of both Jonah and the people of Nineveh. 

Discuss: 

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  • Why do you think Jonah tried to run away from God? Is it ever possible to hide from God?
  • Why do you think Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh to deliver God’s message? 
  • Jonah knew that he was the reason God sent the storm, so he told the men to throw him into the sea. How did God save Jonah’s life? 
  • What do you think it was like for Jonah to be in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights? 
  • What did the people of Nineveh do when they heard God’s message from Jonah? What lessons can we learn from their response? 
  • Do you think Jonah learned the lessons God was trying to teach? What can we learn from his story?
  • What can we learn about God’s love, His mercy, and His compassion from the story of Jonah? 

Memory Challenge: 

Jonah 2:7 

“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.”

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 2: Lesson 44 “The Golden Calf”

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Featured Passage: Exodus 24 & 32

Moses went to the top of the mountain where God gave him detailed instructions on God’s law and constructing the tabernacle. God also wrote the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone and gave them to him. While Moses was away for 40 days, the people began to wonder when he would return. Not knowing what had happened to Moses, the people took matters into their own hands. 

Discuss:

Richard Gunther (www.lambsongs.co.nz) | FreeBibleImages.org
  • The people had made a covenant with God saying they would do everything that God told them to do. Did they really keep their word?
  • What was Aaron’s role in creating the idol? Why did Aaron participate in the worship of an idol? Did God hold Aaron accountable for his actions (Exodus 32:21–25; Deuteronomy 9:20)?
  • What was Moses’ reaction to Israel’s sin? Was it wrong for Moses to be angry? What are the limitations God puts on human anger (Ephesians 4:26)?
  • There are always consequences for sin. What are some of the consequences for Israel’s worship of the golden calf?

Memory Challenge: 

Exodus 19:5–6

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

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