Day One God
1. Theologian
E.Y. Mullins said, “God is the supreme
personal Spirit; perfect in all His attributes; who is the source, support, and
end of the universe; who guides it according to the wise, righteous, and loving
purpose revealed in Jesus Christ; who indwells in all things by His Holy
Spirit, seeking ever to transform them according to His own will and bring them
to the goal of His kingdom.” Look
again at this definition and circle words that are particularly descriptive
and/or meaningful to you.
Now
go back to the definition one more time and draw a rectangle around any words,
phrases, or concepts, that you have disagreement with.
Now,
write words, phrases, or concepts that you feel this definition has omitted.
- Attempt to think of God as the unbelieving world
does, how would they write a definition of God?
How
do you think the majority of those who claim to be followers of Christ would
write this definition?
Why
do you think that God is differently by so many individuals and groups?
- In looking at your definition of God, compare
that with how you relate to and with God.
How does your life confirm or reject your definition of God?
What
is the reason for this and what do you need to do about it?
Day Two A
Name for God
1.
When we were
choosing names for our children prior to their births there were many factors
that were involved. While Andrea was
pregnant with our first child she was teaching a fourth grade class. During this school year Andrea had a very
challenging class with some even more challenging young men. It just so happened that these young men,
that provided Andrea with such great challenge each weekday, were named the very
names that I had chosen for our first child.
These names had a meaning to me but a totally different, and somewhat
negative, meaning to Andrea. Since these
names had a negative connotation they were eliminated from our names
possibility list and the name Caleb was given.
When we named our second child the name Grace we later found out that we
had offended a relative for (unknowingly) naming our child after the relative’s
sister instead of her. The name we chose
for our fourth child, Lily, was a delight to my grandmother since she had lost
a sister who had the same name as a child (I had not even known the name of
this sister until we accidentally named our daughter this name). Hannah and Isaiah both received their names
due to events in our own lives at the times of their births. Names
can carry a lot of meaning. God has a
lot of names in the Old Testament and the New Testament. In our English translations, these names are
often unnoticed because a generic term such as “God” is used. The original names, though, carried much
significance and description. But, if we
look closely we can sometimes even see the meaning and significance when we
look at the English translation. Look at
all or some of the following passages and tell what they describe about the
word “God” (note: you will find that one
of these does not actually apply to the one true God):
a. Genesis 1:1; 2:3-7; 14:19; 15:2; 16:13; 17:1; 18:12;
19:18; 21:33; 22:14
b. Exodus 6:1-8;
c. I Kings
d. II Kings 1:2
e. Joshua 7:10
f.
Judges 6:13, 15,
24
g. I Samuel 1:3
h. II Samuel 7:18
i.
Psalm 23:1; 35:23
j.
Isaiah 6:1;
26:4; 42:8; 45:21-22; 57:15
k. Jeremiah 23:6
l.
Ezekiel 3:14
m. Matthew 6:9
2.
How do these
names and concepts for God match up to how you define “God”?
What
names and concepts for God do you need to better understand and incorporate in
your own thinking about God?
3.
Look back at the
list from point one, meditate on these defining terms and names for God as you
spend a moment in prayer with Him
Day Three One
or Three?
1.
Early out of
seminary I was a youth minister at a church with a youth group that averaged
about 50-75 teenagers each week. The
unique thing about this group was that it included three sets of twins. Two of these sets were from the same
family. While all three sets looked very
similar, one set, who were female, were identical. For the first six months I was at this church
I had no idea which of these girls was which.
They delighted in this fact. They
would sit together and wait for me to call on them. When it was obvious that I could not identify
them by name they would wait in silence, with intimidating glares on their
faces, for me to call on one or the other specifically by name. They would not respond until I would say the
correct name that went with the correct girl.
As time went on, though, I became capable of identifying them, not
because of looks but other factors. I
began to see and to be able to identify different personality traits and other
characteristics that set each girl apart.
They were two girls that looked the same externally, but were different
and distinct on the inside. With God it
is just the opposite. We see that God is
actually three but one. He is the Father,
He is the Son, and He is the Holy Spirit.
Each of these aspects of who He is are different in appearance and
function but all the same inside. All
three are God.
2.
From early in
time man has created multiple Gods for himself.
In the beginning mankind was monotheistic, meaning man worshipped one
God, but that changed as time progressed.
In Deuteronomy 6:4 we see Moses having to address this as he states that
“God is One.” At that time the other
Gods were obvious as the people would even build idols to represent these
Gods. Today, our other Gods are far less
blatant. What do you think are some of
the other Gods that we worship in our day and age?
3.
Knowing that God
is one makes the fact that He is a triune God all the more difficult to
understand. If you want to place fear in the heart of a children’s or youth
ministry worker just ask them to explain the concept of the Triune God to their
students (it is no easier to an adult).
The word we use is “Trinity” meaning “three in one.” This word is not found in scripture but we
see the concept in the Old and New Testament.
Look at these passages from the Old and the New:
a. God – Genesis 1:1 and Matthew 6:9
b. Son – Genesis
c. Spirit – Genesis 1:2 and John 14:26
How
do you define and explain the three part nature of God?
How
does your relationship with God involve all three aspects of the Trinity?
Day Four The
Attributes
1.
Have you ever
attempted to describe yourself without using terms that explain your job or
function? Attempting to explain who you
are without saying “Teacher”, “Doctor”, “Self-Employed”, “Retired”, “Mother”,
“Sister”, “Son”, or other role descriptive words is a tough assignment. Who we are, is often difficult to separate
from what we do or the roles we currently fill.
The truth is, though, that what we do, and the roles we fill, will
change with time, but who we truly are will stay the same. Our attributes are consistent. We may do different things with our
attributes but they generally do not change.
I know a man, who because of an illness, had a complete blood
transfusion to the extent that he ended up with an entirely different blood
type. He is military, and the military
told him that he was their only case of a person having two identification
files/tags because of his blood type change. But, even though he is different
physically, he is still the same person, he still has the same attributes. Attributes are what make us what we are. They are what make us act the way we do and
respond in the manner in which we respond.
Our attributes define each of us.
The same is true of God. His
attributes are what define Him.
2.
Look at some, or
all, of the following scripture passages to come up with a list of the
attributes of God
a. Genesis 1:1 and Isaiah 57:15
b. Hebrews 13:8 and Malachi 3:6
c. Psalm 139:7-12
d. Romans 11:33-36; Luke 24:31-37 and John 20:19
e. II Peter 3:8 and Revelation 1:8
f.
Job 38-30 and
Romans 11:33-36
g. Genesis 17:1 and 18:14)
What
else do you think should be added to this list of the attributes of God?
3.
How do these
attributes shape and form your own image of God?
Day Five Fatherhood
1.
Many children
and adults spend their whole life attempting to overcome a negative father
image they had growing up. Male children
that grow up in homes with an abusive or distant father will often become the
same type of husband and/or father.
Female children who grow up in homes with abusive fathers will often put
themselves in abusive relationships when they become adults. Our fathers can be tough to overcome. On the flip side of this a positive and
supportive father can give a child the confidence and security needed to make
it in the world. A father is an
important factor in the life of a child.
This is even more evident as we see the major role that scripture places
God in – the role of Father. God is seen
as the perfect Father, loving and patient exampling boundaries and health in
our living and in our relationships. God
acts and serves as a Father throughout scripture.
2.
Look at all, or
some, of the following scriptures to see how God is depicted as a Father.
a. Psalm 68:5; 103:13
b. Jeremiah 31:9
c. Malachi 1:6
d. Matthew 11:25-26; 28:19
e. Luke
f.
John1:12;
g. II Thessalonians 2:16
3.
How does
scripture define our role in regard to the Fatherhood of God?
a. John 3:16
b. Matthew 5:16; 45
c. Matthew 5:48
d. Romans 16:25-27
e. John 3:3-8
f.
Romans 8:15-17
g. I Corinthians 2:9