“Proclaim & publish” from the lesson series, Return from Babylon | scattered & gathered, June 2020
our Scripture
And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.
14 And they found it written in the Law that the Lord had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule (ESV).
Nehemiah 8:9-18 NASB, Nehemiah 8:9-18 NIV, Nehemiah 8:9-18 Message, Nehemiah 8:9-18 NLT
our lesson
Do you have goals for your life? Success coach Brian Tracy says, “The ability to set goals and make plans for their accomplishment is the ‘master skill’ of success.”
[su_pullquote align=”right”]Points to Ponder
1) Success mentor and coach, Brian Tracy, writes, “Goals enable you to do the work you want to do, to live where you want to live, to be with the people you enjoy and to become the kind of person you want to become.” Do you agree with his thoughts?
2) Has living in exile during the pandemic caused you to alter some of your goals? How so?[/su_pullquote]
What do goals look like? Are they professional or personal? Do you keep them?
Stephen Covey, American author, educator and businessman proposed that the goals needed to be more than just words on paper. He insisted they become habits – habits the effective people all practice. His seven habits of highly effective people has become known world-wide.
Setting goals in the Christian faith walks the perilous tight-rope between grace and works. We don’t want to fall off either side of the precarious position. The one side clamors for us to become pharisaical, keeping track of works in a way that hopes God will be pleased, and hopes that we can make our salvation sure. The other side laughs and says what we do doesn’t matter, for God will allow everyone in heaven anyway.
[su_pullquote align=”left”]Verse to Memorize
So they published this decree and had it posted in all their cities and in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 8:15a MSG).[/su_pullquote]
a purpose driven life
Rick Warren’s landmark work points us to God’s purposes for our life. Using over 1200 Scripture references, Warren boils down five purposes that explain, “What on earth am I doing here?”
You are:
[su_pullquote align=”right”]Words to Wrangle
The words that are striking in today’s passage are the words “proclaim” and “publish.” The words are often associated with verbal and written communication.
How do you proclaim and publish the validity of your faith to people in your closest circles? Does this relate to 1 Peter 3:15?[/su_pullquote]
[su_pullquote align=”left”]One cannot proclaim the Gospel of Jesus without the tangible witness of one’s life. Pope Francis[/su_pullquote]
- Planned for God’s pleasure (worship)
- Formed for God’s family (church)
- Created to be like Christ (discipleship)
- Shaped for serving God (ministry)
- Made for a mission (mission)
Some Christians take a particular trait and work on it the entire year. Others try to eliminate gaps (“This year I will be more patient.”) May I suggest forming your goals around three concepts – let’s call them “habits.” These are the general areas I want to focus on. Changing at a regular interval (three months, six months, or a year), these could be the habits of the person of faith.
| Return from Babylon | | Proclaim & Publish | lesson five | sub-lessons | ||
| Want to take your study to a deeper level? The images to the right represent ten “sub-lessons,” each supporting the theme in today’s lesson. |  |
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| Click on an image and you will be taken to another page of content. Pick as many as you like. If you have a small group that meets two weeks apart, there is a study for each week day. |  |
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