Life Groups for this week

This weekend we began our series, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. Here is what we can cover in Life Group.

And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.

Judges 2:10

Stay Faithful

Please note that this introduction to our new series was preached across our sites on 26 July. So this email is to be covered in life groups first. The previous email sent covers the preach for 2 August. 

We are excited to begin our new preaching series, to hear what God is saying to us and to respond to Him in faithful obedience. Our new series is titled, ‘Choose this day whom you will serve’. We will be looking into the books of Joshua and Judges. 

Joshua shows how revival is entered. Judges shows how revival is lost. The key question Joshua asks of the nation is from Joshua 24:15, “Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Every generation must choose if they will follow after God and take ahold of His promises. We love to see revival but how does revival die? The book of Judges will help us see how. When Israel enters the promised land in Joshua, the generation that followed inherited victories they did not win. They failed to finish what God had called them to do. Instead of wholehearted obedience, they settled for partial obedience. What began as compromise eventually became spiritual drift.

This series isn’t asking, “What happened to Israel?” It’s asking, “What is happening in us?” Revival is entered through wholehearted devotion. But revival is lost through gradual drift. In Joshua we see faith-filled obedience. God promised the land but Israel still had to enter it. God’s promises never remove our responsibility. But then drift came with small compromises. Judges 2:10 says, “And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.”

Drift is rarely dramatic – it begins quietly. Prayer becomes inconsistent. The Word becomes optional. Gathering becomes occasional. Sin becomes tolerated. Conviction becomes weaker. Judges then ends with this one devastating sentence. “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Revival is never sustained where self remains on the throne. Instead, we need another to rule in our lives: Jesus. Jesus is the better Joshua. Joshua teaches us how revival begins. Judges warns us how revival is lost. Hebrews tells us how revival is sustained. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

So we will continually ask of ourselves this day, and the generations to come too: whom will you choose? Let our answer now and forever be Jesus. Let us journey with the next generation to know Jesus and follow whole-heartedly after Him. We will seek after Him through this series, check our hearts, and our prayer church, is let us choose Jesus, today and forevermore.

1. Can you identify any ways or areas where drifting away from Jesus is happening in your life?

2. What should our response be to not drift away from Jesus or to fight for the next generation to know Him?

3. Jesus wants to rule in your life. Having some self-inspection, would you be happy for Him to, or are your wrestling with Him at times to try and keep self-rule?