by
Diana Lantz
How does God speak to us today? _This, clearly, is the most important
question being asked in the contemporary church._So, take the time to read
all of the following biblical and confessional citations carefully. As you
read them, ask: _are my feelings and/or my political ideologies an adequate
indication of God’s will, or is there objective information communicated in
Scripture against which the truth of my personal insights and feelings must
be judged._
*(Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 2: 10; Acts 8:26-3 5, 10:9-20,
16:6-15; Hebrews 1:1-2; Luke 24:27; II Timothy 3: 15-16; Romans
15:4; Luke 16: 29-31; Hebrews 2: 1-3; Galatians 1: 8-9)*
*(Book of Confessions: 5.001-5.009; 6.001; 7.002-7.003;
7.113-7.115; 8.08-8.12; 9.03)*
· *Compare and contrast Jeremiah’s call with those of others in the
Old Testament.*
*(Exodus 4: 10-13; I Samuel 3:1-16; Isaiah 6:1-8; Hosea 1: 1-5;
Jonah 1: 1-3)*
· *Is a person’s initial refusal of God’s call a sign that it is
genuine?*
· *Note the picture of Nelson Mandela on page 10. Although we would
all agree that President Mandela has been a perceptive and
challenging political leader, is it correct to suggest that he, or
any other contemporary leader, is the equivalent of a biblical
prophet? How do we determine the difference between someone who
speaks on social and/or political issues and someone who speaks for
God? Is there a necessarily a difference?*
*(I John 4:1-3; 1 Corinthians 123; 11 John 7;Jererniah 14:14,
29:8-9; 1 Timothy 4:14; Jeremiah 23:25,31-32- Deuteronomy
13:1-3; Lamentations 2:14,3:37)*
· *Are there any prophets of God today in the Biblical sense?*
· *What is God judging in Jeremiah’s call?*
· *Compare and contrast God’s instructions in verse 10.*
*SUGGESTIONS FOR LEADERS*
· *Preparing the lesson:*
In addition to reading the narrative, the scripture passages and
the questions in the _Horizons _study, also study the scripture
passages in the narrative section of this supplement. Follow the
suggestions under ‘Preparing the Lesson’ in _Horizons._
· *Connecting with God and with One Another:*
Use the suggested prayer, and then ask participants to introduce
themselves and to state briefly what their Baptism means to
them. Read from the _Book of Order, _W2.3006.
· *Discovering the Scripture:*
*Use the suggested format.*
· *Exploring the Scripture:*
Compare the call of Jeremiah with those whom were called by
Christ. (Matthew 4:18-22, 9:9; Acts 9:1-6). Discuss these texts
in relation to _Book of Order, _G6.0101 -G6.0107.
*Do we each have a call?*
*How are you called to serve?*
· *Closing Time Together:*
*Use the suggested format.*
· *Reflecting at Home:*
*Use the suggested format*