Micro-Church - Week 39 - The Potters House
Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to our HCC Kid's "Belt of truth lesson"! We're really glad that the whole team helps pour life into this next generation!
Also as a note - be ready - We're about to shake Micro-Church up for a few weeks. We're excited about adding additional Micro-Churches as well as mixing our MC's up a little. Be ready to see from new faces and build even greater community in the weeks to come at Mirco-Church. Stay tuned for more info. (MC leaders can fill you in as to the changes coming down the line!)
This week, we discussed a conversation that Jesus had with Peter after the his resurrection. You can only imagine the anxiety Peter might have been facing as he sat down with the Savior of the world having after failing in the moments that mattered most. I love that Jesus's affirmation of Peter's calling came in the same three-count that Peter's denial came - Jesus definitely has enough grace to cover our shortcomings!
To continue on with our Old Testament discussion that parallels these short conversations, today we will look at a Word from the Lord to the nation of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. We see, that just like Peter's outcome, that the end of their story had much more to do with their relationship to God than it did their ability to perform any good thing. Just like pottery in the hands of the potter, their outcome was dependent on him.
Jeremiah 18:1–11 (ESV)
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’
As we look into this passage, let's understand what God was saying in the context of the nation of Israel:
In your own words, explain the lesson that God was trying to convey to Israel in this passage:
What are some lessons that you notice about God as he relates himself to the potter from this passage ?
(Not just applicable to Old Testament, but are a part of God's eternal character)
Do you think that the idea that we are simply clay in the potter's hand still holds true in the New Testament days that we live in?
Do we have a choice in what kind of "vessel" we become? Do we have any responsibility to "BE" or "Do" anything as God makes us into what he wants us? Why or why not?
We must live in submission to the process of the potter. Sometimes that is quite a process.
Can you share moments when you know God was shaping you to become more like the vessel that he designed you to be?
In this moment - Even right now! - By being part of a micro-church, God is both shaping you and using you to help shape the lives of those around you! Here's a new testament passage concerning the "vessels" that God is building:
2 Timothy 2:20–21 (ESV)
20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
It is God's will that you become a vessel of honor! There are great things ahead for you - abide in the master's hand in submission to his process!
In closing: We are all in the process of being molded in the hands of the potter -
What do you sense that the Lord is doing in your life currently? How does that fit into the context of your micro-church and Hub City Church as a whole?
Take a few moment to encourage one another as you see the hand of the Lord at work in the lives of the people in your Micro-Church.
