Talk through questions and challenges of integrating the program into life back home.
Look at passage which deals with God’s people preparing to enter into a new life with a brand new set of priorities. (Deut. 6)
Give us a chance to further ruminate about how God is calling us to live from here on out. Fill out evaluation and commitment sheets.
Share and pray together.
Integrating the Program to Life Back Home
Questions for Urban Program Students
What questions do you expect to face from others as you return home?
What do you anticipate being the most difficult things to talk with others about regarding the program? What are some ways you could overcome those difficulties?
What has been the most prominent thing about your involvement on the program?
Who are some of the people the Lord may be calling you to influence with what you’ve learned on the program?
What areas (vocationally, relationally, educationally, church involvement, etc.) has the Lord most poignantly spoken to you during the program?
What are one or two large hurdles you anticipate needing to overcome in being involved in racial and poverty issues? How is God continuing to shape you regarding those issues?
If you had to give one piece of advice for students preparing to go back home following six weeks in Detroit, what would it be?
Questions from students? Close with question about who will pray for them.
Deuteronomy 6
Setting:
On the heals of God’s gift of the 10 commandments
Fear of God’s holiness and weight of His commandments by God’s people-needed assurance and a mediator between them and God.
Passage:
Main Point:
God’s reassurance for Israel comes with strong conditions:
Fear the Lord through your belief or doctrine and your practice
Pass it along to the next generation so there is permanence about your life in God
God will bless abundantly those who follow Him through being their God…it is their ultimate reward
Fear and enjoy (vs. 2-3)-we don’t usually attach those together, but God does. If you wish to enjoy this God, you will have to fear him and this will come through obedience to His command. “Trust and obey…because there’s no other way to follow Jesus”
Combination of sound doctrine (biblical truth) and practice (biblical living).
vs. 4-Yahweh is one God, not many like are worshiped in their land
How will you continue to learn and grow in understanding the God’s mind regarding the poor, reconciliation, justice, etc.? Centrally through the Bible
DQT’s, SG studies, asking for sermon series on prophets, chapter LG talks, etc.
Hand out Max’s list
vs. 5-6-Truth about God leads us to immersing our lives in seeking God
Through impressing on others what you learned this summer:
Who are the people God has given you to influence and impact after the program?
(family, friends, chapter members, people on your leadership team, people you lead, staff and pastors, etc.)
How can you influence them?
Seek God in these things whole heartedly-people notice
Converse-Ask good questions
Engage other leaders-present and future
Confront-use cautiously and slowly, but do so if necessary
Avoid forgetting:
Remembrance symbols:
Pictures-Reconciler photo
Notes from summer
Central remembrance comes through sacraments-use as opportunity to recall God’s call to justice
Keep the issues in front of you:
Read a good book on city ministry, reconciliation, etc.
Locate someone who you can pray with ongoing about issues God impressed on you.
Start a regular small group discussion on campus surrounding issues you tackled this summer
Continue to study the Scriptures, seeking to understand God's view
Pray for the ministry you worked with. Write to them.
Continue to invest time in the poor and needy on campus
Take a second summer and work in the city-Kingdom Works (1 year) and LA Program (2-3 years)
Move into an poorer area of your campus
Move into a city following graduation
Relate with an African-American student or group on campus
Subscribe to a magazine that deals with urban issues
Fearing God means obeying Him
Avoiding
vs. 14 False gods of surrounding culture
testing God as at Massah-Exodus
Quarreled with Moses and each other
Questioned whether God was among them
Prominence in Scripture-Hebrews 3-4 (similar warnings) & Psalm 95 (warning to reverence God)
Doing
What is right and good
Lay hold of the promises in obeying God
Obedience leads to life (Amos, Isaiah and Jesus’ statements)
Close by giving students time to share obedience steps God is leading them to take in:
