The People of God: The Story of the ChurchНамуна
We start today by going back to Deuteronomy. In this passage, we see God setting a choice before his people. A choice of life and death, blessings or curses. They are implored to choose life, that the requirements of the Lord are not too difficult for them. The consequence of continued disobedience, though, will be exile.
Sadly, after generations of the nation turning away from their God-given vocation to be the people of God, the end of Chronicles culminates in exile. King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians comes and sacks Jerusalem, taking those left alive back to Babylon. The people of Israel now find themselves in the midst of a kingdom that lives by completely different standards to the ones given to them by God. Will they turn back to God and serve him again? Notice how the passage in Chronicles highlights that whilst the people are in exile, the land will enjoy its sabbaths. The people had not been following the Lord’s instructions regarding the sabbath cycles, this is given by the author as a reason for the exile.
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About this Plan
What is the story of the church? This plan is a month-long journey through the Bible, looking at how God uses people, situations, and symbols to bring about communion between God and humanity once again. It follows the story of Israel and then the early church, highlighting the church's hope for resurrection and new creation and our role as agents of that new creation.
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