Weekly Wednesdays: CALLED Men’s Group | Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Meeting# 1 | This Week’s Leader: David Goodno
Introduction: Welcome everyone, this is the first meeting of the winter 2025 semester of the Men’s “Called” Growth Group. We will be meeting weekly every Wednesday, 01/22/2025 through 03/26/2025; 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
There is no formal Men’s Group “membership” or special requirements to attend; you can be a new-believer, or someone who has been walking in their faith for a lifetime, everyone is welcome to join, and you do not have to have been at a previous meeting (or prior semester) to attend this week or at any meeting in the future.Friendly reminder that we all come from various backgrounds and points of view and are at different points in our individual faith journey. The goal for tonight is to have a friendly discussion and if there are differing points of view, we should not feel attacked or be hostile to one another. We came together tonight as friends and brothers in Christ; we should also leave the same (friends and brothers in Christ); sometimes there is no right or wrong answer, often there is only interpretation of scripture from various points of view– Ultimately JESUS IS THE ANSWER.
This semester, over the next ten weeks, the Called Men’s Group is conducting a Bible study of the Book of Haggai, and Zechariah.
In the sixth century, the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great captured Babylon in 539 B.C. and he permitted the return of Jews to Jerusalem so that they could rebuild the temple. Scholars believe the events within the book of Haggai take place during the reign of Darius I (522-486 B.C.) the specific mention of the “second year of Darius” places the book firmly in the year 520 B.C. and Darius’ support was vital for the completion of the temple.
Within two years of the return from captivity in Babylon, God’s people cleared the temple mount and completed the foundation of the second temple in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:2-4; 3:8-10; 4:1-5; 6:3-5). But when the neighboring Samaritans and others who had moved into the land in their absence saw how rapidly the returning exiles were reestablishing their society and the temple, they mounted an aggressive campaign to stop the construction - and it worked. Progress on the temple stopped, the temple remained in ruins. Instead of building a house for the Lord, the Israelites focused on building houses for themselves. Instead of seeking the Lord, they sought to please themselves and none of their efforts succeeded.
The prophet Haggai provided messages to motivate the leaders and the people of God to consider their current economic and spiritual circumstances and to renew their efforts to complete the work of temple restoration. Haggai spoke the right words at the right time, and they responded.
A key theme of this book is priorities. The people who returned from exile prioritized their own comfort over rebuilding the temple and restoring proper worship. Haggai assured that God still intended to fill His temple with glory. The greatest threat to our walk with Christ is the distractions we create when we place our material needs over out spiritual needs (See Matthew 6:33 – Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.). Agree/Disagree?
This Week’s Prayer: Father God, we thank you for allowing us to come together and study your word tonight. We recognize you as the Lord of our lives, forgive us for any misplaced priorities or any times we have failed to honor you, or failed to honor you well. Thank you for promising us the gift of your presence and the Holy Spirt. Lord help us to trust you and to remain encouraged; knowing you are with us. Help us commit to reading Your word and lean into you for understanding. Amen
Scripture, Read: Haggai Chapter 1:1 – 2:23 (38 Verses)
Observation, Application & Questions: (Identify/Discuss Among the Group)
We live in a noisy world. We are constantly surrounded by voices trying to convince us to buy this, wear that, eat this, watch that, and believe in whatever is popular in the moment. One of the few things that can cut though all the noise and confusion is the voice of reason. Everyone is looking for something that has meaning something that is not just about surface appearances or disposable stuff. People want to know that they have a purpose in this world. More specifically, they want to know what this purpose is.
The prophet Haggai was a reason for the Jewish people who had returned to their homeland to rebuild Jerusalem. Haggai told the people to start with the temple of God so that they could reconnect with the Lord in worship as soon as possible. He gave the people a sense of purpose and they began rebuilding the temple with fresh enthusiasm. We too can be a voice of reason for the people in our lives. What are some things we can do as believers to encourage others to deepen their faith?
Discuss among the group.
Are there any key verses that stand out to you? Discuss among the group.
Key verses for discussion:
(In Haggai 1, verse 6) - the frustrations Israel experienced are described. What happened were because of its sin; the people did not put God first in their lives, their work was not fruitful or productive; their material possessions did not satisfy them. Their priorities had become out of order, and like Judah, our priorities involving our jobs, homes, vacations, and other activities may rank higher on our list of importance than God.
What is most important to you? Do we place God first in our lives? Identify some things that compete with our relationship with God? (Work, TV, Video Games etc.) Discuss among the group.
What are some things we can do to help ensure that God stays first in our lives?
(In Haggai 1, verse 13) - Haggai gives the people the message that the Lord is with them, this word gives encouragement.
Has anyone given you words of encouragement in a time of need? If you are willing, share with the group.
Notice that the Lord’s presence is not the result of Israel’s obedience in building the temple. The Lord being with them was the encouragement and motivation for their obedience to start working on the temple again. How does this dynamic reflect the motivation for our obedience to the Lord today?
(In Haggai 2, verse 10-13) - Haggai asks the priests about contaminating properties of clean and unclean objects.
Is there anything that stands out to you?
The point of this message is that holiness will not rub off on others, but contamination will. As the people began to obey God, God promised to encourage and prosper them, but they needed to understand that activities in the Temple would not clean up their sin, only repentance and obedience would – Agree/Disagree?
(In Haggai 2, verse 20-23) - Haggai uses language that grabs attention. “I will overturn their chariots and riders” are words to remind Israel of their deliverance from the Egyptian army (Exodus 15:1-21). The threat of God’s judgement makes it unclear if these events are in the distant future or something in the immediate with the Persian empire. The signet ring is a symbol of kingship. An engraved stone set in a ring was used to seal or endorse official documents. The imagery here emphasizes divine authority invested in Zerubbabel.
Haggai’s final message is the most important; it reestablishes the prominence of the line of King David which was key to restoring the Hebrew people after the Babylonian exile and that God will carry out His promises to bless and restore Israel. Agree / Disagree?
Other key takeaways to explore:
The Lord should always take first priority in our lives. We cannot expect to hear or decern God’s voice if we are not obedient to Him. Agree / Disagree?
There is continuity in the way the Lord works with His people throughout history. We can be confident of His abiding presence because He has always been present with His people. He has not forgotten us “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Agree / Disagree?
Another Principle from Haggai is that we know history is working toward the goal of the messianic kingdom. Christians await the second coming of Christ to usher us into His kingdom. Agree/Disagree?
Other questions to explore:
What was the context? What was going on at the time this was written?
What and where is this happening?
What makes what was happening meaningful?
Is there anything special about the location (or locations)?
Who is involved?
How do they respond to God?
What character traits do you notice about them?
What is the significance of their involvement?
What do you think is the key message?
Did anything surprise you? What was it?
Were there any repetitive words or themes that stood out to you? What were they?
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Is there anything that stood out to you? Share with the group and discuss.
Is there anything that left you with more questions? What were they? Share with group, discuss, and research.
Biggest takeaway?
Prepare for next week’s meeting. Read: Zechariah 1:1-21
Is there anything that stands out when reading these verses? Be ready to discuss it at the next meeting.
REMINDER: This Winter 2025 Semester Men’s group will be meeting every Wednesday, 01/22/2025 through 03/26/2025; 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Please monitor https://fv.church/events for more information.
References/Acknowledgements:
Elements of today’s Bible study were referenced from:
1. NLT Courage for Life Men’s Bible, New Living Translation (NLT); copyright 2023 Tyndale House Ministries Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation https://www.tyndale.com/sites/courageforlifebible/
2. ESV Study Bible, copyright 2008. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV); copyright 2001 by Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois.
3. NIV Study Bible, Revolution, copyright 2011. The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV); copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan. https://www.zondervan.com/p/niv-bibles-for-teens-true-images-revolution/
4. NLT Parallel Study Bible, New Living Translation (NLT); copyright 2011 Tyndale House Ministries Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation
5. HCSB/CSB The Apologetics Study Bible, copyright 2007. The Holy Bible, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB/CSB); copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holmon Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.
6. NKJV The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (NKJV); copyright 2013 David Jeremiah, Inc. Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. https://www.thomasnelson.com/bibles
7. Knowing the Bible, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, by Steven M. Coleman, J. L. Packer, Dane C. Ortlund; copyright 2018 by Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois.
Schedule: Month, Meeting Number, Date, Book/Chapters/Verse/ (Total Verses)
January 2025:
_x_ 001, 01/22 Haggai 1:1 – 2:23. (38 Verses)
__ 002, 01/29 Zechariah 1:1-21. (21 Verses)
February 2025:
__ 003, 02/05 Zechariah 2:1 – 3:10. (23 Verses)
__ 004, 02/12 Zechariah 4:1 – 5:11. (25 Verses)
__ 005, 02/19 Zechariah 6:1 – 7:14. (29 Verses)
__ 006, 02/26 Zechariah 8:1-23. (23 Verses)
March 2025:
__ 007, 03/05 Zechariah 9:1-17. (17 Verses)
__ 008, 03/12 Zechariah 10:1 – 11:17. (29 Verses)
__ 009, 03/19 Zechariah 12:1 – 13:9. (23 Verses)
__ 010, 03/26 Zechariah 14:1-21. (21 Verses) *
*Please monitor FV.church/events for more information about the next semester.