In Exodus 4 & 5 we see God's people respond with a burst of enthusiasm and praise for the Lord over the news of what He promises to do, but when it doesn't happen on their timing, the worship quickly turns to grumbling. If we're honest with ourselves, doesn't the Church seem to struggle with this still today? So what can we learn from this section of Scripture?

In Exodus 3:13 - 4:17 we see Moses' longer response to God's calling on his life. Despite reminders of who God is (and the incredible truths revealed in the name "I AM"), Moses' perspective is focused on what he perceives to be issues. God patiently addresses each one. So the question for us is straightforward: what excuses do I make to keep me back from pursuing holiness and obeying God? What does the Bible say about those excuses?

In Exodus 2:16 - 3:12 we see a powerful lesson on the essence of being called by God. First, do we properly understand the calling on our lives, or are we using that word incorrectly? And secondly, ultimately, our calling is not about our sufficiency or our ability, but about our willingness to follow the Lord.

As a bonus, we also see a quick beautiful reminder about a name of God: El Roi; for a reminder on that name, watch our sermon from 10/15/23 https://discovercommunity.org/media/playlist/knowing-god-by-name/el-roi-god-of-seeing-god-who-sees-me

In Exodus 1 we find a powerful lesson on two different responses to the question that frequently plagues us with worry: "what if?" Our response to this question as believers should come from a place of holiness, but what does that look like? What other lessons about God's sovereignty do we learn from this first chapter?

In order to more fully understand and appreciate the book of Exodus, we want to make sure we understand its background and context. So this week we look at how Exodus fits into the Pentateuch or Torah (and how those 5 books set the tone for the whole Bible), what's immediately preceded the start of the book, and then at how the book breaks down into sections, and what themes to look for throughout Exodus.

Many of us have sung the line "here I raise my Ebenezer" in that famous hymn. But do we know what that means, because ebenezer certainly isn't a word commonly used today. Is it actually a Biblical term or just some old English word? We dive into the Old Testament to learn more about this idea.

This week we have the privilege of hearing from one of our missions partners: Raising Hope.

At RAISING HOPE MINISTRIES we’re raising funds and supporting students from Haiti with the desire, motivation and skills to seek higher educational goals in order to live out their calling. We believe in taking action to assist these student that lack the financial resources necessary to succeed. Please join us by supporting our efforts to make a measurable difference in the lives of others by providing tuition and living assistance to qualified students.

Learn more about this great ministry and how you can come alongside them here: https://www.raisinghopeministries.com/

In our annual meeting, as we consider the year the church just went through with all its delights and sometimes tiring moments, we revisit the cultural goal that drives our leadership.

In the final lines of 2 Corinthians we come across two beautiful reminders for believers of what the Church is meant to be. So when we consider our own relationship to fellow believers and to whatever local body we belong to, does our approach line up with Scripture? Join us as we examine what God calls His church to be.

As we approach the end of Paul's letter to the Corinthians, we see some very practical insight into how Christians engage with one another as the Church. There's a good chance most of us who interact with or belong to the Church have at one point asked themselves: "how do I fit in here? How do I relate to these people?" Let's see what the Bible says.