September 26 - Finding God's Leader: Skillful Hands & A True Heart

Sunday Morning: Daybreak & Refresh

• Special pastoral prayer by an elder at each service that should come after the message
• Title: "Finding God's Leader: Skillful Hands & a True Heart"
  • Darkside of the Mountain: the heartbreaks of Samuel as God's transitional leader — rejection by the people, failure of Saul, confrontation of Saul, and the call to go anoint God's new king!
  • Hard to overestimate the key role Samuel played in this transition, yet the deep hurt and confusion and sense of failure that had to be there. Yet through his story, we get a window on what God longs for in a leader!
  • Tie into the story of Samuel and the selection of David in 1 Samuel 16 and Psalm 78:70-72

    Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart! (1 Samuel 16:7)
    
    Even his "deficits" were what the Lord was looking for: tening the sheep (1 Samuel 16:11)
    
    The Lord's Spirit was on him mightiy and didn't depart from him (1 Samuel 16:13)
    
    David's experience and spiritual yearning made him God's perfect choice — notice the careful language: with skillful hands and a true heart

  • Focus on the Spiritual and Practical character qualities of the 7
  • Men full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit
    • cf. 1 Timothy 3:8-13
    • cf. Galatians 3:22-23
  • Men who knew the need
    • Greek surnames
    • Proselyte
  • Not a popularity contest or a way to encourage someone to get involved!
    • Spiritual task
    • Specific need
    • Spiritual gift
    • Specific interest
  • cf. Ephesians 4:11-16

Sunday Evening: Sundown

• Title: "When You Believe in God, But You Aren't Sure He Really Loves You"
• From Craig Groeshel's book Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn't Exist.
• Speaker:  Danny Minton
• Prayer & Scripture: Richard Melton  John 3:16-17; Romans 5:6-11
• Communion Devotional: Darol Bell
• Song Leader: Steve Bryant
• Commitment: 1 John 4:10-12

Alternative A.M. Message Previously Planned - May be used at another time!

Serving Wholeheartedly Despite Delay(Caleb)

• Joshua 14:6-15; cf. Numbers 13:32
• Combines the dark story of the spies as Joshua and Caleb have to wait 40 years and the death of their friends to enter the Promised Land
• Includes the "served the LORD wholeheartedly" emphasis of Caleb
• Vigorous at the end as when originally ready to take the land cf. Isaiah 40:28-31 (Warning, this will be used as a primary passage in a later lesson!)
• Focus: The way we wait through the dark times is to keep serving God wholeheartedly, trusting that God will enable us to do what he has called us to do!