Dear CARE Group leader,
Thanks for keeping Dawn informed about
your attendances each week (tlcc@cccb.edu. Please let me know if you have
any difficulties. I will do my best to help you find solutions.
Remember that I am available to make
calls with you, especially on most Monday afternoon/evenings, Wednesday
mornings, or Friday afternoons if you see a need for us to visit any of those
in your CARE group.
Did you know you can keep up with church events by going to the following websites?
http://www.timberlakechristian.org/youth_ministry.htm
http://www.timberlakechristian.org/calendar.htm
Book of the Month CARE sheets with the information below and designed
to support a CARE group format will be printed and available in the foyer
should your group decide to use them.
Thanks for leading with “C.A.R.E.”
Doug
Connecting And Reflecting Experience
ICE-BREAKER
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Today’s Reflection Questions
Series: “Not What I Imagined”
Title: “Surviving the Fire of Civil
Disobedience”
Text: Daniel 3
QUESTIONS:
CONNECTING
TO THE TEXT
1.
Where do you
think Nebuchadnezzar got the idea of a big gold image? Dan. 3:1 & 2:31-38
2.
How big was the
celebration? Dan 3:4
3.
How did
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego phrase their defense? Dan. 3:16-18
4.
Did the king
pledge allegiance to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
5.
What other
people do we find in Scripture that suffered from defying the civil
authorities? Acts 4:8-12, 19;
6.
What principles
can we learn from their circumstances and outcomes?
7.
What principles
do other passages of Scripture teach concerning civil disobedience? Mark 13:11;
Luke 21:14-15; 1 Peter 4:12-19; Rom
13:1-7
REFLECTING
UPON OUR LIVES
8.
How much of your current perspectives on civil disobedience
is formed by our American culture of “freedom and independence” versus our
knowledge of Scripture?
9.
Describe a time
you submitted to an authority that was imposing on you something that was
unfair? (read again 1 Pet. 4:12-19)
10.
Good books to
read might include: Jesus Freaks by dc Talk and the Voice of the Martyrs ISBN
157778072-8 & On This Day by Robert J. Morgan (365 amazing stories of
Saints, Martyrs & Heroes)
CONNECTING
WITH OUR CHURCH
11.
If were an elder in our church how would you
respond to the following situations?
a.
An IRS ruling that we will loose our tax exempt status if we continue to
mention hell in our teaching…
b.
A federal law mandating that we perform same sex marriage ceremonies if we
perform any ceremonies…
c.
A state law that we must have equal teaching time presenting evolution and
creation, abstinence and abortion as options to prevent teenage pregnancy
Next Sunday’s Lesson (11/ 23)
Series: “Not What I Imagined”
Title: “Defeat: My Greatest Success! Daniel”
Text: Daniel
6
QUESTIONS:
1.
To what level
had Daniel distinguished himself to King Darius?
2.
What did the
leaders that were jealous of Daniel determine to be his greatest weakness
through which t
3.
What was a
weakness of King Darius that allowed this scheme to work?
4.
How can a king
establish a law that he can not break?
5.
4
Daniel = “God is my judge” – Belteshazzar = “Who
lays up treasure in secret”
Hananiah – Shadrach = “Command
of Aku" (Aku was the Babylonian
moon god.)
Mishael – Meshach = “Guest of a king”
Azariah – Abednego = “Servant of Nego” (Nego was
a Babylonian god.)
Dan
26
The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), "Are you able to tell me
what I saw in my dream and interpret it?"
27
Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain
to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who
reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to
come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on
your bed are these:
29
"As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come, and
the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 30 As for me,
this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than
other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that
you may understand what went through your mind.
31
"You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue — an
enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly
and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs
of iron, its feet partly of iron and
partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not
by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed
them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were
broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in
the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that
struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
36
"This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 You, O
king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power
and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of
the field and the birds of the air. Wherever t
39
"After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third
kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will
be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron — for iron breaks and smashes everything —
and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others.
41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly
of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the
strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes
were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and
partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the
people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes
with clay.
44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up
a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people.
It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself
endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a
mountain, but not by human hands — a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the
clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
"The
great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is
true and the interpretation is trustworthy."
46
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and
ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to
Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a
revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery."
48
Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him.
He made him ruler over the entire
Daniel
3
3:1
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet
wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the
4
Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "This is what you are commanded to do,
O peoples, nations and men of every language: 5 As soon as you hear the sound
of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must
fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6
Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a
blazing furnace."
7
Therefore, as soon as t
8
At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 T
13
Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them,
"Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods
or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of
the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are
ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not
worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what
god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"
16
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this
matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able
to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even
if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods
or worship the image of gold you have set up."
19
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his
attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times
hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army
to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing
furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other
clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command
was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the
soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men,
firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his
advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the
fire?"
T
25
He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and
unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
26
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted,
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!
Come here!"
So
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps,
prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. T
28
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be
to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and
rescued his servants! T
30
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the
Mark
Luke 21:14-15 - But make up your mind not
to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you
words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or
contradict. NIV
Acts 4:8-12 - Then Peter, filled with
the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we
are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and
are asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of
Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom
God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 He is
"'the stone you builders rejected,
which
has become the capstone.' 12 Salvation
is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men
by which we must be saved." NIV
Acts
Acts
Acts
Acts 24:10-13 - When the governor
motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of
years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11
You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to
Jer 26:12-15 - Then Jeremiah said to
all the officials and all the people: "The LORD sent me to prophesy
against this house and this city all the things you have heard. 13 Now reform
your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God. Then the LORD will
relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14 As for me,
I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15 Be
assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of
innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for
in truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your
hearing."
NIV
1 Peter
Rom 13:1-7 - Everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.
The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, he who
rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and
those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror
for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from
fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4
For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he
does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to
bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to
the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of
conscience. 6 This is also why you pay
taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to
governing. 7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if
revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. NIV
1 Peter 2:11-16 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and
strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your
soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though t
Titus 3:1-2 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and
authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander
no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all
men. NIV
John 19:8-11 When Pilate heard this,
he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. "Where do
you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 "Do
you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have
power either to free you or to crucify you?" 11 Jesus answered, "You
would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore
the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." NIV
Acts 23:1-5 Paul looked straight at
the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in
all good conscience to this day." 2 At this the high priest Ananias
ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said
to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge
me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I
be struck!" 4 Those who were
standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high priest ?" 5
Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest ;
for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'"
NIV