30. Test of Faith

FLASHBACK

What did you experience with God this week?
In the last few days, did you have the opportunity to share an experience with God with someone close to you that doesn’t know Jesus yet? Or could you pray for them or help them practically?
Do you need God‘s help in an area of your life?

■ Pray together: Give thanks for your experiences, ask God for help where you need it.

■ Pray together to learn new things about God and that your relationship with God deepens and gets stronger.

BIBLE STUDY

Read the passage silently. What words or phrases stick out?
One person reads the passage out loud.
One person retells the passage in his/her own words (Bibles closed).
If necessary, the others complement what was said (Bibles closed).

1 Samuel 13:5-14

⁵ The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. ⁶ When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. ⁷ Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.⁸He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter.⁹So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering.¹⁰Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

¹¹“What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash,¹²I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

¹³“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lordyour God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.¹⁴But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

James 1:2-4

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Everyone by themselves:
- What words or phrases stick out now? Are there any differences to what you noticed before?
- Why do you feel drawn to those words or phrases?
- What can you learn about people?
- What could God be telling you?
Share in the group.

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS & ACTION STEPS

In what ways did Saul go wrong here? How did God test his faith?
Where were you tested in the past two months?
Where are you tested the most? How would God like you to react to it? (discuss in groups of three.)

■ Note down what you want to hold on to from what you have learned today and share it on the group.

■ Prayer in groups of 2-3: Tie your heart wholly to God. Submit your will and emotions to him. Ask God to fill you fully with his Holy Spirit.

■ Pray that everyone of you can hear the Holy Spirit‘s voice better in everyday situations.

SCRIPTURE COMMENTS

God puts our faith to the test to let us become more like Jesus Christ. These “tests” happen every once in a while. Tests, or temptations are always an opportunity for us to react in a way opposite to the provoked reaction and act the way God intended us to: faith instead of distrust or skepticism, obedience instead of disobedience, forgiveness instead of pride or bitterness, waiting for God instead of acting prematurely. Much like problems, tests are a way how God can shape our character and ripen the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

OTHER LANGUAGES