3 You and Aaron are to count according to their divi-sions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old ormore and able to serve in the army. 4 One man fromeach tribe, each of them the head of his family, is tohelp you. - P88
17 Moses and Aaron took these men whose names hadbeen specified, 18 and they called the whole communi-ty together on the first day of the second month. Thepeople registered their ancestry by their clans and fami-lies, and the men twenty years old or more were listed byname, one by one, 19 as the LORD commanded Moses.
And so he counted them in the Desert of Sinai: - P89
Although God initiates the plan, Heinvolves Moses, Aaron, and the leaders from each tribe in carrying out thetask God invites them to co-labor in His work - P90
The census has practicalpurposes such as preparing for future military responsibilities. This is a turn-ing point for Israel, marking them not only as an established communitybut also as a nation prepared for both worship and warfare. - P90
Believers todayare called to be a community of worship that is also engaged in spiritualwarfare, prepared to fight against the works of the enemy. However, we arenot expected to work alone. Just as God provided Moses and Aaron with team, He also encourages us to work together to accomplish His purposes. - P90
"There is a woman in my small group who keepscrossing my boundaries, and it makes me veryuncomfortable. Whenever I share my struggles,
she lectures me and forces solutions on me. Ispoke to my small group leader but he said she‘sjust trying to care for me. This is stressing me outso much that I don‘t want to attend small groupmeetings anymore. I feel I‘ve reached my limit.
What can I do?" - P182
Ephesians 5:21 NLT
[21] And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. - P182
Submitting means we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to help others ac-complish what God wants them to do. - P182
I am glad that you had your initial talk with him, but theHoly Spirit may want you to continue sharing your pain and frustration eventhough you were disappointed by his previous response. - P182
Pray beforeeach conversation, that the Holy Spirit would use your vulnerability to helpshape him. - P183
Trust that, eventually, the Holy Spirit will guide all of you into a growth thatwill allow you to experience reconciliation, either in this life or our life to come. - P183
What was it about our friends that stood out to us? It was howthey listened. - P186
Jesus Christ lived the life we could not live. He heard and responded to theneeds of His people. He listened and obeyed the word of His Father. He thendied the death we deserved in our place. Through faith in Christ‘s perfect life,
sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection for us, we are given ears to hearand understand. We can once again image and glorify the God who hears. Wecan once again listen to, love, and obey God. We can once again listen to andlove our neighbor. - P188
As redeemed saints, we are new creations. The Spirit lives within us, changingand transforming us, enabling us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This meanswe can do what Paul commanded: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or con-ceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves" ((Phil. 23,
ESV). "Bear one another‘s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2ESV). "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in show-ing honor" (Rom. 12:10, ESV). "Therefore encourage one another and buildone another up, just as you are doing" (1 Thess. 5:11, ESV). >to de deter tha.
Listening to one another is one of the ways we love and encourage our neighbor. - P188
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