The covenantal unfaithfulness of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, has doomed them for God’s irrevocable judgement. They are hopeless for deliverance and this is sealed by God’s silence towards them. For this reason chapter 8 is one of the saddest prophecies in scripture. It is also one of the most frightening for there is going to be a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Among other lessons to be learned is that we dare not treat God with contempt by taking his grace for granted. We consider the text under the following headings: 1. An Ominous Silence (vv. 1-3) 2. Justified Silence (vv. 4-6) 3. The Sound of Silence (vv. 7-10) 4. Heaven’s Silence (vv. 11-14)

Every Christian is blessed by God to be a member of a local church. And with this privilege comes the responsibility to be a responsible member of the church. Being entrusted with the keys of the Kingdom of God each member is to fulfil various responsibilities with reference to the what, the who, and the how of the gospel. We consider the text under the following headings. 1. Jesus’ Confrontation (vv. 13–16) 2. Jesus’ Affirmation (vv. 17–18) 3. Jesus’ Assignment (v. 19)

The call to be “not quarrelsome” is a call to reflect the peace of Christ in every sphere of life. True peace is not born of temperament but of transformation—a heart ruled by the Prince of Peace rather than by pride or passion. The Spirit of Christ enables believers to listen with grace, speak with restraint, and engage conflict redemptively. In a world driven by argument and anger, the non-quarrelsome life stands as a living testimony that the gospel not only reconciles us to God but also makes us agents of reconciliation in his church and beyond.

The Bible teaches throughout that God’s unshakeable love is everlasting and extends to every tribe and tongue and nation. His love, displayed most clearly in the gospel, is the thing that should drive his people’s desire to praise him, as we see in Psalm 117. We consider this briefest of Psalms under two headings: 1. The God of All Nations (v. 1) 2. The God of Unshakeable Love (v. 2)

Christians often struggle to trust God when it comes to meeting daily needs. As we continue working through the character qualities of a maturing Christian, we come to the matter of not loving money—of learning the discipline of true contentment and trust in the God who provides our needs.

The crowds who followed Jesus were hungry, but they were seeking a handout that would only last a day. Jesus responded with perhaps his most challenging, shocking, and life-giving teaching: He is the Bread of Life. As we consider John 6:47–59, we will consider how this Bread from heaven is a gift which sustains and nourishes those who receive it by faith. We consider three things from this text: 1. The Bread of Life is a Gift From Heaven (vv. 48–51) 2. The Bread of Life Sustains and Nourishes (vv. 57–58) 3. The Bread of Life Must Be Received (vv. 44–47)

Learning about a mature Christian’s character, and that of an elder, is being able to think God’s thoughts about God’s words. Once we understand what these words and characteristics mean to the Lord, then we are in a better place to live them out.

Having faithfully proclaimed God’s revealed words (chapters 1–6) Amos now faithfully proclaims God’s revealed visions (chapters 7–9). God’s people are expected to take these seriously, for their lives, quite literally, depend on it. In this chapter, Amos makes clear that God’s word trumps man’s words. May the Lord help us to recognise and submit to all that God says.

The danger of spiritual complacency presents a clear and present danger which Christians all too often do not see clearly as a danger! So it was with the people of God to whom Amos ministered. Amos addressed their woeful complacency in chapter 6 by confronting it (vv. 1–7) and by condemning it (vv. 8–14). May God rescue us by empowering us to both repent and to resist the sin of complacency.

When Scripture says that an elder must not be a drunkard, it speaks to more than avoiding drunkenness. It calls us to have a mature and godly relationship with the good gifts God gives. This qualification reminds us that spiritual maturity involves self-control, gratitude, and wisdom in how we use God’s blessings. True Christian maturity is not found in abstaining from good things, nor in overindulging, but in enjoying God’s gifts rightly—with thankfulness, restraint, and dependence on him.

Matthew 5:43–48 record some of the most countercultural words in Scripture. Here, Jesus calls us to love like the Father—to love not only those easy to love, but to even love those we might otherwise consider enemies. The text contains three imperatives to help us love like our Father: 1. Reject the World’s Love (vv. 43–44) 2. Reflect the Father’s Love (vv. 45–47) 3. Reach for the Father’s Standard (v. 48)

To be hospitable is to be a soul winner. It is to draw or welcome a stranger so that you can invite them into the household of God. This is required of elders and is to be aspired to by all believers. Christians should work to overcome their hesitancy to reach out to strangers and and look beyond strange appearances to see and love strange souls.

Colossians 3:1–4 addresses how Christians can experience genuine spiritual transformation and victory over sin. Paul contrasts the bondage of legalistic false religion—characterised by empty rules—with true Christian freedom found in seeking and setting our minds on things above. Rather than focusing on earthly regulations or our own performance, lasting change comes from fixing our minds on Christ and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden in him.

The third commandment warns, “You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain” (Exodus 20:7). This prohibition applies to everyone, but especially to God’s people. Though often “at worship,” Israel was nevertheless guilty of taking God’s name in vain. She exercised plenty of “God talk” but it was empty talk. It was vain, empty, futile talk. And she would be judged for it. To her great surprise. We too can be equally guilty. Our passage addresses the problem of mere “God talk” under three broad headings: 1. God Talk Exclaimed (vv. 18–20) 2. God Talk Exposed (vv. 21–24) 3. God Talk Exiled (vv. 25–27)

What will move a church to guard its unity and to walk worthy of its calling? What will keep a Christian believing in Jesus in the face of distraction or suffering? What will cause us to worship with joy and thanksgiving? Only what Paul prays for in Ephesians 1:15–23.

God is the one who appoints the times and events that happen in our lives. He appoints both good and bad times, so that we will come to know and fear him as Lord. We consider two broad truths from these verses: 1. Life is Bittersweet (vv. 1–8) 2. Life is Beautiful (vv. 9–15)

What comes to mind when you think of a respectable person? Perhaps someone who is put together, successful, healthy and influential. Even the world has all sorts of standards of respectability, but they sometimes differ from the biblical image. Scripture teaches that being respectable means ordering our lives according to the truth and adoring that truth with our lives. We consider three aspects of what it means to be respectable. 1. Respectable: According to Scripture 2. Respectable: According to the World 3. Respectable: According to Christ

The book of Amos has a way of getting under our spiritual skin, revealing hypocrisy and mere formalism in our professed love for God. Amos is a powerful reminder that God knows whether our worship is faithful or a mere façade. In 5:1–17, Amos addresses this in terms of a funeral dirge. He declares to be dead that which professes to be alive and makes the earnest appeal to seek God and live.

In a world filled with shallow displays of virtue and slavery to sin, true freedom and righteousness is only possible in Christ. Scripture calls us to be self-controlled—not by sheer willpower, but by yielding ourselves to the rule of Christ, who perfectly obeyed the Father and now strengthens his people by his Spirit. Together, we’ll explore “Christian Self-Control: Christ in Command” through three headings: 1. The command to grow in self-control 2. The heart of Christian self-control 3. Practical strategies for self-control

In Amos, we hear God’s thunderous threatening—his roaring resolve of irrevocable judgement. God’s people, and the world, were being prepared to meet their God, to give account to him. And depending on their response to this message, they would either meet God in his wrath or in acceptable worship. The choice was theirs. The choice is ours as well. 1. A Stunning Indictment of the Women (vv. 1–3) 2. A Sarcastic Call to Worship (vv. 4–5) 3. A Stubborn Response to the Word (vv. 6–11) 4. A Sobering Warning of Wrath (vv. 12–13)