Community Groups Vision

If you have time and feel this would help the new people in your community group better understand what you are trying to accomplish as a group then take 2 minutes to show this video.

Today’s Discussion

This week we continue our series The Story of the Bible. Many of us may know some Bible stories, but we may not actually know the story of the Bible. Over the next couple of months, we will be walking through the overarching story of Scripture by looking at the 9 main acts of the story: Creation, Catastrophe, Calling, Covenant, Crown, Corruption, Captivity, Christ, Cross, Church, and Consummation. Our goal is to come away with a better understanding what the Bible, and history, are really all about, and the impact that has on our lives as a people.

Discussion Questions

What are your first thoughts when you hear the word “conquest”?

Joshua 6:15-21

On the seventh day, they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city, in the same manner, seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord .” So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword. 

Steve Fazekas, Answers In Genesis

“Recent textual discoveries in Ugarit (Canaan) confirm the Scripture record of centuries filled with idolatry, sodomy, bestiality, sorcery, and child sacrifice. Consequently, each generation had polluted the next with idolatry, perversion, and blood. We must not read Deuteronomy 18:9–12 with an emotionless indifference in the way that some would read yesterday’s news. Parents offered up their children to the god Molech by fire. Child sacrifice is more than an unfortunate, ancient tribal custom. It is a hideous twisted ritual conducted by men who have reprobated themselves into beasts.”

Why do you think people have such a hard time with the idea of God bringing judgment on a nation, people group, or individuals?

How was God’s using Israel to conquer Jericho different than other nations seeking to conquer neighboring peoples?

What’s an example you see today where idolatry leads to injustice in our world?

How do you think God wants to deal with those injustices today?

Anne Lamott

“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”

How does the idolatry in our own hearts bring injustice into the world? 

In what ways does God seek to conquer your own heart?

How can a heart that’s been conquered by, and fully belongs to Jesus, bring healing (Mishpat) into a broken world?

Closing Thought

How is God calling us, the men and women, the old and young, the multi-ethnic people of Mosaic, to display God’s Mishpat (loving justice) to the city of Austin?