Bible Study

- Week 1 -
Run Hard or Run Home

Big Idea:
Everyone can do ministry for God by learning a few principles from the life of Moses.

The Lesson:
We have just completed a 31-day adventure that has challenged us to go deeper into an understanding and drive for ministry. Now we are at a crossroads. Do I go on or do I stop? It is a little like running a cross-country meet. It would be easy to give it up. It is a long way, a lot of work, can be frustrating. Or we can fight through the pains; try to catch a second wind. It comes down to you can Run Hard or you can Run Home!

That is the challenge that Moses had to face. I can either deal with thing or go run away. As a matter of fact he already ran away once before (Exodus 2:15). This was it face God and Run Hard for Him or turn and Run Home away from God. When called to Moses through the burning bush, He had a decision to make. We do too. God is calling us to serve Him and serve those around us. Let’s see what Moses learned so we might learn it too.

God has a plan to do something and we are a part of it (Exodus 3:1-10)
Moses was a little spooked by what he saw
A bush that was on fire but not burning up was a little weird
Then a voice came from the bush
Moses was so afraid that he hid his face
This would have messed me up
I would have been so scared
Moses had a choice to make
Turn and run away an never tell anyone what you saw and heard
Answer the call to do something big
This same call God gave Moses is being given to us
We are in a world that is looking for something to change
Change is expected
God is calling His people to action
For too long we have been running home or to the church
Today we need to be running hard toward those who need Jesus

God always gives a “Big Dog” Challenge not a “wimpy” one (Exodus 3:13-15)
Moses got scared
There was no jumping for joy at being called by God
Moses just got scared
Moses wanted to wimp out on God
Moses was looking for an out
Moses was afraid of the Big Dog Challenge
We can do the same thing
God calls us to take the Big Dog Challenge
But we simply wimp out
We need to take the big dog challenge

God is bigger than any excuse we can dream up! (Exodus 4:1-17)
Moses began to make excuses
“Who am I” (v 11)
“I don’t know what to do” (v 13)
“What if they don’t believe me?” (v 4:1)
“I don’t have what it takes” (v 4:10)
“Please send someone else” (v 4:13)
Moses doubted his abilities
Sound familiar
Many of us scream the same excuses
God wanted Moses to focus on how big He is not how big the calling was
God told Moses His name
His name is “I AM” - That’s it
Another words God said; “I AM Everything”
If God is everything, then Moses didn’t need to worry about anything.
What is difference for us?
We cannot live in the world of excuses
The call to ministry is no easy task. It isn’t something to just casually accept. It is a challenge, an adventure.
It is sort of like riding a new roller coaster for the first time. We don’t really know what to expect, we get
scared before we get on it, but as soon as we get off the ride we want to do it all over again. God isn’t looking for more people to curl up and hide from the challenge. God doesn’t need more people to
run home. He is looking for people who will run hard for the long haul. He is looking for people who will be willing to learn and grow into a ministry that can change the world.
Any body willing to run hard or just run home?