Pastor Ralph

Q1. (Malachi 1:6-14) How were the people and priests disrespecting God with regard to offering sacrifices? In what ways do we today disrespect God in our attitudes toward worship, in giving to God, and in regard to holy things? What is God saying to you personally as you ponder this?

Q4. (Nehemiah 13:30-31) How should you respond when the people you are ministering to disappoint you? How must you treat them? What must you do to sustain your own faith and spiritual momentum in times of discouragement?

Q3. (Nehemiah 13:1-5, 7-9) Does God set higher standards for leaders than for others? If so, why? What results in the people when leaders become corrupt? How can you keep this from happening to you? If God shows you corruption within, how can you recover from it?

Q2. (Nehemiah 9:7-35) Why is God’s compassion emphasized so strongly in Israel’s history? How can God’s compassion be present even in times of tough discipline (Hebrews 12:7-11)? How does the compassionate God of the Old Testament relate to Jesus giving himself as a ransom for sinners (Mark 10:45)?

Q1. (Nehemiah 8:1-12) Why does the reading of Scripture bring such sorrow to the people? Why is Scripture reading so important in personal spiritual revival? What place does the Spirit have in this? What is the relationship between joy and faith in God’s compassion and love?

Q4. (Nehemiah 6:1-14) Why do Nehemiah’s enemies want him to travel away from Jerusalem? Why do his enemies bribe the prophets? How are they hoping to hurt Nehemiah’s integrity, will, and authority? How is your enemy trying to make you stumble?

Q3. (Nehemiah 5) Why doesn’t Nehemiah wait until he isn’t so busy to deal with the complaints of the poor who are being oppressed? What is the chief motivation of their oppressors? How does Nehemiah deal with the issue? Why are church leaders sometimes quicker to deal with the complaints of the wealthy than those of the poor? What motivates these leaders?

Q2. (Nehemiah 4) How does Nehemiah respond to his enemies’ ridicule? How does Nehemiah respond to military threats? What effect does this have on construction? How does Nehemiah respond to discouragement and fear in the people? How do you respond to discouragement and fear? What “walls” need to be rebuilt in your life to protect you from temptation and sin?

Q1. (Nehemiah 3) Why does Nehemiah need to build the walls quickly? Why does he assign so many teams? What motivates these teams? What kinds of problems would Nehemiah need to solve with so many teams working simultaneously?

Q4. (Nehemiah 2:4) What danger is Nehemiah in? Why does he pray quickly and silently before he answers the king? How does this quick “arrow prayer” relate to the four months of prayer he has just finished?

Q3. (Nehemiah 1:11) In what way does Nehemiah’s situation compare to Esther’s? Why does God place his people in strategic positions today in the community, in business, in the military, in government? What responsibilities do we have to God that can cause danger to our positions and our lives? Has this ever happened to you? How do you pray in situations like this?

Q2. (Nehemiah 1:7-11) What is the basis of Nehemiah’s appeal? How does he argue his case before God? What do we learn from this about intercession?

Q1. (Nehemiah 1:1-6) Why does Nehemiah pray day and night for four months? Why does he fast and weep? Isn’t that excessive?

Q4. (Ezra 10:2-4) Do you think Shecaniah’s solution to the people’s sin of intermarriage was from God? Can you think of any other examples in the Bible of prophetic “words of wisdom” directing God’s people at crisis points? How do the people respond to Schecaniah’s radical solution? How does Ezra implement it?

Q3. (Ezra 9:3-4) How does Ezra react when he hears of the sin of intermarriage? Does he react for show? Does he over-react? Why does he grieve over the sins of the people? What is wrong with us if we don’t grieve over the sins of God’s people?

Q2. (Ezra 8:24-30, 33-34) Why does Ezra weigh out the gold and silver vessels when he entrusts them to individuals, and weigh them again when they are delivered to the temple? Is this an act of distrust? If not, why are steps to prevent embezzlement good for Christian organizations?

Q1. (Ezra 8:21-23) Why does Ezra call the people to fast? Does fasting compel God to answer our prayers? What does fasting accomplish in us?

Q4. (Zechariah 12-13) Paul was broken-hearted for his countrymen the Jews, who had rejected the Messiah. We should be too. When do you think the prophecy will be fulfilled that says, “They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn…?” (Zechariah 12:10). Concerning the fountain that cleanses from sin and impurity (Zechariah 13:1), has that been fulfilled, or will it be future? Why will it please God so much when all the Jews finally believe in Jesus?

Q3. (Zechariah 11:4-17) Why is God so condemnatory towards shepherds or leaders who take advantage of their office and exploit the people? What is Jesus’ standard for leaders (Mark 10:42-45). What would it look like in government, if we followed Jesus’ standard? What would it look like in your workplace? In your church? In your home?

Q2. (Zechariah 7:9-10; 8:16-17) What does it look like to operate from a policy of mercy and compassion? God commands justice for the poor and oppressed in our culture. How can we be sure that the poor are treated justly in our courts? How do you treat aliens in your country, sojourners from another land? Why is speaking truthfully with others so important to God?

Q1. (Zechariah 7:4-6) In what ways have we Christians tended to make worship about us, rather than about God? How should we evaluate our churches and our worship patterns? What can we do to make our personal worship a matter of the heart, and not just rote readings and prayer?

Q4. (Zechariah 4:1-10) Why do we so easily fall into the trap of trying to do God’s work with our own strength? What does it mean, “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit”? How might you apply this truth to your life?

Q3. (Zechariah 3:1-7) What do Joshua’s filthy clothes represent? How does God deal with this? What message is this prophecy intended to convey to Joshua the High Priest? How might this message apply to Christian leaders who have sinned?

Q2. (Zechariah 2:13) Why, in this passage, do you think the prophet calls all mankind to be still before him? In the context of God aroused to protect his people from attack, why is silence appropriate? For the enemy of God, what does silence represent? For the believer, what does silence before God represent?

Q1. (Zechariah 1:3) Why is a message of repentance from sin such an important part of the Gospel? What happens when we remove repentance from the core message of Jesus? Why do you think God wants you to repent of all known sin?