The evidence of intimacy with God

Isaiah 58:1-11

November 4 , 2007

Study Guide

Pretending to be fully surrendered to God chokes out God’s blessing (1-3a).

People of God: “We’re doing all this spiritual stuff and you aren’t responding to us.”

God says – Here’s the problem....YOU ARE POSING!

God says— the fasting I prefer...or the practice that demonstrates self-denial and full surrender is a lifestyle that seeks to:

Break the chains of injustice wherever you find them.	Spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
Get rid of exploitation in the workplace	Satisfy the needs of the oppressed
Set the oppressed free	Get rid of unfair practices
Cancel debts	Quit blaming others
Share your food with the hungry	Quit gossiping about other people's sins.
Provide the homeless poor with shelter	Be generous with the hungry
Put clothes on the shivering ill-clad ones	Start giving yourselves to the down-and-out
Be available to your own families

Full surrender to God is revealed through a lifestyle of compassion (6-7, 9b-10a).

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” - James 1:27

Full surrender to God leads to full blessing from God (8-9a, 11-12, 14).

Practical coaching for a lifestyle of compassion:

We can begin to show kindness to the needy by recognizing that they exist.
Don’t get paralyzed by the overwhelming thought of trying to change the world. Change the world for one person.
Start by focusing on to the needs that you cross paths with.
Make sure that our elected officials are doing all they can to insure the justice and care for the needy. Jubilee Act H.R.2634. -- www.one.org/issues.
Responding to the beggar or panhandler:

Be intentional about loving others and displaying Christ’s love.
If you are not comfortable handing out, hook them up with services who can.
Be wise. When it’s clear someone is abusing the help you offer, change your tactic.
If you are scammed, be okay with being “taken.”
Pay attention to the Holy Spirit’s promptings.