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Ezekiel’s Call and Commission
Introduction
In this session, Ezekiel 2:1-10 describes God’s calling and commissioning of Ezekiel as a prophet to the exiled Israelites in Babylon. It highlights divine empowerment for challenging missions, the reality of a stubborn, rebellious audience and the essential need for the messenger to internalize God’s Word before speaking.
Objectives
By the end of this session, the learner will have:
- Understood divine empowerment by learning how the Holy Spirit equips and sustains believers for assignments that go beyond human strength.
- recognized spiritual stubbornness by analyzing God’s description of Israel as a rebellious house and how this relates to human nature today.
- internalized God’s Word by exploring what it means to “eat the scroll” (internalize and digest Scripture) so that God’s message shapes your life.
- Learned the importance of obedience and speaking the truth, regardless of the audience’s response or resistance.
Outline
- Calling and commissioning
- Divine empowerment for tough missions
- Disobedient audience
- Eating the scroll
- A prophet among them
Group Study Time
Ezekiel 2: 1-10
Connecting
- Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
- Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
- Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
- Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.
Comprehending
- Read Ezekiel 2:1-2. Ezekiel was naturally prostrate with his face down, overwhelmed by the vision of God’s glory. How did the Spirit empower him to stand? Can you share a time when God’s Spirit “stood you up” or gave you strength to face a daunting task?
- Read Ezekiel 2: 3-5. How does God describe his audience? What is the meaning of a “rebellious nation”? How do you respond when faced with sharing difficult truths or a message of accountability with resistant people? Why does God send messengers to people He knows will likely not listen?
- Read Ezekiel 2:6-7. How did God reveal how to face opposition during Ezekiel’s commissioning? God openly commands Ezekiel not to be afraid of the people’s words or looks. When in your life are you most tempted to let fear control your speech or actions? How does God’s reassurance here inspire you to stand firm in your convictions?
- Read Ezekiel 2:8-10. How did God prepare Ezekiel to face a stubborn audience? What does it mean to eat the scroll? God tells Ezekiel to eat a scroll filled with “lament, mourning, and woe” (both bitter and weighty). What does “eating the scroll” look like for a believer today? How does it help ensure that the truth we share truly reflects God’s heart rather than our own opinions?
- In Ezekiel 2:5, God tells Ezekiel that “they will know a prophet has been among them,” regardless of whether they choose to listen. In your current sphere of influence, how can you faithfully live out your faith and responsibilities so that people recognize God’s presence in you?
Committing
- Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
- List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
- Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
- Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
- Sin to confess
- Promise to claim
- Attitude to change
- Command to keep
- Error to change
- Prayer to make
- Example to copy
- Truth to obey and
- Something praiseworthy
Communicating
- Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
- Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
- Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.