Group Fellowship Summer 2007  June 19th/21st

 

YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER’ – the Holy Spirit and God’s People

 

JUDGES 13 – 16  :   SAMSON, AND THE SPIRIT

In the O.T.  the Holy Spirit only filled certain people, at certain times, for certain special purposes.  Samson was one such person.

 

‘Charismatic’ comes from the Greek work ‘charismata’ meaning ‘a grace gift’ from God and His Spirit.  Samson, called to be a Judge-Leader of God’s people, was endowed with great physical strength by God’s Spirit.  God’s people were overrun and overwhelmed by their enemies, the Philistines; and Samson was called by God to be a deliverer.

 

(1)  SAMSON’S BRIGHT START : (Chapter 13) : GREAT PROMISE

• Samson’s name means ‘sunlight’.  Talk about the things that marked our Samson’s beginning as a very bright one.  What made his life very special?  How was his life set apart for the Lord?  What special endowment did he have?  What part did the Spirit of God play in his life – 13.24-25;  14.6;  14.19;  15.14?

 

• What was a Nazirite? What was the spiritual significance of being a Nazirite to Samson’s calling?

 

• What is our calling?  Is there anything in the Christian’s calling that bears any similarity to the calling to be a Nazirite?

 

• How important is the Spirit of God to our calling?

 

(2)  SAMSON’S DOWNWARD PATH : (Chapters 14-15) : WRONG PROGRESS

• Samson had a high calling!  What do you make of his life in relation to his calling?  How many of his Nazirite vows do you find him breaking?  Does is surprise you that God’s Spirit still kept operating through him?

 

• How important to our calling is our life-style?  Are Christians today feeling the temptation to compromise?

 

• With whom do we find Samson spending most of his time?  In what way does he associate with them?  Are you surprised at this?

Are there any lessons here for us?  What kinds of contact should we have with the world?  What kinds should we not have?

 

(3)  SAMSON’S DARK END :  (Chapter 16) : WHOLLY POWERLESS

• Did Samson have a particular ‘Achilles heel’? (ie a special weakness that made him vulnerable to temptation).  What sort of individual weaknesses can we have?

 

• How does chapter 16 provide us with a classic illustration of the progress of temptation if we toy and dally with it?

 

• ‘The Lord had left him’.  When did the Lord’s Spirit leave Samson?  Why then, do you think?

 

• How can we ‘grieve’ the Holy Spirit and ‘quench’ his operation in our lives and our church?  What sort of things should we avoid if we want to continue to know His presence and power?  (Perhaps see Ephesians 4.17 – 5.33)

 

• What lessons does Samson have for us about ‘presuming’ on God’s forgiving grace?

WHAT HAS BEEN THE CHIEF IMPACT OF SAMSON’S LIFE ON YOU THIS WEEK?