Edition: 15

Un/Faithfulness

Last Edition Recap

How have you applied the last edition to your life?

Opening Prayer

Lord God, you are THE faithful God. You have never left us, nor have you forsaken us. Teach us to become faithful servants, and may we see your faithfulness. Amen

Intro

The couple engaged to be married

The soon-to-be groom was so excited about this wedding that he did everything he could to ensure this would be the perfect wedding and then marriage. The soon-to-be bride was also delighted to become this man’s wife. It indeed was one of those storybook couples. Unfortunately, as the wedding got closer, the soon-to-be bride wasn’t as excited as she first once was. 

Her feelings toward this wedding started to drift, and she entertained the idea of other potential interests. Eventually, she started acting on those desires, leading her to explore another man’s excitement.

The soon-to-be groom wasn’t oblivious to the happenings of the love of his life, but he decided to love her all the same. The more she wandered from him, the more he desperately loved her back into his arms. Every time he caught her with the other man – even though it wrecked his heart – he tried to win her back. There was no denying that he was faithful. Sadly, we cannot say the same about her.

Whenever he confronted her about her actions and choices or when she was heartbroken by the other man, she would cry and beg him not to call off the wedding. She wanted to be his bride. She wanted to have an extravagant wedding. She always promised to change and be faithful to him, and he always gave her the benefit of the doubt. The soon-to-be groom always saw the best in his soon-to-be bride. Still and often, she broke those promises to him. She knew he wouldn’t leave her. She knew he wouldn’t call off the wedding. She knew he would do anything for her. She knew he would always take her back. 

Eventually, the wedding day came around. And as it was custom in this particular culture, the groom planned and paid for everything. It was expensive, the setup was extraordinary, and everything looked perfect. The priest stood in front of the aisle, ready to perform the wedding. Just in front of him stood the groom – dashingly wearing a new suit. Filled with excitement, he couldn’t help but give the biggest grin. There he stood, waiting for his bride. He stood there staring at the closed church doors, anticipating their opening to reveal the love of his life. 

The day had finally come, and the wedding music started, signalling the bride had arrived and was ready to enter the Church. The doors opened, and the groom got the first glimpse of his bride’s perfect white wedding gown. He smiled with emotion and excitement. As the doors slowly opened, he saw more of his bride – she looked amazing. His dreams had come true!

As the doors opened fully, there stood his exquisite bride – smiling from ear to ear – holding the hand of the other man as they both proceeded to walk down the aisle together.

What Happened Next?

Chat Point 1

  1. How is the Groom like Jesus?
  2. How is the other man like Satan (and the world)?
  3. How is the bride like the Church? (Ezekiel 16:59-60)
  4. How can we develop our faithfulness as the Church?

The moral:

She mastered how to do what she wanted and made empty promises. She put so much energy and time into unfaithfulness that she never gave herself the chance to develop faithfulness. When the wedding day came, she couldn’t distinguish between being faithful or being unfaithful.

Read

Matthew 25:14-21

SPOILER ALERT!!

  • The Master is Christ
  • The servants are Christians

Key Focus

  •  Mat 25:21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful….”

  • Mat 25:30 And throw that worthless servant outside,….”

“This parable describes the consequences of two attitudes toward Christ’s return. 
  • The person who diligently prepares for it by investing their time and talents to serve God will be rewarded. 
  • The person who has no heart for the work of the Kingdom will be punished. God rewards faithfulness.”

Chat Point 2

  1. If you bear no fruit for God’s Kingdom, do you expect to be treated the same as those who are faithful?”
  2. What stands out for you in this passage?
  3. What does it mean to be faithful? What does it mean to be unfaithful?
  4. What do you think Jesus is trying to tell us?
  5. What do you think the “bags of gold” are in your life? (What has the master given you?)
  6. How are we supposed to put those gifts to work for Jesus before he returns?
  7. Would you like to be “a faithful” servant or “that worthless” servant?
  8. When you think of the opening story, why do you think the bride desperately wanted to be married to the groom but also to entertain the other man?
  9. When Jesus returns to wed his bride – the Church – what would the best ending be for the story? (Begin at; “The doors started opening…”)
What are your prayer requests?

Closing Prayer

Faithful God, even though we have not been as faithful as we should, you have never been unfaithful to us. Thank you for your faithfulness. May we become more faithful people in all things. Amen

In-between Chats: Personal Reflection

PRIORITY OF FAITHFULNESS…

  1. Faithfulness to God MUST come first.
  2. Faithfulness to a family should take precedence over other groups.
  3. Faithfulness as the Church and to the Church should come before all other institutions.
  4. Faithfulness to our friends is essential.
  • What is your aim?
  • What must you do to practice the things of God?  
  • What’s stopping you, and how can you change it?

Edition Writer: Rev Kevin Zondagh

Executive Coach, Life Coach, and Ordained Minister. Founder of CoffeeChatConnect and the Exemplar Coaching Company.