| Every believer has a call on their life: The call to be someone, the call to do something. Get off the sideline: be fully engaged. - Banning Liebscher |
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The Three-Mile Walk, Session One
by Banning Liebscher from the brand-new study, The Three-Mile Walk
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Welcome to Bible Study of the Week, where every Sunday we give you the free first sessions of new video Bible studies from leading authors, pastors, and Bible teachers. Banning Liebscher is a pastor, speaker, and author. Along with his wife, SeaJay, he founded Jesus Culture, a ministry of worship, conferences, and leadership development.
Pay attention to the things that move you because they reveal the things in your heart. ~ Banning Liebscher
WELCOME
Do you remember dreaming as a kid about who or what you wanted to be when you grew up? I actually get a kick out of remembering all of the different things my eight-year-old self wanted for my forty-year-old-self: to be a police officer like my dad, or a baseball player, or a sports broadcaster. And one of my favorite things about the journey of parenting was listening to my kids do the same when they were little. Ellie was convinced she was going to play in the WNBA, Raya wanted to be an astronaut, and my son, Lake, loves basketball and playing video games.
As we grow older, the dreams of our childhood start to take a different shape as they are influenced by our experience of the world around us. I’m sure most of us remember a few naysayers who said we couldn’t be the astronaut or biologist or athlete we wanted to be, and the cheerleaders who encouraged even the slightest pursuit of an interest (the kind of people who thought the chess club flyer they found in your backpack meant you were going to be the next world champion of chess). But let’s not forget that our dreams have also been influenced by our experience of God, who has been patiently pursuing every opportunity to awaken our hearts to His dreams for us and His call on our lives.
Can you recall moments where your heart was awakened by God and moved by His desires or dreams for your life? I can think of several moments in my life when that happened, like reading powerful biographies as a seventeen-year-old, or listening to certain preachers in my late teens, and having words spoken over me in my early twenties from others who were seeing and sensing God’s call on my life. At the time, I didn’t have words for those experiences, I just knew something had awakened in me — something I could not ignore. Almost two decades after those defining moments in my life, I’m convinced that what matters more than the moments of being awakened to God’s dreams for our lives, is what we actually do with those dreams. This is what changes the trajectory of our lives. But how do we know what to do?
Jonathan, the son of King Saul, and his armor-bearer give us a healthy example in 1 Samuel of what it looks like to thoughtfully engage God’s call on our lives by owning the call, dreaming of the call, counting the cost of the call, and moving forward with the call. Jonathan and his armor-bearer refuse to settle for anything less than who God wants them to be and what he wants them to do. My hope is that this session, inspired by Jonathan’s story, encourages you to live your best life by fully engaging God’s call on your life. It’s time for you to stand up and move toward changing the world by stepping out on your three-mile walk, even when it seems like everything is at stake. Are you with me?
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How have you experienced a defining moment that changed the trajectory of your life?
— or —
When was the last time you sensed God was awakening something inside of you?
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We’re starting with the backstory in 1 Samuel 13, so we understand the context of Jonathan’s three- mile walk in 1 Samuel 14.
The Backstory
Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years. Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes. Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!” So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal. The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven.
When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
“What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler of His people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred. Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash. Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual, another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim facing the wilderness. Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!”
So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened. The price was two-thirds of a shekel for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads. So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.
— 1 Samuel 13
What do you notice in this passage? Name one key insight.
Imagine you are Saul or Jonathan. What would be going through your mind in this moment?
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Continue to our blog to watch the video, read the rest of the study, and read the remaining content from The Three-Mile Walk.
Your Turn
Come share your thoughts on The Three-Mile Walk on our blog. We want to hear from you!
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You were made for more than a life of holy discontent—more than the frustrating sense of sitting on the sidelines of your own life's purpose.
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Discover the three key moves that will awaken your heart and propel you into a life of divine purpose.
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The Three-Mile Walk Study Guide: The Courage You Need to Live the Life God Wants for You
by Banning Liebscher
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Paperback Study Guide
Regular Price: $13.99
Sale Price: $9.79 (30% off)
Awaken to the Call God Has for Your Life
You were made for more than a life of holy discontent – more than the frustrating sense of sitting on the sidelines of your own life’s purpose. From the beginning, Jesus has beckoned us out of passivity and into a high-stakes adventure with hearts fully alive, lives fully engaged, and the courage needed for both.
With a heart-stirring message and compelling stories, founder of Jesus Culture and pastor Banning Liebscher will equip you with practical guidance to be and do all that God has called you to. The Three-Mile Walk video Bible study draws from the biblical story of Jonathan who, after a treacherous three-mile hike, boldly stepped into battle and watched God work a stunning victory in the midst of impossible odds. Likewise, Liebscher presents the three key attributes you need to fully engage your mission – courage, holiness, and faith.
In his power-packed memorable style, Liebscher offers fresh insight and instruction for answering your calling with a courageous “yes,” and setting out on the journey of a lifetime.
You are meant to change the world. It’s going to be tough, surprising, and more fulfilling than you can imagine. You just need the courage to rise up and walk it out.
Sessions include:
- Awakened to the Call
- Call to Holiness
- Call to Courage
- Call to Faith
- Engaging the Call
Designed for use with The Three-Mile Walk Video Study (9780310120575), sold separately. Streaming video also available at StudyGateway.com.
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Shop the entire collection of The Three-Mile Walk study materials
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