<h1><strong>CALL TO REPENTANCE</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>The Meaning of Repentance</li> <li>King David Obeys God’s Call to Repentance (2 Sam. 12:7-13, Ps. 51:1-19)</li> <li>Zacchaeus Responds to the Call to Repentance (Luke 19: 1-10)</li> </ol> <br> <h2><strong>The Meaning of Repentance</strong></h2> To repent means to regret, be sorry, feel sorrow or feel ashamed for any wrong done. Therefore, repentance is the act of regretting or feeling sorry or ashamed for any wrongdoing. It is the realization that what we have done is bad/wrong and we are ready to apologize and ask for forgiveness. <h2><strong>King David Obeys God’s Call to Repentance. 2 Sam. 12:7-13, Ps. 51:1-19</strong></h2> David was the second King of Israel. The Israelite army was fighting against the Ammonites. David did not go to fight the war. One day as he was walking on the roof top of his house, he saw a beautiful woman next door taking her bath. David asked his servants who the woman was. They told him that she was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite, one of his soldiers fighting in the war against the Ammonites. Later, he told his servants to bring the woman to his palace. The woman came and David slept with her and she became pregnant.

<h1><strong>CALL TO REPENTANCE</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>The People of Nineveh Repent of their Sins (Jonah 3 : 1-10)</li> <li>John the Baptist Calls for Repentance (Luke 3 : 1-14)</li> </ol>   <h2><strong>The People of Nineveh Repent of their Sins (Jonah 3: 1-10)</strong></h2> The people of Nineveh were evil in their ways. They did many evil things to one another. They were wicked. They did not help those in trouble. They did not feel sorry for all the wrong that they had done and they continued to do. God told the Prophet Jonah to go and call the people of Nineveh to repentance otherwise He would destroy them. At first he refused and ran away from God’s directive to Tarshish but later went to the town of Nineveh and called the people there to repentance. God said through Jonah that Nineveh would be overthrown in forty days time. The people felt sorry of all the bad things that they had done. They repented by <strong>proclaiming a fast, putting on sackcloth, the king arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes and asked God for forgiveness.</strong> And, God forgave them.

<h1><strong>CONSEQUENCES OF LACK OF REPENTANCE (I SAMUEL 3:18, 4:10-21)</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Consequences of Lack of Repentance (I Samuel 3:18, 4:10-21)</li> <li>The Consequences of Sin</li> <li>Moral Lessons</li> </ol>   <h2><strong>Consequences of Lack of Repentance (I Samuel 3:18, 4:10-21)</strong></h2> God is not happy with those who lack repentance. He punishes them for their refusal to feel sorry in repentance, regret their actions and ask for forgiveness. In the Bible, Hophni and Phinehas were two brothers whom God punished for their lack of repentance. Hophni and Phinehas were the sons of Eli - a Prophet in Israel in charge of the house of God at Shiloh. His sons were assistant Priests who helped him with the work of God. Hophni and Phinehas did so many evil in the sight of God with hardened heart. At times, they desired their share of the meat for sacrifice raw and even forcefully. At other times, the women that came for sacrifice were forced into sin right at the altar of God.

<h1><strong>CALL TO OBEDIENCE</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Meaning of Obedience</li> <li>The Call of Abraham (Gen. 12 :1-4)</li> <li>Blessings from Obeying God’s Call (Gen. 12:5-9)</li> <li>Religious and Moral Lessons</li> </ol> <br> <h2><strong>Meaning of Obedience</strong></h2> <strong>Obedience</strong> means doing what you are told to do. It is to comply with the rules and regulations at home and at school, and with the laws in the community. It is to adhere to instructions given to us or to act upon any order or command given to us. <h2><strong>Abraham Obeys God’s Call</strong> (Genesis 12:1-4)</h2> Abraham’s father was Terah. He was the descendants of one of those people who were scattered in small language groups after the Tower of Babel incident. He grew up in Ur of Chaldeans. When Terah died in Haran, Abraham a young man took over the responsibilities of his family. Abraham lived with his family till he was seventy five-years. God then called Abraham and told him:

<h1><strong>CALL TO OBEDIENCE</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>The Birth of Isaac and the Circumcision of Male Children (Gen. 21:1-8)</li> <li>Abraham Demonstrates his Obedience in the Sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22: 1-18)</li> </ol> <br> <h2><strong>The Birth of Isaac and the Circumcision of Male Children </strong>(Gen. 21:1-8)</h2> When Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him and made a covenant (agreement) with him. The agreement was extended to all the descendants of Abraham. In the agreement, God promised to bless Abraham if he continued to obey Him. God told Abraham that his wife who was barren would give birth to a baby boy. They believed the promise and soon afterwards his wife conceived and bore him a son at the age of ninety while he (Abraham) was hundred years old. The child was named Isaac meaning <strong>laughter</strong>. Exactly eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham demonstrated his obedience to God by circumcising him.

<h1><strong>CALL TO SERVICE</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Meaning of Service</li> <li>Examples of People who Served in the Bible (i) Joseph is Sold to Egypt (Gen. 37 :12-36) (ii) Joseph Served in Egypt. (Gen.41: 37-57) (iii) Ruth Serves her Mother-in-law (Ruth 1: 7-18)</li> </ol>   <h2><strong>Meaning of Service</strong></h2> Service is doing some work which one is called upon to perform or one volunteers to do. In service, one is expected to do the work with all his or her heart, mind and strength. When this happens, one is said to have rendered faithful, loyal and accountable service. <br> <h2><strong>Examples of People who Served in the Bible:</strong></h2> <h3>(i)<strong> Joseph is Sold to Egypt (Gen. 37:12-36)</strong></h3> Joseph served his father faithfully. At the age of seventeen, he was shepherding the flock with his brothers. On one occasion, his father sent him to go and give food to his brothers on the field. On getting there, he couldn’t find them at Shechem where they were, he went further to Dothan where he found them. His brothers caught him and sold him to some Ishmaelite traders for twenty shekels of silver. The traders took Joseph to Egypt where they sold him as a slave.

<h1><strong>LESSONS FROM THE SERVICES OF JOSEPH AND RUTH</strong></h1> CONTENT <ol> <li>Lessons from the Services of Joseph and Ruth</li> <li>Life in God’s Service (1 Peter 2:18-25)</li> <li>Ways in Which Christians are Called to the Service of God</li> <li>Problems of Service</li> </ol>   <h2><strong>Lessons from the Services of Joseph and Ruth</strong></h2> <ol> <li>The lives of Ruth and Joseph show us that God rewards hard work and commitment.</li> <li>There are blessings in rendering faithful and loyal service to God , our country and fellow human beings. God blessed Ruth with a good husband and Joseph became a minister in a foreign land.</li> <li>Christians are blessed with eternal life for faithfulness to God.</li> <li>National award.</li> </ol>