Barefoot in the Bush

In one paragraph

This Sunday's message came from Anders and Brooke, missionaries with J Zone Youth Camps in Zambia, who shared what God has been doing through their ministry and what He has been doing in them personally. Anders walked through a season of hidden struggle and what it took to finally surrender it, using Ezekiel 47 as the frame. The call was direct: don't leave unchanged. Anders and Brooke gave an...

Read together

1. Hebrews 12 (partial) used as a call to worship, citing receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and worshiping God with reverence and awe
2. 1 John 4:9-11 read aloud to describe God's love in sending His Son as a sacrifice for sins
3. 2 Corinthians 9 (partial) referenced to encourage giving not under compulsion but cheerfully and from the heart
4. Ezekiel 47:1-5 read aloud in full as the anchor passage for Anders's message about surrendering more deeply to the Holy Spirit as the river rises
5. John 8:12 used as the closing benediction verse about Jesus being the light of the world

Talk about it

1. Anders described a season where he was relying on friendships, fellowship, and outdoor pursuits to fill his soul rather than seeking God directly. Where in your own life have you noticed yourself reaching for something good but secondary when what you really needed was God himself?
2. Brooke told the story of Teacher Violet, who had dreamed the night before that people would come in a truck to tell her students about Jesus, and then Anders and Brooke showed up the next day. Has there been a moment in your life where you could look back and see that God had clearly gone ahead of you into a situation? What did that do to your faith?
3. Anders read from Ezekiel 47, where the river rises from ankle deep to knee deep to waist deep to a depth you can only swim in. Using that image, where would you honestly say you are right now in your surrender to God, and what would it look like to go a little deeper?
4. Anders described the man at the village Bible study who wanted to talk about judgment but kept putting off the question of his own salvation, saying they could discuss it when Anders came back. Anders told him he might never come back. Is there something in your own walk with God that you have been telling yourself you will deal with later?
5. Anders said that after surrendering something to God he sometimes stops praying about it, slides back into old patterns, and has to surrender it again the next day. How do you personally guard against that drift, and what does a daily surrender actually look like in practice for you?