Bible Text: Micah 6:4 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | The goal in life with Jesus Christ is to beco\u00adme more at home with the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father. Com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions help us to do this. Aaron and Miri\u00adam were Moses\u00bb com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions. Thanks to them, Moses beca\u00adme the capa\u00adble and matu\u00adre man we know from the Bible.<\/p>\n
My best col\u00adle\u00adague during my \u00abtech time\u00bb was an Enga\u00addin and moun\u00adtain gui\u00adde. When we loo\u00adked out of the win\u00addow during lec\u00adtures in Buchs in the Rhi\u00adne Val\u00adley, we loo\u00adked direct\u00adly at the Kreuz\u00adber\u00adge on the edge of the Alp\u00adstein. For him, this was often a tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon he could not resist. And so he was drawn to the moun\u00adta\u00adins and I was allo\u00adwed to go along. Tho\u00adse were won\u00adderful expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces. Thanks to his psy\u00adcho\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal skills and tech\u00adni\u00adcal exper\u00adti\u00adse, I was able to mas\u00adter dif\u00adfi\u00adcult places. Good com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions climb the peaks of life with us. They expe\u00adri\u00adence adven\u00adtures with us, warn us of dan\u00adgers. But they also des\u00adcend with us into the val\u00adley and com\u00adfort us.
\nWhen child\u00adren should grow more, they are given growth hor\u00admo\u00adnes. If we want to grow in life with God, to beco\u00adme more at home with the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father, we need companions.
\nBeco\u00adming more nati\u00adve through people
\nWhat was the name of the lea\u00adder who led Isra\u00adel out of cap\u00adti\u00advi\u00adty in Egypt into the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land? To this ques\u00adti\u00adon I would ans\u00adwer \u00abMoses\u00bb as a mat\u00adter of cour\u00adse. I am fasci\u00adna\u00adted by his lea\u00adder\u00adship and social com\u00adpe\u00adtence. He led a peo\u00adp\u00adle of mil\u00adli\u00adons through the grea\u00adtest chal\u00adlenges in impas\u00adsa\u00adble ter\u00adrain. Poli\u00adti\u00adcal stars are usual\u00adly woven from such mate\u00adri\u00adal. But about Moses it says: \u00abMoses was very hum\u00adble; the\u00adre was no one on earth more hum\u00adble than he\u00bb (Exodus 12:3). Moses was also a man who had found a home with God: \u00abThe Lord spo\u00adke to Moses face to face, as one who speaks to his fri\u00adend\u00bb (Ex 33:11).
\nMoses was com\u00admis\u00adsio\u00adned to take up a new home\u00adland for all the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel. But he did not go alo\u00adne. Com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions hel\u00adped him \u2013 for exam\u00adp\u00adle Miri\u00adam and Aaron. The three were later descri\u00adbed as the lea\u00adders who led the peo\u00adp\u00adle out of slavery: \u00abFor I brought you out of Egypt and freed you from slavery. I have given you Moses, Aaron and Miri\u00adam as your gui\u00addes.\u00bb (Micah 6:4). Who led Isra\u00adel to the new home\u00adland? Moses, Aaron and Miri\u00adam! Thanks also to his com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions, Moses beca\u00adme a matu\u00adre man in cha\u00adrac\u00adter and spirit.
\nIs the\u00adre an \u00abAaron\u00bb and a \u00abMir\u00adjam\u00bb for you? They are con\u00adfi\u00addants and peo\u00adp\u00adle you make con\u00adfi\u00addants. You let them look into your heart. You don\u2019t have to play a role with them \u2013 just like at home. You can put asi\u00adde your pro\u00adfes\u00adsio\u00adnal ego, your enter\u00adtai\u00adner ego, your strength ego, your hel\u00adper ego, your com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon see\u00adker ego and just be who you are. Such com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions want to be found. It is one of our tasks and pri\u00advi\u00adle\u00adges that we do not start our jour\u00adney through life on our own, but with com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions. With peo\u00adp\u00adle who mean well with us.
\nWhen Moses lost cou\u00adra\u00adge, his brot\u00adher Aaron came to meet him. \u00abBut Moses asked: \u00abLord, plea\u00adse send someone else! Then the Lord beca\u00adme angry with Moses. \u00abI know that your brot\u00adher Aaron the Levi\u00adte is a good spea\u00adk\u00ader,\u00bb he said. \u00abHe is alre\u00ada\u00addy on his way to you and will be glad to see you.\u00bb \u00bb (Exodus 4:13f). Aaron beca\u00adme a loy\u00adal com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adion and found the right words. Wit\u00adhout Aaron, Moses would hard\u00adly have mana\u00adged this mission.
\nOn the way to the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land, we too will pass through the desert. It is then that we need good com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions. Peo\u00adp\u00adle tend to con\u00addemn them\u00adsel\u00adves in their fail\u00adures or to think less of them\u00adsel\u00adves. For me, it some\u00adti\u00admes only takes one cri\u00adti\u00adcal email and I feel a hea\u00advi\u00adness try\u00ading to sett\u00adle on my soul. An encou\u00adra\u00adging break talk in the staff team is very hel\u00adpful. Or when things did\u00adn\u2019t work out in the staff team a year ago, I nee\u00added com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions to help me sort out my thoughts and reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse my shares.
\nPer\u00adhaps even more dif\u00adfi\u00adcult is to deal well with suc\u00adcess. We need peo\u00adp\u00adle who rejoice with us over our suc\u00adces\u00adses. Miri\u00adam, Moses\u00bb sis\u00adter, sang at the top of her voice about their joint suc\u00adcess after they had pas\u00adsed through the Reed Sea (Exodus 15:20\u201321). It is not easy to be suc\u00adcessful wit\u00adhout beco\u00adming proud and arro\u00adgant. Roger Fede\u00adrer is also so popu\u00adlar becau\u00adse he has remain\u00aded groun\u00added in the 20 years of his suc\u00adcess. Some say that he is still the same as he was back then. Fede\u00adrer has good com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions who help him \u00abkeep his head down\u00bb. In addi\u00adti\u00adon to his staff, his wife and four child\u00adren play an important role in \u00abgroun\u00adding\u00bb him.
\nMoses had a direct line to God and was the boss of count\u00adless peo\u00adp\u00adle. It would not have been sur\u00adpri\u00adsing if he had \u00abgrown trees in the sky\u00bb. But no, Moses was hum\u00adbler than all the others. Humi\u00adli\u00adty means the cou\u00adra\u00adge to ser\u00adve and not to esti\u00adma\u00adte ones\u00adelf too low or too high. He was awa\u00adre of his depen\u00addence on God, but also that God wan\u00adted him. Moses knew who he was and that ever\u00ady\u00adthing was given by God. Fal\u00adse humi\u00adli\u00adty would be to rep\u00adly shee\u00adpish\u00adly to a com\u00adpli\u00adment: \u00abIt works, it was\u00adn\u2019t that good\u2026\u00bb. Basi\u00adcal\u00adly, one only wants to recei\u00adve more praise.
\nAaron was as much an advo\u00adca\u00adte as a cri\u00adtic for Moses. At one point Miri\u00adam and Aaron ques\u00adtio\u00adned the lea\u00adder\u00adship style. They cri\u00adti\u00adcis\u00aded his mar\u00adria\u00adge to the Cus\u00adhi\u00adte woman, a woman with brown skin. In addi\u00adti\u00adon, they ques\u00adtio\u00adned Moses\u00bb pro\u00adphe\u00adtic spe\u00adcial sta\u00adtus. \u00abDid the Lord real\u00adly speak only through Moses? Has he not also done it through us?\u00bb (Exodus 12:2).
\nIt is impres\u00adsi\u00adve how Moses does not reta\u00adlia\u00adte to this mas\u00adsi\u00adve ques\u00adtio\u00adning out of a woun\u00added ego, but lea\u00adves the mat\u00adter to God. First loyal\u00adty is always to God and not to the com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions. And God does not take long to respond. He gives a clear ans\u00adwer. Miri\u00adam beco\u00admes a leper. The Lord affirms Moses\u00bb spe\u00adcial posi\u00adti\u00adon: \u00abTo him I speak per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly, direct\u00adly and not in ridd\u00adles!\u00bb (Ex 12:8). He thus con\u00adtra\u00addicts all demo\u00adcra\u00adtis\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon ten\u00adden\u00adci\u00ades and every demand for equa\u00adli\u00adty. The Lord can empower and use indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adals in a spe\u00adcial way. Despi\u00adte the per\u00adso\u00adnal attack of his brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters, Moses asks the Lord for heal\u00ading for Miri\u00adam. His focus is on God. His com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions help him to puri\u00adfy his moti\u00adves and beco\u00adme more at home with God. It is very important that we not only have peo\u00adp\u00adle who give us con\u00adfir\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon, but also tho\u00adse who have the cou\u00adra\u00adge to cri\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly ques\u00adti\u00adon us.
\nThe\u00adse three com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions, who were also brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters, stuck tog\u00ade\u00adther as com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions in the face of all pro\u00adblems (Ex 32:8). They stood up for each other and remain\u00aded faithful to the pro\u00admi\u00adse of lea\u00adding the peo\u00adp\u00adle to the good land. At the same time, Moses did not make hims\u00adelf depen\u00addent on his com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions. He kept his focus on God. Com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions help us to find a home in rela\u00adti\u00adonships, to beco\u00adme more at home with the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father.
\nBeco\u00adming more nati\u00adve through small group
\nThe\u00adse are exact\u00adly the tasks of the small groups in see\u00adtal chi\u00adle. They are meant to inte\u00adgra\u00adte peo\u00adp\u00adle in the see\u00adtal chi\u00adle and to pro\u00admo\u00adte growth in faith. In the small groups, com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions meet for a time.
\nSomeone said that we need three dif\u00adfe\u00adrent types of com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions. We all need a Paul. A per\u00adson who chal\u00adlenges us and sets us a task. Paul trus\u00adted Timo\u00adthy with a gre\u00adat minis\u00adtry. Paul the com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adion beca\u00adme a role model for the young worker. We all need someone who sees more in us, who draws out a par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar gift and encou\u00adra\u00adges us. A boy wat\u00adches an artist chisel away at a stone. He asks, \u00abHow did you know the\u00adre was a lion in this block of marb\u00adle?\u00bb \u2013 \u00abI saw the lion in my heart befo\u00adre it was in the marb\u00adle!\u00bb A Paul sees the lion that is in you! He chal\u00adlenges you to fol\u00adlow your heart and your cal\u00adling. They are com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions who have alre\u00ada\u00addy wal\u00adked the path and turn back once more to accom\u00adpa\u00adny ano\u00adther. They know their way around and yet lea\u00adve room for their own dis\u00adco\u00adveries. Look for peo\u00adp\u00adle who go for\u00adward and ask them to accom\u00adpa\u00adny you part of the way.
\nBes\u00adi\u00addes a Paul, we also need a Bar\u00adna\u00adbas, who was actual\u00adly cal\u00adled Joseph. Bar\u00adna\u00adbas means: \u00abson of com\u00adfort\u00bb (Acts 4:36). He is descri\u00adbed as a \u00abman of noble cha\u00adrac\u00adter\u00bb who was fil\u00adled with the Holy Spi\u00adrit and had a firm faith (Acts 11:24). After Saul\u2019s con\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adon, Bar\u00adna\u00adbas was the first, along with Hana\u00adni\u00adas, to take Paul in. He gave him pro\u00adtec\u00adtion and was loy\u00adal to him. He was also a faithful com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adion on Paul\u2019s first mis\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adry jour\u00adney. Later the\u00adre was a quar\u00adrel bet\u00adween the two and they sepa\u00adra\u00adted. So he also seems to have been a cri\u00adtic of Paul. He poin\u00adted out grie\u00advan\u00adces and did not min\u00adce his words.
\nI wish for such a faithful com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adion. A faithful per\u00adson who nevert\u00adhel\u00adess ques\u00adti\u00adons me honest\u00adly and open\u00adly. We need peo\u00adp\u00adle who offer us a place of retre\u00adat when we need it. We need men\u00adtors who remind us of the limits of our strength and give us a break in bet\u00adween. A Bar\u00adna\u00adbas takes us fur\u00adther pas\u00adto\u00adral\u00adly and in ques\u00adti\u00adons of personality.
\nThen we also need a Timo\u00adthy. He was a kind of fos\u00adter son of Paul (Acts 16). He beca\u00adme his com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adion and lear\u00adned a lot by wat\u00adching and being the\u00adre. Timo\u00adthy was held in high esteem by Paul and was given more and more respon\u00adsi\u00adble tasks \u2013 up to the lea\u00adder\u00adship of the church in Ephe\u00adsus. Paul cal\u00adled him his bel\u00adoved and faithful child. Later he beca\u00adme a kind of part\u00adner of Paul, was co-aut\u00adhor of some let\u00adters. Paul encou\u00adra\u00adged him to let the gift that was in him grow. He exhor\u00adted him to use his strength well, to be faithful in his ser\u00advice and to be an exam\u00adp\u00adle to other Chris\u00adti\u00adans despi\u00adte his young age. Paul\u2019s mes\u00adsa\u00adge remain\u00aded rele\u00advant becau\u00adse he had someone clo\u00adse to him who asked the right ques\u00adti\u00adons. The youn\u00adger one knew his gene\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon bet\u00adter than the older one, for\u00admu\u00adla\u00adted in dif\u00adfe\u00adrent words, asked dif\u00adfe\u00adrent questions.
\nLike ever\u00adyo\u00adne, we need peo\u00adp\u00adle who are youn\u00adger and ask cru\u00adcial ques\u00adti\u00adons. They have a fresh and unu\u00adsed view. And: they have fire. God has always work\u00aded with young peo\u00adp\u00adle in par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar, becau\u00adse they have not yet been depri\u00adved of ide\u00adals by the spi\u00adrit of sobrie\u00adty and the expe\u00adri\u00adence of defeat. A Timo\u00adthy calls to mind what is real\u00adly important, calls things into ques\u00adti\u00adon with his very pre\u00adsence and evo\u00adkes in us the lon\u00adging to lea\u00adve some\u00adthing important behind.
\nWhat does this have to do with our small groups? I don\u2019t think we find Paul, Bar\u00adna\u00adbas and Timo\u00adthy the\u00adre in pure cul\u00adtu\u00adre, but \u2013 if we are atten\u00adti\u00adve \u2013 shares of each type throughout.
\nBut in such a group the\u00adre is always Judas. When Jesus crea\u00adted com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty and cal\u00adled his cir\u00adcle of disci\u00adples tog\u00ade\u00adther, at the end of the list of names it says: \u00ab[\u2026] Judas Isca\u00adri\u00adot (who later betray\u00aded him)\u00bb. (Luke 6:16). The lite\u00adral trans\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon should be: \u00abJudas, who han\u00added him over to suf\u00adfe\u00adring\u00bb. Com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty is the place whe\u00adre the per\u00adson you least want to live with is gua\u00adran\u00adteed to live. The\u00adre are always peo\u00adp\u00adle who hand us over to suf\u00adfe\u00adring. Such peo\u00adp\u00adle are given to us to \u00abhand us over\u00bb. The\u00adre is always this Judas who brings things out of my heart that I did\u00adn\u2019t even think were still the\u00adre. The\u00adre is always that Judas who is annoy\u00ading and wit\u00adhout whom it would be much easier! After two or three nega\u00adti\u00adve expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces, we avo\u00adid such peo\u00adp\u00adle. Judas han\u00added Jesus over to suf\u00adfe\u00adring and ther\u00adeby made the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty fruitful. Dif\u00adfi\u00adcult peo\u00adp\u00adle are also given to us so that we can grow and beco\u00adme more at home with God.
\n
\nWhen I was twen\u00adty years old, my pas\u00adtor at the time \u00absaw a lion that was in me\u00bb that I did not even begin to per\u00adcei\u00adve. I would never have done a theo\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal edu\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon if I had not had com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions who chal\u00adlen\u00adged me over time. We live in the age of indi\u00advi\u00addua\u00adlism. Ever\u00adyo\u00adne has to know for hims\u00adelf what he wants. Peo\u00adp\u00adle hard\u00adly talk each other into life. We have to fight against this trend. We need com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions with whom we find home and who help us to beco\u00adme more at home with God.
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRea\u00adding the Bible text: Gene\u00adsis 12<\/p>\n
\tWhy is it that in Micah 6:4 not only Moses, but the trio of Moses, Aaron and Miri\u00adam are named as lea\u00adders of the peo\u00adp\u00adle on the way to the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land?
\n\tDo you have peo\u00adp\u00adle who are with you when you climb moun\u00adta\u00adins? Do you also have peo\u00adp\u00adle who accom\u00adpa\u00adny you through your valleys?
\n\tA Paul sees \u00abthe lion in you\u00bb. What kind of peo\u00adp\u00adle have hel\u00adped you to find your vocation?
\n\tWho could beco\u00adme a Timo\u00adthy of yours?
\n\tHave you had any rele\u00advant expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces with a Judas in your envi\u00adron\u00adment? In what way has he made your life fruitful?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bible Text: Micah 6:4 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | The goal in life with Jesus Christ is to beco\u00adme more at home with the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father. Com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions help us to do this. Aaron and Miri\u00adam were Moses\u00bb com\u00adpa\u00adn\u00adions. Thanks to them, Moses beca\u00adme the capa\u00adble and matu\u00adre man we know from the Bible.\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[53],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-willkommen-daheim","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2138","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t