2011-03-26 - God Is (part VII) Last day of this series on God's attributes:
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2011-03-31 - Old Testament - Messianic Prophecy Scriptures about Messianic Prophecy
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2011-04-11 - Names of Jesus (part V) Names of Jesus (continued):
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2011-04-24 - Names of Jesus (part XVIII) Last day of Jesus' name study (Easter):
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2011-04-30 - Names of the Church (part VI) Last day of the study of church names:
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2011-05-13 - Names of the Believers (part XIII) Last day for believers name study:
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2011-05-19 - Names of Satan (part VI) Last day (day six) of the Satan name study:
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2011-08-18 - Fearing God - Transcendent Majesty Isaiah 6 - Repeats Holy 3x - "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty" Hebrew language uses repetition to show emphasis From time to time Jesus frequently add emphasis using "truely, truely" - John 3:3 We never read:
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2011-09-19 - Proverbs on Integrity (part II) Examples of great integrity.
#1. Integrity last forever Proverbs 12:19 - Truthful lips endure forever Integrity last forever (people lie to escape something) but no one can run from the truth
Whenever we lie we ruin a part of our character.
Men and take many things away from us but no one can take our integrity (its our choice). |
2011-10-29 - Mind Change - Joy Joy, not suffering, will be eternal. Pain is bearable when it leads to something. We are on our way to everlasting joy. “The toils of the road will seem nothing when we get to the end of the way.” Isaiah 51:11 - Everlasting joy will crown their heads Isaiah 61:7 - Everlasting joy will be theirs Romans 8:20-21 - Creation itself will be liberated |
2011-10-31 - Mind Change - Spiritual Truth Spiritual truth is greater than physical circumstances The physical is temporary; the spiritual is eternal. More obvious does not mean more real. The eternal is superior to the temporary. Romans 8:17 - We suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him Hebrews 10:32-34 - You knew that you certainly had a better and lasting possession |
2011-12-16 - Day 13 - Saved to Serve Matthew 25:31-46
Application: Who can you help today? Do it. Also, make plans with another disciple to help other needy people this week. |
2012-01-01 - Day 29 - Jesus is Coming Soon 2 Peter 3:3-14
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2012-01-17 - Ministry - The Heart of Gratitude Luke 17:11-19, Psalms 100:4, 1 Thessalonians. 5:18 Jesus believed that if the heart of a man was healed and doing well, then that individual could really experience a complete healing from God. In Mark 2 the paralytic who was lowered through the roof by his friends in the middle of a crowded house for Jesus to heal did not hear the first words from the lips of Jesus, 'you are healed.' The first thing he heard was, "Your sins are forgiven." The obvious problem to everyone was his physical condition, yet Jesus saw the spiritual issues of the man's life and healed them first! The ten lepers came to Jesus and when he cleansed them only one came back, throwing himself at the feet of Jesus, overwhelmed with gratitude! Jesus wondered where the other nine were, but proclaimed to the man, "Your faith has made you well." Even though the other nine were cleansed of their leprosy, did they really 'get well?' The one who returned was made well-he was filled with gratitude! Many of us have been baptized, yet how many of us are filled with gratitude? Questions:
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2012-01-25 - Ministry - Jesus' Rescue Mission Matthew 18:10-14 (Luke 15:3-10) It is comforting to know we serve a God who is not only all-powerful and all-knowing, but also all-loving. Sometimes the spiritual battle gets so intense that we wonder if God really cares. This passage proves how deeply God cares about each individual "sheep". How we do spiritually does matter to God. He does not want any of his disciples to wander off and fall away. Jesus is the perfect shepherd who will do whatever it takes to go after the one lost sheep. Each soul matters to God. Jesus' heart is to keep on searching, keep on hoping, and keep on loving until the sheep is found and returns home. We need to take on Jesus' heart and persevere in rescuing those who have given up on their relationship with God. Satan wants us to get hurt, get bitter and angry instead of being compassionate and determined to help those who have lost faith. Let's be inspired by Jesus' unfailing love and decide to be part of Jesus' rescue team! Questions:
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2012-01-26 - Ministry - Producing a Harvest Matthew 13:1-23 How fruitful have you been in the last year? Are the worries of this life making you unfruitful? There are so many things that we could worry about: our school, spouses, dating life, children, money, jobs, etc. Do we get so consumed with ourselves and our lives that we forget our purpose in life? Nothing will come of our efforts to save the lost if we are filled with stress and worry. We will choke out the power of the word and of God we focus on our worries. God wants us to have a fruitful life! When we really hear God's word and embrace it, we will produce a harvest beyond our wildest dreams. Have you let stress and worry in your life choke out the word? Make a prayer list of all the things you are worried about and pray through them. Pray with faith and see how God moves in your life when you cast your anxieties on Him. |
2012-02-10 - Ministry - The Shepherd's Touch John 10:1-18 In verse 11 Jesus calls himself the good shepherd and says that the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. A shepherd is protective of his flock and a love for them. True shepherds do not want to lose even one single sheep. They stand between their sheep and danger. They are more concerned for the welfare of their sheep than they are for themselves. They are willing to go without so that their sheep might have their needs met. The sheep are responsive to their master's voice. They trust him because of his heart for them. The world teaches us to look out for ourselves at the expense of others. It teaches us that we are the most important people and that our comfort and security comes first. Finally, the measure of a shepherd's heart for the sheep will come when danger approaches. That is when the heart of the shepherd is the most exposed. Will the shepherd stay and fight and protect or run and hide and let the sheep fend for themselves? What kind of "protective" phone call, card, or visit can you give to someone to keep them tied into the flock? It doesn't take long to do something like this but the result will be everlasting. |
2012-02-14 - Fear of Failure - If You Love, You Cannot Fail Nic Thompson, San Francisco Church of Christ 1 Corinthians 13 Love never fails. So if we love, we won't either, no matter what our circumstances may be. Love is the reason Jesus lived and died on earth for you and me. Love is the gift that God gave us through his Son. We know that we are becoming like Jesus when we have love for one another. Love is not just a warm feeling, it is the qualities that Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 13. How does your heart measure up? Do you love the truth, do you put others first? Read through the list and see how you have demonstrated these qualities in the last 48 hours. Ask someone who knows you if they agree with your assessment! Decisions:
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2012-02-17 - Fear of Failure - Openness Leads to Success by Bernard Jones, San Francisco Church of Christ 1 John 1:5-9; Proverbs 28:13 One of my biggest fears as a disciple is being totally open with my life. I am afraid that if people know me they will not want to be around me. For the last two years I have been deceitful about the condition of my marriage, finances, and my life. This has led me to feel discouraged and despondent. Many times I tried to fix the problem by transferring balances on credit cards, discipling myself, etc. I did all this because I didn't want people to see the true me. Being in the ministry can be a temptation to pretend to be someone I am not. One decision I have made is to be completely open about everything that is going on. Like Proverbs 28:13 says, if you are open, you will prosper. Since I have become repentant, I have seen my marriage grow, have been personally fruitful three times, and have a plan to be totally debt free in four years. I have realized that when I am open and real, God can use me to do great things. Is there anything you haven't been open about? Make a decision to be open today so God can bring prosperity to your life! |
2015-02-03 - Suffering with Benefits Take pleasure in my weakness; when I am weak, I am strong - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Paul did much of his writting in prison and enduring arrests, beatings, threats against his life because of Jesus People who take pleasure in suffering are usually the ones who need mental help. Paul knew his suffering wouldn't last forever and that God had something better He remembered his suffering would last a moment, while the glory to come would last forever Suffering can:
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2015-02-15 - Our Source of Joy Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation - Habakkuk 3:17-18 What we think about and focus on really does affect our attiutde - The Power of Positive Thinking Habakkuk fortold:
Habakkuk grieved over the coming destruction but he did sink into despair Joy in God was a choice, Babylonians or no Babylonians To maintain his joy, he counted two truths
His loving God was the one constant in his life
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2015-02-21 - Moving On Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark; Paul did not - Acts 15:37-38 Edison tried several thousand time before creating the light bulb. Reguarding failure as opportunity for growth encourages you to keeping going John Mark returned home during the last trip because of possibly because he was frightened, discouraged, or homesick - Acts 13:13 Barnabas wanted to give him another chance; Paul disagreed and brought along Silas John Mark matured and eventually Paul recongnized him as a effective minister of the gospel - 2 Timothy 4:11 Do you believe your past failures disqualify you from effective service in the church? |
2015-03-05 - Negative Example Diotresphes refuses to have anything to do with us and has evil accusation against us - 3 John 1:9-10 Diotresphes was a gifted man interested in moving himself up the church's pecking order Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant - Matthew 20:26 John did not beat around the bush: don't let this bad example influence you, only follow what is good - 3 John 1:11 Diotresphes' me-first mentality put him last in God's scheme of things |
2015-05-11 - Shining Lamp Full of the Holy Spirit, Stephen gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God - Acts 7:55 Nothing prompts change likea man's courage in the face of potential personal loss. Stephen had that kind of courage. Religous leaders hoped persecuting Christians would put a stop to this new religious movement, exactly the opposite happened Stephen willingly died for what he believed in and he contributed greatly to the spread of the gospel message At the scene of Stephen's murder stood a young Pharisee named Saul - the same Saul God miraculously converted Stephen's courage and faith in the face of death apparently made a lasting impression Pauls bold preaching would change the world forever - Acts 22:19-20 Lamps do not talk, but they do shine. Is your lamp shining today? |
2015-05-22 - Infectious Enthusiasm Phinehas has turned my anger away from the Isrealites by being as zealous among them as I was - Numbers 25:10 Phinehas had seen the immorality going on around him and could not stand idly by and allow his people tp defile themselves Neither could he allow God judgement to continue without trying to bring it to an end His last straw momenet was when he witnessed his Hebrew brother shamelessly taking a Midianite into his tent Phinehas' zeal kicked in and passionately executed the man From then on, he showed his willingness to take a stand and the people of Israel were spared and decendants received God's blessings - Numbers 25:12-13 When you are enthusiastic about your relationship with God, you are bound to affect the people around you |
2015-05-29 - Opportunity Knocks Jesus sat wearily beside the well; soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water - John 4:6-7 Jesus understood the importance of making the best use of every opportunity to preach and teach his message He was ready for the opportunity to share his message with the people of Samaria via the woman he jusr meet Jesus' words made a lasting impression on the woman, her neighbors - John 4:39 They were stunned that she meet the Messiah Life will present you with opportunities to serve God through serving others |
2015-08-24 - Set Apart Take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way - Numbers 6:2 Nazirite had taken special vows of obedience to a set of rules that others didn't have to follow Samson and Samuel followed rules like abstaining from alcoholic beverages and refusing to cut their hair Samson on the other hand used his strength to push his own agenda Only Samuel made a lasting impact for the Lord and his people It not what a man does on the outside that matters to God but the inside |
2015-09-04 - Always Caring Dear woman, here is your son - John 19:26-27 Jesus somehow continued to meet the needs of others even as he was taking his last breath Jesus' mother suffered inconceivable pain and grief as she saw the cruelty her son endured In his perfect obedience, love, and compassion, Jesus tended to her needs - Giving her John to take care of her Jesus was the most compassionate man who ever live - spending his last moments alive taking care of people What kind of stress or pain often forces you to turn inward? When does it become most diffcult for you to show compassion to others? |
2015-09-21 - Ready to Follow Miraculous signs at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory - John 2:11 One day at a wedding party, Jesus performed his very first miracle when he changed water into wine In those days, running out of wine at a wedding was a major social faux pas Mary asked Jesus to fix the problem - servants filled six stone pots with water and wine began to one again - the best they ever tasted Headwaiter: why save the best wine for last? They never saw Jesus the same way again |
2015-09-24 - Harmonious Service There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish - John 6:8-9 Only once does the New Testament mention Andrew's name without connecting him with Peter - John 12:22 Andrew is last mentioned with the remaining elven disciples - Acts 1:13 He established his reputation on bring people to Jesus:
Andrew recognized his role and understood and accepted it You play an important role like Andrew - bring people to him one by one
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2015-10-21 - Grappling with God I will not let you go unless you bless me - Genesis 32:26 When did you last wrestle with God? For most men, the idea of wrestling with God seems a little out there God could have ended the struggle with a single word He dislocated Jacob's hip with a single touch God allowed the wrestling match to go on for one reason: He wanted something from Jacob and for Jacob When you wrestle with God over the important issues of your life, he has you right where he wants you Wrestling is when you are most ready to receive a blessing Are you willing to struggle persistently for answers and blessing from God? |
2015-11-24 - God's Approval May the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful - Psalms 90:1 The formula for failure is trying to please everyone Lasting blessing comes when you make pleasing God and seeking his approval your focus In Psalms 90, Moses wrote while in the wilderness, plainly about the consequences of their stubbornness and disobedience Most of those who left Egypt would never see the Promise Land but still found hope understanding the connection between willing obedience and divine blessing Life is far too short and God's blessing to wonderful to miss anything he wants to give you |