2010-07-04 - Desire's Journey - The Grand Affair (part 1) To know and to be known. It is our deepest ache. Love makes us to crazy things for love. No union on earth like the consummation of love between a man and woman Becoming one - this is what God is seeking with us Bible is the greatest romance ever written |
2010-08-12 - Waking Dead - Myths (part 3) Myth tell us three truths, this third one is: 3. In this desparate hour, we have a crucial role to play Neo sees himself as Thomas Anderson, but he was the one People in the scriptures that saw this:
This eternal truth is the most difficult for us to believe There is a glory to your life that your enemy fears The one who knows what you could be, fears it Things happen to you and we question why If believe we have a crucial role to play and come to know it is true, everything would change |
2010-10-18 - Sacrificial Living
QUESTIONS
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2010-11-01 - Contagious Christian - A Matthew Party Like today, many of the religious and non-religious of Matthew's day did not have intersecting social circles Some he planned a party for the religious and non-religious to come to - Luke 5:29
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2010-11-16 - Contagious Christian - Making the Message Clear (part I) Before you can bring the message to others, need to make sure we clearly understand we understand the message ourselves Making the message clear will need us to be able to illustrate it for those we talk to God Three aspects of God we need to look at:
God made us without sin but we abused our freedom and became evil Sin requires God to pronounce upon us the death penalty - both physical and spiritual This is separation from God via hell We are helpless to change this Christ God had the power and authority to devise a plan for our salvation Christ died and suffered the death penalty debt for us and
You don't deserve it, we didn't pay for it, we can not earn it He paid a debt He did not owe I owned a debt I could not pay |
2010-12-04 - Mission - Peter, From a Reed Peter was a reed blowing in the wind who became a rock whom God could build great things Jesus looked at Peter and saw what he could become Perhaps for the first time in Peter's life someone believed in him and had a vision that he could be someone great When we feel believed in, we feel loved The only thing that counts if faith expressing itself through love - Galatians 5:6 God looks at us for what we will become - Jeremiah 29:11 Viewing our day to day struggles and failures as their growth process on the way to becoming what God wants Peter was convinced of this It kept Peter coming back after his failures When Peter was asked if he wanted to leave, he said 'Lord, to whom shall we go?" - John 6:68-69 Think of all of Peter's heartbreaking failures....
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2011-06-01 - Excuses - Jeremiah Jeremiah Jeremiah 1:4-8
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2011-06-20 - Mind of Christ - Discipleship (part V) Christ’s encounters with people teach about discipleship Jesus loved God with an unrivaled love
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2011-07-19 - Mind of Christ - About Self (part V) Christ’s example of self denial: A. He emptied himself ~ Philippines 2:5-11 B. He inconvenienced himself
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2011-07-26 - Mind of Christ - Servant (part II) The nature of a servant A. He is emptied of self interest
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2011-07-31 - Mind of Christ - Servant, Washing Feet (part I) The washing of the disciples feet reveals many important truths about serving (John 13:1-17):
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2011-08-01 - Mind of Christ - Servant, Washing Feet (part II) The washing of the disciples feet was illustrative of Christ’s life and ministry
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2011-08-19 - Fearing God - No Darkness at All Note: The power when out when I was in the middle of this study God is holy not only from his creation but from sin Be holy, because I am holy - Leviticus 11:44-45 He is light and in him there is no darkness at all - 1 John 1:5 Not only is he the only one, God is totally pure. Isaiah 6 set both God's holiness and our show the only appropriate response to it When God's holiness, his transcendent majesty, and His moral purity.... Our reaction becomes a realization of our own insignificance Even though Isaiah was considered righteous man, his holiness suddenly became "unclean" - Isaiah 6:5 The word "unclean" is significant because it is what the leper must cry out when they walk around - Leviticus 13:34 Isiah saw his sinfulness as moral leprosy |
2011-10-03 - Genesis 3 - The Fall of Man SummaryThe serpent deceived the woman; she and Adam ate from the tree. Man blamed woman, woman blamed the serpent. The earth became cursed, and God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden. ObservationsGenesis 3:1 - Did God really say Personal ApplicationI need to be aware of Satan's tricks continuously. He does not want to be noticed. I need to pray and reflect on how I am living my life and find where Satan is getting me to deviate even a fraction of a degree. I need also examine my thought and find out they are out of line with God's Word. I will ask others what they see where I have taken a devour on God's narrow road. |
2011-10-16 - Genesis 16 - Ishmael is BornSummarySarai told Abram to have children with Hagar. Hagar conceived, then ran away, but an angel sent her back. Hagar's son was Ishmael. ObservationsGenesis 16:5 - You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering Personal ApplicationI know I have experience times where I think I am doing what God wants but it really comes from my impatience or my selfish desires to see things happens the way I want them and when I want them. I need to just be patient and ask "is this the Lord will?". |
2012-01-18 - Ministry - The Heart of Humility Matt. 18:4, Luke 14:10, James 4:10, Phil. 2:5,7-8 Have you ever made a goal in your life to become a humble person? Have you ever prayed consistently over a period of time for God to give you a humble heart? Jesus shocked the crowds following him that day when he declared for all men to change and become like little children or they would not enter the kingdom of heaven! Then he lifts up the quality of humility in a child's heart and commands his disciples to have this heart! The world teaches us that humility is soft, weak, passive, no convictions. Jesus was certainly not this! He was a man of convictions, fearless with the opposition, and pressed on resolutely about his goals! However, he washed the disciples feet, touched the leper, served the crowds, and obeyed the Father in everything. One of the real tests comes in serving. Jesus made himself nothing, became a servant, and humbled himself on the cross for us! Do people know me to be a serving person? How do I feel when I am serving-awesome? Do I serve only when I want to serve and what I want to do if it serves my interests?Jesus came to serve and not to be served! He came to give his life as a ransom for many! Whoever wants to be great among you must be your slave! Matt. 20:26-28 Questions:
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2012-03-08 - Blessings In Christ (part IV) Continue studying through the blessing of Jesus: 16. We have put on Christ - Galatians 3:27 17. We have eternal life - John 10:28 18. We have peace with God - John 14:27 19. We became a friend of God - John 15:15 20. We get in the Lamb's book of life - Revelation 21:27 |
2012-03-14 - Blessings In Christ (part X) Continue studying through the blessing of Jesus: 48. A promise given to be able to resist temptation - 1 Corinthians 10:13 49. We are made kings - Revelation 1:6 50. We became saints - 1 Corinthians 1:2 51. We have been delivered from the power of darkness - Colossians 1:12-13 52. Our hearts are unblamable - 1 Thessalonians 3:13 53. We get the power of a sound mind - 2 Timothy 1:7 |
2012-10-02 - Prayer of the Righeous - God is Crawling (part I) God humbled and dirtied himself just to search for one lost soul - you
Some feel distant from him because of our sin but God is desperately looking for us - Luke 15:8 |
2012-10-09 - Prayer of the Righeous - Arms Wide Open (part I) Wild Living of the Prodical Son Son became incredibly ungrateful toward his father - Luke 15:12-13 The sad situation became worse when be became greedy too - Wanted "his" part of the estate Consuming his thoughts and with no regard to what his father felt, he asked Amazingly, his father said yes From there the son wasted this money His life was full of sin - Luke 15:13,30 Then the economy collapsed and there was a severe famine - Luke 15:14 Life was so bad and he was so hungry, he became jealous of the pigs - Luke 15:15-16 The son was incredibly ashamed and reluctant to go home When he came to his senses, he remember his father and his generosity and kindness He thought as least as a servant, I would be better off than this - Luke 15:18-19 |
2013-04-16 - The Strength of Jesus (part I) Four instances of Jesus' first impressions:
Jesus draws men to him because of his power
Only a man of strength draws to him great masses of men
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2013-09-11 - Men Leave Childhood Behind We need to choose to let go of childishness and foolishness Clinging to childhood while growing into manhood is like trying to run in opposite directions at the same time aka the “Peter Pan Syndrome” Teen years are often wasted and fathers have become silent. Rather than initiating serious conversations with wiser men, they goof off with fools in sports bars Too many men want the freedoms, rewards, and privileges of manhood but only the responsibilities of boyhood Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ - Ephesians 4:14-15 Do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature - 1 Corinthians 14:20 The noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands - Isaiah 32:8 |
2013-11-30 - Holy Matrimony God alone designed the marvelous mystery of marriage. |
2013-12-01 - Love Your Wives Love our wives is actually more demanding than the task placed upon wives to “submit” to their husbands. The example God gives husbands to follow is simply the most courageous and sacrificial act ever done in all human history.
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2015-02-22 - Dependent Attitude Must we bring you water from this rock? - Numbers 20:10 Sometimes we say "I did the best I could" but instead, we should say "I should have called you sooner" An independent spirit often keeps us from doing our best Moses became a humble, obedient servant yet in a moment he lost everything that he had worked so hard to gain
His prideful self-reliance cost him the opportunity to lead them to the promised land. What would it mean for you to rely on God? |
2015-03-09 - Courage Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people - Joshua 1 God called Joshua to lead the people He struggled through fears but he became a great example of hom to make fear a nonissue Joshua did not start this way. How did Joshua get courage?
Recipe for courage: Joshua was determined to go where God called him to go and do what God called him to do When you combine God-given sense of purpose and a commitment to obedience, God willenale to defeat your enmied and give all he promised |
2015-03-15 - Generous Man Cornelius He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God - Acts 10:1-2 Cornelius was a busy captain of a Roman regiment and head of his family God honored Cornelius' generousity and Lord sent an angel - your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God - Acts 10:4 He became the first Gentile covert to Christ When you give generously to those in need, you put yourself in a position to receive good things from God |
2015-05-13 - Wise and Humble Leadership He had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall - 2 Chronicles 26:16 It takes a man of true humility to keep his feet on the ground over the long haul when he is given power and authority over others Uzziah, Judah's tenth king, was not such a man His long and sometimes distinguished reign came to an unfortunate end because of his arrogant thirst for power Uzziah expressed his arrogance by entering the sactuary though this job was reserved for his priest Had Uzziah remained humble, he might have become one of the nation's greatest kings - instead, he spent his later years shut away from people in a leper colony Do you understand your place in the big picture? |
2015-05-30 - Passion for God's Word He taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accurcy - Acts 18:25 Apollos loved to teach the Word of God in the synagogues His limitation was he did not fully understand the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection He finally received understanding from Aquila and Priscilla and from then on, Apollos cound not stop He moved to Corinth to be with Paul and some of the believers credited him with starting the church - 1 Corinthians 1 Apollos became a great teacher and preacher because he had the passion for God's Word that all men of God need |
2015-06-06 - Man of Hope Even when there was no hope, Abraham kept hoping of becoming a father of man nations - Romans 4:18 Hope - a sense of expectancy even when the circumstaces suggest packing it in and giving up At age 100 years Abraham still had no children Humanly speaking, Abraham had every reason to wonder if God had forgotten his promise Abraham remained convicted God would keep all his promises God blessed Abraham and his wife with a son - he became a father of many nations Those who trust in me will never be put to shaem - Isaiah 49:23 Has God given you an yet-to-be-fullfilled promise? Have you grown weary in waiting? |
2015-06-11 - Make the Most of It Publius' father was ill; Pual went in and prayed for him and laying hands on him, he was healed - Acts 28:7-8 Paul was in a place where he could have used some rest and relaxation He travel to Rome but became shiprecked at Malta - a beautiful place which remains a popular tourist destination today You would think Paul might have taken a break during this opportunity but his commitment motivated him to make best use every moment God gave thim Paul did the same thing he did on his previous missionary journeys:
Make the best use of every moment God gives you, whatever your situation |
2015-06-13 - Second Chances Naaman became angry and stalked away - 2 Kinds 5:11 Naaman had a serious infectious skin disease He went to Eliasha for healing and he said to go the Jordan and wash 7 times Naaman was disappointed and angry with this but his servants encouraged him to do as Elisha said He obeyed and was healed - God of Israel is a God of second changes Because of Naaman's eventual humble obedience, he was healed and later found salvation - 2 Kings 5:15-18 |
2015-07-03 - Righteous Anger Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple - John 2:15 Jesus became angry times when he saw authorities have a lack of love and true faith in his heavenly father He espcially got angry this time with the money changers who were greedy in their dealing with those pilgrims trying to purshase sacrificial animals Jesus always directed his anger at things that stood in the way of God's purposes for mankind Do you express your anger over the same kind of issues that angered Jesus? When you become angry, ask yourself:
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2015-07-05 - Bottomline Wisdom My final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 There is in hte heart of every man a God-shaped void Solomon had it all, but he eventually concluded that those things were not enough - which amounted to exactly nothing His life was empty Solomon asked God for wisdom and became the wisest man who ever lived Despite God's warnings, Solomon drifted from the Lord and turned to other gods Without God, life amounts to nothing but birth, lots of hard work, and death When you make Jesus Christ central to everything, even everyday events have meaning and significance |
2015-07-20 - Self-Fulfilling When Rehobam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the Lord - 2 Chronicles 12:1 There is a lot self-help books and programs teaching we can find fulfillment in our stength, mind, and soul True fulfillment and strength is found walking closely with God and humbly obeying his commands Rehoboam took a good look at all he had accomplished and becamse self-satisfied and abandoned God He crowded out God's place in his heart Rehoboam leading the way:
Rehoboam failed as a leader and as a man of God because he found strength and satisfaction in his own accomplishments |
2015-07-21 - Promoting Who? I will make myself king - 1 Kings 1:5 As his father David days were coming to an end, Adonijah tried to boast himself as kings instead of the oppointed successor, Solomon. Adonijah didn't hide his self ambition or shameless self-promotion He setup an event to perform animal sacrifices with royal officals but did not invite Solomon or Nathan Solomon quickly became king and then pardoned Adonijah as long as he was loyal to Solomon - 1 Kings 1:52-53 Adonijah couldn't let it go, he made a second attempt at the throne because of his stubbornness and self-protion, it cost him his life - 1 Kings 2:25
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2015-08-16 - Unintended Consequences Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah; it became a trap for Gideon and his family - Judges 8:27 Sometimes our best-intended actions have negative consequences Gideon had just led Israel in a rousing victory over Midian and they elected him ruler He said thanks, but no thanks - he knew not to take an office that had not appointed him to Gideon asked everyone to gather up the gold colleced from the Midianite enemies so that he could make an ephod to server as a memorial to God's goodness for defeat the Midianites Instead of remembering God, the Israelites began to worship it instead Gideon provided leadership during the time of war but failed to offer it at a time when the people needed spiritual guidance When you set out to do something you see as important, seek God and his approval before moving forward
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2015-09-10 - Take the Lead When King David heard what had happened, he was very angry - 2 Samuel 13:21 David was often a brilliant leader on the battlefield but he defaulted on his leadership at home His family became dysfunctional:
Don't default on your responsibility - as a father, you have the privilege of leading others toward godliness |
2015-09-12 - Get Into Action We decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there - Acts 16:10 In Acts 16, Luke's language changed from third person to first person as he took an active part of the ministry We decided to leave for Macedonia at once - Acts 16:11 Luke was not content to just sit back and observe other people's experiences of faith He became an integal part:
Christian growthis throwing yourself into the work of the KIngdom |
2015-09-14 - Maintain Your Guard He became drunk and lay naked inside his tent - Genesis 9:21 Noah, despite being the only righteous man, failed to keep his guard up - Genesis 6:9 After a glass of wine or so became drunk and passed out in his tent Ham saw him naked and commited some unexplained sin - Genesis 9:22 Noah pronouned a curse on Ham's son that had repercussions for thousands of years Noah let his guard down for only a moment but his sin led to dire consequences for his family
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2015-09-18 - God's Kindness Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him and he became proud - 2 Chronicles 32:24-25 Bible calls Hezekiah a godly king - he didn't make good use of an amazing gift God had given him He received 15 years additonal life - 2 Kings 20 Hezekiah forgot to be a good steward of what had given him and became proud by showing off his treasure of house and armory - 2 Kings 20:13 God warned him that the same Babylonian nation that send the treasure would destroy it - 2 KIngs 20:14 |
2015-09-23 - Change in Plans God changed his mind and did not carry out the destructionhe had threatened - Jonah 3:10 Jonah disliked God's command to warn Nineveh of its coming destruction and became angry with God for sparing the city after the Ninevites heard Jonah's preaching and repented I knew you were a merciful and compassionate God; you are eager to turn back from destroying people - Jonah 4:2 Jonah hated the Ninevties and wanted them killed because he saw them as a treat to his people God's deviated from Jonah's perfect plan Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city? - Jonah 4:11 Jonah was God's servant, not his advisor You will be more happy and peaceful when you simply do what God tells you to do and leave the results to him |
2015-09-26 - In It Together Then they stood on each side of Moses holding up his hands until sunset - Exodus 17:12 Moses' part of the battle was to provide spiritual support for his army The hold up his staff represented Israel's dependence on God:
Israel ran into problems when Moses became tired Quick thinking from Aaron and Hur - held his hands up The problem was solved through cooperation |
2015-12-20 - Speak Up Absalom never spoke to Amnon about this - 2 Samuel 13:22 Absalom showed what happens when the lines of communication between two people break down He had every right to feel angry about Amnon rapping his sister What went wrong is his refusing to talk about it and making no effort to try to resolve the situation - Amnon felt sorry for what he had done Absalom's anger grew deep inside until it became implacable hatred He waited for the right opportunity to order his servants to kill Amnon - 2 Samuel 13:28 Absalom paid a heavy price for his failure to resolve his conflict openly and peacefully
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2016-11-06 - Genesis 26 - Issac (part II)SummaryIsaac dug wells, and at Beersheba the LORD blessed him. ObservationsGenesis 26:14 - Harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him Genesis 26:22 - Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it
Genesis 26:28 - We can plainly see that the Lord is with you
ApplicationWhen we see God's blessings, it is an opportunity to share with others with what God has given to us PrayerPlease help me to see my many blessings and share with others freely |
2016-11-16 - Genesis 27 - Jacob Steals Esau's BlessingSummaryRebekah and Jacob tricked Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing. Esau vowed revenge so Rebekah told Jacob to go to her brother Laban. ObservationsGenesis 27:12 - What if my father touches me... he'll curse me instead of bless me
Genesis 27:20-24 - How did you find it so quickly?... Come closer so I can touch you and make sure that you are really Esau... But are you really my son Esau?
ApplicationHow am I implementing God plan via his promises? My own way or in God's timing? PrayerLord, I want to be obedient and hunble to your plan and in your own way and your own timing. |
2018-03-30 - The Orginality of Jesus No one in Jesus' day raise the question of whether he was original or not No personality like that of Jesus had ever been encased in flesh before Jesus began by reading a scripture in Isaiah that others had read but they did not understand it meaning Religion is partly ceremony and partly ethics Jesus emphased mercy instead of sacrifice Accent in his teaching was full of assurance, certainty and authority He never hesitated, speculated, or showed any indication of a wavering mind - I tell you the truth Jesus was the complete man He was differernt from all other men that had ever been and he said so |
2018-04-06 - The Narrowness of Jesus - Focus (part III) We try to give to many causes and the result is we have little joy in our giving Not only was Jesus joyful but he was mighty He stayed in Palestine and kept his heart close to a few chosen hearts - became increasingly influential He made himself mighty by limiting himself The difference between a mighty river and a swap is the river has banks (boundries) What is success? It is to do the thing we were created to do He was only 33 years old - yet he did the greatest piece of work ever accoumplished on the earth The "fine" in fine arts is the because of the limitations which they impose |