2010-08-02 - Desire's Journey - Keeping Heart (part 3) Not all the truths help us descend with the mind into the heart We have dissected God, man, and gospel thousands of times - all facts It is not that these insights aren't true, but knowing facts will not help feel closer to God How do you get to know a person? Through stories We should stop approaching the Bible looking just for tips and techniques We are bombarded by thousands of messages each day, every on of them urgent Must reduce the constant noise - turn off the TV Even the news is a problem because of its artificial importance Every night there is an urgent story (to sell more news) but nothing is |
2010-08-05 - Waking Dead - Arm Yourselves (part 2) God intends for you to have eternal life When someone gets married, it isn't just a marriage to help them in retirement but their whole lives I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living - Psalms 27:13 No one who has left everything will fail to receive many times as much in this age, in the age to come, eternal life - Luke 18:29-30 Jesus talks about a life available to us in this age Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come - 1 Timothy 4:8 When we hear eternal life, most think a life that waits for in eternity But eternal means "unending" not "later" Eternal life can start now Jesus was raised from the dead, now we also may live new lives - Romans 6:4 Coming fully alive is what he was committed to What a different it would make if we really knew that our lives and God's glory were bound together Things would start looking up |
2010-08-09 - Waking Dead - The Heart's Eyes Do not lose heart, fix our eyes on what is unseen - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 We are losing heart, all of us, daily Someone was trying to shutdown Paul during his ministry - 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Life is an illustion - there is a way of looking at life and be able to live from the heart no matter what Jesus spoke in parables to our hearts:
Jesus spoke in a way that will get past all intellectual defenses When you tell a story, you speak to the heart |
2010-09-06 - Waking Dead - Deep Restoration (part 3) Chris came not only to pardon us but to heal us Jesus can and wants to heal your heart. What does that rouse in you?
The heart is God's dwelling place If you ignore your heart, it is like looking for him everywhere but at home It might be a surprise to you that Christ ask our permission to come in and heal Behold, I stand at the door and knock - Revelation 3:20 He does not force his way in There are sometimes rooms we have kept locked up We must give him permission to come in there - ask Jesus for your whole heart back |
2010-11-07 - Hunger for Christ Preached by Mike Gross Nearly 1 Billion people in the world do not get enough food 25,000 die every day because of starvation Are you hungry? John 6:22-28
Mark 4:18-19
John 6:28-40
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2010-12-11 - Seeking God (part I) What are you looking for in life? Acts 17:16-28
Jeremiah 29:11-14
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2011-01-01 - Discipleship (part I) Acts 11:25-26
Mark 1:16-20
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2011-01-25 - Followup - The New Testament Church (part II) A picture of the New Testament Church (continued) 4. Giving
Work
That God may be glorified in His church - Ephesians 3:21 |
2011-01-27 - Followup - Prayer (part II) Key to Effective Prayer
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2011-02-15 - Sin and Repentance - Kansas City (part II) Definition of Sin
Sins of Omission
Sin of Commission
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2011-02-26 - Counting the Cost (part II) Matthew 7:21-23
Acts 2:22-24
Romans 10:9-10
Who would you like to be there? Let's meet 30 early so we can pray together |
2011-05-22 - Righteousness not easy but valuable Righteousness not easy but valuable 2 Timothy 4:16-17
God values righteousness over the sacrifice of
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2011-08-02 - Daughter Needs - Stumbling or Building block? Are we a stumbling or building block for our daughter? Men have been looking out for number one at rates that are alarming 61.7% live with their biological father 82.4% live with their dad in 1960 Realize that God does measure success based on the world's standards God calls us to raise our daughters int he nurture and admonition of the Lord - Ephesians 6:4 Then our daughters will give us peace and delight to our souls - Proverbs 29:17 Our role in our daughter's life will shape the idea of her husband and view of the heavenly Father We have no excuse to be satisfied with mediocrity Consider the 6 stumbling block fathers... |
2011-09-04 - Fearing God - Going Deep (part II) Our attitude is the most important thing when it comes to Bible study We need a Teachable spirit Avoid becoming like the Jew who Jesus said to stop thinking you gain eternal life from just reading the scriptures - John 5:39-40 We need a Spirit of dependence Proverbs 2 - We should call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding God has hidden things from the "wise" and revealed them to children Childlike simplicity and humility go hand-in-hand with teachable spirit Self-opinionated are neither dependent nor teachable We need to be diligent Proverbs 2 describes this attitude:
Digging is labor intensive |
2011-09-12 - Followup: Purity (part I) Our society exalts sexual immorality, and it’s raging out of control. Teenagers have hormones that are newly active and they can let them rage out of control. Singles are looking for love in all the wrong places. Marriages are ending in divorce more now than ever before even though more people claim to be Christians. God has made it clear that he wants us all to let the natural sexual desires remain dormant until they can be expressed within the marriage relationship. In the Bible the term “purity” is most often referring to sexual purity, but it also is used to refer to being free from contamination by worldliness in general. Contaminated water is undrinkable, just as a contaminated heart is unacceptable to God. Question: Have you ever had food poisoning? What happens?
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2011-09-26 - Proverbs on Advice - Seek Help Proverbs 15:22 - Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War.
Proverbs 11:14 - For lack of guidance a nation falls but many advisers make victory sure. In the life of a disciple we need eyes all around us (we are in a spiritual battle, not against flesh and blood but against the dark forces of this world).
Five lessons to learn about advice... 1. Seek Advice Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death Proverbs 18:15 - The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, the ears of the wise seek it out If we were going to buy a car for the 1st time, most of us would seek a lot of advice.
If we need help in other areas (that’s good) surely our spiritual life is more important because it has an eternal destination (good or bad)
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2011-09-30 - Proverbs on Laziness (part II) How do I overcome being lazy (How do I become disciplined)? 1. Carpe Diem = Seize the Day We are only given a certain amount of time in a day (and on earth)
Being disciplined is about the little things in life.
One thing that can hurt your discipline is if you over commit
Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything
Tips
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2011-10-18 - Genesis 18 - Abraham prays for SodomSummaryThree visitors came and said that Sarah would have a son next year. Sodom was very evil; Abraham pleaded with the LORD for the city. ObservationsGenesis 18:14 - Is anything too hard for the LORD? Personal ApplicationI doubt God way too much (once is too much )and I do probably everyday - I am doing it right now. God is god, he can do anything. Yes, even that. I have got to stop making God smaller in my mind. Every time that I think I have an understanding how big and strong he is - God is beyond that. He greater than I can imagine. |
2011-11-23 - God (part I) Though it sounds so simple, understanding the true nature of God can be very challenging. Many of us were raised with false perceptions of God – inappropriate and incomplete. Unfortunately, those views caused us to act in certain ways, most of which were ungodly. In this study we will learn a few of the problems connected with false views about God and how to make sure we know the real God. God has been misrepresented
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2012-01-02 - Day 30 - Joined Together in Love Psalms 133:1-3 - What is unity and why is it so important to have it in the church? Ephesians 4:1-3
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2012-01-16 - Ministry - Faith: The Generator of Miracles Mark 6:1-6; Mark 9:14-25; II Kings 20:1-11 Sometimes we think that miracles ended when the Bible was finished. Or if they do occur today, they happen to other people. Our faith becomes limited to what we can accomplish instead of what God can do through us. The call of the disciple is to believe the unbelievable. To live on the edge. To dream where there are no dreamers left. God is unlimited in what he can do. Often times he does do miracles but because we are not looking through the eyes of faith, we cannot see them occur. We learn from the Scriptures above that miracles will only occur where faith is present. We have to confront the unbelief in our lives and battle against past faithlessness. We cannot let past sin or discouragement set low expectations or low beliefs in our lives. God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. Questions:
What miracles do you choose to believe God will do in your life or others lives? Dream big! Write down something you will pray to see God do this year. |
2012-01-29 - Ministry - The Reaper's Heart John 4:31-38 Jesus gets satisfaction by doing the Father's will and by finishing his work. Wow. Often we can see the work of the ministry as toil and drudgery. Jesus derived joy and fulfillment from changing lives. The disciples saw the harvest of crops four months in to the future. Jesus saw the harvest of souls as always being ripe. We do not have to wait for the harvest of souls. It is always ripe and always ready. Are the reapers ready for it? The reaper is looking for a crop to reap. Sometimes we can fall into the trap of deciding we will be fruitful at a later date. The harvest will not wait. Someone is going to reap souls. Write down the names of five people whom you could help become a Christian. Have faith as you write the list. It takes work to reap a harvest. Are you prepared to do the work that it will take? |
2012-01-30 - Ministry - Christianity or Christ? John 6:25-40 Jesus explains to the hungry crowds that their minds should be set on spiritual fulfillment, not on physical fulfillment. The bread that they are looking for is not a loaf of bread or even the manna that Moses' generation ate. The bread they needed was the bread from heaven: the Son of God. Having a relationship with Jesus is what will satisfy. Believing in him is what will change our lives. It is not Christianity but Christ. We chase spiritual fads, deep, theological issues, when all the Jesus wants is for us to be deeply dependent on him. This requires a radical change in how we have learned to exist. Some of us get burned out being Christians because having faith in God is not our focus. We spend a lot of time trying to do things and not time having a real relationship with "Christ who is our life." Questions/Followup:
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2012-02-21 - Fear of Failure - God is Able, Part 1 by Del & Daurence Johnson - Region Leaders: San Francisco Church of Christ When I think about how many times that I have blown it or dropped important balls, it can be very depressing. So often I feel inadequate, incapable and fearful. This has made me prideful and unopen. Failure is never fatal when we have our eyes on God and not on our mistakes. God is perfect, I am not. God is pure, I am full of sin. God is righteous, I am jaded. Why not base our level of success on God and who he is rather than ourselves? 1) God is able to keep you from falling. Jude 24 When failure seems inevitable, it's probably because you are not looking to God. God wants us to learn from our experiences, not be perfect. 2) God is able to save completely. Hebrews 7:25 As I look at the sin in my life and how I keep repeating it, it can discourage me from believing I can be pleasing to God. This is why we need forgiveness. He is able to save completely. He can and will get me through. My challenge is to never quit on God or myself. 3) God is able to guard what you have entrusted to him. 2 Timothy 1:12 When we sacrifice day after day and year after year, we are investing ourselves in heavenly treasures. As Special Missions contribution quickly approaches again, we will have to reinvest ourselves into God's dream again. God is protecting and always will protect our lives and our dreams. He is faithful. Decisions:
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2012-02-23 - Fear of Failure - God Always Sees the Humble Heart by Gene Kim - Ministry Intern: San Francisco Church of Christ 1 Kings 21 Ahab really wanted Naboth's vineyard, and so he was willing to do anything to get it. He kept on sinning until he got the vineyard - discouragement, self-pity, anger, and eventually murder. There are "vineyards" in everyone's lives nowadays, jobs, relationships, or successes. Ahab was so consumed with what he wanted that his marriage was ungodly. I see how I don't lead my wife because I get consumed with my job and success, and my relationship with God goes the same way as my marriage. I get so guilty that I lose confidence in how God can use my life. What encourages me about this scripture is how God uses people to confront others with the truth and how He is hoping for people to humble themselves and turn back to Him. Ahab was described as a man who "sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord" (v. 25). Elijah warned Ahab of the impending disaster because of his sin. Ahab took God's warning seriously and humbled himself before God, and the Lord noticed and blessed him! I can feel at times that I have messed up so much that God would never believe in me again, and yet God is merely looking for a heart that is humble, broken, and grateful. He hopes that I would have the courage to see my sin. God notices and moves on behalf of a humble heart! |
2012-03-18 - Renewing of your Mind (part I) Romans 12:1-2 - renewing of your mind Satan is the Father of lies - John 8 Love the checklist - but it is a matter of belief Don't follow because we don't believe We learn from the past how we did not follow, but it is much better to learn in the present with His Word A lie may contain some truth or can by applied in some - Satan can use scripture too Looking back my actions make no sense / or why i struggled? 3 failures and a struggle 1. Hiding the cookies - Matthew 6:25-27 |
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 |
2015-02-27 - Powerful Testimony He jumped up, stood on his feet and began to walk - Acts 3:7-8 That is the power of a transformed life This man was not looking for a miracle The apostles had no money to give him but they did not leave him empty handed Get up your mat and walk and he took off running and leaped and praise God Thousands likely turned to Jesus Christ from the personal testimony of one man - Acts 4:4 A changed life is a powerful testimony to the reality of the gospel You may not feel qualified to a large crowd about Bible doctrine or deep theology but can certainly testify to what God is doing in your life |
2015-03-31 - Eyes Have It I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman - Job 31:1 Sexual temptation burns many men simply because they are careless Job took some time for self-examination He knew that
Those who have no interest in pleasing the Lord will say, "Hey, there's no harm in looking" but the man commited to God knows better Job's advice if you want to keep your body and mind pure: Don't even look
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2015-07-23 - True Satisfaction You still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! - John 14:8-9 There are many reason why people don't find satisfaction because don't alway know what they are looking for Philip spent 3+ years follwoing Jesus and his feelow disciple Nathanael to him and still felt dissatisfied He firmly believed Jesus was the long awaited Messiah but it had not fully sunk in that He was truely God in the flesh Philip was looking for the Father to be satisfied, where do you look find satisfaction? |
2015-09-16 - Foresightful Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead - Philippians 3:13 God promises to bless you when you focus on what he calls you to do today and in the future Paul remembered the past and the lessons he had learned from it He often refered to his past but he didn't live there Paul looked forward to things God had for him - namely finishing the race of faith God has a wonderful plan for your future Don't focus so much on where you've been that you lose sight of where you are headed |
2017-01-21 - The Character of Jesus (part I) The character of Jesus sums the qualities Jesus that distinguishes from other men We are rightly prepared to listen to Jesus when we know something of what Jesus is The Scientific Method - no scientist can be begin his work unless he is put in possession of definte and contrete facts In this course, we will look at defintite and clean-cut facts
Not only is this is the scientific method, it is the New Testament method Jesus desires men to come to the truth which he is to give to the world by a knowledge of his character Whom are you looking for? ... Come and see - John 1:39
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