2010-01-18 - Kingdom First - Giving in Secret Giving should be done without even our closest friends and family knowing - Matthew 6:1-4 God blesses are many time unknown or unseen to many people He gives because he wants to Are you content when no one sees your sacrifice? Do you give without wanting anything in return? Jesus' life was full of sacrifical giving and he expects us to do likewise
God loves a cheerful giver - 2 Corinthians 9:7 |
2010-03-08 - To Live is Christ - Progress and Joy Paul was torn - Philippians 1:22-26 He rejoiced to be able to encourage the Philippian disciples Death brought him face to face he loved He realized that he had more laps to run and did not want to coast - but to run with all his might Paul has no desire simply to remain with the disciples - want to continue with them Greek for "Continue" = to wait beside a person to be ready to help and help all the time For Paul to live was Christ and to give himself to others for their spiritual progress and deep joy Whatever the cost, he would be there for them:
|
2010-03-10 - To Live is Christ - Having the Same Love Paul wanted to remind the Philippians of the blessings of their relationship with Jesus - Philippians 2:1-4 By this all men will know we are Jesus' disciple by our love - John 13:35 "Sharing in the common life" ws his heartfelt vision for them He applealed to them to be one to initiate this kind of love It is not natural to love this way Will we trust the message he lived and taught? |
2010-04-26 - Heart of Friendship (part 2) Friendship in Christ Galatians 3:26-29
Friendship like Christ John 13:34-35 - You must love one another like Christ (even when you do not want to) Matthew 26:50 - First word Jesus said to Judas as he was betraying him was "Friend, ..." Revelation 3:19 - Jesus corrected those he loved (We must correct those we love) Friendship for Christ Ephesians 5:21
Friendship through Christ Philippians 4:13 - We can do anything with our friend, Jesus Christ |
2010-05-17 - Desire's Journey - The Beast Within Years of living in an indifferent hostile world creates a deep sense of unsettledness with in us Battle of good and evil within us - Romans 7:20-23 Sinful desires are contrary to the Spirit They conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want - Galatians 5:17 There is a nagging awareness warning us not to feel our hunger too deeply or it will undo us We wouldn't want to do anything crazy or desperate We want what our unmet desire wants but our sinful nature wants what is contrary We try everything - TV, sex, relationships, drugs, etc - going one to another We don't know what we want because we're so unacquaninted with our desire We try to keep a safe distance between our daily lives and our heart's desire - because it causes us too much trouble Do we really want to open Pandora's box? Dare we awaken our hears to their true desires? Is it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all? Our dilemma is this: we can't seem to live with desire, and we can't live without it |
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 |
2010-07-05 - Desire's Journey - The Grand Affair (part 2) As a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert - Jeremiah 2:2-3 If you're writing a romanc, love is the goal - you must allow for the possiblity of betrayal Hebrews thought God would be satisfied with some religious rituals and rule keeping You said, "I will not serve you!" - Jeremiah 2:20 True love never fails I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her - Hosea 2:14
|
2010-08-18 - Waking Dead - Point of all Living Everything you love is what makes a life worth living Action: Set down the book and make a list of all the things you love
Jesus was asked what was most important He boiled it down to loving God and loving others - everything else will fall into place The heart is the connecting point; can not love without it If we can truly love, be loved, and never lose love - we would be finally truly happy If we worship efficiency, we can not grow in our love Some try to master all sort of principles and and never know God intimately, heart to heart. If do all sorts of Christian things without knowing God, he will say "I never knew you" - Matthew 7:22-23 The point is not the activity but intimacy with God Taking a course on anatomy won't help you love you spouse Taking a religion class will not help you love God You will find God when you seek him with all of your heart - Jeremiah 29:13 |
2010-09-14 - I Am Willing Preached by Dan Rice on 2002-09-15 Matthew 8:1-3
Could you love if you they do not love you? Jesus was!! Love the Unloved Matthew 20:29-34
Matthew 5:43-48
Matthew 15:29-31
|
2010-10-10 - Contagious Christian - Pull of Compassion Caring for the tangible needs of others is at the core of Christianity Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless - look at orphans and widows in their distress - James 1:27 Compassion is echoed throughout the Bible:
Clear and consistent demonstration of Christ-like love is a powerful magnet that pulls people toward Him Not about who you are or what you did It is about how you care, being a neighbor - Luke 10:36-37 In Luke 10 - when the wounded man awoke, he must have wondered, "Who did this? Why would they do help me in such a great way?" It is when people start asking, "Why didn't he not turn away like everyone else?" As I have loved you, so you must love one another - John 13:34-35 All men will know that you are my disciples |
2010-10-29 - Contagious Christian - Opportunities in Relationships Developing friendships takes time and effort We try to short-circuit the process sometimes by using the reason of there are too many people to reach We are wise to start relationships on a natural, nonthreatening grounds Then later, in the context of the relationship open up conversations to spiritual issues Most of His interactions with the religious establishment involved challenging their attitudes Jesus spent the majority of His time with those outside the religious establishment He rubbed shoulders with tax collectors (thieves in that day), prostitutes, those with low spiritual reprobates Because they mattered to Him and He wanted to lead them to the family of God We love Him because He loved us first Paul - "I have become all things to all men so I might same some" - 1 Corinthians 9:22 |
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....
|
2010-12-06 - Mission - John's Walk with Jesus What disciples does not like the apostle John, the "apostle of love"? Not everyone
John stayed close to Jesus - Luke 9:28 He would never quit Jesus - Mark 14:32-34 John loved Jesus until the end - John 19:25-27 John changed:
How is our walk with Jesus? Do we focus our energy on our walk with Jesus? Only after walking with Jesus, can we change into the disciple Jesus' wants us to be |
2010-12-10 - Mission - With You Always One of the last things Jesus said to assure his disciples, I am with you always - Matthew 28:20 Same message given to those who were:
Do you want to share because you will asked about it or because He will be with you? If we could truely grasp the significance of Jesus being with you - radically change the face of evangelism We are commanded to preach whether we want to or not - 1 Corinthians 9:17 Jesus reminded Paul that He was with him and that is all Paul needed When we find ourselves timid, we need to remind ourselves who is with us |
2011-01-03 - Discipleship (part III) John 13:34-35
Matthew 28:18-20
Mark 10:28-31
|
2011-01-28 - Followup - Relationships in the Body John 13:34
1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, 11-12 - Like a mother, gentle, caring or a father, encouraging, comforting, urging. 1 John 3:16
|
2011-02-17 - Cross of Christ - Kansas City (part I) Purpose: Understand how the Bible explains what Jesus went through before/during and after the cross Painful betrayal of a friend Matthew 26:14-30
Matthew 26:31-35
|
2011-02-20 - Cross of Christ - Kansas City (part IV) Pain of Bearing our Sin 1 Peter 2:19-25
2 Corinthians 7:8-13
|
2011-03-02 - Jesus was Human (part II) Examples of Jesus having characteristics of humans:
|
2011-05-01 - Names of the Believers (part I) Starting the study of the names of believers:
|
2011-06-20 - Mind of Christ - Discipleship (part V) Christ’s encounters with people teach about discipleship Jesus loved God with an unrivaled love
|
2011-06-23 - Mind of Christ - Obedience (part III) The motivation for Jesus’ obedience was in his relationship with God He obeyed God because he loved God
|
2011-06-24 - Mind of Christ - Obedience (part IV) He obeyed God because he wanted to please God more than he wanted to please himself (continued)
|
2011-07-01 - Mind of Christ - Relationship with God (part II) 3. Jesus was one with His Father in His deeds
|
2011-07-07 - Mind of Christ - Heavenly Mission (part II) Jesus employed at least five elements to accomplish this mission: 1. He gave himself totally to its fulfillment.
|
2011-07-14 - Mind of Christ - Heavenly Mission (part IX) We must employ at least five elements to accomplish this mission (continued): 3. We must keep our minds fixed on this objective:
As with Jesus, so with us. “Christ’s mission is the only reason for our being on earth; were it not for that, He would take us away” ~ Andrew Murray “A Like Christ” |
2011-08-09 - Daughter Needs - All-Male Dad (part II) Lots priority:
There is a high cost to be paid when dad treats his daughter as 3rd rate They are prime targets for a smooth talking guy who offers some sense of male love Our daughters deserve 1st rate love Don't leave them to figure out what it will cost to be loved by a man Give them lots and lots of love, attention and time |
2011-10-02 - Genesis 2 - Creation & Recreation Recap SummaryGod formed a man and gave him the garden in Eden, except for the tree of knowledge. Adam was alone so God made a woman as his partner. ObservationsGenesis 2:7 - from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life Personal ApplicationMany times I look for ways on how to automate work (it is part of the work I do as part of my career) but sometimes lose sight that work is what I am suppose to be doing. When automating tasks, I need to make sure I am using my additional time to do even more useful things that God has called me to do. |
2011-11-24 - God (part II) God is a powerful God
|
2011-11-25 - Grace (part I) Sometimes, one of the most difficult truths to understand as a young disciple is grace. So much confusion exist in the religious world on this topic so it is critical that you have a correct, Biblical understanding of the this powerful truth. Obviously, God wants us to thoroughly enjoy the grace He has given us and will continue to give us as disciples. However, we must feel a responsibility to live for Him in response to His grace. Grace allowed you to be spared when you weren’t pursuing God
|
2011-12-10 - Day 7 - The Family of God Mark 3:31-33
Who are some people in your ministry that can become like spiritual "fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters" in your life? Application: This week schedule time to spend with two Christians that you have not spent time with before. |
2011-12-25 - Day 22 - Giving Living ~John 13:1-17
|
2012-01-28 - Ministry - Compromise or Conviction? John 6: 60-69; Luke 9: 57-62; Luke 14:25-33;Matt. 18:5-9 How many times do we face the decision to compromise our faith just to win the approval of people around us or to be so desperately accepted? We know we should be strong, we know we should have deep convictions and take a stand for God, but we give into the peer pressure at school, work, and the people-pleasing non-conflict avoiding sinful nature inside all of us! We want to be liked! We want to avoid confrontation, conflict, and courageously calling others out of sin! Jesus loved God and others so much he was willing to tell the truth no matter how it made someone feel! He preached what people needed to hear and not what they wanted to hear! He laid out the hard teachings with convictions not with apologies! Even when disciples decided to leave and no longer follow him, he did not compromise the truth! He let them leave and challenged others,"do you want to leave to?" Are you ready to die to compromise? What are the areas where you compromise your faith? Identify two areas that you consistently compromise in either at work, home or on campus? How often do you compromise? Share with your spouse, friends or d-group what you give-in to and your desire to want to change. |
2012-02-08 - Ministry - One Thing Mark 10:17-22 Can you imagine having a little one on one time with Jesus? What do you think you would ask? What would he say? If Jesus was to challenge you on something in your life, what do you think it would be? He did have a similar conversation with a rich man in Mark 10:17-22 and the rich man asked a pretty important question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus responds with emphasizing obedience to the commands, and the rich man insists that he has been obedient to those Jesus spoke of. Then Jesus tells him, "one thing you still lack," he said, "go sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." So, what was the rich man missing? What did he still lack? Was it a love for the poor? Was he not sacrificial enough? Was it that he loved money too much? I think he was simply ungrateful. Study out the following passages and see for yourself if it something that Jesus might have to talk with you about in your one on one time today!
|
2012-02-29 - Fear of Failure - Mistakes Build Character by Kristi Henry - Ministry Intern: San Francisco Church of Christ Matt. 16:21-23, Matt. 26:31-35 Peter loved Jesus, he received some stinging rebukes from him. Imagine a firend saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." I would probably start crying or get prideful and mad. I don't like to look bad. Peter was always getting exposed! I know I have made many mistakes as a disciple: I have given bad advice, hurt people, lied to look good, not been open about sin, and destroyed relationships. I have had a lot of failures, challenges and struggles. I need to follow Peter. He grew and learned from the sin and mistakes he made. Peter never gave up. Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, not on himself and because of that was able to change and grow by accepting the teaching. When I look at Peter I see a man that Jesus loved, believed in, and knew would be a powerful leader in his church. I can decide to be like Peter and persevere through challenges, discipling, and rebukes. I can decide to fix my eyes on Jesus and not on myself. I can believe that God has plans for me to do great things for his church and never give up. Decide today to:
|
2012-03-07 - Blessings In Christ (part III) Continue studying through the blessing of Jesus: 11. We are reconciled to God - Romans 5:10 12. We are Sanctified - 1 Corinthians 6:11 13. We are accepted in the Beloved - Ephesians 1:6 14. We are Baptized into the body of Christ - 1 Corinthians 12:13 15. We are buried with him - Romans 6:4 |
2012-08-02 - Genesis 21 - The Birth of IsaacSummaryAs promised, Sarah had a son: Isaac. She had Hagar and Ishmael sent away but God preserved them. Abraham and Abimelech made a treaty. ObservationsGenesis 21:1 - The LORD visited Sarah just as he had said he would and did for Sarah what he had promised Personal ApplicationI need to unmoved by the changing seas around me. I go all over the place on where I stand on giving to others without resolve. Need to be consistent as I faithfully follow the Lord. |
2013-06-26 - Why we need men of resolution (part III) Fathers are to reveal and represent God All fatherhood comes from Him (Ephesians 3:14–15). Should be able to see these qualities of God:
The word father means “founder, source, chief, or leader.” Godhead described, it is always God the Father first, then the Son, then the Holy Spirit. Want to know what God is like? then just look at Jesus. Are representing your heavenly Father? Thist is your priceless purpose.
Great homes don’t just happen, need to be intentionally cultivated and guarded. Let truth, love, and wise discipline become constant ingredients of fathering. |
2013-11-08 - Teach Them to Serve When Jesus loved people, He identified their needs and then served them. |
2014-03-04 - Heart to Heart time with our kids Fathers, start spending more “heart to heart” time ATTENTION Get their attention, ask important questions like:
Make a little one-on-one time with Dad AFFIRMATION Kids, as well as adults, want the approval and praise from their dads They want their father’s "blessing” in their lives. God: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased” - Mark 1:11 It is important that you communicate to them, “You are my son (daughter) and I dearly love you. I am very pleased with you.” Anytime you greet them or talk to them, your countenance, the look in your eyes, and your tone of voice either says, “You are a delight to me” or “You are an irritation to me.” You should praise them privately, one-on-one, and publicly in front of others. “That is awesome! You are really good at that,” needs to come from your lips as their biggest cheerleader. Regardless of your past, step up to do this now! AFFECTION Father pours out His unconditional love on us (Romans 5:5), and so should we to our sons and daughters. Interact with them in ways that make them fully see, hear, and feel your love. not only the discipline of a father but also his warm affection and tender love. Boys who feel loved by their dads are bolder, stronger, kinder to others, and more secure Girls who feel valued by their dads are more radiant, less desperate for a boyfriend, and more careful whom they marry. So invest in them, take them places, flood them with tender affection, leaving no question in their minds about your genuine love for them. |
2015-02-14 - Praise Your Wife My darling, you are as beatiful as Jerusalem - Song of Solomon 6:4 Solomon understood the value of speaking passionately to his beloved His words overflows with love, affection, intimacy, and passion It models the kind of inimate coomunication you can enjoy with your wife The words should be personal and thoughtful - take the lead! How do you rate the passion and fun in your marriage?
|
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
|
2015-02-25 - Savior's Love The disciple Jesus loved - John 13:23 He referred to himself as "the disciple Jesus loved" John understood Jesus' love for him was God's love He probably had the most acute awareness of his Master's love John found the motivation and empowerment to do courageous and selfless things in Christ's name through love He had no doubts of the savior's love - John freely gave and served Does your family and friends know beyond all doubt that you love them? |
2015-03-04 - Love Like a Man Love your wives like Christ loves the church - Ephesians 5:25-26 God created man to look after his wife, to love her perfectly Love as Jesus loved! Want to know how to love?
Jesus is our perfect example of love in action |
2015-03-25 - Hope Jeremiah: Great is his faithfullness and his mercies begin afresh each morning - Lamentations 3:22-24 He surveyed th ruins of the once great city of Jerusalem Jeremiah saw death and destruction all around and felt a pain we can only imagine He found it within himslef to speak to his one Source of hope Jeremaih recognized God had granted him life and could hope for better things from the hand of his heavenly Father Where do you place your hope when you or loved ones encounter pain and difficulty? |
2015-04-03 - God's Intervention Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands - 1 Samuel 25:33 David found himself on the verge of comming a terrible sin because of human anger:
Nabal's wife, Abigail, kept David from commiting a terrible sin She did not defend her terrible husband but reminded David that killing Nabal would be a grave sin against God - 1 Samuel 25 God has given you ears to hear what your loved ones have to say to you |
2015-04-13 - True Friend Jonathan loved David as he loved himself - 1 Samuel 20:17 God appointed David as Saul's successor This made King Saul jealous and he made serveral attempts on David's life Jonathon stood up for his friend David - warning and encourging him whenever his father sought to harm David Jonathan would normally had ascended to the throne after his father's death How was it possible that Jonathan, who should have been the most mad about the appointment of David, was the one who helped his replacement? Jonathan loved David as he loved himself - he sacrificed himself for his friend Do you have a friend like Jonathan? Are you a friend like Jonathan? Who is a good candidate for a Jonathan-David friendship? What would it take for you to develop such a relationship? |
2015-04-26 - Delegation Why are you trying to do all this alone? - Exodus 18:14 A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Nobody lives long enough to make them all himself. Moses filled hs plate to overflowing - working from dawn to dusk This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself - Exodus 18:17-18 Jethro's advice: Slow down and let someone who feared and loved God do a part of the work As a priest of Midian and successful businessman, Jethro had a lot of wisdom to share Your mistakes can be put to good use by encouraging others to not repeat them |
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 |
2015-06-15 - Motives Matter Motives can be everything The Bible insists that God sees not just what we do but also why we do it Example: Balaam spoke blessings on the Isreal three times but he was denounced in scripture as an evil man Joshua tells us that the only reason Balaam didn't curse Israel was because God made hime speak blessings - Joshua 24 Balaam was considered a false teacher who:
Do you obey God from the heart? Do you find yourself doing the right thing for the right reasons? |