Paul tell us in this verse to follow him as he follows Christ. But what made Paul’s life worth following? A Life Worth Following (1 Cor 11:1) 1 Cor 11:1 Is my life worth following? Context: Paul is addressing the entire Corinthian Church. He is not writing to an individual believer. Three key issues here:...
It’s Not My Job: It’s My gift (Colossians 3:22: 1 Cor 12:12) • The context of 1 Cor 12, Paul is talking about Spiritual Gifts. o Then in this section he abruptly talks about the body, meaning the church. o He is creating this picture, this analogy that the church is like the human body....
It’s Not My Job: It’s my Testimony Matt 28:18-20 These were Jesus’ final words to His disciples. • He commissioned His disciples to go and spread the news of His love and sacrifice to the world. • Even many of Jesus’ parables were stories around the idea of sharing our faith. This passage in Colossians...
Sometimes it’s really easy to complain about our jobs. At times it’s even easy to fall into the “it’s not my job” attitude. But in Colossians 3 Paul gives us a great way to see our work from a whole different perspective. To such a degree our jobs, how we serve and volunteer, even lead...
Doing the Right Thing will Cost You 1 Kings 16:30-33 This is the context into which the rest of this story takes place. 1 Kings 17 Because of the wickedness in the land, Elijah prophecy’s that there will be no rain, not even dew. Verse 7 Shows that what Elijah prophesied came true, no rain,...
Baptism The word Baptize There are two basic forms of the word baptize in the NT • One, which is used less frequently means “to dip” or “to dye” We see both of those images in baptism. • The Other form which is used far more frequently refers to the Jewish cleansing practices. o If...
Today I look a passage in 1 Cor 9 where Paul says he as been all things to all people to reach them for the Gospel. Paul entered into the world of people who had never heard the name Jesus before in order to bring the Gospel message. The call remains the same for us...
For the Love of Weeds (Matt 13:24-30) • Verse 24 Jesus tells a parable using language and concepts they would have been understood. But of course, adding new meaning and symbolism. Verse 24 The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of God. Jesus tends to use these terms interchangeably. • The man or farmer here...
In this passage we take a look at Jesus’ warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod. Jesus is talking about the world views of religion and government. Heeding this warning from Jesus will help us discern the times we are living in. Of Governments and Religion (Mark 8:1-18) Verses 1-3 This passage...
In this message we look a the deep connection between love and obedience. Love compels obedience. Jesus says he can only do what He sees the Father doing, and He can do nothing by Himself. He did the miracles he did through the Power of the Holy Spirit, acting in obedience to what the Father...
A brief introduction to the Holy Spirit and the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Living in the Spirit: Being Filled (Ehp 5:15 and Acts 8) Eph 5:18 The verb here in the NIV as “be filled” is a present passive imperative in the Greek. o There are three components to this grammar...
Today we take a look at Psalm 23 and how it perfectly represents Jesus and therefore also perfectly represents the Communion Table. Communion Psalm 23 Verse 1 The Shepherd’s job was to protect the sheep. • Jesus is of course The Shepherd, our Shepherd. o And He has laid down His life for us, the...
Remembering Remembering God’s presence and promises, can be a key to getting through difficult times. We all have a history with God, and it’s important to remember and reflect on that history. The problem is, there is just something about human nature that causes us to forget rather quickly what God has done for us....
The church of Jesus has been born out of the presence of God and was created to gather around His presence continually through the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, we see that, within a few short weeks, the crowd in Jerusalem went from saying, “Crucify Jesus” to “What must we do to be...
Everything we need is the found in the presence of God. Moses knew this. Chapter 33 of the book of Exodus contains some incredible comments by Moses, statements that serve us well as we seek to know God and encourage others in the 21st Century. Even though Moses already had an incredible and personal relationship...
In the frantic pace of today’s society, the concept of rest sounds like a quaint antique. However, Sabbath rest is biblically fundamental to the kingdom of God. Sabbath rest is highlighted in the Ten Commandments, where God goes out of his way to remind us to “remember” the Sabbath. In the agricultural age of...
In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus illustrates spiritual realities through the natural world that apply to us as humans. Fruit trees require great care and attention to produce good fruit. The same is true for us – the words we speak reflect the condition we have cultivated in our hearts. Jesus condemns the religious leaders (the...
Words have great power. We were made in God’s image, and if we truly want to imitate him, we will use great care with our words and get in the habit of speaking blessings, not curses. The apostle Peter tells us that we should speak God’s words so that we advance Jesus’ kingdom, not...
There is no getting around it – God is concerned about justice for those who have no voice. Justice was a major part of Jesus’ ministry as well. In fact, the word “justice” is used 130 times in the NIV translation of the Bible. Jesus saved some of his harshest words for the religious leaders...
In this message I talk about what does it mean to be on mission with God and what is the mission of God. In Matt 28, the last words of Jesus to His disciples, Jesus gives His marching orders to the disciples. From this passage we can not only determine what the mission of God...
Seek First: Escape Condemnation, The King has a short memory • John 3:16 The context here is that Jesus is talking to Nicodemus about Spiritual things. Verse 16 Jesus is speaking both about Himself and God the Father when He says…“For God so loved the world..” • What God the Father did, He did from...
Seek First: The Rocks Cry Out, The Strength of Praise Luke 19:28-29 During this time period the only way to atone for your sin was to make an animal sacrifice. • Take an animal and head to the Jerusalem, or buy the animal in Jerusalem. • We see all of that imagery here in this...
Seek First: The Church (Matt 16:18-19) • The Church is the body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. You can’t love one without loving the other. o But to love the church we must understand the mission of the church. Verse 16 Jesus is talking to Peter and setting him up to be the...
Seek First: The Color of the Kingdom (Rev 5:8-10) Verse 9 Why is this a new song? • Because Jesus taking the scroll to open it represents a new era in God’s redemptive history. • What’s new about this era? • The Lamb’s death on the cross has never happened before, nor will it happen...
Seek First: Triumph over Afflicting Spirits (2 Tim 1:6-8) Fear, depression, anxiety • How do we deal with fear? o We must treat it as a spirit, an intruder spirit. An unwelcome guest. • We deal with is using the authority Christ has given us. o Deal with is like you would an intruder in...
Seek First: The Realms of the Kingdom, Spiritual vs Physical (1 Tim 4:1-9) Verse 1 There are other spirits out there, that are not the Spirit of God, and those spirits are deceiving. • The Spirit of God speaking through Paul tells us there are demons teaching. o The implications here is some of what...
Seek First: The King Gave You His Sword The ten weapons of Spiritual warfare from Nehemiah 4 1. Cry out to the Lord in _________ a. Ask the Lord to put the attacks back on the enemy’s head 2. Work with all your ___________ a. Working half-heartedly is victory for the enemy 3. _________ guards...
Seek First: You Carry His Message (2 Cor 4:1-6) Verse 1 When it comes to evangelism it’s easy to lose heart, and get discouraged. • Evangelism is an operation of God’s mercy and not our strength. o If we have been discouraged, we need to go back to God’s mercy again. Verse 2 He has...
Seek First: Love Like the King (1 John 4:16) • 1 John 4:16 This verse tells us three things: God Loves us. God is love. We are to live in love. • Two are statements about the character and nature of God, king Jesus o One is a statement about how we are to live...
Seek First: The Economy of the Kingdom (Matt 25:14-30) • The context here is that Jesus has been telling parables about what the kingdom of God is like. • Jesus is talking about money. So, we are going to look at it from the stand point of money. Verse 14 The word “man” used is...
Seek First: Everything Belongs to the King (Psalm 50:8; Malachi 3:6) Psalm 50:8-15 The context here is God was dealing with the people’s attitudes toward the sacrifice. • Everything already belongs to Him. He is not asking for it because He needs it like an earthly king might. Verse 13 He clarifies that He does...
Seek First: The Kingdom has a Helper (2) John14:15 The kingdom rule of King Jesus starts with love. Verse 16 Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, referred to here as the Counselor. • Do you see how much this stands in contrast to the way earthly leaders rule? o Earthly leaders surround themselves with counselors. But...
Seek First: The Kingdom has a King (Matt 6:25-34; Romans 14:17) • I can only give myself to seeking the Kingdom I know the Kingdom. o And if there is a Kingdom then there must also be a King. o I can only give myself to seeking the Kingdom if I know the King The...
Intro to Seek First Seek First: This series will be based on this passage in Matt 6 and the parallel story in Luke 12 • For the entire series we will focus in on the statement that Jesus makes to “Seek First His Kingdom” • The theme of this series is “Seek First the Kingdom...
I just love this picture, there is so much truth and victory in this picture. This is a mango tree that someone cut down to just a stump and left for dead. But the roots on this tree were strong. Not only did the tree live, it grew a new branch AND one fruit. Now...
Winning the War for Your Mind Pt III Temptations (1 Cor 10:13, Proverbs) 1Cor 10:13 Three things to see here. • First, Whatever temptation has come against us, it’s common to being human. • Second, God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Doesn’t mean we won’t fail and give...
Winning the War for Your Mind Pt II Scripture As Our Weapon (Psalm 23) • 2 Cor 10:6 In the natural realm Paul is reestablishing his authority as an Apostle and leader. • Paul talks about the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. o So, it would seem odd that...
Winning the War for Your Mind (2 Cor 10:1-5) Verses 1-2 Paul is addressing some in the Corinthian church who were questioning his authority. Verse 3 Paul realizes that this is a type of spiritual warfare. • They don’t have just cause for their complaints. Paul has been firmly established by God as an Apostle....
Making Disciples Step by Step Part II (Matt 9:9-13) (Review) Step one: Change our thinking Step two: Ask the Lord to open our eyes Step three: Seize the everyday opportunities Step four: Change our conversations Step Five: Think replication (reproducing) (Part II) Step six: Remember discipleship starts from the beginning • We don’t start at...
What Are You Attending to? Part III (Haggai 2:20-23) • 2:20 This is now the fourth and final oracle of the book. This word comes on the same day as the last one. • This word is addressed to the governor Zerubbabel. o And deals with national, governmental issues. • The Lord’s message is again...
What Are You Attending to? Part II Chapter 2:1 This begins the second oracle Verse 3 The Lord is asking if there is any one old enough to remember what the Temple used to look like. • But of course, it is nothing now because the people don’t have the resources they did with the...
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. – 1 Tim 6:6-8 Have you ever found yourself in that moment where you are thinking, “I could be happy...
What are You Attending to? (Haggai Chap 1) • The book of Haggai was written in what we call the postexilic era. o There had been a small and slow trickle of people coming back into the land of Israel. • By the time the events of this book take place the Jews had been...
Rejoice Always: A Prelude to Christmas (Philippians 4:4-7) • Context: Phil 3:18-21 Here Paul is comparing the ungodly, those whose god is their stomach. o To those who know that their citizenship is in heaven with Jesus. • It’s into this context Paul gives us this command to rejoice. • Verse 4 It’s an active...
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 Last week we looked at the passage in Acts 16 where Paul and Silas were beaten, flogged, and thrown into the inner cell. But lest we think that was a onetime event 2 Corinthians 11 tells us Paul endured this kind of...
Making Disciples Step by Step • Five Simple Steps: Practical steps for making disciples who make disciples. (A starting point) Step one: Change our thinking • Matt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and...
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 Paul gives us this simple but firm command to rejoice, and not just sometimes but always! But has Paul lost his mind, has he not endured any difficult circumstances? Some would argue that given their life’s circumstances there is no way they...
The Color of the Kingdom Part II (Acts 1:8; 10:1-35) • Acts 1:8 These are Jesus’ last words and instructions to His disciples. • Jesus is of course promising the coming of the Holy Spirit. o Jesus is telling us that we will not go in our own strength but empowered by the Holy Spirit....
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 Edwin Friedman in his classic work A Failure of Nerve says this, “If a society is to progress, then safety...
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. – Proverbs 27:17 We love to quote this proverb but have we really ever considered what it means?
Disciples making Disciples Part III (Luke 10:1-11) Verse 1 After those following Jesus counted the cost Jesus appoints 72 more disciples. • First, these are disciples who have been with Jesus for the last few days and they have heard Him talk about the cost. They have agreed to pay that price. • Second, they...
Disciples Making Disciple Part II (Luke 5:1-11) Verse 1 He has already begun the discipleship process with the people He is meeting. • It says He is teaching them the word of God, which would have been the OT. o He is of course using the Old Testament to point to Himself. Verse 2 Jesus...
Disciples Making Disciples (Matt 28:16-20) Verse 16 This is of course after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Verse 17 The word ‘worship’ here means to bow down, to fall down or kneel, in response to another. • Despite seeing the risen Lord, some still doubt, even in this incredible moment, doubt is still present. • Two...
Do Not Worry: Seek First (Matt 6:25-34) Verse 30 Jesus continues His analogy but switches from, “wild flowers” to “grass of the field.” • Something seemingly as worthless as straw, so mattered to God that he took special care to clothe it. o The grass wasn’t just an afterthought, God took care in creating it,...
Do Not Worry: Consider Closely…. (Matt 6:25-34) Verse 25 In the previous brief section Jesus tells three very short parables. • Don’t store up treasures on earth, guard the condition of our soul, you can’t serve two masters. o It is into this context that Jesus begins this message. “Therefore” • Jesus asks some rhetorical...
The Mission in a nutshell 1. House of Prayer for all Nations (Mark 11:17; Rev 5:9) a. Prayer, presence, power b. Every, tribe, tongue, people, and nation c. Worship 2. Empowering God’s people (Ehp 4:12; 1 Cor 12:1-11) a. Growing in Spiritual gifts b. Discipleship c. Heart level serving 3. Advancing the Kingdom of God...
Our Next kingdom Life is Wed Dec 6th. Dinner starts at 6:00pm and worship and teaching begins at 7:00pm. From Disciple Making Movements we will be talking about finding the person of peace.
Please join us as we welcome Amit A. Bhatia, (PhD, Intercultural Studies). He has spent more than 20 years bridging the gap between academia and the church. Throughout seminary he served as a pastor in several different multi-ethnic congregations, and is currently serving as Director of Outreach at his church in Lincolnshire, IL. As a...
Servant & Slave: The Passion of Jesus Part II, What Gets in the Way
