Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-8. Galatians 1:14. Phil 3:5-6
Many people today argue that Christians leave their brain at the door when they go to church. No one with half a brain could make such an accusation against Paul the Apostle. In Galatians 1:14 we learn that he was outstripping his peers and extremely zealous to learn the ways of the Fathers. In Philippians 3:5-6 we learn that he was a Hebrew of Hebrews which could mean that he came from good Hebrew stock or that he was among the top echelons of the Hebrew elect. He was a Pharisee and could declare himself to be legalistically righteous. Not many people in Paul’s day could make such a boast.
Even so, when Paul came into Corinth he did not take the usual course of action. Public speakers or orators would enter the city and perform at the local theatre. They would perform in such a way as to show their superior wisdom and intellect. They would speak with a view to making money and drawing disciples after themselves. Paul, in stark contrast, decided that he would speak of nothing except Christ crucified and risen from the dead. He chose to lay aside his former learning and knowledge so that people could see Christ and put their faith in Him rather than in Paul.
This is not to say that Paul became an uneducated buffoon after his conversion or that he stopped thinking. Often he would debate with crowds and prove from the Old Testament that Jesus was the Christ. He would, on other occasions, reason and debate with people about Christ.
But rather than boast in himself and show off his own abilities Paul would rather have the Spirit work powerfully through his preaching so that the faith of his hearers would rest on God’s power and not on mankind. Paul knew that salvation resided in Christ alone and not in himself.
Far too many churches today are built on particular personalities. People throng to a personality and not to Christ. Like Paul we should seek to build people up in their faith in God and not in their liking and desire to follow a particular person. We should be pointing and leading people to Christ and not to ourselves or to some other person.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each category based on the following verses.
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that your congregation and every individual in it would be a forgiving individual enjoying the love/forgiveness of God and offering forgiveness to others. Pray that strained or broken relationships will be restored and renewed. Pray that a spirit of love and togetherness would come upon your congregation.
¥ Pray that God would be upholding and strengthening the other churches in your area. Pray that all the churches would work together in unity and harmony to bring the gospel to the entire region.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
God never calls us to be mindless, unthinking followers of Jesus. He never calls us to turn our brains off.
1. How does Paul’s approach in Corinth apply to us today?
2. What role should education and “knowledge” play in our Christian lives?
3. What role should education and “knowledge” play in our church services?
Saturday 31 August 2013
Friday 30 August 2013
Friday August 30, 2013
Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Solomon’s wisdom was no match for Christ Jesus. In fact all of the sages and wise men of the Old Testament look forward to the coming of Messiah who is our ‘wisdom from God’.
Through God’s wisdom and sovereignty those who are perishing see the cross of Calvary as foolishness but to the elect the cross is the power of God. It is through this ‘foolishness’ of the cross that God brings salvation to the elect. While the Greeks sought after “wisdom” and Jews sought miraculous signs, God was pleased to bring forth the message of the cross - a stumbling block to Jews who could never imagine a suffering Messiah and foolishness to Greeks, who laughed in the face of a suffering and dead King.
But God’s plan was that through this foolishness the wise and strong of the world would be put to shame. It was through this foolishness that all would be put on a level playing field and no one could boast before God.
It was through this foolishness of the cross that Christ would become our righteousness, our holiness and our redemption. He truly is our wisdom from God.
Prayer:
Write down from your heart at least one prayer point for each category based on the following verse
It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who has become for us wisdom from God -
that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30
Adoration
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
Pray that God would bless His work and grow His kingdom work through your church. Pray that many would come into the faith through your testimony of God’s greatness and the testimony of your fellow believers.
¥ Pray that God would continue to bless the work of Student Life. Pray that they would have the resources they need to continue growing disciples and reaching out to unbelieving students. Pray that many more students would be reached with the gospel through Student Life.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
After talking to Jack at length, he confides in you that his sprouting of knowledge arose because so many people laughed at him and mocked him for following Jesus.
1. How can you encourage and bless Jack?
2. Can you think of a verse that could encourage Jack?
3. How could you support Jack on an ongoing basis?
Solomon’s wisdom was no match for Christ Jesus. In fact all of the sages and wise men of the Old Testament look forward to the coming of Messiah who is our ‘wisdom from God’.
Through God’s wisdom and sovereignty those who are perishing see the cross of Calvary as foolishness but to the elect the cross is the power of God. It is through this ‘foolishness’ of the cross that God brings salvation to the elect. While the Greeks sought after “wisdom” and Jews sought miraculous signs, God was pleased to bring forth the message of the cross - a stumbling block to Jews who could never imagine a suffering Messiah and foolishness to Greeks, who laughed in the face of a suffering and dead King.
But God’s plan was that through this foolishness the wise and strong of the world would be put to shame. It was through this foolishness that all would be put on a level playing field and no one could boast before God.
It was through this foolishness of the cross that Christ would become our righteousness, our holiness and our redemption. He truly is our wisdom from God.
Prayer:
Write down from your heart at least one prayer point for each category based on the following verse
It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who has become for us wisdom from God -
that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30
Adoration
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
Pray that God would bless His work and grow His kingdom work through your church. Pray that many would come into the faith through your testimony of God’s greatness and the testimony of your fellow believers.
¥ Pray that God would continue to bless the work of Student Life. Pray that they would have the resources they need to continue growing disciples and reaching out to unbelieving students. Pray that many more students would be reached with the gospel through Student Life.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
After talking to Jack at length, he confides in you that his sprouting of knowledge arose because so many people laughed at him and mocked him for following Jesus.
1. How can you encourage and bless Jack?
2. Can you think of a verse that could encourage Jack?
3. How could you support Jack on an ongoing basis?
Thursday 29 August 2013
Thursday August 29, 2013
Read Ecclesiastes 1:18
Growing knowledge can increase sorrow and grief in many ways. But we must understand that the Teacher is not advocating a blind faith mentality. He is not saying, “Just believe and ask no questions!” He is saying that as you grow in wisdom and knowledge, grief and pain increase.
This can happen in several ways. The non Christian will experience this as he/she grows in knowledge. A simple illustration will suffice. A well known atheist of our day was asked about intelligent creation and denied the possibility vehemently. But by the time he’d drawn four more breaths he admitted the possibility of human life beginning from aliens seeding our planet. It only takes a small amount of energy to realise the pain and grief that comes from believing we are nothing more than an alien experiment, let alone wrestling with such a self contradicting theory - if one can’t accept intelligent design, can one really accept intelligent seeding!? In another TV presentation this atheist admitted that we are nothing but evolved animals and had to wrestle with the pain of the consequence of the survival of the fittest. The majority of the rest of the broadcast was spent trying to deny the painful consequences of this survival of the fittest theory.
For the believer, the grief comes with wrestling with a fallen world in the face of a majestic and holy God. The more one sees and learns, the more one grieves the fall of God’s own creation. Having to reconcile a broken world with a holy and righteous God is heart wrenching and painful. The pain was exacerbated for Old Testament believers because they didn’t have ready knowledge of the cross where a sinful world and a holy God are reconciled.
But growing in knowledge, in the true sense of the word, with God at the centre produces the ability to wrestle with sin, to be reconciled to a holy & righteous God and to live a life of victory and value. Growing in knowledge with God at the centre is the key to avoiding despair and dejection.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ If you are in cell, pray the Lord’s prayer together.
¥ Pray for the Reformed Bible College in Myanmar. Ask God to grow and stretch the students as they seek to learn His Word and to be equipped to minister in their country. Pray that God would grant the college all it needs to continue ministering and serving and training up pastors and preachers.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. In what ways can knowledge increase grief?
2. Is knowledge a good thing, a bad thing or something else? Please explain.
3. How can you increase in knowledge of God?
4. What boundaries need to be put into place so that you don’t end up like Jack?
Growing knowledge can increase sorrow and grief in many ways. But we must understand that the Teacher is not advocating a blind faith mentality. He is not saying, “Just believe and ask no questions!” He is saying that as you grow in wisdom and knowledge, grief and pain increase.
This can happen in several ways. The non Christian will experience this as he/she grows in knowledge. A simple illustration will suffice. A well known atheist of our day was asked about intelligent creation and denied the possibility vehemently. But by the time he’d drawn four more breaths he admitted the possibility of human life beginning from aliens seeding our planet. It only takes a small amount of energy to realise the pain and grief that comes from believing we are nothing more than an alien experiment, let alone wrestling with such a self contradicting theory - if one can’t accept intelligent design, can one really accept intelligent seeding!? In another TV presentation this atheist admitted that we are nothing but evolved animals and had to wrestle with the pain of the consequence of the survival of the fittest. The majority of the rest of the broadcast was spent trying to deny the painful consequences of this survival of the fittest theory.
For the believer, the grief comes with wrestling with a fallen world in the face of a majestic and holy God. The more one sees and learns, the more one grieves the fall of God’s own creation. Having to reconcile a broken world with a holy and righteous God is heart wrenching and painful. The pain was exacerbated for Old Testament believers because they didn’t have ready knowledge of the cross where a sinful world and a holy God are reconciled.
But growing in knowledge, in the true sense of the word, with God at the centre produces the ability to wrestle with sin, to be reconciled to a holy & righteous God and to live a life of victory and value. Growing in knowledge with God at the centre is the key to avoiding despair and dejection.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ If you are in cell, pray the Lord’s prayer together.
¥ Pray for the Reformed Bible College in Myanmar. Ask God to grow and stretch the students as they seek to learn His Word and to be equipped to minister in their country. Pray that God would grant the college all it needs to continue ministering and serving and training up pastors and preachers.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. In what ways can knowledge increase grief?
2. Is knowledge a good thing, a bad thing or something else? Please explain.
3. How can you increase in knowledge of God?
4. What boundaries need to be put into place so that you don’t end up like Jack?
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Wednesday August 28, 2013
Jesus Chellenge
The goals we set for ourselves can cover a multitude of areas. We can make goals for our personal life, our work life, our relationships and even our leisure time.
This week, we will focus on personal goals - goals that sum up who we are as a person.
As a cell, take time to individually share about the kind of person you want to be. This will form the crux of your personal goal. Give time for each person to make some notes as to how to progress from their current state to their desired state. Think about what things need to change and how they can change.
You don’t necessarily have to write out a goal this week. Just think about it and make notes.
Share your thoughts/notes with the wider group. Try to keep each other accountable in making the changes you wrote down.
A Short Note About Goals.
Goals that have the following characteristics are most useful.
Specific: When we are specific in our goals, they are much easier to reach because the pathway to that goal is much easier to work out.
Measureable: With each goal, we need to know what we are measuring or what to look for in reaching that goal. If we cannot measure a goal we will never know if we’ve made it or not.
Accountable: If you make yourself accountable for your goals you will be more motivated to reach them. If you are the only one who knows your goals then apathy could easily set in.
Reasonable: Goals should be reasonable and reachable. Unreasonable or unreachable goals will tend to drive us the other way because we know we are doomed to fail.
Timed: A goal should have a cut off point by which you should have reached your target.
Read Ecclesiastes 1:15-17. 1 Kings 3:4-15
Solomon, more than any other person before or after Christ Jesus, was apt to make a ruling about the usefulness of knowledge or wisdom in finding meaning and value in our lives. God granted Solomon so much wisdom and discernment that there never has been, and never will be, anyone like him.
With that God-given wisdom, Solomon sought to understand knowledge as well as madness/foolishness. He learned that this is a chasing after the wind. It cannot produce the desired results.
To really understand the foolishness of chasing knowledge apart from God, you need only consider the current state of “science” in the western world. As Ben Stein proves in his recent documentary “Expelled. No Intelligence Allowed”, science is the search to intelligently assassinate God. Science is geared towards disproving the existence of God and hence freeing mankind from the shackles of religion. But what kind of world will such a pursuit produce? Science can do nothing to produce love, other centeredness, kindness and sharing. Science cannot produce the sacrificial love of a mother for her baby. It cannot create the comfort of a father for his daughter with a scraped knee. A world built on ‘science’ will leave us cold, heartless and willing to kill or exterminate those who don’t produce or contribute to society. Rather than putting our aged parents into a nursing home to be cared for, such science will allow these older people to be eradicated for the sake of our own recreation, and leisure time and financial security. Without God in the picture killing babies for convenience is just simply OK.
Knowledge without God is a chasing after the wind. It simply cannot fulfil our deepest needs. It cannot fix humanity’s deepest problem - the problem of sin and rejection of God. As Thomas a Kempis said, ‘Every man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars.’
Prayer:
Write down from your heart at least one prayer point for each category based on the following verse
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:18
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would bless the work of PIM - Presbyterian Inland Mission as they send Padres into the Australian outback. Pray that God would open doors for Padres to share their faith, to make disciples and to encourage the saints in the outback.
¥ Pray that God would work powerfully in the lives of the residents at Teen Challenge - Toowoomba. Ask the Lord to grow these men and women in into a true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and that they might be the start of a powerful harvest within this region.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. In what way would you say that Jack’s knowledge is meaningless or a chasing after the wind?
2. Let’s assume Jack came to you and asked for your advice. What advice would you give him to help him grow in Christ Jesus?
3. How could Jack change so that his head knowledge became parallel to or in line with biblical knowledge?
The goals we set for ourselves can cover a multitude of areas. We can make goals for our personal life, our work life, our relationships and even our leisure time.
This week, we will focus on personal goals - goals that sum up who we are as a person.
As a cell, take time to individually share about the kind of person you want to be. This will form the crux of your personal goal. Give time for each person to make some notes as to how to progress from their current state to their desired state. Think about what things need to change and how they can change.
You don’t necessarily have to write out a goal this week. Just think about it and make notes.
Share your thoughts/notes with the wider group. Try to keep each other accountable in making the changes you wrote down.
A Short Note About Goals.
Goals that have the following characteristics are most useful.
Specific: When we are specific in our goals, they are much easier to reach because the pathway to that goal is much easier to work out.
Measureable: With each goal, we need to know what we are measuring or what to look for in reaching that goal. If we cannot measure a goal we will never know if we’ve made it or not.
Accountable: If you make yourself accountable for your goals you will be more motivated to reach them. If you are the only one who knows your goals then apathy could easily set in.
Reasonable: Goals should be reasonable and reachable. Unreasonable or unreachable goals will tend to drive us the other way because we know we are doomed to fail.
Timed: A goal should have a cut off point by which you should have reached your target.
Read Ecclesiastes 1:15-17. 1 Kings 3:4-15
Solomon, more than any other person before or after Christ Jesus, was apt to make a ruling about the usefulness of knowledge or wisdom in finding meaning and value in our lives. God granted Solomon so much wisdom and discernment that there never has been, and never will be, anyone like him.
With that God-given wisdom, Solomon sought to understand knowledge as well as madness/foolishness. He learned that this is a chasing after the wind. It cannot produce the desired results.
To really understand the foolishness of chasing knowledge apart from God, you need only consider the current state of “science” in the western world. As Ben Stein proves in his recent documentary “Expelled. No Intelligence Allowed”, science is the search to intelligently assassinate God. Science is geared towards disproving the existence of God and hence freeing mankind from the shackles of religion. But what kind of world will such a pursuit produce? Science can do nothing to produce love, other centeredness, kindness and sharing. Science cannot produce the sacrificial love of a mother for her baby. It cannot create the comfort of a father for his daughter with a scraped knee. A world built on ‘science’ will leave us cold, heartless and willing to kill or exterminate those who don’t produce or contribute to society. Rather than putting our aged parents into a nursing home to be cared for, such science will allow these older people to be eradicated for the sake of our own recreation, and leisure time and financial security. Without God in the picture killing babies for convenience is just simply OK.
Knowledge without God is a chasing after the wind. It simply cannot fulfil our deepest needs. It cannot fix humanity’s deepest problem - the problem of sin and rejection of God. As Thomas a Kempis said, ‘Every man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars.’
Prayer:
Write down from your heart at least one prayer point for each category based on the following verse
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:18
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would bless the work of PIM - Presbyterian Inland Mission as they send Padres into the Australian outback. Pray that God would open doors for Padres to share their faith, to make disciples and to encourage the saints in the outback.
¥ Pray that God would work powerfully in the lives of the residents at Teen Challenge - Toowoomba. Ask the Lord to grow these men and women in into a true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and that they might be the start of a powerful harvest within this region.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. In what way would you say that Jack’s knowledge is meaningless or a chasing after the wind?
2. Let’s assume Jack came to you and asked for your advice. What advice would you give him to help him grow in Christ Jesus?
3. How could Jack change so that his head knowledge became parallel to or in line with biblical knowledge?
Tuesday 27 August 2013
Tuesday August 27, 2013
Read Ecclesiastes 1:12-14
Anthropologists (scientists who study the humans) like to place us into different groups. Obviously different scientists have different groups. One way of grouping people is to distinguish people as modern, post modern etc.
The modernists are characterised by their desire for knowledge through education. They believe that many, if not all, of the world’s problems can be solved by education. Poverty, drugs abuse, family breakdown etc can all be solved through education. While there is some truth to this statement, it is not entirely true. Education can only take people so far. Picture the theoretical situation. A poor man with a history of theft, accused and charged for stealing to feed his family, is educated and given a job in a factory. Even though he now has an income, it would not be stretching the imagination to picture him stealing from the factory to help his family get that little bit further ahead. Education hasn’t fixed the fundamental problem. A drug addict may be taught the dangers and negative physical, social, emotional, and psychological side affects of drug abuse but he may well leave the lecture and shoot up again! The real issue hasn’t been resolved.
A study commissioned by one time premier of NSW Neville Wran found that the more heinous crimes were committed by the more educated and wealthy members of society! Education, though extraordinarily helpful, cannot solve the fundamental problem of humanity - sin. There is a little bit of Hitler and Mother Teresa in all of us. Education can’t remove our natural sin bias. This real problem can be solved only by entering into a saving relationship with God through Christ Jesus. Hence the Teacher, who searched and explored through his wisdom everything that is done under heaven, can conclude that God has placed a heavy burden on mankind.
“Knowledge” is not the answer to our fundamental problem. Knowledge cannot free us. Knowledge cannot provide us with answers to the fundamental questions of life. Knowledge cannot save us! Knowledge cannot fix our world.
Only a saving relationship with Christ Jesus can fix the problems of humanity.
Prayer:
Write down from your heart at least one prayer point for each category based on the following verse
The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom,
And humility comes before honour.
Proverbs 15:33.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would grow our young parents in wisdom and knowledge of Himself so that they can raise their children in the love and fear of the Lord. Pray that God would bind these families together in Christ.
¥ Pray that the work of Shiloh Ministries in India would continue to serve the orphans, widows and poor people. Ask God to meet all their needs so that they are able to continue serving and reaching out with the Gospel.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is the difference between the kind of knowledge Jack sprouts and the biblical concept of knowledge?
2. Someone else says to Jack that he needs to forget the head and just go with the heart. How do you respond to this kind of advice?
3. Why is growing in knowledge of God important?
Anthropologists (scientists who study the humans) like to place us into different groups. Obviously different scientists have different groups. One way of grouping people is to distinguish people as modern, post modern etc.
The modernists are characterised by their desire for knowledge through education. They believe that many, if not all, of the world’s problems can be solved by education. Poverty, drugs abuse, family breakdown etc can all be solved through education. While there is some truth to this statement, it is not entirely true. Education can only take people so far. Picture the theoretical situation. A poor man with a history of theft, accused and charged for stealing to feed his family, is educated and given a job in a factory. Even though he now has an income, it would not be stretching the imagination to picture him stealing from the factory to help his family get that little bit further ahead. Education hasn’t fixed the fundamental problem. A drug addict may be taught the dangers and negative physical, social, emotional, and psychological side affects of drug abuse but he may well leave the lecture and shoot up again! The real issue hasn’t been resolved.
A study commissioned by one time premier of NSW Neville Wran found that the more heinous crimes were committed by the more educated and wealthy members of society! Education, though extraordinarily helpful, cannot solve the fundamental problem of humanity - sin. There is a little bit of Hitler and Mother Teresa in all of us. Education can’t remove our natural sin bias. This real problem can be solved only by entering into a saving relationship with God through Christ Jesus. Hence the Teacher, who searched and explored through his wisdom everything that is done under heaven, can conclude that God has placed a heavy burden on mankind.
“Knowledge” is not the answer to our fundamental problem. Knowledge cannot free us. Knowledge cannot provide us with answers to the fundamental questions of life. Knowledge cannot save us! Knowledge cannot fix our world.
Only a saving relationship with Christ Jesus can fix the problems of humanity.
Prayer:
Write down from your heart at least one prayer point for each category based on the following verse
The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom,
And humility comes before honour.
Proverbs 15:33.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would grow our young parents in wisdom and knowledge of Himself so that they can raise their children in the love and fear of the Lord. Pray that God would bind these families together in Christ.
¥ Pray that the work of Shiloh Ministries in India would continue to serve the orphans, widows and poor people. Ask God to meet all their needs so that they are able to continue serving and reaching out with the Gospel.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is the difference between the kind of knowledge Jack sprouts and the biblical concept of knowledge?
2. Someone else says to Jack that he needs to forget the head and just go with the heart. How do you respond to this kind of advice?
3. Why is growing in knowledge of God important?
Monday 26 August 2013
Monday August 26, 2013
Read Genesis 4:1, Jeremiah 1:5. Ecclesiastes 1:12-18
On initial reflection, the first two verses that we read today may seem to have absolutely nothing to do with each other. But in fact, they have a lot in common. The Hebrew of Genesis 4:1 reads more literally, ‘Adam knew his wife, Eve, and she conceived...’. The similarity between the two verses lies in their use of the term “know”. Both point out the intimacy associated with the word ‘knowledge’.
Knowledge in our western world is the stuff that buzzes around in our head and in our thinking. It is often kept apart from our emotions and feelings. The two don’t necessarily belong together. But in the Hebrew world or mindset “knowledge” implied deep and intimate relationship together with the information that was known. Adam had a deep and intimate relationship with his wife. Jeremiah knew God in this sense, even in his mother’s womb. In the Hebrew world view, knowledge included the head but also incorporated the heart.
Just by understanding the Hebrew mindset of the word “know” we can already comprehend the reason why the Teacher concludes that chasing wisdom/knowledge is a chasing after the wind. Without an intimate relationship with God, the stuff buzzing around in your head is meaningless.
It is in this sense that God is angered by the world since mankind did not think it worthwhile to retain the “knowledge” of God (Romans 1:28). He is angered that mankind saw fit to reject an intimate relationship with Himself.
Likewise, it is in this sense that Paul prays that our love for God would abound or overflow in knowledge (Phil 1:9). A Christianity based on feelings or emotions alone is like trying to pull a carriage with dead horses. It doesn’t really get you far, no matter how much hard work you put in. As Philippians 1:9 shows, we are to grow in love for God through our knowing of or about Him. Head knowledge and heart knowledge go hand in hand.
If you think about Christianity as a coal powered locomotive then faith is the locomotive engine. The facts of Jesus are the coal that fires our faith and drives our engine. Feelings are the caboose that pulls behind. When we have faith being fuelled by facts, feelings get pulled along in the right direction. We should never allow our feelings to dominate or lead our lives. Feelings should never be the engine that pulls us along.
To yield and give way to our feelings and to be chained by them is the lowest form of slavery possible.
Prayer:
Write down from your heart at least one prayer point for each category based on the following verse
And this is my prayer:
that your love may abound more and more in knowledge
and depth of insight,
so that you may be able to discern what is best
and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.
Phil 1:9-11
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Continue to pray for Jim and Faye’s Straight Talk ministry. Pray that God would continue to open doors for them to minister in schools. Pray that many students would come to a saving knowledge of God through Christ. Ask God to raise up churches and individuals to continue supporting this ministry.
¥ Continue to pray for Creation Ministries as they teach and challenge people to believe in Christ. Pray that their teaching ministry will bear much fruit and produce many disciples for Christ.
Jack is a member of your congregation and by all appearances is a believer. However, whenever anything gets even mildly serious Jack brings forth amazing facts and knowledge to bamboozle everyone.
1. How does today’s learning help you to understand Jack?
2. What advice would you give to Jack one on one?
3. What would be a good prayer to pray for Jack?
On initial reflection, the first two verses that we read today may seem to have absolutely nothing to do with each other. But in fact, they have a lot in common. The Hebrew of Genesis 4:1 reads more literally, ‘Adam knew his wife, Eve, and she conceived...’. The similarity between the two verses lies in their use of the term “know”. Both point out the intimacy associated with the word ‘knowledge’.
Knowledge in our western world is the stuff that buzzes around in our head and in our thinking. It is often kept apart from our emotions and feelings. The two don’t necessarily belong together. But in the Hebrew world or mindset “knowledge” implied deep and intimate relationship together with the information that was known. Adam had a deep and intimate relationship with his wife. Jeremiah knew God in this sense, even in his mother’s womb. In the Hebrew world view, knowledge included the head but also incorporated the heart.
Just by understanding the Hebrew mindset of the word “know” we can already comprehend the reason why the Teacher concludes that chasing wisdom/knowledge is a chasing after the wind. Without an intimate relationship with God, the stuff buzzing around in your head is meaningless.
It is in this sense that God is angered by the world since mankind did not think it worthwhile to retain the “knowledge” of God (Romans 1:28). He is angered that mankind saw fit to reject an intimate relationship with Himself.
Likewise, it is in this sense that Paul prays that our love for God would abound or overflow in knowledge (Phil 1:9). A Christianity based on feelings or emotions alone is like trying to pull a carriage with dead horses. It doesn’t really get you far, no matter how much hard work you put in. As Philippians 1:9 shows, we are to grow in love for God through our knowing of or about Him. Head knowledge and heart knowledge go hand in hand.
If you think about Christianity as a coal powered locomotive then faith is the locomotive engine. The facts of Jesus are the coal that fires our faith and drives our engine. Feelings are the caboose that pulls behind. When we have faith being fuelled by facts, feelings get pulled along in the right direction. We should never allow our feelings to dominate or lead our lives. Feelings should never be the engine that pulls us along.
To yield and give way to our feelings and to be chained by them is the lowest form of slavery possible.
Prayer:
Write down from your heart at least one prayer point for each category based on the following verse
And this is my prayer:
that your love may abound more and more in knowledge
and depth of insight,
so that you may be able to discern what is best
and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.
Phil 1:9-11
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Continue to pray for Jim and Faye’s Straight Talk ministry. Pray that God would continue to open doors for them to minister in schools. Pray that many students would come to a saving knowledge of God through Christ. Ask God to raise up churches and individuals to continue supporting this ministry.
¥ Continue to pray for Creation Ministries as they teach and challenge people to believe in Christ. Pray that their teaching ministry will bear much fruit and produce many disciples for Christ.
Jack is a member of your congregation and by all appearances is a believer. However, whenever anything gets even mildly serious Jack brings forth amazing facts and knowledge to bamboozle everyone.
1. How does today’s learning help you to understand Jack?
2. What advice would you give to Jack one on one?
3. What would be a good prayer to pray for Jack?
Saturday 24 August 2013
Saturday August 24, 2013
Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
A young girl fresh out of school sits on the ledge of a balcony 3 storeys high and threatens to jump. Her boyfriend has just dumped her and she wonders if she’ll ever be loved again. She wonders if death would be the best option for her. In another place, in another time, a family man drives into the bush. With tears streaming down his face, he parks the car and draws the sawn-off shot gun from under the seat. He holds the barrel to his head, sobbing. He asks himself over and over, ’What’s the point of it all?’ He debates with himself whether or not to pull the trigger.
Would you have an answer to share with these two desperate people? Would you be able to give them some meaning and value to life? Would you be able to inspire some hope in them that would cause them to choose life instead of death? The answer is “Yes”. In Jesus, the answer is “Yes.”
In Jesus we know that we are eternally loved and that God, our Creator, likes us, loves us and wants to be our best friend. Through the work of Jesus at Calvary’s mountain we know that life has eternal purpose, even through the pain and heartache of rejection and loss. Through Jesus we know that victory is ours and that the best is yet to come.
When you have Jesus in your life you have the answer to all of life’s issues. You don’t need to a counsellor or a psychologist (though these people may come in handy at different stages of our lives) to help people see their value and importance in Christ Jesus. You don’t need to be a preacher or a pastor to show people the way to Jesus. You need to be ready and willing to share your faith, to speak of Jesus and to show people what Christ has done for them at the cross.
Both that young lady and the family man were blessed to have at least one Christian friend. In each case, that Christian friend spoke up and shared Christ. Both the lady and the family man chose life over death and gave themselves into the Lord’s service.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:27-28.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask the Lord to increase the understanding and appreciation of salvation that each and every member of your congregation. Pray that as they grow in this, they would love God more and reflect that love more in the way they live, talk and think.
¥ Pray that God would bless the work of Mustard Seed Orphanage in Myanmar. Pray that they would have the resources needed to continue serving orphans, widows and the disabled.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. If Donald were in a similar situation to either the young lady or family man in today’s devotion, do you think the gospel is the most important thing to share with Him? Explain your answer.
2. What hope does the gospel give to those who despair of life?
A young girl fresh out of school sits on the ledge of a balcony 3 storeys high and threatens to jump. Her boyfriend has just dumped her and she wonders if she’ll ever be loved again. She wonders if death would be the best option for her. In another place, in another time, a family man drives into the bush. With tears streaming down his face, he parks the car and draws the sawn-off shot gun from under the seat. He holds the barrel to his head, sobbing. He asks himself over and over, ’What’s the point of it all?’ He debates with himself whether or not to pull the trigger.
Would you have an answer to share with these two desperate people? Would you be able to give them some meaning and value to life? Would you be able to inspire some hope in them that would cause them to choose life instead of death? The answer is “Yes”. In Jesus, the answer is “Yes.”
In Jesus we know that we are eternally loved and that God, our Creator, likes us, loves us and wants to be our best friend. Through the work of Jesus at Calvary’s mountain we know that life has eternal purpose, even through the pain and heartache of rejection and loss. Through Jesus we know that victory is ours and that the best is yet to come.
When you have Jesus in your life you have the answer to all of life’s issues. You don’t need to a counsellor or a psychologist (though these people may come in handy at different stages of our lives) to help people see their value and importance in Christ Jesus. You don’t need to be a preacher or a pastor to show people the way to Jesus. You need to be ready and willing to share your faith, to speak of Jesus and to show people what Christ has done for them at the cross.
Both that young lady and the family man were blessed to have at least one Christian friend. In each case, that Christian friend spoke up and shared Christ. Both the lady and the family man chose life over death and gave themselves into the Lord’s service.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:27-28.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask the Lord to increase the understanding and appreciation of salvation that each and every member of your congregation. Pray that as they grow in this, they would love God more and reflect that love more in the way they live, talk and think.
¥ Pray that God would bless the work of Mustard Seed Orphanage in Myanmar. Pray that they would have the resources needed to continue serving orphans, widows and the disabled.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. If Donald were in a similar situation to either the young lady or family man in today’s devotion, do you think the gospel is the most important thing to share with Him? Explain your answer.
2. What hope does the gospel give to those who despair of life?
Friday 23 August 2013
Friday August 23, 2103
Read Ecclesiastes 1:9-11
It is rumoured in tradition that Solomon wrote Song of Solomon when he was young, Proverbs when he was middle aged and Ecclesiastes when he was old. As an old man with many years of experience under him, he would have seen life repeated in the same vain over and over again. Even at the tender age of forty something, I can see a repetitive pattern across the generations. Children make the same mistakes. Teens go down similar paths. Young adults have the same struggles. How much more would Solomon have seen in his older age and grander wisdom!
Solomon had seen the meaninglessness of life apart from God. He had seen the treadmill existence in so many different people’s lives. He had seen the insatiable appetite of the eyes and ears of men and women. He had seen the youth search in futility for meaning and value to life. He had seen the endless cycle repeat itself over the decades. He had seen it so many times that he knew there was nothing new under the sun.
Solomon cries out to a lost and searching world that life, without God, is pointless. It is meaningless without God. Life is futile if lived in isolation from the one true Life Giver. Life may “work” for a while without God but it can only end in disaster. It can only end in ruin.
We may be alarmed at the way the youth of our day binge drink and party. We may be anxious at the high drug usage rate. We may be troubled by the violence and terrorism of today. But Solomon assures us that all of this has happened before. From the day Adam and Eve were thrust out of the Garden of Eden, mankind has embarked on a restless search to find contentment, meaning and value to life. Mankind will always seek to dull the pain of reality. Mankind will always seek to substitute the excitement and contentment of God with something else. Mankind will always seek to please “self” at the expense of others. History has shown that without God, such a life is inevitable. History has proven that life apart from God is pointless.
You, the believer, are the lynch-pin in bringing purpose, meaning and value into other people’s lives. That’s not a burden. It’s a grand privilege!
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
But the Word of the Lord stands forever.
1:Peter 1:24-25.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask the Lord to grow your church through conversions and to light a fire in the belly of each believer that pushes/urges and compels them to go out into the world to make disciples for Jesus’ sake.
¥ Pray that this disciple making will bear much fruit. Pray that you personally would have opportunity today or tomorrow to speak life into someone’s life. Pray that you will be courageous and bold in sharing your faith as God opens the door.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How can you share Jesus with Donald without appearing to be too preachy or pushy?
2. Can you think of a way forward with Don that may help him come to faith?
It is rumoured in tradition that Solomon wrote Song of Solomon when he was young, Proverbs when he was middle aged and Ecclesiastes when he was old. As an old man with many years of experience under him, he would have seen life repeated in the same vain over and over again. Even at the tender age of forty something, I can see a repetitive pattern across the generations. Children make the same mistakes. Teens go down similar paths. Young adults have the same struggles. How much more would Solomon have seen in his older age and grander wisdom!
Solomon had seen the meaninglessness of life apart from God. He had seen the treadmill existence in so many different people’s lives. He had seen the insatiable appetite of the eyes and ears of men and women. He had seen the youth search in futility for meaning and value to life. He had seen the endless cycle repeat itself over the decades. He had seen it so many times that he knew there was nothing new under the sun.
Solomon cries out to a lost and searching world that life, without God, is pointless. It is meaningless without God. Life is futile if lived in isolation from the one true Life Giver. Life may “work” for a while without God but it can only end in disaster. It can only end in ruin.
We may be alarmed at the way the youth of our day binge drink and party. We may be anxious at the high drug usage rate. We may be troubled by the violence and terrorism of today. But Solomon assures us that all of this has happened before. From the day Adam and Eve were thrust out of the Garden of Eden, mankind has embarked on a restless search to find contentment, meaning and value to life. Mankind will always seek to dull the pain of reality. Mankind will always seek to substitute the excitement and contentment of God with something else. Mankind will always seek to please “self” at the expense of others. History has shown that without God, such a life is inevitable. History has proven that life apart from God is pointless.
You, the believer, are the lynch-pin in bringing purpose, meaning and value into other people’s lives. That’s not a burden. It’s a grand privilege!
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
But the Word of the Lord stands forever.
1:Peter 1:24-25.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask the Lord to grow your church through conversions and to light a fire in the belly of each believer that pushes/urges and compels them to go out into the world to make disciples for Jesus’ sake.
¥ Pray that this disciple making will bear much fruit. Pray that you personally would have opportunity today or tomorrow to speak life into someone’s life. Pray that you will be courageous and bold in sharing your faith as God opens the door.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How can you share Jesus with Donald without appearing to be too preachy or pushy?
2. Can you think of a way forward with Don that may help him come to faith?
Thursday 22 August 2013
Thursday August 22, 2013
Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-8
The human appetite really is insatiable. In verse 8 the Teacher declares that the eye never has enough of seeing and the ear never has enough of hearing. What he’s saying is that our appetite is insatiable.
Now of course, it doesn’t mean that we are all overweight or going to be overweight. What it means is that our inner being will never be satisfied without God. In that sense, our appetite is insatiable. Think about a drug addict. He may have started out using only a little marijuana. But over time that ‘hit’ proved to be too little. He needed more and more marijuana to get the same high. Eventually marijuana didn’t cut it. He had to switch to a harder drug and pretty soon ice or cocaine was the only drug that would give the same ‘hit’. Our appetites are insatiable.
Think of the alcoholic lying on the park bench. Once upon a time, in a different life, a few drinks after work with the mates would suffice. But as life grew more stressful, a few drinks didn’t meet the need. A few drinks after work turned into a few drinks every day which soon grew into a bottle every second day and so on. Our appetites are insatiable.
Without God the search for importance, security, significance and love is endless. Without God we look in all the wrong places and we will do and ingest and grab at anything that dulls the pain of reality. This helps explain why drug use, alcohol consumption and gambling are at all time highs.
But in Christ the search ends. In Christ we find the real meaning of life. In Christ we find security, significance and love. In Christ we find true, inner contentment that is not dependant upon our looks, our importance, our performance or our ‘goodness’. In Christ we find that we are loved for who we are.
Soon your church will gather together to celebrate and re-focus on the love of Christ. You have a vital role to play in that celebration. You have an important reason to be together with the body of Christ as it gathers in the throne room and sings glory to risen Lord.
Will you be there with your heart prepared to worship in Spirit and truth? Will you be there ready to share your love for Jesus, to encourage and to bless others? Will you be there to graciously welcome all who come? Will you be the Christ-light to those who need it?
Everything you have in Christ, your security, your significance, your love and contentment is meant to be shared and given away. In Christ is an endless supply for an insatiable heart. God’s reserve will never run dry. Tomorrow is the perfect day to give from the endless well that you have dipped into.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
Come to me all you who are weary and burdened
and I will give you rest
Matthew 12:28.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would grant you wisdom and insight and gentleness as you seek to make the most of every opportunity that God blesses you with . Pray this too for everyone in your congregation. Pray that God would bring much conversion growth to your church as each person makes the most of every opportunity.
¥ Pray that those who teach within your church would be wise, filled with the Spirit and able to apply the Word to their own lives first. Pray that the listeners would be willing to heed the Word, to apply it and to practice it no matter what the cost.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How could you use today’s passage to share your faith with Donald?
2. What role does contentment play in sharing our faith with non-believers?
The human appetite really is insatiable. In verse 8 the Teacher declares that the eye never has enough of seeing and the ear never has enough of hearing. What he’s saying is that our appetite is insatiable.
Now of course, it doesn’t mean that we are all overweight or going to be overweight. What it means is that our inner being will never be satisfied without God. In that sense, our appetite is insatiable. Think about a drug addict. He may have started out using only a little marijuana. But over time that ‘hit’ proved to be too little. He needed more and more marijuana to get the same high. Eventually marijuana didn’t cut it. He had to switch to a harder drug and pretty soon ice or cocaine was the only drug that would give the same ‘hit’. Our appetites are insatiable.
Think of the alcoholic lying on the park bench. Once upon a time, in a different life, a few drinks after work with the mates would suffice. But as life grew more stressful, a few drinks didn’t meet the need. A few drinks after work turned into a few drinks every day which soon grew into a bottle every second day and so on. Our appetites are insatiable.
Without God the search for importance, security, significance and love is endless. Without God we look in all the wrong places and we will do and ingest and grab at anything that dulls the pain of reality. This helps explain why drug use, alcohol consumption and gambling are at all time highs.
But in Christ the search ends. In Christ we find the real meaning of life. In Christ we find security, significance and love. In Christ we find true, inner contentment that is not dependant upon our looks, our importance, our performance or our ‘goodness’. In Christ we find that we are loved for who we are.
Soon your church will gather together to celebrate and re-focus on the love of Christ. You have a vital role to play in that celebration. You have an important reason to be together with the body of Christ as it gathers in the throne room and sings glory to risen Lord.
Will you be there with your heart prepared to worship in Spirit and truth? Will you be there ready to share your love for Jesus, to encourage and to bless others? Will you be there to graciously welcome all who come? Will you be the Christ-light to those who need it?
Everything you have in Christ, your security, your significance, your love and contentment is meant to be shared and given away. In Christ is an endless supply for an insatiable heart. God’s reserve will never run dry. Tomorrow is the perfect day to give from the endless well that you have dipped into.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
Come to me all you who are weary and burdened
and I will give you rest
Matthew 12:28.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would grant you wisdom and insight and gentleness as you seek to make the most of every opportunity that God blesses you with . Pray this too for everyone in your congregation. Pray that God would bring much conversion growth to your church as each person makes the most of every opportunity.
¥ Pray that those who teach within your church would be wise, filled with the Spirit and able to apply the Word to their own lives first. Pray that the listeners would be willing to heed the Word, to apply it and to practice it no matter what the cost.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How could you use today’s passage to share your faith with Donald?
2. What role does contentment play in sharing our faith with non-believers?
Wednesday 21 August 2013
Wednesday August 21, 2013
Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-8. John 10:10
For the believer living in obedience to the Great Commission, every moment of life is a meaningful, purposeful moment. Life has value and significance because of the believer’s union with Christ. That union shows itself in a life of joyful obedience.
But the Teacher (aka Solomon) makes the point that apart from God, life is meaningless. He stresses the point and then hammers the point. Life is utterly meaningless without God. Having made the point, the Teacher gives four illustrations that back up his point. There is no gain from one’s labour because he will die and another generation will take his place. Death will get the better of us all. The sun will continue to shine and the wind will continue to blow and streams will continue to roll into the sea. The endless cycle will continue over and over and over. People will come and people will go. People will rise up and they will fall. You will continue your daily routine and then life will cease. It will start again in someone else and they will have a treadmill existence as well.
So many people in this world feel like they are living a treadmill existence. They yearn for meaning and value but the endless cycle rolls relentlessly on. As the cycle rolls on they desperately seek respite in drinking, in partying, in making more money, in their future retirement or in that other person. So many people are searching for meaning, for value and for significance.
As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you have the opportunity to speak life into these people’s lives. By introducing them to Jesus you are inviting them into a life of meaning, value and eternal importance. You are inviting them off the treadmill! You are inviting them into a life that is internally fulfilled and content, no matter what their current life situation. You are inviting them into a life that is eternally significant. You are inviting them into a life infused with meaning. But be warned. These people must see meaning and value in your life first or your invitation will be rejected. Your life is the foundation on which the invitation to Christ is grounded. It must match your words and the Gospel you proclaim.
If Jesus is the difference between a pointless and purposeful life, you (the Jesus-follower) are an ambassador of the greatest importance.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer in each of the following categories based on the verse
...I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
John 10:10b
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Think of the people you work /study with and rub shoulders with each day. Ask the Lord to use your words and your life to show Christ to them. Pray that you would have opportunity to speak Jesus’ life into their lives.
¥ Pray that God would be using each individual in your church to bring Jesus’ life to others. Pray that believers in your church would be empowered to live obedient lives that shine brightly for Jesus. Pray that each person would have the courage to speak up when God allows them to share their faith.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1/. Assuming that Donald is living a treadmill life, in what way could you open up a Jesus discussion with him?
2/. If Donald didn’t want to listen to this, what would you do?
3/. If Donald said he wanted to find out more about Jesus, what would you do?
For the believer living in obedience to the Great Commission, every moment of life is a meaningful, purposeful moment. Life has value and significance because of the believer’s union with Christ. That union shows itself in a life of joyful obedience.
But the Teacher (aka Solomon) makes the point that apart from God, life is meaningless. He stresses the point and then hammers the point. Life is utterly meaningless without God. Having made the point, the Teacher gives four illustrations that back up his point. There is no gain from one’s labour because he will die and another generation will take his place. Death will get the better of us all. The sun will continue to shine and the wind will continue to blow and streams will continue to roll into the sea. The endless cycle will continue over and over and over. People will come and people will go. People will rise up and they will fall. You will continue your daily routine and then life will cease. It will start again in someone else and they will have a treadmill existence as well.
So many people in this world feel like they are living a treadmill existence. They yearn for meaning and value but the endless cycle rolls relentlessly on. As the cycle rolls on they desperately seek respite in drinking, in partying, in making more money, in their future retirement or in that other person. So many people are searching for meaning, for value and for significance.
As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you have the opportunity to speak life into these people’s lives. By introducing them to Jesus you are inviting them into a life of meaning, value and eternal importance. You are inviting them off the treadmill! You are inviting them into a life that is internally fulfilled and content, no matter what their current life situation. You are inviting them into a life that is eternally significant. You are inviting them into a life infused with meaning. But be warned. These people must see meaning and value in your life first or your invitation will be rejected. Your life is the foundation on which the invitation to Christ is grounded. It must match your words and the Gospel you proclaim.
If Jesus is the difference between a pointless and purposeful life, you (the Jesus-follower) are an ambassador of the greatest importance.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer in each of the following categories based on the verse
...I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
John 10:10b
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Think of the people you work /study with and rub shoulders with each day. Ask the Lord to use your words and your life to show Christ to them. Pray that you would have opportunity to speak Jesus’ life into their lives.
¥ Pray that God would be using each individual in your church to bring Jesus’ life to others. Pray that believers in your church would be empowered to live obedient lives that shine brightly for Jesus. Pray that each person would have the courage to speak up when God allows them to share their faith.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1/. Assuming that Donald is living a treadmill life, in what way could you open up a Jesus discussion with him?
2/. If Donald didn’t want to listen to this, what would you do?
3/. If Donald said he wanted to find out more about Jesus, what would you do?
Tuesday 20 August 2013
Tuesday August 20, 2013
Jesus Challenge:
In your cell group, ask each person to state briefly what they see as the purpose of their life.
As a group, discuss the reason why you think it is useful or otherwise to have a knowledge of one’s life purpose.
What benefits or disadvantages come from having a life purpose?
Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-2. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
If someone were to tell you that your life is largely pointless or meaningless I suspect that you would get your nose out of joint. I suspect that you would be slightly (if not more) affronted. And yet, this is exactly what the Teacher does. He begins by telling us that life is meaningless.
What does he mean? The Hebrew word which the NIV translates as ‘meaningless’ and which the RSV translates as ‘vanity’ means “breathy”. The word was originally tied to concept of breath. The writer is telling us that life is breathy or fleeting. It is like a vapour - here for a brief moment but gone the next.
If we were to be totally honest, we’d have to admit that we would be affronted when confronted with our “meaningless” existence partly because we know deep down that it’s true! So many things that we do have little or no eternal value. So much of what we say, do and think has fleeting value in this life, let alone in the realm of eternity. Think for a moment about your weekly schedule. Of all the things that you do, could you find 10 things that have eternal value? Could you find 5 things? Could you find 3 things?
Life, however, need not be a meaningless web of unrelated events and experiences. When we pause to think eternally we find that all of life has eternal value in Christ if we are walking in obedience to the Great Commission that we studied last week. If, for example, I sweep gutters for a living I can do that with the Great Commission in mind or I can do it begrudgingly. If I sweep to the best of my ability and leave the streets amazingly clean, God is glorified. That has eternal value. If someone stops to talk and asks the reason for such dedicated work, that has eternal value. If they come to Christ through my testimony to Christ, that has eternal value. Work is far more than just earning money. It’s an opportunity to serve God and to glorify Him. It’s an opportunity to witness to Jesus through our work and our words. Every area of life has such eternal value when God is the centre of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
If, in line with this, we also see other people as eternal beings then we have a powerful combination that opens doors to share our faith, to witness to Christ and to lead people to Christ. When you look at a person do you see and consider their eternity? Do you ask yourself how you can help change this person’s eternity? Personally I’ve seen factory workers, doctors, mothers and fathers, mechanics and even horse trainers lead others to faith in Christ through this powerful combination.
When you are serving God by taking the Great Commission seriously, work is never a four letter word. It is a God given opportunity to bring glory and honour to Him and to testify to His saving greatness in your own life.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the children in your church would have a growing and maturing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that they God would be growing their faith and stretching them and maturing them in that faith.
¥ Pray that the youth in your church would know the love of Christ and not be drawn by peer pressure into the ways of the world.
¥ Pray that the 53 Compassion Children we support in Indonesia would be growing in knowledge and love of God and that they would make a firm decision to follow Jesus no mater what the cost. Pray that they would be great ambassadors for Jesus in their village.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Assuming you work with Donald, what can you do at work to show Don the greatness of God?
2. Why is a life lived for God a powerful testimony?
3. What affect does sin have in our living testimony to non-Christians?
In your cell group, ask each person to state briefly what they see as the purpose of their life.
As a group, discuss the reason why you think it is useful or otherwise to have a knowledge of one’s life purpose.
What benefits or disadvantages come from having a life purpose?
Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-2. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
If someone were to tell you that your life is largely pointless or meaningless I suspect that you would get your nose out of joint. I suspect that you would be slightly (if not more) affronted. And yet, this is exactly what the Teacher does. He begins by telling us that life is meaningless.
What does he mean? The Hebrew word which the NIV translates as ‘meaningless’ and which the RSV translates as ‘vanity’ means “breathy”. The word was originally tied to concept of breath. The writer is telling us that life is breathy or fleeting. It is like a vapour - here for a brief moment but gone the next.
If we were to be totally honest, we’d have to admit that we would be affronted when confronted with our “meaningless” existence partly because we know deep down that it’s true! So many things that we do have little or no eternal value. So much of what we say, do and think has fleeting value in this life, let alone in the realm of eternity. Think for a moment about your weekly schedule. Of all the things that you do, could you find 10 things that have eternal value? Could you find 5 things? Could you find 3 things?
Life, however, need not be a meaningless web of unrelated events and experiences. When we pause to think eternally we find that all of life has eternal value in Christ if we are walking in obedience to the Great Commission that we studied last week. If, for example, I sweep gutters for a living I can do that with the Great Commission in mind or I can do it begrudgingly. If I sweep to the best of my ability and leave the streets amazingly clean, God is glorified. That has eternal value. If someone stops to talk and asks the reason for such dedicated work, that has eternal value. If they come to Christ through my testimony to Christ, that has eternal value. Work is far more than just earning money. It’s an opportunity to serve God and to glorify Him. It’s an opportunity to witness to Jesus through our work and our words. Every area of life has such eternal value when God is the centre of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
If, in line with this, we also see other people as eternal beings then we have a powerful combination that opens doors to share our faith, to witness to Christ and to lead people to Christ. When you look at a person do you see and consider their eternity? Do you ask yourself how you can help change this person’s eternity? Personally I’ve seen factory workers, doctors, mothers and fathers, mechanics and even horse trainers lead others to faith in Christ through this powerful combination.
When you are serving God by taking the Great Commission seriously, work is never a four letter word. It is a God given opportunity to bring glory and honour to Him and to testify to His saving greatness in your own life.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the children in your church would have a growing and maturing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that they God would be growing their faith and stretching them and maturing them in that faith.
¥ Pray that the youth in your church would know the love of Christ and not be drawn by peer pressure into the ways of the world.
¥ Pray that the 53 Compassion Children we support in Indonesia would be growing in knowledge and love of God and that they would make a firm decision to follow Jesus no mater what the cost. Pray that they would be great ambassadors for Jesus in their village.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Assuming you work with Donald, what can you do at work to show Don the greatness of God?
2. Why is a life lived for God a powerful testimony?
3. What affect does sin have in our living testimony to non-Christians?
Monday 19 August 2013
Monday August 19, 2013
Read Ecclesiastes 1:1. 1 Kings 3
It’s important to know a little about the author of any book because it helps us to understand the vital meaning of the book, its background and it guides us on how to best interpret the book.
From the author’s introduction in verse 1 we can almost conclude that Solomon is the author of the book. He fits the bill in terms of being a Son of David and being King over Jerusalem. In chapter 12 we see that the author was wise and wrote down many proverbs. Solomon again fits the bill! He was wise and wrote many proverbs including much of the Book of Proverbs which sits just after the Psalms in the Bible.
But how does knowing that Solomon was the author help us in our journey through Ecclesiastes? Solomon became King of Israel when he was relatively young. We know that he asked God for wisdom and that God promised to grant him this wisdom. In fact, God promised Solomon a wise and discerning heart so that there will never have been, nor will there ever be, any one like him. We see this wisdom displayed immediately after the promise is given when two women dispute the true motherhood of a particular baby. The book of 1 Kings goes on to show the growth in wisdom and splendour of King Solomon.
When we read Ecclesiastes as a book written by Solomon we are assured that we are reading the words of a man of wisdom attested to by God Himself. We are reading the words of a wise man who has been inspired and blessed by God. Ecclesiastes is not the ramblings of a lunatic or the bitter cry of a cynic. It is not the off-the-cuff sayings of a mystic or magician. These are the well considered, thoroughly tested thoughts of a man filled with God’s Spirit and wisdom.
By understanding the authorship of Ecclesiastes as belonging to Solomon we are given a solid assurance and secure foundation that what we are reading is from God, not just from mankind.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
1 Kings 3:28
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the chaplain at Harristown Public school and his work there. Pray that Josh would have ample opportunity to speak of Christ, to make disciples for Jesus and even to introduce the staff to Christ. Pray that any Christian staff would support the chaplain in her role there.
¥ Pray that God would provide for the orphans and disabled people in Mustard Seed orphanage in Myanmar. Pray that God would provide for them, bless them and grant them knowledge and experience of His love for them. Pray that many of these people would become great soldiers for Christ Jesus.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
Donald, a non believer, has been your good friend for a long time. He’s listened patiently to your gospel presentations in the past but has so far reused to come to Christ in repentance and faith.
1/. If Donald were to tell you that he thinks the Bible is just another book written by mankind, how would you answer him?
2/. If Donald wanted to know more about the role of God in authoring the Bible, what suggestions could you give him?
It’s important to know a little about the author of any book because it helps us to understand the vital meaning of the book, its background and it guides us on how to best interpret the book.
From the author’s introduction in verse 1 we can almost conclude that Solomon is the author of the book. He fits the bill in terms of being a Son of David and being King over Jerusalem. In chapter 12 we see that the author was wise and wrote down many proverbs. Solomon again fits the bill! He was wise and wrote many proverbs including much of the Book of Proverbs which sits just after the Psalms in the Bible.
But how does knowing that Solomon was the author help us in our journey through Ecclesiastes? Solomon became King of Israel when he was relatively young. We know that he asked God for wisdom and that God promised to grant him this wisdom. In fact, God promised Solomon a wise and discerning heart so that there will never have been, nor will there ever be, any one like him. We see this wisdom displayed immediately after the promise is given when two women dispute the true motherhood of a particular baby. The book of 1 Kings goes on to show the growth in wisdom and splendour of King Solomon.
When we read Ecclesiastes as a book written by Solomon we are assured that we are reading the words of a man of wisdom attested to by God Himself. We are reading the words of a wise man who has been inspired and blessed by God. Ecclesiastes is not the ramblings of a lunatic or the bitter cry of a cynic. It is not the off-the-cuff sayings of a mystic or magician. These are the well considered, thoroughly tested thoughts of a man filled with God’s Spirit and wisdom.
By understanding the authorship of Ecclesiastes as belonging to Solomon we are given a solid assurance and secure foundation that what we are reading is from God, not just from mankind.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
1 Kings 3:28
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the chaplain at Harristown Public school and his work there. Pray that Josh would have ample opportunity to speak of Christ, to make disciples for Jesus and even to introduce the staff to Christ. Pray that any Christian staff would support the chaplain in her role there.
¥ Pray that God would provide for the orphans and disabled people in Mustard Seed orphanage in Myanmar. Pray that God would provide for them, bless them and grant them knowledge and experience of His love for them. Pray that many of these people would become great soldiers for Christ Jesus.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
Donald, a non believer, has been your good friend for a long time. He’s listened patiently to your gospel presentations in the past but has so far reused to come to Christ in repentance and faith.
1/. If Donald were to tell you that he thinks the Bible is just another book written by mankind, how would you answer him?
2/. If Donald wanted to know more about the role of God in authoring the Bible, what suggestions could you give him?
Saturday 17 August 2013
Saturday August 17, 2013
Read Matthew 28:18-20. 2 Peter 3:9
Do you see Jesus powerfully at work each and every day? Do you see God moving in phenomenal ways throughout the week in your own day-by-day existence? Do you experience God using you effectively in other’s lives on a regular basis?
I’ve pondered these types of questions for most of my Christian life and have seen a typical pattern in my life and in the lives of others, including the lives of the so-called Christian greats. God is most powerfully at work when individuals and churches take the Great Commission seriously and seek to be actively involved in it. Conversely, God is least powerfully at work, sometimes not at work at all, when we are living in disobedience to this Great Commission.
Some churches see Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:18-20 as The Great Suggestion, or worse, The Great Idea. But these words from Jesus’ lips are a command not a suggestion. Jesus is not saying that this concept of making disciples might be a good idea for a church to consider and perhaps to take on during quieter months. This is a non-optional command from our Commander-in-Chief.
When you decide to take this Commission seriously you will realise a potency and power to your life that you never dreamt possible. You will realise that God is able to (and will) work in wonderful, even miraculous ways. You will see God doing incredible things. The key to unlocking a powerful life for Christ is to walk in obedience to the Great Commission.
When your whole church decides to take this Commission seriously, what you have experienced personally will be exponentially multiplied and your local community will be threatened. People will be converted and you may even experience some form of persecution because of the threat your church now poses. Your worship services will take on a completely new flavour and freshness brought about by this radical obedience. The key to unlocking a vibrant church that eternally impacts the local community is to take the Great Commission seriously by obeying it.
Jesus ended the Great Commission with the promise, ‘And surely I am with you to the end of the age.’ This promise can not and should not be divorced from the context. What Jesus is saying is that if we make a firm decision to obey the Great Commission then He will be with us to the very end of the age. God longs for every person to come to repentance and He has promised through His Son that if we get out into the world to share the Good News then His Son, the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth, will be with us.
How obedient are you in keeping the Great Commission.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness.
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,
but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the chaplain at Glenvale Public school and her work there. Pray that Cath would have ample opportunity to speak of Christ, to make disciples for Jesus and even to introduce the staff to Christ. Pray that any Christian staff would support the chaplain in her role there.
¥ Pray that God would provide for the orphans in India through Shiloh Church Ministries. Pray that they would have adequate funds to buy food, clothes, school materials etc. Pray that joy would fill the hearts of these little ones each and every day.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. If Marcus doesn’t come to Christ, what might his future look like?
2. If Marcus said to you that he has tried praying and reading the Bible but it didn’t help him, what would you say or do?
3. If Marcus confided in you that he desperately wants to be loved, what would you say or do?
Do you see Jesus powerfully at work each and every day? Do you see God moving in phenomenal ways throughout the week in your own day-by-day existence? Do you experience God using you effectively in other’s lives on a regular basis?
I’ve pondered these types of questions for most of my Christian life and have seen a typical pattern in my life and in the lives of others, including the lives of the so-called Christian greats. God is most powerfully at work when individuals and churches take the Great Commission seriously and seek to be actively involved in it. Conversely, God is least powerfully at work, sometimes not at work at all, when we are living in disobedience to this Great Commission.
Some churches see Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:18-20 as The Great Suggestion, or worse, The Great Idea. But these words from Jesus’ lips are a command not a suggestion. Jesus is not saying that this concept of making disciples might be a good idea for a church to consider and perhaps to take on during quieter months. This is a non-optional command from our Commander-in-Chief.
When you decide to take this Commission seriously you will realise a potency and power to your life that you never dreamt possible. You will realise that God is able to (and will) work in wonderful, even miraculous ways. You will see God doing incredible things. The key to unlocking a powerful life for Christ is to walk in obedience to the Great Commission.
When your whole church decides to take this Commission seriously, what you have experienced personally will be exponentially multiplied and your local community will be threatened. People will be converted and you may even experience some form of persecution because of the threat your church now poses. Your worship services will take on a completely new flavour and freshness brought about by this radical obedience. The key to unlocking a vibrant church that eternally impacts the local community is to take the Great Commission seriously by obeying it.
Jesus ended the Great Commission with the promise, ‘And surely I am with you to the end of the age.’ This promise can not and should not be divorced from the context. What Jesus is saying is that if we make a firm decision to obey the Great Commission then He will be with us to the very end of the age. God longs for every person to come to repentance and He has promised through His Son that if we get out into the world to share the Good News then His Son, the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth, will be with us.
How obedient are you in keeping the Great Commission.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer point in each of the following categories based on the following verse.
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness.
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,
but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for the chaplain at Glenvale Public school and her work there. Pray that Cath would have ample opportunity to speak of Christ, to make disciples for Jesus and even to introduce the staff to Christ. Pray that any Christian staff would support the chaplain in her role there.
¥ Pray that God would provide for the orphans in India through Shiloh Church Ministries. Pray that they would have adequate funds to buy food, clothes, school materials etc. Pray that joy would fill the hearts of these little ones each and every day.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. If Marcus doesn’t come to Christ, what might his future look like?
2. If Marcus said to you that he has tried praying and reading the Bible but it didn’t help him, what would you say or do?
3. If Marcus confided in you that he desperately wants to be loved, what would you say or do?
Friday 16 August 2013
Friday August 16, 2013
Read Matthew 28:18-20. Ecclesiastes 12:13
Think of the metanarrative of the Bible. By metanarrative we mean the one big narrative that joins the entire Bible together. It could be stated as God’s plan to bring God’s people into God’s place so that they are under God’s rule. You can see this with Adam and Eve. They were God’s people in God’s place (Eden) under God’s rule (Gen 1:27-29). The people of Israel were God’s people of the Old Testament and they were in God’s place (The Promised Land) and, of course, were under God’s rule (the Torah or Law). Within this plan of God’s, obedience was the abiding hall mark of the people of God.
When Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes 12:13 he was picturing that God-ward obedience that would give meaning and value to a person’s entire life. A life lived in obedience to God is a fulfilling life regardless of what one is doing. Conversely, a life lived in disobedience will never be truly satisfying.
For the nation of Israel obedience meant living in holiness in accord with the Covenant and the Torah. By obeying God, Israel would be a light to the nations that would draw them to God in repentance and faith.
For the New Testament church, obedience is still living in holiness in accord with the Covenant but Jesus has added another dimension. In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus gives the Church His mission statement. This mission statement has two elements - evangelism and edification. We are called to be evangelising the world, that is bringing people to Christ and baptising them in the triune name of God. Once people are converted we are to be edifying or discipling them. We are to be growing them in obedience to Jesus and this must include obedience to the Great Commission.
Your personal life and your church life will take on a whole new meaning of purpose and significance when you adopt the Great Commission as your personal mission statement. By living in obedience to this statement you will find that even the dreariest of chores becomes a loving service to God infused with eternal value and meaning.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer in each of the following categories based on the verse
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:20
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the children in your church would have a growing and maturing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that God would be growing their faith and stretching them and maturing them in that faith.
¥ Pray that the youth in your church would know the love of Christ and not be drawn by peer pressure into the ways of the world.
¥ Pray that the 53 Compassion Children we support in Indonesia would be growing in knowledge and love of God and that they would make a firm decision to follow Jesus no mater what the cost. Pray that they would be great ambassadors for Jesus in their village.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What do you think Marcus is looking for?
2. How do you think a relationship with Jesus will help Marcus?
3. What must Marcus do to enter into this relationship with Jesus?
4. What should we do if we know of people like Marcus that carry the “Christian” name tag but don’t have a relationship with Jesus?
Think of the metanarrative of the Bible. By metanarrative we mean the one big narrative that joins the entire Bible together. It could be stated as God’s plan to bring God’s people into God’s place so that they are under God’s rule. You can see this with Adam and Eve. They were God’s people in God’s place (Eden) under God’s rule (Gen 1:27-29). The people of Israel were God’s people of the Old Testament and they were in God’s place (The Promised Land) and, of course, were under God’s rule (the Torah or Law). Within this plan of God’s, obedience was the abiding hall mark of the people of God.
When Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes 12:13 he was picturing that God-ward obedience that would give meaning and value to a person’s entire life. A life lived in obedience to God is a fulfilling life regardless of what one is doing. Conversely, a life lived in disobedience will never be truly satisfying.
For the nation of Israel obedience meant living in holiness in accord with the Covenant and the Torah. By obeying God, Israel would be a light to the nations that would draw them to God in repentance and faith.
For the New Testament church, obedience is still living in holiness in accord with the Covenant but Jesus has added another dimension. In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus gives the Church His mission statement. This mission statement has two elements - evangelism and edification. We are called to be evangelising the world, that is bringing people to Christ and baptising them in the triune name of God. Once people are converted we are to be edifying or discipling them. We are to be growing them in obedience to Jesus and this must include obedience to the Great Commission.
Your personal life and your church life will take on a whole new meaning of purpose and significance when you adopt the Great Commission as your personal mission statement. By living in obedience to this statement you will find that even the dreariest of chores becomes a loving service to God infused with eternal value and meaning.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer in each of the following categories based on the verse
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:20
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the children in your church would have a growing and maturing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that God would be growing their faith and stretching them and maturing them in that faith.
¥ Pray that the youth in your church would know the love of Christ and not be drawn by peer pressure into the ways of the world.
¥ Pray that the 53 Compassion Children we support in Indonesia would be growing in knowledge and love of God and that they would make a firm decision to follow Jesus no mater what the cost. Pray that they would be great ambassadors for Jesus in their village.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What do you think Marcus is looking for?
2. How do you think a relationship with Jesus will help Marcus?
3. What must Marcus do to enter into this relationship with Jesus?
4. What should we do if we know of people like Marcus that carry the “Christian” name tag but don’t have a relationship with Jesus?
Thursday 15 August 2013
Thursday August 15, 2013
Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-2. 12:8-14
It would be easy to think that Ecclesiastes is a book written by a hard hearted cynic who had been let down and hurt by the world. It would be easy to see it as a whinge, a rage against society by a bitter old man who had been deeply cut and scarred by life’s tragedies.
But this is far from the truth. Ecclesiastes is a book in the biblical genre of wisdom literature. It gives us an earthy look at the reality of life lived without God. It shows the utter meaningless of everything under the sun when God is taken out of the picture.
The book starts with the declaration,
Meaningless! Meaningless! , says the Teacher
Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless” (1:2)
It finishes- excluding the epilogue - with a similar declaration:
Meaningless! Meaningless! , says the Teacher
Everything is meaningless” (12:8)
The implication of this structure is that everything in-between is meaningless. Only in the epilogue do we find out that what really matters is fearing God and keeping His commands. Here is the source of true and enduing meaning.
A meaningful life, as opposed to a meaningless existence, comes from knowing who we are in Christ, from experiencing God’s love day by day and from making that firm decision to follow Jesus irrespective of the cost. When we are united with Christ our life takes on meaning and value. Everything we do has meaning and value. Every activity is infused with God-given importance. Shopping is no longer a chore and a dreary exercise. Work is no longer a cursed four letter word. The in-laws don't have to be endured. Study is no longer pointless. Money is no longer our Saviour.
When the people in your world see you living a meaningful, purpose driven life they will be drawn to the source of your meaning and purpose. When they see your intentional daily life, your joy in Christ, your purpose and direction they will begin to ask questions. Your light will shine brightly.
A life lived deliberately in service to God is a powerful testimony to our God and Saviour.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer in each of the following categories based on the verse
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 9:13b.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask the Lord your God to raise up a spirit of love and generosity in your congregation. Pray that each and every person would love God with their entire heart and soul and mind and strength and financial resources as well.
¥ Pray that the Committee of Management would be wise in the way that it deals with and distributes the resources God has entrusted it with.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Do you think Marcus is stuck in a meaningless existence? Why?
2. How could you be of support to Marcus based on Ecclesiastes?
3. What could give Marcus’ life meaning and importance?
It would be easy to think that Ecclesiastes is a book written by a hard hearted cynic who had been let down and hurt by the world. It would be easy to see it as a whinge, a rage against society by a bitter old man who had been deeply cut and scarred by life’s tragedies.
But this is far from the truth. Ecclesiastes is a book in the biblical genre of wisdom literature. It gives us an earthy look at the reality of life lived without God. It shows the utter meaningless of everything under the sun when God is taken out of the picture.
The book starts with the declaration,
Meaningless! Meaningless! , says the Teacher
Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless” (1:2)
It finishes- excluding the epilogue - with a similar declaration:
Meaningless! Meaningless! , says the Teacher
Everything is meaningless” (12:8)
The implication of this structure is that everything in-between is meaningless. Only in the epilogue do we find out that what really matters is fearing God and keeping His commands. Here is the source of true and enduing meaning.
A meaningful life, as opposed to a meaningless existence, comes from knowing who we are in Christ, from experiencing God’s love day by day and from making that firm decision to follow Jesus irrespective of the cost. When we are united with Christ our life takes on meaning and value. Everything we do has meaning and value. Every activity is infused with God-given importance. Shopping is no longer a chore and a dreary exercise. Work is no longer a cursed four letter word. The in-laws don't have to be endured. Study is no longer pointless. Money is no longer our Saviour.
When the people in your world see you living a meaningful, purpose driven life they will be drawn to the source of your meaning and purpose. When they see your intentional daily life, your joy in Christ, your purpose and direction they will begin to ask questions. Your light will shine brightly.
A life lived deliberately in service to God is a powerful testimony to our God and Saviour.
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer in each of the following categories based on the verse
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 9:13b.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Ask the Lord your God to raise up a spirit of love and generosity in your congregation. Pray that each and every person would love God with their entire heart and soul and mind and strength and financial resources as well.
¥ Pray that the Committee of Management would be wise in the way that it deals with and distributes the resources God has entrusted it with.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Do you think Marcus is stuck in a meaningless existence? Why?
2. How could you be of support to Marcus based on Ecclesiastes?
3. What could give Marcus’ life meaning and importance?
Wednesday 14 August 2013
Wednesday August 14, 2013
Jesus Challenge:
We’ve been talking and thinking about meaning and value in our lives. As a cell group discuss the importance for individual believers to have a goal or vision for their own life.
Spend time praying together that God would show each person in your group what he has in store for them and what their particular life goal should be.
See if each individual can come up with a Bible verse that sums up the purpose or point of their life.
Suggested verses could include
Ephesians 2:8-10, 2 Corinthians 5: 20, 1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Tim 1:15-16, Psalm 139:14, Philippians 3:12, 14, Philippians 4:11
Today's Reading:
Read Mark 1:14-20
It was a small country town dotted with a few churches - some largish, some not so large. The church I was assigned to as a student preacher was small. About 12 people gathered week in, week out to sing four hymns, to give their tithes and to hear the Word of God expounded.
As I got to know the people better it became obvious that much of what they were doing was “religion” - in the negative sense of the word. They simply went to church each week as something you had to do. Some had been going for over 70 years without missing a single week! But these very people had probably never known or experienced the love of God. It had never impacted them! It had never changed them!
You and I can fall into similar habits can’t we? Attending church, reading God’s Word and praying can become things we simply do. They can easily become motions that we go through. Of course, we will never grow in depth of love and appreciation of God while we ‘do’ religion. It’s like a student doing an assignment on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - it’s merely information being sorted out and presented. There is no relationship present. Imagine how that student's life would change if he actually got to know the Prime minister as a good friend.
God wants to know you as a good friend. In fact, He wants to be your best friend. He wants to lavish you with love and fill you with His presence through the Holy Spirit.
So why then, are so many people sitting in churches disengaged and unfulfilled? Why are so many people putting their family, their sport, their shopping and even their house cleaning above meeting with God?
When Jesus called the first disciples they left their nets and followed Him. They put down everything they had and made a firm decision to follow Him - to be Jesus-followers, not fishermen! Have you and I made a firm decision to follow Jesus? Have we resolved that come hell or high water we will walk with Jesus? Have we decided that Jesus is our Lord and Savour and we will walk with Him at home, at work, at school, at uni and even with our friends?
When you make that decision to forsake all things to follow Jesus, you will have a powerful life that brings glory to God. When you decide to put all things under Jesus’ lordship you will have an incredible impact in your world.
God doesn’t want you to just go through the motions. He doesn’t want a robot to follow Him. He doesn’t want you to do religion. He wants your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength. That journey begins with a single decision - will you leave everything to follow Jesus?
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer in each of the categories below based on the following verse.
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake for they were fisher men.
“Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that Josh Willis, the chaplain at Harristown Public School will have many opportunities to introduce the students and staff to Christ. Pray that God would use Josh greatly in reaching out to these students and staff. Pray that his funding would continue to flow in.
¥ Pray for the continued work of Uni Impact in NZ. Pray that David and Kristy Richards would bear much fruit in the unis as they work for Uni Impact. Ask God to bring in the harvest through them and the team as they reach out to the students and staff at the unis.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Do you think that Marcus has ever made this decision to follow Christ? Why or why not?
2. How could you encourage Marcus?
3. What role do Christian friends play in encouraging one another to decide to follow Jesus whole-heartedly?
4. What kind of Christian friend are you?
We’ve been talking and thinking about meaning and value in our lives. As a cell group discuss the importance for individual believers to have a goal or vision for their own life.
Spend time praying together that God would show each person in your group what he has in store for them and what their particular life goal should be.
See if each individual can come up with a Bible verse that sums up the purpose or point of their life.
Suggested verses could include
Ephesians 2:8-10, 2 Corinthians 5: 20, 1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Tim 1:15-16, Psalm 139:14, Philippians 3:12, 14, Philippians 4:11
Today's Reading:
Read Mark 1:14-20
It was a small country town dotted with a few churches - some largish, some not so large. The church I was assigned to as a student preacher was small. About 12 people gathered week in, week out to sing four hymns, to give their tithes and to hear the Word of God expounded.
As I got to know the people better it became obvious that much of what they were doing was “religion” - in the negative sense of the word. They simply went to church each week as something you had to do. Some had been going for over 70 years without missing a single week! But these very people had probably never known or experienced the love of God. It had never impacted them! It had never changed them!
You and I can fall into similar habits can’t we? Attending church, reading God’s Word and praying can become things we simply do. They can easily become motions that we go through. Of course, we will never grow in depth of love and appreciation of God while we ‘do’ religion. It’s like a student doing an assignment on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - it’s merely information being sorted out and presented. There is no relationship present. Imagine how that student's life would change if he actually got to know the Prime minister as a good friend.
God wants to know you as a good friend. In fact, He wants to be your best friend. He wants to lavish you with love and fill you with His presence through the Holy Spirit.
So why then, are so many people sitting in churches disengaged and unfulfilled? Why are so many people putting their family, their sport, their shopping and even their house cleaning above meeting with God?
When Jesus called the first disciples they left their nets and followed Him. They put down everything they had and made a firm decision to follow Him - to be Jesus-followers, not fishermen! Have you and I made a firm decision to follow Jesus? Have we resolved that come hell or high water we will walk with Jesus? Have we decided that Jesus is our Lord and Savour and we will walk with Him at home, at work, at school, at uni and even with our friends?
When you make that decision to forsake all things to follow Jesus, you will have a powerful life that brings glory to God. When you decide to put all things under Jesus’ lordship you will have an incredible impact in your world.
God doesn’t want you to just go through the motions. He doesn’t want a robot to follow Him. He doesn’t want you to do religion. He wants your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength. That journey begins with a single decision - will you leave everything to follow Jesus?
Prayer:
Write down at least one prayer in each of the categories below based on the following verse.
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake for they were fisher men.
“Come follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that Josh Willis, the chaplain at Harristown Public School will have many opportunities to introduce the students and staff to Christ. Pray that God would use Josh greatly in reaching out to these students and staff. Pray that his funding would continue to flow in.
¥ Pray for the continued work of Uni Impact in NZ. Pray that David and Kristy Richards would bear much fruit in the unis as they work for Uni Impact. Ask God to bring in the harvest through them and the team as they reach out to the students and staff at the unis.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Do you think that Marcus has ever made this decision to follow Christ? Why or why not?
2. How could you encourage Marcus?
3. What role do Christian friends play in encouraging one another to decide to follow Jesus whole-heartedly?
4. What kind of Christian friend are you?
Tuesday 13 August 2013
Tuesday August 13, 2013
Read Ephesians 2:1-10
A rusted out, beat up old BMW Z3 sits decaying in a junk yard. It is totally unloved, unwanted and uncared for. One day a mechanic comes along and purchases the BMW Z3 from the junk yard owner. But to purchase the wreck, he has to sell up most of his assets and holdings. He so desperately wants that car that he gives up everything to take that car home. In his garage, he fixes that car and brings it back to life. After much love, attention and hard work that car is restored. It’s shiny. It’s sporty. It’s faster and stronger and better than it has ever been.
If you are a believer in Christ Jesus then you are that car. Each of us was in the junk yard of death. We were rusted out, beat up and spiritually decaying. But God gave up everything, His very own Son, to purchase us from the junk yard owner and to bring us home to himself.
God lavished us with love. He renewed us in Christ. He restored us. He made us whole in Jesus. He gave us a new identity, a new purpose, a new lease of life and a completely new reason for living.
Far too many Christians know all of this intellectually. They know it in their heads but they have never experienced it in their hearts. Knowing you are loved just doesn’t compare with feeling loved. Christ wants us to know we are loved beyond any reasonable doubt but He also wants us to experience His love on a day by day basis.
Experiencing His love doesn’t come by pretending or by trying to earn His love. It comes by accepting our previous rusted out, beat up condition. It comes by acknowledging that we were sinful, that we were separated from God and that we deserved nothing less than his condemnation and wrath. To experience His love we have to look honestly at ourselves in the mirror and see ourselves as we really are and were.
When we can honestly do that we begin to appreciate and experience the wonder of God’s love. He didn't have to purchase me from the junk yard. He didn’t have to pay the price to set me free. He didn’t have to renew me. He didn’t have to love me - BUT HE DID.
But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy,
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -
It is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 1:4-5
In your next quiet time with God, think honestly about yourself being dead in sin and transgression. Then think about Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection to give you life and value. Rather than just going through the formality of prayer like an MP3 player, sing to God from the heart. Write a song to God and sing it to Him. Write a poem of adoration to Him and read it to Him. Dance out the joy in your heart. Let your heart loose and worship God from the heart.
To experience the heights and wonders of God’s love you have to plummet to the depths of human depravity.
Prayer:
From the verse below, write down at least one prayer point in each category.
For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith - and this is not from yourselves,
It is the gift of God -
not by works so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would allow you and your fellow Jesus-followers to experience His love in real, tangible ways. Pray that all of you would get excited about His love.
¥ Pray that God would grow your church as more believers experience God’s love and move outwards into the world to share that love. Pray that your church would see unprecedented growth as His love works powerfully in and among you.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
Remember Marcus?
1. How can today’s passage help him?
2. How could you encourage Marcus?
3. How can you implement today’s teaching into your own life?
A rusted out, beat up old BMW Z3 sits decaying in a junk yard. It is totally unloved, unwanted and uncared for. One day a mechanic comes along and purchases the BMW Z3 from the junk yard owner. But to purchase the wreck, he has to sell up most of his assets and holdings. He so desperately wants that car that he gives up everything to take that car home. In his garage, he fixes that car and brings it back to life. After much love, attention and hard work that car is restored. It’s shiny. It’s sporty. It’s faster and stronger and better than it has ever been.
If you are a believer in Christ Jesus then you are that car. Each of us was in the junk yard of death. We were rusted out, beat up and spiritually decaying. But God gave up everything, His very own Son, to purchase us from the junk yard owner and to bring us home to himself.
God lavished us with love. He renewed us in Christ. He restored us. He made us whole in Jesus. He gave us a new identity, a new purpose, a new lease of life and a completely new reason for living.
Far too many Christians know all of this intellectually. They know it in their heads but they have never experienced it in their hearts. Knowing you are loved just doesn’t compare with feeling loved. Christ wants us to know we are loved beyond any reasonable doubt but He also wants us to experience His love on a day by day basis.
Experiencing His love doesn’t come by pretending or by trying to earn His love. It comes by accepting our previous rusted out, beat up condition. It comes by acknowledging that we were sinful, that we were separated from God and that we deserved nothing less than his condemnation and wrath. To experience His love we have to look honestly at ourselves in the mirror and see ourselves as we really are and were.
When we can honestly do that we begin to appreciate and experience the wonder of God’s love. He didn't have to purchase me from the junk yard. He didn’t have to pay the price to set me free. He didn’t have to renew me. He didn’t have to love me - BUT HE DID.
But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy,
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -
It is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 1:4-5
In your next quiet time with God, think honestly about yourself being dead in sin and transgression. Then think about Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection to give you life and value. Rather than just going through the formality of prayer like an MP3 player, sing to God from the heart. Write a song to God and sing it to Him. Write a poem of adoration to Him and read it to Him. Dance out the joy in your heart. Let your heart loose and worship God from the heart.
To experience the heights and wonders of God’s love you have to plummet to the depths of human depravity.
Prayer:
From the verse below, write down at least one prayer point in each category.
For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith - and this is not from yourselves,
It is the gift of God -
not by works so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would allow you and your fellow Jesus-followers to experience His love in real, tangible ways. Pray that all of you would get excited about His love.
¥ Pray that God would grow your church as more believers experience God’s love and move outwards into the world to share that love. Pray that your church would see unprecedented growth as His love works powerfully in and among you.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
Remember Marcus?
1. How can today’s passage help him?
2. How could you encourage Marcus?
3. How can you implement today’s teaching into your own life?
Monday 12 August 2013
Monday August 12, 2013
Read John 1:10-13. Ephesians 1:1-6
It’s absolutely vital to know who we are, isn’t it?
Think about the upshot of not knowing who we are. Teenagers who struggle with their identity inevitably drift towards finding acceptance by any means. A young believing teenager who doesn’t know his identity in Christ might quickly drift to the “in-crowd” at school. Pretty soon he’s stealing and bullying others just to stay in the “in-crowd”. The man or woman who lacks a depth of comfort in their true identity may seek to find value and meaning in wealth, in work, in their children’s education or performance. They may fight for a cause, believing that this is who they really are. They may become workaholics or worse, alcoholics or drug addicts as they seek release from the burden of not knowing who they really are.
To know who we are is vital for our own well being and sanity. To know who we are lifts the burden and allows us to live a life of freedom and value and purpose.
Our identity must be firmly grounded in Christ. Jesus came into the world but was rejected by the world so that you and I can be grounded in Him. He wore the shame of crucifixion so that you and I could bear the royal seal of God. Everyone who believes in Jesus is a child of God. That means that from the very beginning of creation God designed you and made you for the express purpose of having a relationship with Himself.
Your identity comes from being in God through Christ. You will never find full meaning or value or identity in anything without God. But when you draw near to God and find yourself in Him, you could be a garbage collector or a neuro surgeon and you’ll still be filled with your identity in Him. You could be a millionaire or a pauper and still be content in Him. You could be famous or just one person among the masses and still have a life of meaning, impact and value because you remain in Him.
Life without Christ is an eternal search for identity filled with pretence and pretending. Life in Christ is a life of purpose, value and power.
Prayer:
From the verse below, write down at least one prayer point in each category.
Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name,
He gave the right to become children of God -
children born not of natural descent,
nor of human decision or a husband’s will,
but born of God.
John 1:12-13
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the planning for our upcoming September Extreme Week will progress smoothly. Pray for those planning the lessons, the crafts, the games, the activities and the afternoon events. Pray that God would watch over the process of planning and allow it to progress well.
¥ Pray that our singles will be growing and maturing in Christ and deepening in love for Him and in fellowship with others.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
Marcus has grown up in a Christian family and has regularly attended church for the last 18 years. Recently he moved to the big city to attend uni but has drifted towards the gangs. He says that he feels loved and accepted and finally, after all these years, he feels like he belongs.
1. How might today’s passages apply to Marcus?
2. If Marcus shared with you that he is struggling with his identity, what would you say to him?
3. If you were a fellow uni student with Marcus, how could you support and encourage him?
It’s absolutely vital to know who we are, isn’t it?
Think about the upshot of not knowing who we are. Teenagers who struggle with their identity inevitably drift towards finding acceptance by any means. A young believing teenager who doesn’t know his identity in Christ might quickly drift to the “in-crowd” at school. Pretty soon he’s stealing and bullying others just to stay in the “in-crowd”. The man or woman who lacks a depth of comfort in their true identity may seek to find value and meaning in wealth, in work, in their children’s education or performance. They may fight for a cause, believing that this is who they really are. They may become workaholics or worse, alcoholics or drug addicts as they seek release from the burden of not knowing who they really are.
To know who we are is vital for our own well being and sanity. To know who we are lifts the burden and allows us to live a life of freedom and value and purpose.
Our identity must be firmly grounded in Christ. Jesus came into the world but was rejected by the world so that you and I can be grounded in Him. He wore the shame of crucifixion so that you and I could bear the royal seal of God. Everyone who believes in Jesus is a child of God. That means that from the very beginning of creation God designed you and made you for the express purpose of having a relationship with Himself.
Your identity comes from being in God through Christ. You will never find full meaning or value or identity in anything without God. But when you draw near to God and find yourself in Him, you could be a garbage collector or a neuro surgeon and you’ll still be filled with your identity in Him. You could be a millionaire or a pauper and still be content in Him. You could be famous or just one person among the masses and still have a life of meaning, impact and value because you remain in Him.
Life without Christ is an eternal search for identity filled with pretence and pretending. Life in Christ is a life of purpose, value and power.
Prayer:
From the verse below, write down at least one prayer point in each category.
Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name,
He gave the right to become children of God -
children born not of natural descent,
nor of human decision or a husband’s will,
but born of God.
John 1:12-13
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that the planning for our upcoming September Extreme Week will progress smoothly. Pray for those planning the lessons, the crafts, the games, the activities and the afternoon events. Pray that God would watch over the process of planning and allow it to progress well.
¥ Pray that our singles will be growing and maturing in Christ and deepening in love for Him and in fellowship with others.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
Marcus has grown up in a Christian family and has regularly attended church for the last 18 years. Recently he moved to the big city to attend uni but has drifted towards the gangs. He says that he feels loved and accepted and finally, after all these years, he feels like he belongs.
1. How might today’s passages apply to Marcus?
2. If Marcus shared with you that he is struggling with his identity, what would you say to him?
3. If you were a fellow uni student with Marcus, how could you support and encourage him?
Saturday 10 August 2013
Saturday 10 August 2013
Read: Acts 4:23-31
Imagine that you had a red telephone in your house which went straight to the office of the Prime Minister? If you knew that every time you picked up that phone the Prime Minister would answer immediately and would be able and willing to help you with your problem would you use it?
Prayer is an even more powerful, even more direct form of communication than a telephone to the Prime Minister. We don’t only have communication with the leader of a single country. We have direct communication with the all powerful, all sovereign ruler of the universe. That is why we can pray with confidence that God is able and willing to answer our prayers.
When the believers pray in Acts 4 they begin with remembering these things about God. They start with God’s power. “Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” They begin their prayer by remembering why they can be confident that God is able to answer their prayers. When you pray you pray to the same God who put all the stars in the sky and can measure them all with the span of His hand (Isaiah 40:12). You are praying to the God who formed land and sky and seas. You are praying to the God who perfectly balanced the sensitive ecosystem of the world so that life could be sustained. You are praying to the God who created your body with all it’s intricate systems and minute detail. We can pray with confidence because we know our God is all powerful.
But the believers’ prayer doesn’t end there. They also praise God for His sovereignty. God’s incredible power would mean nothing for us if He was not also in control of the world and all that happens. The believers affirm that even God’s enemies “did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” Our God is totally in control. Even His enemies do what He decides and what He wills. Nothing happens on the Earth that is outside of God’s control.
If God is all powerful and all sovereign then we can truly pray with confidence that God is able to answer our prayers but how do we know that God wants to answer our prayers? I don’t know about you but I would hesitate to ever pick up that red phone at my house because I wouldn’t trust that the Prime Minister would have the time or the desire to solve my problem.
This is not the case with God. Because Christ has secured our relationship with God by His life, death and resurrection we can come before God with confidence and boldness (Hebrews 4:16). We know that God is not only able to answer our prayers, He desires to answer our prayers.
What happens for the believers in Acts 4? God answers their prayer powerfully and immediately. Through their confident, bold prayer the God of the universe empowers them to boldly preach His word to the nations.
Do you bring your needs and desires before God with confidence and boldness? Do you pray that God would enable you to share your faith courageously? Do you pray that God would enable you and use you to build His kingdom? Pray confidently and boldly today that God would do these things in your life.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would enable believers around the world to preach the gospel with great boldness and passion. Pray that they would be fearless in their proclamation of Christ in their communities. Pray that God would bring many around the world to faith and trust in Him as a result of these believers.
¥ Pray for the men in your church. Pray that they would grow in their relationship with Christ and that they would be filled with a desire to serve Him. Pray that God would challenge them to be powerful leaders in their families. Pray that they would be loving and gracious husbands who would willing sacrifice of themselves for the sake of their wives. Pray that they would be tender and wise fathers who would raise their children to serve and love God.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What would a praying church look like? What would be the hallmarks of the church?
2. What would it take to be praying church? What attitudes need to change for your local church to become a “house of prayer for all nations”?
Imagine that you had a red telephone in your house which went straight to the office of the Prime Minister? If you knew that every time you picked up that phone the Prime Minister would answer immediately and would be able and willing to help you with your problem would you use it?
Prayer is an even more powerful, even more direct form of communication than a telephone to the Prime Minister. We don’t only have communication with the leader of a single country. We have direct communication with the all powerful, all sovereign ruler of the universe. That is why we can pray with confidence that God is able and willing to answer our prayers.
When the believers pray in Acts 4 they begin with remembering these things about God. They start with God’s power. “Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” They begin their prayer by remembering why they can be confident that God is able to answer their prayers. When you pray you pray to the same God who put all the stars in the sky and can measure them all with the span of His hand (Isaiah 40:12). You are praying to the God who formed land and sky and seas. You are praying to the God who perfectly balanced the sensitive ecosystem of the world so that life could be sustained. You are praying to the God who created your body with all it’s intricate systems and minute detail. We can pray with confidence because we know our God is all powerful.
But the believers’ prayer doesn’t end there. They also praise God for His sovereignty. God’s incredible power would mean nothing for us if He was not also in control of the world and all that happens. The believers affirm that even God’s enemies “did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” Our God is totally in control. Even His enemies do what He decides and what He wills. Nothing happens on the Earth that is outside of God’s control.
If God is all powerful and all sovereign then we can truly pray with confidence that God is able to answer our prayers but how do we know that God wants to answer our prayers? I don’t know about you but I would hesitate to ever pick up that red phone at my house because I wouldn’t trust that the Prime Minister would have the time or the desire to solve my problem.
This is not the case with God. Because Christ has secured our relationship with God by His life, death and resurrection we can come before God with confidence and boldness (Hebrews 4:16). We know that God is not only able to answer our prayers, He desires to answer our prayers.
What happens for the believers in Acts 4? God answers their prayer powerfully and immediately. Through their confident, bold prayer the God of the universe empowers them to boldly preach His word to the nations.
Do you bring your needs and desires before God with confidence and boldness? Do you pray that God would enable you to share your faith courageously? Do you pray that God would enable you and use you to build His kingdom? Pray confidently and boldly today that God would do these things in your life.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would enable believers around the world to preach the gospel with great boldness and passion. Pray that they would be fearless in their proclamation of Christ in their communities. Pray that God would bring many around the world to faith and trust in Him as a result of these believers.
¥ Pray for the men in your church. Pray that they would grow in their relationship with Christ and that they would be filled with a desire to serve Him. Pray that God would challenge them to be powerful leaders in their families. Pray that they would be loving and gracious husbands who would willing sacrifice of themselves for the sake of their wives. Pray that they would be tender and wise fathers who would raise their children to serve and love God.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What would a praying church look like? What would be the hallmarks of the church?
2. What would it take to be praying church? What attitudes need to change for your local church to become a “house of prayer for all nations”?
Friday 9 August 2013
Friday 9 August 2013
Jesus Challenge:
Think and pray about the gospel opportunities you have in your week. Focus on one area and think through how you might ENGAGE in those opportunities with those who don’t know Jesus. If you are struggling for ideas try talking to another mature believer about how to ENGAGE.
Read: Exodus 32:7-14
If two of your family members or best friends were in an argument, how would you feel about stepping in and trying to mediate between the two? I imagine you'd feel torn or hesitant to get involved. You know both parties and you don't want to affect either of those relationships. Enter Moses, standing between an angry God and the Israelites who had just committed the grave sin of idolatry against God. In the midst of this situation, Moses rises to the difficult challenge of mediation between God and the Israelites. There are few things we can learn from Moses. Moses knows God; Moses mediation and appeal for the people of Israel stems from his knowledge and relationship with God. He appeals on the basis of God's character (vs 11), he appeals on the basis of God's honour and glory (vs 12), and he appeals on the basis of God's promises (vs 13).
Prayer plays an integral part, not only in our own personal lives, but in the lives of the people, society, and nations around us. As Christians, we are in a position to stand between God and the world, to intercede, to petition, to seek God's gracious hand on their behalf. Just as Moses interceded for the Israelites, so we too should be interceding for the nations.
Moses' model for prayer is a call to step up, not only in our prayer, but in our relationship with God. How might your prayers change if you knew the heart of God? How might your thoughts change if you knew the promises of God? How might your actions change if you made the honour and glory of God your priority?
When Jesus entered the temple and drove out the market stalls, He quotes Isaiah (Isaiah 56:7; Mark 11:17):
My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. His house, the Church, is to be called a house of prayer for all nations. I wonder how things might change in your local setting if the church was a house of prayer, not just for its members, but for the community, the city, the state, the nation, and the world. If you would dare to dream what God might do if His people would humble themselves and pray for the nations…
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Praise God for His provision to the team, including Anneke Timmers, who recently travelled to Uganda and South Africa to share the Gospel. Praise God for keeping the whole team safe and well during the trip. Praise God that they were able to share with the locals both spiritually and financially. Pray that God would grow the seed they planted in the lives of the locals.
¥ Pray for Loretta, an African woman who looks after 32 children who have AIDS. Pray that God would strengthen her and encourage her in her very difficult work. Pray that she would find her rest and relief in God. Pray for her husband who has been forced to travel to India for work and only sees Loretta a couple of times a year. Pray that God would raise support for this couple and that they would be encouraged in their ministry.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is your concept of prayer? What is your motivation for prayer? Does the way you pray reflect these things?
2. Are your prayers personal? Do you share your deepest fears and challenges with God? Do you share the ups and downs of your day? What stops you from personal prayers?
Think and pray about the gospel opportunities you have in your week. Focus on one area and think through how you might ENGAGE in those opportunities with those who don’t know Jesus. If you are struggling for ideas try talking to another mature believer about how to ENGAGE.
Read: Exodus 32:7-14
If two of your family members or best friends were in an argument, how would you feel about stepping in and trying to mediate between the two? I imagine you'd feel torn or hesitant to get involved. You know both parties and you don't want to affect either of those relationships. Enter Moses, standing between an angry God and the Israelites who had just committed the grave sin of idolatry against God. In the midst of this situation, Moses rises to the difficult challenge of mediation between God and the Israelites. There are few things we can learn from Moses. Moses knows God; Moses mediation and appeal for the people of Israel stems from his knowledge and relationship with God. He appeals on the basis of God's character (vs 11), he appeals on the basis of God's honour and glory (vs 12), and he appeals on the basis of God's promises (vs 13).
Prayer plays an integral part, not only in our own personal lives, but in the lives of the people, society, and nations around us. As Christians, we are in a position to stand between God and the world, to intercede, to petition, to seek God's gracious hand on their behalf. Just as Moses interceded for the Israelites, so we too should be interceding for the nations.
Moses' model for prayer is a call to step up, not only in our prayer, but in our relationship with God. How might your prayers change if you knew the heart of God? How might your thoughts change if you knew the promises of God? How might your actions change if you made the honour and glory of God your priority?
When Jesus entered the temple and drove out the market stalls, He quotes Isaiah (Isaiah 56:7; Mark 11:17):
My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. His house, the Church, is to be called a house of prayer for all nations. I wonder how things might change in your local setting if the church was a house of prayer, not just for its members, but for the community, the city, the state, the nation, and the world. If you would dare to dream what God might do if His people would humble themselves and pray for the nations…
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Praise God for His provision to the team, including Anneke Timmers, who recently travelled to Uganda and South Africa to share the Gospel. Praise God for keeping the whole team safe and well during the trip. Praise God that they were able to share with the locals both spiritually and financially. Pray that God would grow the seed they planted in the lives of the locals.
¥ Pray for Loretta, an African woman who looks after 32 children who have AIDS. Pray that God would strengthen her and encourage her in her very difficult work. Pray that she would find her rest and relief in God. Pray for her husband who has been forced to travel to India for work and only sees Loretta a couple of times a year. Pray that God would raise support for this couple and that they would be encouraged in their ministry.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is your concept of prayer? What is your motivation for prayer? Does the way you pray reflect these things?
2. Are your prayers personal? Do you share your deepest fears and challenges with God? Do you share the ups and downs of your day? What stops you from personal prayers?
Thursday 8 August 2013
Thursday 8 August 2013
Read: Psalm 42
Do you struggle in your prayers? That's great! Do you want to scream out to God about your circumstances? Why don't you? Do you want to wrestle with the things God is doing in your life? Tell Him. Tell Him everything.
My friends, God is not some distant being, uninterested in the details of your life. He weeps when you weep, He rejoices when you are happy, and He mourns when we are down and broken.
Prayer is not simply our communication channel with a God who cares only about His own agenda. We have on the other end one who understands and is able to sympathise with our weaknesses and struggles (Hebrews 4:14–16). Instead, we are able to approach the throne of grace with every confidence that we are understood, not just heard.
Psalm 42 is a great example of the reality and humanity of prayer. We should not imagine life is meant to be perfect, it's not perfect; but we do have a God who desires to walk with us through life's storms. Prayer is our channel to express the deepest, darkest thoughts of our hearts to someone who truly understands. There is nothing which need be held back in our prayers with the Almighty and Gracious God.
Would you dare to reveal the deepest secrets of your soul to the Lord God? Would you dare to lay yourself bare before Him? Would you dare to be real? To be true? Even, to speak in anger to Lord God Almighty?
Prayer is a journey we take with God. It is learning more about Him, but it involves being true to ourselves. If we seek to restrain or hide ourselves from God, we close ourselves from allowing God to step in and make a difference in our lives.
Read through the psalm again and see the journey of the psalmist, as he moves from despair to hope and worship. If you're not sure how to pray, or what to say, let me encourage you to read through the Psalms. Meditate upon them and let their words become your own, and may the Spirit of God be your guide and teacher.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
— Hebrews 4:16
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Praise God for His love for you and His interest in every area of your life. Spend some time today honestly expressing to God your deepest fears, worries, loves and passions. Spend time talking with God about your life and all that He has done in it. Pray that God would help you to trust in Him with all of these things and that you might serve Him with all your heart today.
¥ Pray for the ministry of Jim and Faye Lyons with Straight Talk Australia. Thank God for their passion for the youth of Australia and their devotion in serving God in this way. Pray that through their work that many students would be drawn to Christ and that they would be challenged by God’s standard for sexuality in their lives.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How would you describe your prayers? Are they big, hairy, audacious prayers? What holds you back from praying in this way?
2. Are you confident in your prayers? Do you believe God will answer them? Why don’t you think He will? What gives you confidence He will?
Do you struggle in your prayers? That's great! Do you want to scream out to God about your circumstances? Why don't you? Do you want to wrestle with the things God is doing in your life? Tell Him. Tell Him everything.
My friends, God is not some distant being, uninterested in the details of your life. He weeps when you weep, He rejoices when you are happy, and He mourns when we are down and broken.
Prayer is not simply our communication channel with a God who cares only about His own agenda. We have on the other end one who understands and is able to sympathise with our weaknesses and struggles (Hebrews 4:14–16). Instead, we are able to approach the throne of grace with every confidence that we are understood, not just heard.
Psalm 42 is a great example of the reality and humanity of prayer. We should not imagine life is meant to be perfect, it's not perfect; but we do have a God who desires to walk with us through life's storms. Prayer is our channel to express the deepest, darkest thoughts of our hearts to someone who truly understands. There is nothing which need be held back in our prayers with the Almighty and Gracious God.
Would you dare to reveal the deepest secrets of your soul to the Lord God? Would you dare to lay yourself bare before Him? Would you dare to be real? To be true? Even, to speak in anger to Lord God Almighty?
Prayer is a journey we take with God. It is learning more about Him, but it involves being true to ourselves. If we seek to restrain or hide ourselves from God, we close ourselves from allowing God to step in and make a difference in our lives.
Read through the psalm again and see the journey of the psalmist, as he moves from despair to hope and worship. If you're not sure how to pray, or what to say, let me encourage you to read through the Psalms. Meditate upon them and let their words become your own, and may the Spirit of God be your guide and teacher.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
— Hebrews 4:16
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Praise God for His love for you and His interest in every area of your life. Spend some time today honestly expressing to God your deepest fears, worries, loves and passions. Spend time talking with God about your life and all that He has done in it. Pray that God would help you to trust in Him with all of these things and that you might serve Him with all your heart today.
¥ Pray for the ministry of Jim and Faye Lyons with Straight Talk Australia. Thank God for their passion for the youth of Australia and their devotion in serving God in this way. Pray that through their work that many students would be drawn to Christ and that they would be challenged by God’s standard for sexuality in their lives.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How would you describe your prayers? Are they big, hairy, audacious prayers? What holds you back from praying in this way?
2. Are you confident in your prayers? Do you believe God will answer them? Why don’t you think He will? What gives you confidence He will?
Wednesday 7 August 2013
Wednesday 7 August 2013
Read: James 5:16-18, Joshua 10:6-14
In the business world company leaders and visionaries talk about setting Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG) for where they would like to see their company in the future. These goals, while not impossible for the company to achieve, are set in order to challenge and to stretch the company to meet them. As Christians we need to be willing to pray Big Hairy Audacious Prayers. If the corporate CEO can be confident in his company’s ability to meet goals how much more can we be confident in our eternal, all powerful God’s ability to answer our prayers?
We see these kinds of prayers throughout Scripture. Prayers that seem humanly impossible and ridiculous, but are more than possible for our all powerful God. James reminds us of one of these Big Hairy Audacious Prayers in James 5. You can read the story in 1 Kings 17-18. Elijah, responding to a time of great wickedness and idolatry in Israel, prays that God would withhold all rain from the nation for three and a half years. God answers this prayer. For three and a half years there is no rain. After the three and a half years, after the incredibly dramatic showdown with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah prays that God would grant rain to the nation and almost immediately God sends rain on the Earth.
In Joshua 10 we read about another one of these incredible prayers. Joshua, leading the Israelite army in destroying the armies of the pagan Canaanite nations, prays that God would stop the sun in the sky to allow them more time to destroy their enemies. The crazy thing? God answers Joshua’s prayer. God stops the sun in the sky and delayed its going down for hours, allowing the nation of Israel to completely destroy their enemies. Do you believe that our God is able to do this? Do you have this kind of incredible faith in God’s ability and desire to answer our prayers?
It is easy at this point to make excuses. We are not chosen to lead God’s people to great military victory like Joshua. We have not been chosen to be God’s prophet to a wicked nation in the same way that Elijah has. James’ words in verse 17 leave us no room for this kind of thinking, “Elijah was a man just like us.” James makes a point to remind us that Elijah was only a man. The power of his prayers was not found in him, it was found in God. In the same way Joshua did not cause the sun to stand still, God did.
We serve the same powerful God that Elijah and Joshua served. He is just as able to answer Big Hairy Audacious Prayers now as He was in the past. Are we bold enough to pray such prayers? Do we truly have faith enough in who our God is that we can pray such bold, ambitious prayers? Do you pray Big Hairy Audacious Prayers?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for all those who don’t know Jesus in your community. Pray that God would work in their hearts and fill them with a desire for Him. Pray that all the believers in your church and in your community would proclaim the gospel boldly and faithfully and that they would be filled with a passion for the lost. Pray boldly that God would fill your church with those who don’t know Him this week and that many would come to faith in Him as a result.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is your understanding of sin? Does it affect your everyday life? Are there areas it doesn’t affect? Discuss.
Where have you overcome in your battle against sin? If able, why not share with one another some of the victories against sin and encourage one another.
In the business world company leaders and visionaries talk about setting Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG) for where they would like to see their company in the future. These goals, while not impossible for the company to achieve, are set in order to challenge and to stretch the company to meet them. As Christians we need to be willing to pray Big Hairy Audacious Prayers. If the corporate CEO can be confident in his company’s ability to meet goals how much more can we be confident in our eternal, all powerful God’s ability to answer our prayers?
We see these kinds of prayers throughout Scripture. Prayers that seem humanly impossible and ridiculous, but are more than possible for our all powerful God. James reminds us of one of these Big Hairy Audacious Prayers in James 5. You can read the story in 1 Kings 17-18. Elijah, responding to a time of great wickedness and idolatry in Israel, prays that God would withhold all rain from the nation for three and a half years. God answers this prayer. For three and a half years there is no rain. After the three and a half years, after the incredibly dramatic showdown with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah prays that God would grant rain to the nation and almost immediately God sends rain on the Earth.
In Joshua 10 we read about another one of these incredible prayers. Joshua, leading the Israelite army in destroying the armies of the pagan Canaanite nations, prays that God would stop the sun in the sky to allow them more time to destroy their enemies. The crazy thing? God answers Joshua’s prayer. God stops the sun in the sky and delayed its going down for hours, allowing the nation of Israel to completely destroy their enemies. Do you believe that our God is able to do this? Do you have this kind of incredible faith in God’s ability and desire to answer our prayers?
It is easy at this point to make excuses. We are not chosen to lead God’s people to great military victory like Joshua. We have not been chosen to be God’s prophet to a wicked nation in the same way that Elijah has. James’ words in verse 17 leave us no room for this kind of thinking, “Elijah was a man just like us.” James makes a point to remind us that Elijah was only a man. The power of his prayers was not found in him, it was found in God. In the same way Joshua did not cause the sun to stand still, God did.
We serve the same powerful God that Elijah and Joshua served. He is just as able to answer Big Hairy Audacious Prayers now as He was in the past. Are we bold enough to pray such prayers? Do we truly have faith enough in who our God is that we can pray such bold, ambitious prayers? Do you pray Big Hairy Audacious Prayers?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray for all those who don’t know Jesus in your community. Pray that God would work in their hearts and fill them with a desire for Him. Pray that all the believers in your church and in your community would proclaim the gospel boldly and faithfully and that they would be filled with a passion for the lost. Pray boldly that God would fill your church with those who don’t know Him this week and that many would come to faith in Him as a result.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is your understanding of sin? Does it affect your everyday life? Are there areas it doesn’t affect? Discuss.
Where have you overcome in your battle against sin? If able, why not share with one another some of the victories against sin and encourage one another.
Tuesday 6 August 2013
Tuesday 6 August 2013
Read: James 5:15–16, Luke 5:17–26
Have you ever been so sick that you're just unable to do anything? You might not even be able to get out of bed. You might not even be able to stomach food. You're so sick that you just don't have the energy to do anything at all. That's what happens when you're sick, you’re tired and lack any strength because your body diverts all its efforts to fighting off your illness.
Sin is a cancer. It strips us of spiritual strength and drains away at the source of our spiritual strength—that is, our relationship with God. Just as illness strips us of the strength we need to function, sin strips us of the strength we need to be truly human. It robs us of our life source, our relationship with God.
DO NOT underestimate the effects of sin. It was such a critical issue when the paralysed man is brought to Jesus His greatest priority is to deal with the sins of the paralysed man, it is only in response to the Pharisees that Jesus heals him of his paralysis. Physical healing is amazing and so many want it, but the cancer of sin requires greater priority. Where the physical pains will pass away, our spiritual pains will not if we do not deal with them today.
The forgiveness of sin, the confessing prayer of sin, is our antidote, our righteousness given to us through the blood of Jesus Christ. The great power of faith and prayer is then released, enabling great things to be accomplished in the name of Jesus Christ. Truly effective prayer only comes when sin is dealt a blow.
There is a dangerous lie I want to warn against: healing will come after the confession of sins. In certain parts of the church, if a person is not healed, it is because they think they have unconfessed sin. This isn't what James or any part of Scripture promises. The promise of complete healing only finds fulfilment in Revelation (Revelation 21:4); any act of healing in this age is so that the work and glory of God might be revealed to people today (John 9:1–7).
The point, however, still remains; sin robs us of the fullness of our humanity—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—and of the fullness of our relationship with God. If we desire to be effective in prayer, our sin must be confessed. We can be confident in God’s promise that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9).
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Spend some time today in confession of your sins before God. Praise God for His forgiveness and grace through the blood of Christ which covers all our sin. Pray that God would grow in your heart a desire and a passion for holiness which is greater than any desire for sin. Pray that He would strengthen you as you seek to live a holy life.
¥ Pray for all the mothers in your church. Pray that God would encourage them as they seek to raise their children to love and follow Him. Pray that they would find their identity, their rest and their strength in Him. Pray that God would give them wisdom in their parenting and help them to demonstrate His grace to their children.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How do you understand praying constantly? Share among one another and brainstorm practical ideas and suggestions about how you can be praying constantly.
2. How do you understand joy in the midst of difficulty, suffering, and pain? Discuss what it means to find joy in the midst of these circumstances.
Have you ever been so sick that you're just unable to do anything? You might not even be able to get out of bed. You might not even be able to stomach food. You're so sick that you just don't have the energy to do anything at all. That's what happens when you're sick, you’re tired and lack any strength because your body diverts all its efforts to fighting off your illness.
Sin is a cancer. It strips us of spiritual strength and drains away at the source of our spiritual strength—that is, our relationship with God. Just as illness strips us of the strength we need to function, sin strips us of the strength we need to be truly human. It robs us of our life source, our relationship with God.
DO NOT underestimate the effects of sin. It was such a critical issue when the paralysed man is brought to Jesus His greatest priority is to deal with the sins of the paralysed man, it is only in response to the Pharisees that Jesus heals him of his paralysis. Physical healing is amazing and so many want it, but the cancer of sin requires greater priority. Where the physical pains will pass away, our spiritual pains will not if we do not deal with them today.
The forgiveness of sin, the confessing prayer of sin, is our antidote, our righteousness given to us through the blood of Jesus Christ. The great power of faith and prayer is then released, enabling great things to be accomplished in the name of Jesus Christ. Truly effective prayer only comes when sin is dealt a blow.
There is a dangerous lie I want to warn against: healing will come after the confession of sins. In certain parts of the church, if a person is not healed, it is because they think they have unconfessed sin. This isn't what James or any part of Scripture promises. The promise of complete healing only finds fulfilment in Revelation (Revelation 21:4); any act of healing in this age is so that the work and glory of God might be revealed to people today (John 9:1–7).
The point, however, still remains; sin robs us of the fullness of our humanity—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—and of the fullness of our relationship with God. If we desire to be effective in prayer, our sin must be confessed. We can be confident in God’s promise that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9).
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Spend some time today in confession of your sins before God. Praise God for His forgiveness and grace through the blood of Christ which covers all our sin. Pray that God would grow in your heart a desire and a passion for holiness which is greater than any desire for sin. Pray that He would strengthen you as you seek to live a holy life.
¥ Pray for all the mothers in your church. Pray that God would encourage them as they seek to raise their children to love and follow Him. Pray that they would find their identity, their rest and their strength in Him. Pray that God would give them wisdom in their parenting and help them to demonstrate His grace to their children.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. How do you understand praying constantly? Share among one another and brainstorm practical ideas and suggestions about how you can be praying constantly.
2. How do you understand joy in the midst of difficulty, suffering, and pain? Discuss what it means to find joy in the midst of these circumstances.
Monday 5 August 2013
Monday 5 August 2013
Read: James 5:13-15, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Have you ever thought about why we pray in groups? If prayer is communication with God why do we do it together as well as personally? Is it that God somehow listens to our prayers more if we are praying with other people? Why do we even bother praying together as a congregation on Sunday mornings?
James teaches us that our first instinct should always be to pray. Whether we are in trouble, happy or sick our first response is to pray. James includes special instructions for what to do when someone in the church is sick - we are to call the elders of the church to pray together as a group for healing. Imagine what our churches would look like if we actually put this into practice! Imagine if every time you were sick or in need of help you were to use it as an opportunity for corporate prayer with the elders of the church! Imagine the way that we would see God work in our churches if we were to be turning to Him in prayer in every situation and asking Him to work.
Paul makes a similar point in 1 Thessalonians. In chapter 5 Paul is writing his final instructions and commands to the church in Thessalonica. In the midst of his commands about life in the church community he includes an instruction about prayer, “be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” This kind of constant, joyful, thankful prayer is not only a part of the personal life of the believer, it is also to be a vital part of the life of the church as a whole.
The fact that Paul nestles the command to pray continually in between the commands to be joyful always and thankful in all circumstances gives us a clue as to the source and motivation behind this kind of attitude in the church. We can be joyful because of who God is and all that He has done for us. We can be thankful in all circumstances because we know He is with us and promises to use those circumstances for our good (Romans 8:28). Prayer reminds us of our utter dependence on God and strengthens our faith in these promises He gives us.
Both personally and as a church our greatest satisfaction, our greatest pleasure, our greatest joy, our greatest strength and our greatest power come from God and God alone. Our only hope for full, satisfied lives is found in Him. Our only hope for true and lasting joy is found in Him. Our only hope to be effective and powerful in our mission for His kingdom is found in the power that comes in Him. Our very first reflex must always be to pray constantly, both individually and corporately. We can only truly be effective when our strength and power is found in Him.
If we are lacking power in our personal Christian lives, we must pray. If we are lacking power in our churches, we must pray. If we desire to be effective workers for the sake of the gospel, we must pray. Are you praying?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would work powerfully in the hearts and lives of all those in the congregation of your church. Pray that God would stir up a passion and desire for the lost in your church. Pray that God would give the pastor, the elders and other leaders in your church wisdom as they seek to lead. Pray that God would use your local church powerfully for the sake of His kingdom.
¥ Pray for the ministry of Student Life on campuses around Australia. Pray that God would fill all those who are involved with the Holy Spirit and enable them to share their faith with others boldly and powerfully. Pray that God would work powerfully in the hearts of those who don’t know Him and that many would come to faith in Christ as a result of this ministry.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What sorts of things are you more inclined to be generous towards? Why?
2. Why do you think people struggle with the issue of personal generosity?
Have you ever thought about why we pray in groups? If prayer is communication with God why do we do it together as well as personally? Is it that God somehow listens to our prayers more if we are praying with other people? Why do we even bother praying together as a congregation on Sunday mornings?
James teaches us that our first instinct should always be to pray. Whether we are in trouble, happy or sick our first response is to pray. James includes special instructions for what to do when someone in the church is sick - we are to call the elders of the church to pray together as a group for healing. Imagine what our churches would look like if we actually put this into practice! Imagine if every time you were sick or in need of help you were to use it as an opportunity for corporate prayer with the elders of the church! Imagine the way that we would see God work in our churches if we were to be turning to Him in prayer in every situation and asking Him to work.
Paul makes a similar point in 1 Thessalonians. In chapter 5 Paul is writing his final instructions and commands to the church in Thessalonica. In the midst of his commands about life in the church community he includes an instruction about prayer, “be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” This kind of constant, joyful, thankful prayer is not only a part of the personal life of the believer, it is also to be a vital part of the life of the church as a whole.
The fact that Paul nestles the command to pray continually in between the commands to be joyful always and thankful in all circumstances gives us a clue as to the source and motivation behind this kind of attitude in the church. We can be joyful because of who God is and all that He has done for us. We can be thankful in all circumstances because we know He is with us and promises to use those circumstances for our good (Romans 8:28). Prayer reminds us of our utter dependence on God and strengthens our faith in these promises He gives us.
Both personally and as a church our greatest satisfaction, our greatest pleasure, our greatest joy, our greatest strength and our greatest power come from God and God alone. Our only hope for full, satisfied lives is found in Him. Our only hope for true and lasting joy is found in Him. Our only hope to be effective and powerful in our mission for His kingdom is found in the power that comes in Him. Our very first reflex must always be to pray constantly, both individually and corporately. We can only truly be effective when our strength and power is found in Him.
If we are lacking power in our personal Christian lives, we must pray. If we are lacking power in our churches, we must pray. If we desire to be effective workers for the sake of the gospel, we must pray. Are you praying?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Pray that God would work powerfully in the hearts and lives of all those in the congregation of your church. Pray that God would stir up a passion and desire for the lost in your church. Pray that God would give the pastor, the elders and other leaders in your church wisdom as they seek to lead. Pray that God would use your local church powerfully for the sake of His kingdom.
¥ Pray for the ministry of Student Life on campuses around Australia. Pray that God would fill all those who are involved with the Holy Spirit and enable them to share their faith with others boldly and powerfully. Pray that God would work powerfully in the hearts of those who don’t know Him and that many would come to faith in Christ as a result of this ministry.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What sorts of things are you more inclined to be generous towards? Why?
2. Why do you think people struggle with the issue of personal generosity?
Saturday 3 August 2013
Saturday 3 August 2013
Read: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
We live in a culture that seems to celebrate generosity. Leaders, politicians and celebrities are expected to participate in giving to those who are less fortunate than they are. People who would be frustrated by those who knock on their door to share their faith are more than happy to give to charities who approach them the same way. Our shopping centers and main streets are littered with representatives of charitable institutions desiring our funds or our signature.
But are we really generous? So much of this perceived generosity is merely self-serving. Celebrities and leaders gain positive public relations and stand to boost their reputation by their generosity. The government allows tax deductions for those who give their money away as an incentive. We are eager to appear generous and concerned when someone knocks on our door but we look the other way as we walk past the homeless beggar on the street. In order to get donations charitable institutions offer prizes and competitions. Yet another way that our generosity can serve our own desires and goals.
This is not the kind of generosity we see from God’s people. Here in 2 Corinthians Paul is writing to the Corinthian church for them to prepare for his visit to pick up the financial contribution they have prepared for the poor and suffering believers in Judea. He exhorts them to excel in giving, to be abundantly generous in their giving to help others.
Paul gives the motivation for this kind of generosity in verse 9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” The follower of Jesus is motivated towards radical and extravagant generosity because of the extreme generosity given to us by God Himself. Jesus, although rich and receiving all honour, praise and glory in heaven, chose to become a poor, homeless suffering man. Jesus chose to live as a man, subjected to all the temptations, frustrations and pain which we suffer, so that He could endure a horrific death to make us right with God. Jesus recognised our incredible spiritual poverty and acted with unfathomable generosity to bring us into abundant relationship with Him. How can we respond with anything but radical generosity to others?
This generosity is about more than just our possessions or our finances. Notice verse 14. The financial and material plenty that the Corinthians have will provide for the needs of the believers in Judea. But the plenty of the believers in Judea will also provide for the needs of the believers in Corinth. What plenty is Paul talking about? Paul is talking about the ministry of the gospel. The Judean believers have sent out ministers of the gospel throughout the world. They have supported the churches throughout the known world in their faith in Christ. The generosity goes both ways.
Are you generous out of your faith in Christ? Do you serve the church and other believers with radical, self-sacrificial generosity? Do you use all you have, your finances, your possessions, even your house, for the sake of the kingdom? Are you generous in the way that you use all of your skills and abilities for the sake of the kingdom? Are you generous with your time? Do you consider how you can use every day, every hour even every minute for the sake of God’s kingdom?
Christ has given everything generously for you. How will you respond?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Thank God for His great generosity to you. Praise God for His generous grace given to you through Jesus Christ. Praise God that He generously gives all believers the Holy Spirit to strengthen and empower us to live for Him. Praise God that He has blessed us so abundantly. Pray that God would grow a passion to be generous in your heart and the hearts of others in the church.
¥ Pray for all those around the world who live in poverty and have not experienced the material blessing that we enjoy. Pray that God would strengthen them and encourage them. Pray that they would know Him as their greatest pleasure and treasure. Pray that God would challenge believers around the world to provide both spiritually and materially for these people with a generous heart.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What area of work are you involved in? What sort of relationship exists or should exist between the workplace and the church? What are the dangers of a workplace and church relationship? How do we overcome them?
2. What areas of the community are you connected with? What relationship exists or should exist between the community and the church? What level of input should the church have in the community?
We live in a culture that seems to celebrate generosity. Leaders, politicians and celebrities are expected to participate in giving to those who are less fortunate than they are. People who would be frustrated by those who knock on their door to share their faith are more than happy to give to charities who approach them the same way. Our shopping centers and main streets are littered with representatives of charitable institutions desiring our funds or our signature.
But are we really generous? So much of this perceived generosity is merely self-serving. Celebrities and leaders gain positive public relations and stand to boost their reputation by their generosity. The government allows tax deductions for those who give their money away as an incentive. We are eager to appear generous and concerned when someone knocks on our door but we look the other way as we walk past the homeless beggar on the street. In order to get donations charitable institutions offer prizes and competitions. Yet another way that our generosity can serve our own desires and goals.
This is not the kind of generosity we see from God’s people. Here in 2 Corinthians Paul is writing to the Corinthian church for them to prepare for his visit to pick up the financial contribution they have prepared for the poor and suffering believers in Judea. He exhorts them to excel in giving, to be abundantly generous in their giving to help others.
Paul gives the motivation for this kind of generosity in verse 9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” The follower of Jesus is motivated towards radical and extravagant generosity because of the extreme generosity given to us by God Himself. Jesus, although rich and receiving all honour, praise and glory in heaven, chose to become a poor, homeless suffering man. Jesus chose to live as a man, subjected to all the temptations, frustrations and pain which we suffer, so that He could endure a horrific death to make us right with God. Jesus recognised our incredible spiritual poverty and acted with unfathomable generosity to bring us into abundant relationship with Him. How can we respond with anything but radical generosity to others?
This generosity is about more than just our possessions or our finances. Notice verse 14. The financial and material plenty that the Corinthians have will provide for the needs of the believers in Judea. But the plenty of the believers in Judea will also provide for the needs of the believers in Corinth. What plenty is Paul talking about? Paul is talking about the ministry of the gospel. The Judean believers have sent out ministers of the gospel throughout the world. They have supported the churches throughout the known world in their faith in Christ. The generosity goes both ways.
Are you generous out of your faith in Christ? Do you serve the church and other believers with radical, self-sacrificial generosity? Do you use all you have, your finances, your possessions, even your house, for the sake of the kingdom? Are you generous in the way that you use all of your skills and abilities for the sake of the kingdom? Are you generous with your time? Do you consider how you can use every day, every hour even every minute for the sake of God’s kingdom?
Christ has given everything generously for you. How will you respond?
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Thank God for His great generosity to you. Praise God for His generous grace given to you through Jesus Christ. Praise God that He generously gives all believers the Holy Spirit to strengthen and empower us to live for Him. Praise God that He has blessed us so abundantly. Pray that God would grow a passion to be generous in your heart and the hearts of others in the church.
¥ Pray for all those around the world who live in poverty and have not experienced the material blessing that we enjoy. Pray that God would strengthen them and encourage them. Pray that they would know Him as their greatest pleasure and treasure. Pray that God would challenge believers around the world to provide both spiritually and materially for these people with a generous heart.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What area of work are you involved in? What sort of relationship exists or should exist between the workplace and the church? What are the dangers of a workplace and church relationship? How do we overcome them?
2. What areas of the community are you connected with? What relationship exists or should exist between the community and the church? What level of input should the church have in the community?
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