Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18, Colossians 4:2-6
Have you ever been around someone who talks constantly? It is tiring isn't it? Their words just seem to have no end and gradually your frustration builds and you lose your patience. For some people this happens sooner than for others. Can you imagine actually asking someone to talk constantly to you forever!? It defies imagination doesn't it? But our God, in His grace and mercy to us, has done just that. God is so eager for relationship with us and cares so deeply for us that He has invited us to be in constant communication with Him.
We see this invitation in today's reading from 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18. God not only invites us into constant communication with Him, He commands it! We are to pray continually and to give thanks in all circumstances! What an invitation to be in constant communion and relationship with our gracious God! Paul writes the same thing in Colossians, we are to be devoted to prayer.
This might seem impossible to you but we don't have to leave our lives, give up our possessions and move into a monastery to be devoted to prayer and to be praying constantly. Instead, we are to cultivate a life and attitude of constant dependency on God. All that we do should be focused and motivated on Christ and prayerful in focus and intention. We are to live our lives with His glory in Mind and with the focus of our hearts on Him.
What about you? Do you pray constantly, being practically inseparable from God or is your prayer life patchy at best, non-existent at worst? Do you set aside regular time for prayer and make an effort to be constantly turning your mind to things above or is your mind and heart firmly rooted in the world below? Does this seem like too lofty a goal? Does your present mindset make being in constant prayer seem like an idealistic dream? Pray that God would grow this attitude in your heart and be constantly intentionally turning your mind to Christ. God can help you too to be devoted to prayer.
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 that through Christ we can be in His presence and in fellowship with Him all the time, not just once a year. Pray that God would help you to cultivate a lifestyle of devotion and constant prayer.
¥ Pray for the Oakey Presbyterian Church. Pray that God would bring more children into the church so that they might be able to start a Sonday school ministry. Pray that God would grow the congregation and bring unity amongst them for the sake of His kingdom.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Praying constantly does not just mean that we need to lock ourselves in a monastery for a life of solitude and silence. What would it look like for a follower of Jesus to be praying constantly in 21st Century Australia?
2. What would this look like in your life?
Thursday, 9 May 2013
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Wednesday 8 May 2013
Jesus Challenge:
Get each member of your cell to write down a list of names of people they know who don't know Jesus and commit to pray for those people persistently. Spend time praying each week as a cell that they would come to know salvation through Christ. Brainstorm some ways that you can be reaching into the lives of these people as a cell.
Read: Matthew 7:9-11, Ephesians 3:20-21
Imagine if Jesus taught us to pray without expecting God to answer. It might sound something like this:
"Our father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name
If it is possible, would your kingdom come,
Maybe would your will be done?
on Earth as it is in heaven.
If it is your will, and if you could, would you provide us today our daily bread?
If you can would you forgive us our debts
as we also have forgiven our debtors?
And, if it is your will, lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from the evil one."
The Lord's Prayer
New Unexpectant Version
Can you imagine if this was the sort of prayer that Jesus prayed when His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray? Can you imagine if this weak, doubt filled prayer was all Jesus could come up with? Praise God that Jesus taught us to pray with confidence and with the expectation that God will work. How often do we revert to this type of doubting, half-hearted prayer though? Do we really pray as if we confidently expect God to answer our prayers?
This is Jesus' point in today's reading from Matthew 7 though. Have a look closely at what Jesus is saying. If we, people who are broken by the fall and (apart from Christ) sinful at heart, give our children good gifts how much more will God, the perfectly holy, perfectly good ruler of the universe, give His people good gifts. Do you see why this means we can pray confidently and expectantly? Our trust and our faith when we pray is in the person of God, our perfectly good, perfectly kind God. We can truly pray expecting God to answer because of who He is.
But that's not quite enough is it. God might be the kindest, most good being in the universe (and He is!) but if He was powerless to act we would have no reason to pray with confidence. Ephesians blasts that out of the water! Not only is God good, He is able to do more than we could possibly ask or imagine! Our God is powerful and more than able to act to answer prayer and to keep His promises.
Turn your mind to your own prayer life. Do you pray confidently, truly believing that God will act? Do you pray with expectant faith, knowing that God is good and more than able to answer your prayers?
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 that He is good and able to do more than we could ask or imagine! Pray that He would grow your faith in Him and that He would help you to pray boldly, confidently and expectantly.
¥ Pray for the ministry of Shiloh Church Ministries in India. Pray that God would protect and encourage the orphans which they look after. Pray that they would preach the Word of God boldly and with power and that many might come to faith in Christ.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Often we are not bold or ambitious in our prayers because we don't truly expect that God will answer our prayers. How should we pray differently if we truly expect that God will answer our prayers?
2. What are some practical ways that we can encourage one another to pray with expectancy?
Get each member of your cell to write down a list of names of people they know who don't know Jesus and commit to pray for those people persistently. Spend time praying each week as a cell that they would come to know salvation through Christ. Brainstorm some ways that you can be reaching into the lives of these people as a cell.
Read: Matthew 7:9-11, Ephesians 3:20-21
Imagine if Jesus taught us to pray without expecting God to answer. It might sound something like this:
"Our father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name
If it is possible, would your kingdom come,
Maybe would your will be done?
on Earth as it is in heaven.
If it is your will, and if you could, would you provide us today our daily bread?
If you can would you forgive us our debts
as we also have forgiven our debtors?
And, if it is your will, lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from the evil one."
The Lord's Prayer
New Unexpectant Version
Can you imagine if this was the sort of prayer that Jesus prayed when His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray? Can you imagine if this weak, doubt filled prayer was all Jesus could come up with? Praise God that Jesus taught us to pray with confidence and with the expectation that God will work. How often do we revert to this type of doubting, half-hearted prayer though? Do we really pray as if we confidently expect God to answer our prayers?
This is Jesus' point in today's reading from Matthew 7 though. Have a look closely at what Jesus is saying. If we, people who are broken by the fall and (apart from Christ) sinful at heart, give our children good gifts how much more will God, the perfectly holy, perfectly good ruler of the universe, give His people good gifts. Do you see why this means we can pray confidently and expectantly? Our trust and our faith when we pray is in the person of God, our perfectly good, perfectly kind God. We can truly pray expecting God to answer because of who He is.
But that's not quite enough is it. God might be the kindest, most good being in the universe (and He is!) but if He was powerless to act we would have no reason to pray with confidence. Ephesians blasts that out of the water! Not only is God good, He is able to do more than we could possibly ask or imagine! Our God is powerful and more than able to act to answer prayer and to keep His promises.
Turn your mind to your own prayer life. Do you pray confidently, truly believing that God will act? Do you pray with expectant faith, knowing that God is good and more than able to answer your prayers?
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 that He is good and able to do more than we could ask or imagine! Pray that He would grow your faith in Him and that He would help you to pray boldly, confidently and expectantly.
¥ Pray for the ministry of Shiloh Church Ministries in India. Pray that God would protect and encourage the orphans which they look after. Pray that they would preach the Word of God boldly and with power and that many might come to faith in Christ.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Often we are not bold or ambitious in our prayers because we don't truly expect that God will answer our prayers. How should we pray differently if we truly expect that God will answer our prayers?
2. What are some practical ways that we can encourage one another to pray with expectancy?
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Tuesday 7 May 2013
Read: Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 18:1-8
"Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honoured; it takes God at His Word, and lets Him take what time He chooses in fulfilling His purposes, and in carrying on His work. There is bound to be much delay and long days of waiting for true faith, but faith accepts the conditions — knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show its mettle, and the stern stuff of which it is made."
The Necessity of Prayer, E.M. Bounds
The specific words that Jesus has chosen in today's reading from Matthew 7, ask, seek and knock, reveal an important principal of prayer for God's people. The tense of these words shows that these actions are in fact ongoing actions, not only once-off actions. In fact a better translation for these words might be "keep on asking", "keep on seeking" or "keep on knocking". The idea is not that God's people are to pray once and then leave it at that. God's people are to pray persistently. God's people are to continue coming before Him with their prayers and requests. They are to continue asking God for the things that they need. They are to continue seeking God and His will. They are to continue knocking on the door of God's throne room with their prayers. What an amazing invitation!
The parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18 shows even more clearly the need for God's people to be persistent in their prayer. In fact, until she has justice, the widow never gives up in coming before the judge. Neither are God's people to give up in bringing their prayers and requests before Him. In fact, God promises that He will answer the prayers of His people who continue to cry out to Him day and night.
The amazing quote from E.M. Bounds sheds a little more light on the persistence of God's people in prayer. We are able to persist in prayer, waiting patiently for God to answer because we have faith in God and His promises. We "take God at His word" and believe that if we keep praying, keep asking and seeking, that God will answer the prayers of His people. If we do not persist in prayer, if we are quick to give up then it is our faith which needs growth, not our God.
Think about your own prayer life. What things have you given up on praying for? What areas of your life have you resigned to never see God work powerfully in? How many persistent prayers have you stopped praying because you got discouraged? Spend some time praying for those things today. Pray that God would give you patience in prayer and grow your faith in Him today.
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 that although we often give up on praying for things that He has never and will never give up on us. Pray that God would grow in your heart a persistence of prayer and help you to be patient for His provision
¥ Pray for MOPS as they gather together tomorrow morning. Pray that the mums from the community would be shown the love of Jesus by the other mums and would come to faith in Him.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. God's word tells us to confess our sins one to another (James 5:16). Spend some time sharing with each other some things that you may have given up praying for because of a lack of persistence.
2. Pray together for some of these things as a group.
"Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honoured; it takes God at His Word, and lets Him take what time He chooses in fulfilling His purposes, and in carrying on His work. There is bound to be much delay and long days of waiting for true faith, but faith accepts the conditions — knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show its mettle, and the stern stuff of which it is made."
The Necessity of Prayer, E.M. Bounds
The specific words that Jesus has chosen in today's reading from Matthew 7, ask, seek and knock, reveal an important principal of prayer for God's people. The tense of these words shows that these actions are in fact ongoing actions, not only once-off actions. In fact a better translation for these words might be "keep on asking", "keep on seeking" or "keep on knocking". The idea is not that God's people are to pray once and then leave it at that. God's people are to pray persistently. God's people are to continue coming before Him with their prayers and requests. They are to continue asking God for the things that they need. They are to continue seeking God and His will. They are to continue knocking on the door of God's throne room with their prayers. What an amazing invitation!
The parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18 shows even more clearly the need for God's people to be persistent in their prayer. In fact, until she has justice, the widow never gives up in coming before the judge. Neither are God's people to give up in bringing their prayers and requests before Him. In fact, God promises that He will answer the prayers of His people who continue to cry out to Him day and night.
The amazing quote from E.M. Bounds sheds a little more light on the persistence of God's people in prayer. We are able to persist in prayer, waiting patiently for God to answer because we have faith in God and His promises. We "take God at His word" and believe that if we keep praying, keep asking and seeking, that God will answer the prayers of His people. If we do not persist in prayer, if we are quick to give up then it is our faith which needs growth, not our God.
Think about your own prayer life. What things have you given up on praying for? What areas of your life have you resigned to never see God work powerfully in? How many persistent prayers have you stopped praying because you got discouraged? Spend some time praying for those things today. Pray that God would give you patience in prayer and grow your faith in Him today.
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 that although we often give up on praying for things that He has never and will never give up on us. Pray that God would grow in your heart a persistence of prayer and help you to be patient for His provision
¥ Pray for MOPS as they gather together tomorrow morning. Pray that the mums from the community would be shown the love of Jesus by the other mums and would come to faith in Him.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. God's word tells us to confess our sins one to another (James 5:16). Spend some time sharing with each other some things that you may have given up praying for because of a lack of persistence.
2. Pray together for some of these things as a group.
Monday, 6 May 2013
Monday 6 May 2013
Weekly Challenge
What things have you given up on praying for in the past? Set aside a block of time this week to spend time in silence, solitude and prayer regarding those things.
Read: Matthew 7:7-12, Luke 11:1-13
I (Josh) genuinely look forward to the day that my daughter can talk to me. Since she is only four months old she will quite happily make all sorts of cute baby noises but she is not yet able to have a conversation with me. I can only imagine what it would be like to be able to talk to her one day. Conversely my heart aches at the idea that she would be able to talk to me and yet would choose not to. I wonder if this is the way God feels about us praying to Him. Does God also, like a loving father, long for the times when we sit and talk with Him. Does the fact that we could freely communicate with God through prayer and yet end up too busy to do so grieve God?
This comparison between the prayer relationship of God and mankind and the relationship of a parent and child is an important one to allow us to truly understand prayer. Jesus actually uses this language to describe prayer both in today's reading from Luke and earlier in the sermon on the mount. Before we explore how God's people are to pray and what Jesus teaches us about prayer in this section of the sermon on the mount it is worthwhile to briefly define prayer and discuss why God would have us pray to Him.
Simply put: "Prayer is personal communication with God." (Grudem, 2004 Systematic Theology: An introduction to biblical doctrine). Chuck Missler once put it this way "We have a 24-hour hot line to the throne room of the universe". The simplest way to think of the prayer relationship is to think of the way a child can personally communicate with a parent. That communication is not only about expressing needs but also talking about dreams, discussing life in general, proclaiming love and building relationship. Prayer is the same between man and God. Prayer is personal communication with the ruler of the universe where we are able to express our needs, praise God for who He is, talk about our lives and build relationship with Him.
God does not need prayer to know our needs. Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:8 that He knows what we need even before we ask, but still Jesus teaches about the need for us to be actively asking God, seeking God and knocking at God's door through prayer. Why? Because God desires that we pray in order to express our faith in Him and reliance on Him, to deepen our relationship with Him and to be involved in His work around the world. As a result He promises to answer our prayers: to the man who asks it is given, it is the man who seeks who finds and it is the man who knocks to whom the door is opened.
Consider your own prayer life this week. Do you regularly spend time together with God in prayer? Do you aim to build your relationship with Him by praying or do you neglect your prayer life? Do you set aside time to pray together with your family? With your spouse? With your cell? With the other members of your congregation? Consider again how you might grow in your relationship with God this week through intentional, regular prayer.
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 who He is. Praise God that He has made a way for us to have relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Pray that God would grow in His people deep faith in Him and a passion to pray to Him.
¥ Pray for all the members of the congregation who are going back to work again today after the weekend. Pray that they would be able to glorify God in their work and that their focus would be on Him in all they do.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Is prayer for God's sake or for the sake of mankind?
2. Do you think prayer ever changes the way God acts? Why or why not?
What things have you given up on praying for in the past? Set aside a block of time this week to spend time in silence, solitude and prayer regarding those things.
Read: Matthew 7:7-12, Luke 11:1-13
I (Josh) genuinely look forward to the day that my daughter can talk to me. Since she is only four months old she will quite happily make all sorts of cute baby noises but she is not yet able to have a conversation with me. I can only imagine what it would be like to be able to talk to her one day. Conversely my heart aches at the idea that she would be able to talk to me and yet would choose not to. I wonder if this is the way God feels about us praying to Him. Does God also, like a loving father, long for the times when we sit and talk with Him. Does the fact that we could freely communicate with God through prayer and yet end up too busy to do so grieve God?
This comparison between the prayer relationship of God and mankind and the relationship of a parent and child is an important one to allow us to truly understand prayer. Jesus actually uses this language to describe prayer both in today's reading from Luke and earlier in the sermon on the mount. Before we explore how God's people are to pray and what Jesus teaches us about prayer in this section of the sermon on the mount it is worthwhile to briefly define prayer and discuss why God would have us pray to Him.
Simply put: "Prayer is personal communication with God." (Grudem, 2004 Systematic Theology: An introduction to biblical doctrine). Chuck Missler once put it this way "We have a 24-hour hot line to the throne room of the universe". The simplest way to think of the prayer relationship is to think of the way a child can personally communicate with a parent. That communication is not only about expressing needs but also talking about dreams, discussing life in general, proclaiming love and building relationship. Prayer is the same between man and God. Prayer is personal communication with the ruler of the universe where we are able to express our needs, praise God for who He is, talk about our lives and build relationship with Him.
God does not need prayer to know our needs. Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:8 that He knows what we need even before we ask, but still Jesus teaches about the need for us to be actively asking God, seeking God and knocking at God's door through prayer. Why? Because God desires that we pray in order to express our faith in Him and reliance on Him, to deepen our relationship with Him and to be involved in His work around the world. As a result He promises to answer our prayers: to the man who asks it is given, it is the man who seeks who finds and it is the man who knocks to whom the door is opened.
Consider your own prayer life this week. Do you regularly spend time together with God in prayer? Do you aim to build your relationship with Him by praying or do you neglect your prayer life? Do you set aside time to pray together with your family? With your spouse? With your cell? With the other members of your congregation? Consider again how you might grow in your relationship with God this week through intentional, regular prayer.
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 who He is. Praise God that He has made a way for us to have relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Pray that God would grow in His people deep faith in Him and a passion to pray to Him.
¥ Pray for all the members of the congregation who are going back to work again today after the weekend. Pray that they would be able to glorify God in their work and that their focus would be on Him in all they do.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Is prayer for God's sake or for the sake of mankind?
2. Do you think prayer ever changes the way God acts? Why or why not?
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Saturday 4 May 2013
Read: Matthew 7:1-6, Romans 2:17-24
There are few things which seem to raise as much media attention as the moral failure of a church leader. Just think of paedophilia cases in the Roman Catholic Church or the recent story on Today Tonight about alleged financial deception in the Hillsong churches. The media loves to turn on religious people like vicious dogs and tear them to pieces.
We see this sort of reaction in Matthew 7:6. Jesus has just outlined the process by which His people can confront others about their sin. Jesus' followers are to first examine themselves and, once they have worked on their own sin, can confront others about their sin. Jesus is not only talking about confronting other believers about their sin, He is talking more broadly. Before we can confront those in the world with their sin and point them to faith in Jesus Christ we must be working on our own lives. The consequence for failing to do so is that those with whom we share may trample our message and turn on us, tearing us to pieces in the process.
Paul describes a similar situation in Romans 2. Whilst describing the utter inability of the law to justify people before God Paul points out that those who are preaching against stealing are stealing and those who are preaching against adultery are committing adultery. Whilst God's people are preaching about God's law they are in fact breaking God's law. What is the result of this sort of behaviour? Look at vs 24: "God's name is blasphemed among the gentiles because of you." The consequence of their sin is clear; the power of their message is lost and the gentiles respond not by praising God's name, but by blaspheming it.
Think about your own life. Do you lack power in sharing the gospel with others? Do people laugh at you or even mock you if you try to tell them about what Christ has done in your life? Is your life telling a different story to your words? Jesus' commands are clear. Examine your own life, pray that God would reveal to you sin in your life and strive to live a holy life before God. Then and only then will you be able to effectively point out sin in the world and share Christ with others.
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 the witness of God's people would be powerful and effective as they seek to live Holy lives before Him. Pray that God would reveal to you many opportunities to share Him with others and give you the wisdom and the courage to take them.
¥ Pray that more and more people in your church would stand up to use their spiritual gifts to bless and edify the body and to glorify God. Pray that God would give you wisdom regarding your gifts and help you to use them for the sake of His church.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Can you think of some examples where the Christian church has sought to confront sin in society without dealing with their own sin first? How did this go for the church?
2. How holy do you think we should be before we confront others about their sin? Explain your answer.
There are few things which seem to raise as much media attention as the moral failure of a church leader. Just think of paedophilia cases in the Roman Catholic Church or the recent story on Today Tonight about alleged financial deception in the Hillsong churches. The media loves to turn on religious people like vicious dogs and tear them to pieces.
We see this sort of reaction in Matthew 7:6. Jesus has just outlined the process by which His people can confront others about their sin. Jesus' followers are to first examine themselves and, once they have worked on their own sin, can confront others about their sin. Jesus is not only talking about confronting other believers about their sin, He is talking more broadly. Before we can confront those in the world with their sin and point them to faith in Jesus Christ we must be working on our own lives. The consequence for failing to do so is that those with whom we share may trample our message and turn on us, tearing us to pieces in the process.
Paul describes a similar situation in Romans 2. Whilst describing the utter inability of the law to justify people before God Paul points out that those who are preaching against stealing are stealing and those who are preaching against adultery are committing adultery. Whilst God's people are preaching about God's law they are in fact breaking God's law. What is the result of this sort of behaviour? Look at vs 24: "God's name is blasphemed among the gentiles because of you." The consequence of their sin is clear; the power of their message is lost and the gentiles respond not by praising God's name, but by blaspheming it.
Think about your own life. Do you lack power in sharing the gospel with others? Do people laugh at you or even mock you if you try to tell them about what Christ has done in your life? Is your life telling a different story to your words? Jesus' commands are clear. Examine your own life, pray that God would reveal to you sin in your life and strive to live a holy life before God. Then and only then will you be able to effectively point out sin in the world and share Christ with others.
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 the witness of God's people would be powerful and effective as they seek to live Holy lives before Him. Pray that God would reveal to you many opportunities to share Him with others and give you the wisdom and the courage to take them.
¥ Pray that more and more people in your church would stand up to use their spiritual gifts to bless and edify the body and to glorify God. Pray that God would give you wisdom regarding your gifts and help you to use them for the sake of His church.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Can you think of some examples where the Christian church has sought to confront sin in society without dealing with their own sin first? How did this go for the church?
2. How holy do you think we should be before we confront others about their sin? Explain your answer.
Friday, 3 May 2013
Friday 3 May 2013
Jesus Challenge:
There are many people in the congregation at Christlife who are not connected with a cell or close to other people in the church. With an attitude of humility and love consider how you might be able to bless some of these people as a cell. Feel free to use your imagination regarding how this might look. It could include things like inviting them to your normal gathering or inviting them for dinner or lunch or maybe something more radical. If you don't know who to invite look for visitors or people who are by themselves this Sonday.
Read: Matthew 7:3-5, Colossians 3:1-14
Remember our friend who took us out for a hypothetical coffee yesterday? Not only did our friend confront us about our sin in an unloving and rude manner, he also showed a great deal of pride in his approach. I once heard the story of an elder who stood before the congregation and said, "Why can't you be more like me?" In today's readings we see why such a proud or arrogant approach is not fitting for God's people. Instead, before we confront another about their sin, we should carefully and humbly consider the sin in our own lives.
Look again at the word picture Jesus gives in today's reading from Matthew 7. The image is quite striking when you imagine it. Can you see the plank or tree sticking out of the person's eye as they say, "Now hold still for a minute". I wouldn't be letting that person anywhere near my eye! Jesus is not only entertaining us with amusing imagery though. He is making an important point. Unless we first examine ourselves and deal with our own sin we will be unable to confront others about their sin in a way which is helpful and encouraging.
Paul's words in Colossians 3 give us more detail about what this should look like. As those who follow Christ we should put to death sin in our lives and grow in holiness. We are to put to death the actions listed in vs 5-9 and grow in godliness as described in vs 12 to 17. This work isn't passive! We don't just wait to become more holy, instead we are to actively be putting sin to death. Now I'm not denying the role of the Holy Spirit in changing us to be more like Christ. Without His work we would be unable to put to death sin. But we also have a responsibility. We have an active role in dealing with sin in our lives and living in a holy manner.
When we are actively dealing with sin in our lives and keeping our eyes on Christ it becomes easier for us to be humble instead of proud; gracious instead of judgmental. Often though, we are our own harshest critic or judge. It is important for us to understand that humility is not beating ourselves up or thinking less of ourselves than we ought to. Rather, humility is seeing ourselves accurately as sinners who are saved by grace through Christ. We no longer have to hold onto the guilt or shame of old sin because Christ has freely, fully and forever forgiven us. Once we have an accurate understanding of ourselves and our standing before God we are free to live in service to God and others and to actively put to death sin in our lives. Now that is true humility.
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 show you areas of sin in your life and help you to put them to death by His power. Pray that He would grow you in humility and love for other believers and help you to encourage them in love.
¥ Pray God would raise a passion for Christ and to share Him with others in your church. Pray that each member of the congregation would be bold in sharing their faith and that many would come to know Christ.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Practically, how can you work to put to death sin in your life?
2. How could you help each other to be putting sin to death in your lives? How can you encourage one another to live lives of holiness before God?
There are many people in the congregation at Christlife who are not connected with a cell or close to other people in the church. With an attitude of humility and love consider how you might be able to bless some of these people as a cell. Feel free to use your imagination regarding how this might look. It could include things like inviting them to your normal gathering or inviting them for dinner or lunch or maybe something more radical. If you don't know who to invite look for visitors or people who are by themselves this Sonday.
Read: Matthew 7:3-5, Colossians 3:1-14
Remember our friend who took us out for a hypothetical coffee yesterday? Not only did our friend confront us about our sin in an unloving and rude manner, he also showed a great deal of pride in his approach. I once heard the story of an elder who stood before the congregation and said, "Why can't you be more like me?" In today's readings we see why such a proud or arrogant approach is not fitting for God's people. Instead, before we confront another about their sin, we should carefully and humbly consider the sin in our own lives.
Look again at the word picture Jesus gives in today's reading from Matthew 7. The image is quite striking when you imagine it. Can you see the plank or tree sticking out of the person's eye as they say, "Now hold still for a minute". I wouldn't be letting that person anywhere near my eye! Jesus is not only entertaining us with amusing imagery though. He is making an important point. Unless we first examine ourselves and deal with our own sin we will be unable to confront others about their sin in a way which is helpful and encouraging.
Paul's words in Colossians 3 give us more detail about what this should look like. As those who follow Christ we should put to death sin in our lives and grow in holiness. We are to put to death the actions listed in vs 5-9 and grow in godliness as described in vs 12 to 17. This work isn't passive! We don't just wait to become more holy, instead we are to actively be putting sin to death. Now I'm not denying the role of the Holy Spirit in changing us to be more like Christ. Without His work we would be unable to put to death sin. But we also have a responsibility. We have an active role in dealing with sin in our lives and living in a holy manner.
When we are actively dealing with sin in our lives and keeping our eyes on Christ it becomes easier for us to be humble instead of proud; gracious instead of judgmental. Often though, we are our own harshest critic or judge. It is important for us to understand that humility is not beating ourselves up or thinking less of ourselves than we ought to. Rather, humility is seeing ourselves accurately as sinners who are saved by grace through Christ. We no longer have to hold onto the guilt or shame of old sin because Christ has freely, fully and forever forgiven us. Once we have an accurate understanding of ourselves and our standing before God we are free to live in service to God and others and to actively put to death sin in our lives. Now that is true humility.
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 show you areas of sin in your life and help you to put them to death by His power. Pray that He would grow you in humility and love for other believers and help you to encourage them in love.
¥ Pray God would raise a passion for Christ and to share Him with others in your church. Pray that each member of the congregation would be bold in sharing their faith and that many would come to know Christ.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Practically, how can you work to put to death sin in your life?
2. How could you help each other to be putting sin to death in your lives? How can you encourage one another to live lives of holiness before God?
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Thursday 2 May 2013
Read: Romans 14:13-21, Galatians 6:1-5
Imagine that a friend of yours takes you out to coffee under the pretense of needing to talk to you about "something". The conversation begins something like this: "I asked you out to coffee today because I think you are a dirty, rotten sinner and I need to talk to you about it. Why can't you be more holy like me?" How do you think that conversation will go? I imagine that things would get very heated very quickly. Would you respond well to that kind of approach? Do you think that you will be encouraged to be more holy as a result?
We have seen that God commands us to confront one-another about sin but thankfully He has also given us guidelines about how this should look.
Firstly, notice the foundational motivation for these sorts of conversations in Romans 14. In context, Paul is referring to debates over disputable matters in the church. These are things like what food is okay to eat or what day God's people should meet. The most important principal behind dealing with these matters is that of loving one another. Notice especially vs 19, "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." The principal also applies to confronting one another about sin. We should always be careful to only confront one another out of love and do so in a way which leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Paul backs up this approach in today's reading from Galatians. When someone is caught in sin we should approach them gently with the aim of carrying their burdens and building them up. This should guide the way we conduct these types of conversations, not by attacking our brother or sister but by seeking to build them up in Christ.
Think about the way that you have approached others about sin in the past. Have you done so out of love and a desire to build others up? Spend some time today thinking about what it would look like to confront another believer in a loving, encouraging manner.
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 youth group as they gather together tomorrow night to study God's word and to encourage one another. Pray that they would be encouraged in their walk with Christ and would be passionate about living their lives for Him.
¥ Pray for the Presbyterian church at Bell. Pray that God would raise up more active elders who would be seeking to minister to the congregation and encourage them in their faith. Pray that God would raise up men to lead the church as their student minister has to move on.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What things could you do to cultivate an attitude of humility and love in your own life?
2. How can you practically help and encourage one another to cultivate an attitude of humility and love? Put some of those things into practice this week!
Imagine that a friend of yours takes you out to coffee under the pretense of needing to talk to you about "something". The conversation begins something like this: "I asked you out to coffee today because I think you are a dirty, rotten sinner and I need to talk to you about it. Why can't you be more holy like me?" How do you think that conversation will go? I imagine that things would get very heated very quickly. Would you respond well to that kind of approach? Do you think that you will be encouraged to be more holy as a result?
We have seen that God commands us to confront one-another about sin but thankfully He has also given us guidelines about how this should look.
Firstly, notice the foundational motivation for these sorts of conversations in Romans 14. In context, Paul is referring to debates over disputable matters in the church. These are things like what food is okay to eat or what day God's people should meet. The most important principal behind dealing with these matters is that of loving one another. Notice especially vs 19, "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." The principal also applies to confronting one another about sin. We should always be careful to only confront one another out of love and do so in a way which leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Paul backs up this approach in today's reading from Galatians. When someone is caught in sin we should approach them gently with the aim of carrying their burdens and building them up. This should guide the way we conduct these types of conversations, not by attacking our brother or sister but by seeking to build them up in Christ.
Think about the way that you have approached others about sin in the past. Have you done so out of love and a desire to build others up? Spend some time today thinking about what it would look like to confront another believer in a loving, encouraging manner.
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 youth group as they gather together tomorrow night to study God's word and to encourage one another. Pray that they would be encouraged in their walk with Christ and would be passionate about living their lives for Him.
¥ Pray for the Presbyterian church at Bell. Pray that God would raise up more active elders who would be seeking to minister to the congregation and encourage them in their faith. Pray that God would raise up men to lead the church as their student minister has to move on.
My Additional Prayer Points.
1/.
2/.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What things could you do to cultivate an attitude of humility and love in your own life?
2. How can you practically help and encourage one another to cultivate an attitude of humility and love? Put some of those things into practice this week!
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