Read 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10. Luke 12:35-48
Idolatry can occur in many different shapes and forms. In some cultures worship of god statues is common. In others the worship of ethereal spirits is commanded. Still in others ancestors or their spirits are worshipped. In our own culture we tend to worship our castles, our vehicles, our social status, the mighty Dollar Bill and, of course, our sporting heroes (at least while they perform well).
In the city of Thessalonica there was a plethora of gods to worship. One could choose to bow down to Roman gods, Greek gods or to other pagan gods. Statues were rife and religious ceremonies and festivals were everywhere to be engaged in. Being a military city rather than a trade city, each person was pressured to worship Caesar as well.
Even so, the Gospel was so powerful in that city that many of them welcomed the Apostles and having heard the message of the Gospel were empowered to turn from these idols of stone and wood to the one true and living God. They walked away from their previous idols and icons to serve God.
Their belief visibly showed itself in service. Their conversion, as we saw before,
issued itself in work, in labour and in an outward flowing love for others. Theirs was not a dead, impotent faith but a living and active faith.
The Thessalonian believers were also filled with a deep hope that allowed them to wait patiently for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we read in the Gospels, such waiting is neither inactive nor idle. It is a determined waiting of a servant busily going about the Master’s business as he waits for the Master’s return. Such servants will indeed be greatly rewarded at the anticipated return.
As we prepare for “worship” tomorrow as a gathered body of Christ, are we ready and willing to also give up our idols? Are we ready to serve the only Living and True God? Are we ready to lay down our treasures and to give all to God as we wait patiently, though neither idly nor inactively, for His Son Jesus to return? Do we pray together Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Pray that idolatry will be a thing of the past in your church. Pray that people would be willing and happy to worship Christ alone and to serve Him actively as you wait together for His glorious return.
V Pray that your Committee of Management and other Committees would be gospel focused and willing to serve God and to further his kingdom through their work as they wait for Jesus to return.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What idols do we have in Australia that people in general worship?
2. Are any of these worshipped in our churches? If yes, how can they be removed?
3. What is the relationship between greed and idolatry?
Saturday, 8 June 2013
Friday, 7 June 2013
Friday June 7, 2013
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8. Luke 15:1-7
The Gospel worked so powerfully among the Thessalonians that they became a model for believers in all Macedonia and Achaia. Go back to page 2 and just see how far and wide the news of their conversion rang out. Have a look at the wide ranging influence that the Thessalonians' conversion had. Yet the glory goes not to them but to God.
Conversions should always be exciting and cause for great celebration. Conversions should always fill us with joy because another soul has been taken off the road to destruction and put on the road to eternal life. A conversion means that there is one less person who will be sent to eternal condemnation on the day of judgement.
Paul and his team were ecstatic when just one person was converted, let alone a large group in a town or city. It caused them to bow the knee and to bring tearful and joyous praise and adoration to God. When’s the last time you and I wept in joy over the conversion of another person?
But let us not stop there. For each person that is converted, let us be praying that they too will become a role model for others to follow. It’s very hard for non Christians to remain indifferent or antagonistic when they see a non believer come to Christ and change dramatically for the better. It’s a powerful witness to them and a great draw card, pulling them closer to Christ. It’s also a powerful incentive and motivation to current believers to strive and race towards the glory that we have in Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Pray for the recent converts in your church. Ask God to grow them, to mature them and to use them as a powerful model to other believers and to non believers in their world.
V Pray that God would allow you to share your faith with other non believers and that these people would come to the Lord through your testimony. Pray that your church would be growing and expanding as individuals share their faith.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Describe a conversion you have personally seen or been involved in.
2. Why should we get excited when a person is converted?
The Gospel worked so powerfully among the Thessalonians that they became a model for believers in all Macedonia and Achaia. Go back to page 2 and just see how far and wide the news of their conversion rang out. Have a look at the wide ranging influence that the Thessalonians' conversion had. Yet the glory goes not to them but to God.
Conversions should always be exciting and cause for great celebration. Conversions should always fill us with joy because another soul has been taken off the road to destruction and put on the road to eternal life. A conversion means that there is one less person who will be sent to eternal condemnation on the day of judgement.
Paul and his team were ecstatic when just one person was converted, let alone a large group in a town or city. It caused them to bow the knee and to bring tearful and joyous praise and adoration to God. When’s the last time you and I wept in joy over the conversion of another person?
But let us not stop there. For each person that is converted, let us be praying that they too will become a role model for others to follow. It’s very hard for non Christians to remain indifferent or antagonistic when they see a non believer come to Christ and change dramatically for the better. It’s a powerful witness to them and a great draw card, pulling them closer to Christ. It’s also a powerful incentive and motivation to current believers to strive and race towards the glory that we have in Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Pray for the recent converts in your church. Ask God to grow them, to mature them and to use them as a powerful model to other believers and to non believers in their world.
V Pray that God would allow you to share your faith with other non believers and that these people would come to the Lord through your testimony. Pray that your church would be growing and expanding as individuals share their faith.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Describe a conversion you have personally seen or been involved in.
2. Why should we get excited when a person is converted?
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Thursday June 6, 2013
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:6. Hebrews 6:12, 13:7. 3 John 11. Ephesians 5:1.
Imitation is the best form of flattery isn’t it? Not really. It all depends on who you are imitating! Think for a moment about the young adults and youth in world and more particularly in our churches. They are imitating the world and the artists of the world. That’s a scary thing.
Nicky Minaj wants to be the “Va Va Voom” for the man she meets in a bar. Salena Gomez proudly proclaims, ‘I'm not too shy to show I love you, I got no regrets. So baby whenever you're ready…’
Not to be outdone, Icona Pop is giving our young generation driving lessons as she sings, ‘I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone. I crashed my car into the bridge. I watched, I let it burn.
I threw your sh*t into a bag and pushed it down the stairs. I crashed my car into the bridge.’
And Lady Gaga seems to have gone all gaa gaa with her lyrics, ‘A little gambling is fun when you're with me, I love it. Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun.’
And MGMT have hit the highlife as they sing, ‘I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life. Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives. I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and *&^% with the stars… This is our decision, to live fast and die young. We've got the vision, now let's have some fun…Forget about our mothers and our friends… We'll choke on our vomit and that will be the end’ .
Now if that’s what the younger generation are hearing and imitating then we are in big trouble.
Where are the role models in the church? Where are the godly men and women standing up and showing our younger generations what it means to serve God and to live lives that are pure and holy? If our younger generation can’t see the light of Christ in us, they’ll certainly look for meaning and value elsewhere.
God wants us to be imitators of others who are godly and worth imitating. Paul would often call people to imitate himself but only as he was imitating Christ.
The reality is that you and I are to be worthy role models for others to imitate. It means that we must examine our lives and allow God, as a skilful surgeon to cut out any sinful cancer we find in our lives. God wants us to be so pure and holy that our lives are attractive and worth imitating.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Pray that your church would be filled with believers whose lives count for eternity and project a lifestyle worth imitating. Pray that each and every single believer would be involved in a mentoring relationship. Pray that the elder and more experienced Christians in your church would be actively mentoring the younger believers.
V Pray that the elders of your church would be men of God who take the Word seriously and live it out in their lives first and foremost. Pray that they would be wise and discerning in their pastoral care over the flock.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is involved in a mentoring relationship from the perspective of the mentor and the mentored?
2. Why should every believer be in such a relationship?
3. What benefits can you see from being in such a relationship?
Imitation is the best form of flattery isn’t it? Not really. It all depends on who you are imitating! Think for a moment about the young adults and youth in world and more particularly in our churches. They are imitating the world and the artists of the world. That’s a scary thing.
Nicky Minaj wants to be the “Va Va Voom” for the man she meets in a bar. Salena Gomez proudly proclaims, ‘I'm not too shy to show I love you, I got no regrets. So baby whenever you're ready…’
Not to be outdone, Icona Pop is giving our young generation driving lessons as she sings, ‘I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone. I crashed my car into the bridge. I watched, I let it burn.
I threw your sh*t into a bag and pushed it down the stairs. I crashed my car into the bridge.’
And Lady Gaga seems to have gone all gaa gaa with her lyrics, ‘A little gambling is fun when you're with me, I love it. Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun.’
And MGMT have hit the highlife as they sing, ‘I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life. Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives. I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and *&^% with the stars… This is our decision, to live fast and die young. We've got the vision, now let's have some fun…Forget about our mothers and our friends… We'll choke on our vomit and that will be the end’ .
Now if that’s what the younger generation are hearing and imitating then we are in big trouble.
Where are the role models in the church? Where are the godly men and women standing up and showing our younger generations what it means to serve God and to live lives that are pure and holy? If our younger generation can’t see the light of Christ in us, they’ll certainly look for meaning and value elsewhere.
God wants us to be imitators of others who are godly and worth imitating. Paul would often call people to imitate himself but only as he was imitating Christ.
The reality is that you and I are to be worthy role models for others to imitate. It means that we must examine our lives and allow God, as a skilful surgeon to cut out any sinful cancer we find in our lives. God wants us to be so pure and holy that our lives are attractive and worth imitating.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Pray that your church would be filled with believers whose lives count for eternity and project a lifestyle worth imitating. Pray that each and every single believer would be involved in a mentoring relationship. Pray that the elder and more experienced Christians in your church would be actively mentoring the younger believers.
V Pray that the elders of your church would be men of God who take the Word seriously and live it out in their lives first and foremost. Pray that they would be wise and discerning in their pastoral care over the flock.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. What is involved in a mentoring relationship from the perspective of the mentor and the mentored?
2. Why should every believer be in such a relationship?
3. What benefits can you see from being in such a relationship?
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Wednesday June 5, 2013
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5. Romans 1:16-17
Jerry (not his real name) was a drug and alcohol addicted young man. Covered in tattoos, freakishly masculine, skin-headed and dangerously violent, Jerry would oppose anyone who stood before him. He thought nothing of beating another person to a pulp for almost any reason. For many years he had engaged in wizardry, witchcraft, and satan worship. Let’s imagine for a moment that you are in a coffee shop queue about to order a coffee and Jerry walks in and stands right behind you in the queue. Would you turn to Jerry and share the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, with him? Think about that seriously! Would you share the gospel with Jerry?
In Thessalonica there were many satan worshippers and witches and warlocks and many evil people. Bowing down to statues and icons was common place. Yet Paul knew the power of the Gospel. He was not afraid of mankind. He was not afraid of potential persecution. He would willingly endure a beating for the sake of the gospel.
So Paul stepped into the synagogue that fateful Sabbath and shared the truth of Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord. The gospel came to the Thessalonians with power. Chains were broken. Sin was defeated. Bad habits were undone. The power of the evil one was undone. The Holy Spirit worked powerfully among them. He brought deep conviction to them and transformed them as many turned to the gospel in repentance and faith. By the power of the Holy Spirit they were convicted of the sinfulness of their former ways. They could see the error of bowing down to statues and icons. They could now see the evil in witchcraft and the other ungodly activities they may have indulged in. This is the power of the Gospel. This power is greater than any man, woman or child living on this planet.
Jerry did actually go into a café one day. And God in His sovereignty had already called another man, a man of small insignificant stature, to open the Gospel to Jerry. Nervously he turned around and spoke the truth to Jerry. Praise God. That powerful Gospel message changed Jerry’s life and caused him to bow the knee and to confess Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour. Jerry now attends a local church and often shares his testimony with others.
You and I should praise God for the power of the Gospel. But more so, we should praise God for the way the Gospel has worked in the lives of other believers.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Choose 5 people or 5 families in your congregation and praise God for the way that you have seen the gospel powerfully at work in their respective lives.
V Pray that the Gospel would work powerfully in the lives of 5 different people or families that don’t yet confess Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
V Pray that both Uni Impact in NZ and Student Life in Australia will see the gospel powerfully changing the lives of students in various campuses. Ask God to bless the work of both of these institutions.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. List 3 people you know personally that need to hear the gospel.
V Spend time praying for these people to respond positively to the gospel when you share it with them.
V Pray that God would open avenues for you to share the gospel with them.
Jerry (not his real name) was a drug and alcohol addicted young man. Covered in tattoos, freakishly masculine, skin-headed and dangerously violent, Jerry would oppose anyone who stood before him. He thought nothing of beating another person to a pulp for almost any reason. For many years he had engaged in wizardry, witchcraft, and satan worship. Let’s imagine for a moment that you are in a coffee shop queue about to order a coffee and Jerry walks in and stands right behind you in the queue. Would you turn to Jerry and share the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, with him? Think about that seriously! Would you share the gospel with Jerry?
In Thessalonica there were many satan worshippers and witches and warlocks and many evil people. Bowing down to statues and icons was common place. Yet Paul knew the power of the Gospel. He was not afraid of mankind. He was not afraid of potential persecution. He would willingly endure a beating for the sake of the gospel.
So Paul stepped into the synagogue that fateful Sabbath and shared the truth of Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord. The gospel came to the Thessalonians with power. Chains were broken. Sin was defeated. Bad habits were undone. The power of the evil one was undone. The Holy Spirit worked powerfully among them. He brought deep conviction to them and transformed them as many turned to the gospel in repentance and faith. By the power of the Holy Spirit they were convicted of the sinfulness of their former ways. They could see the error of bowing down to statues and icons. They could now see the evil in witchcraft and the other ungodly activities they may have indulged in. This is the power of the Gospel. This power is greater than any man, woman or child living on this planet.
Jerry did actually go into a café one day. And God in His sovereignty had already called another man, a man of small insignificant stature, to open the Gospel to Jerry. Nervously he turned around and spoke the truth to Jerry. Praise God. That powerful Gospel message changed Jerry’s life and caused him to bow the knee and to confess Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour. Jerry now attends a local church and often shares his testimony with others.
You and I should praise God for the power of the Gospel. But more so, we should praise God for the way the Gospel has worked in the lives of other believers.
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Choose 5 people or 5 families in your congregation and praise God for the way that you have seen the gospel powerfully at work in their respective lives.
V Pray that the Gospel would work powerfully in the lives of 5 different people or families that don’t yet confess Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
V Pray that both Uni Impact in NZ and Student Life in Australia will see the gospel powerfully changing the lives of students in various campuses. Ask God to bless the work of both of these institutions.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. List 3 people you know personally that need to hear the gospel.
V Spend time praying for these people to respond positively to the gospel when you share it with them.
V Pray that God would open avenues for you to share the gospel with them.
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Tuesday June 4, 2013
Jesus Challenge:
As a cell group, take time to share your individual testimonies. If you’re not sure how to write a testimony, think about your life before you came to Christ, how you came and what it’s like now that you have come to Him. Make sure that it’s about Christ and not inadvertently about you.
If you are game, make a pact together that each person at cell would seek to make at least one other disciple by the end of the year.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3
You can tell what a person really believes by the way they live life. If, for example, I believe that today will bring pouring rain but walk out of my house without an umbrella or raincoat then my lifestyle betrays my true beliefs. Either, I don’t really believe that it will rain or I’m a hypocritical imbecile who lives contrary to my beliefs. Either way it’s not a pretty picture.
The Thessalonians came to believe in Christ Jesus and their life showed clearly what they believed. The Apostle Paul and his companions were so inspired that they knelt in praise and adoration to God. They continually praised God for the power of the Gospel at work in the lives of the Thessalonian believers.
Regarding the Thessalonians, Paul remembered before God their work produced by faith, their labour prompted by their love and their endurance inspired by their hope in Christ Jesus. Paul praises God for the work, the labour and the endurance that flows out of the Thessalonians’ conversion.
While is it possible to make changes and to do noble things by our own power and strength, it cannot match the changes and work produced by the power of the Gospel. Even though it is possible to change by transforming ourselves, it can never compare to or last as long as the spiritual transformation and renewal that comes from genuinely receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour.
When a person genuinely receives Jesus as their own Lord and Saviour that person changes from the inside out. The heart is transformed by the power of the Gospel. The result is unavoidable. Work, labour and endurance for Christ will flow outwards. When a group of people in the same city or region are transformed by the power of the Gospel it is truly revolutionary. That city had better watch out!
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Even as believers we continue to sin but sin should be the exception rather than the rule. Pray that God would work so powerfully in yourself and in your fellow believers at church that He would break the power of sin and undo the work of the evil one. Pray that the chains of sin that bind people in your church would be completely and utterly broken.
V Pray that Shiloh Church Ministries would continue to preach the Word and to make disciples. Pray that all of the orphans they care for would come to know Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Pray that God would raise the resources needed to continue this vital and powerful ministry.
V Pray that your city would be revolutionised by the power of the Gospel as believers work from their faith, labour out of their love and endure because of their hope in Christ Jesus.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Why is the Gospel so powerful?
2. How can a person be sure they are a Christian? Should we worry about such questions as this?
3. What changes have you seen in your life since you became a Christian?
As a cell group, take time to share your individual testimonies. If you’re not sure how to write a testimony, think about your life before you came to Christ, how you came and what it’s like now that you have come to Him. Make sure that it’s about Christ and not inadvertently about you.
If you are game, make a pact together that each person at cell would seek to make at least one other disciple by the end of the year.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3
You can tell what a person really believes by the way they live life. If, for example, I believe that today will bring pouring rain but walk out of my house without an umbrella or raincoat then my lifestyle betrays my true beliefs. Either, I don’t really believe that it will rain or I’m a hypocritical imbecile who lives contrary to my beliefs. Either way it’s not a pretty picture.
The Thessalonians came to believe in Christ Jesus and their life showed clearly what they believed. The Apostle Paul and his companions were so inspired that they knelt in praise and adoration to God. They continually praised God for the power of the Gospel at work in the lives of the Thessalonian believers.
Regarding the Thessalonians, Paul remembered before God their work produced by faith, their labour prompted by their love and their endurance inspired by their hope in Christ Jesus. Paul praises God for the work, the labour and the endurance that flows out of the Thessalonians’ conversion.
While is it possible to make changes and to do noble things by our own power and strength, it cannot match the changes and work produced by the power of the Gospel. Even though it is possible to change by transforming ourselves, it can never compare to or last as long as the spiritual transformation and renewal that comes from genuinely receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour.
When a person genuinely receives Jesus as their own Lord and Saviour that person changes from the inside out. The heart is transformed by the power of the Gospel. The result is unavoidable. Work, labour and endurance for Christ will flow outwards. When a group of people in the same city or region are transformed by the power of the Gospel it is truly revolutionary. That city had better watch out!
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Even as believers we continue to sin but sin should be the exception rather than the rule. Pray that God would work so powerfully in yourself and in your fellow believers at church that He would break the power of sin and undo the work of the evil one. Pray that the chains of sin that bind people in your church would be completely and utterly broken.
V Pray that Shiloh Church Ministries would continue to preach the Word and to make disciples. Pray that all of the orphans they care for would come to know Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Pray that God would raise the resources needed to continue this vital and powerful ministry.
V Pray that your city would be revolutionised by the power of the Gospel as believers work from their faith, labour out of their love and endure because of their hope in Christ Jesus.
Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Why is the Gospel so powerful?
2. How can a person be sure they are a Christian? Should we worry about such questions as this?
3. What changes have you seen in your life since you became a Christian?
Monday, 3 June 2013
Monday June 3, 2013
Read Acts 17:1-14
Paul was on his second missionary journey when he came to the Roman city of Thessalonica. To help you understand where the city lies there's a map at the bottom of this page.
It’s 50-51AD. As Paul entered this major city with a population of about 200,000 people, he went, as usual, to the synagogue on the Sabbath. There in front of potentially hostile Jews he argued and reasoned from the Scriptures that Jesus had to be the Christ, the Messiah. A few Jews joined Paul as did a larger number of Greeks and perhaps even a larger number of prominent, important women. The second Christian church, behind Philippi, had been started in Europe!
But sailing was not to remain smooth for Paul. The Jews became jealous of the growth of the new church. They rounded up some ruffians from the marketplace. The goal was to remove Paul and his companions from the city. The crowd approached the city officials and effectively made the same cry that the crowd made in calling for Jesus’ execution. As the crowd gathered before Pilate they cried out, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’ (John 19:15) Here in Thessalonica they cried out that Paul was ‘defying Caesar’s decrees advocating ‘that there is another king, one called Jesus’.
Paul had an effect in the city of Thessalonica, not because he was a revolutionary or because his character inspired revolt but, because he faithfully preached the gospel. He opened the Word and showed from that Word that Jesus was the Christ.
If only Christians would open up the Word and show people that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. If only we too would preach the gospel to non believers. If only we were to be so bold we too would see a powerful Gospel. We too would see people, maybe even “not a few” people, come to Christ for salvation. We too would see a powerful Gospel that changes lives and transforms people. In fact, if we were to actually preach the gospel to non believers then we would see a Gospel so powerful that it will call forth opposition.
Let’s continue praying that God would bring many people into His kingdom and into His church. But let’s be radical and let’s pray that God uses us and our Gospel preaching to that effect. Let’s send each other out with the express task of telling non believers about the gospel. Here’s a truth you and I need to hear: The Gospel will never be powerful if we never tell it to anyone!
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Pray that the Lord God Almighty would use you personally to share the gospel with non believers this week. Pray that as God opens doors to share your faith you would be courageous and actually speak the gospel in that situation.
V Pray that your church would be a gospel preaching church, making the most of every opportunity to speak the truth of Jesus into people’s lives.
Paul was on his second missionary journey when he came to the Roman city of Thessalonica. To help you understand where the city lies there's a map at the bottom of this page.
It’s 50-51AD. As Paul entered this major city with a population of about 200,000 people, he went, as usual, to the synagogue on the Sabbath. There in front of potentially hostile Jews he argued and reasoned from the Scriptures that Jesus had to be the Christ, the Messiah. A few Jews joined Paul as did a larger number of Greeks and perhaps even a larger number of prominent, important women. The second Christian church, behind Philippi, had been started in Europe!
But sailing was not to remain smooth for Paul. The Jews became jealous of the growth of the new church. They rounded up some ruffians from the marketplace. The goal was to remove Paul and his companions from the city. The crowd approached the city officials and effectively made the same cry that the crowd made in calling for Jesus’ execution. As the crowd gathered before Pilate they cried out, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’ (John 19:15) Here in Thessalonica they cried out that Paul was ‘defying Caesar’s decrees advocating ‘that there is another king, one called Jesus’.
Paul had an effect in the city of Thessalonica, not because he was a revolutionary or because his character inspired revolt but, because he faithfully preached the gospel. He opened the Word and showed from that Word that Jesus was the Christ.
If only Christians would open up the Word and show people that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. If only we too would preach the gospel to non believers. If only we were to be so bold we too would see a powerful Gospel. We too would see people, maybe even “not a few” people, come to Christ for salvation. We too would see a powerful Gospel that changes lives and transforms people. In fact, if we were to actually preach the gospel to non believers then we would see a Gospel so powerful that it will call forth opposition.
Let’s continue praying that God would bring many people into His kingdom and into His church. But let’s be radical and let’s pray that God uses us and our Gospel preaching to that effect. Let’s send each other out with the express task of telling non believers about the gospel. Here’s a truth you and I need to hear: The Gospel will never be powerful if we never tell it to anyone!
Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
V Pray that the Lord God Almighty would use you personally to share the gospel with non believers this week. Pray that as God opens doors to share your faith you would be courageous and actually speak the gospel in that situation.
V Pray that your church would be a gospel preaching church, making the most of every opportunity to speak the truth of Jesus into people’s lives.
Saturday, 1 June 2013
Saturday 1 June 2013
Read: Matthew 7:24-29
The thought of your house collapsing with a mighty crash in the face of rain and wind is a frightening thought isn't it. If you have experienced flooding or other natural disasters this might conjure up all sorts of memories and thoughts. The image of a house knocked over by natural forces is hard to forget. Jesus warning in this passage is clear: if we are not living our lives based on Him and according to His teachings our lives will be like those collapsed houses, broken and destroyed.
Think back over our study of the Sermon on the Mount this week. Are you living according to Jesus teachings? Are you living a life which is different from the way that the world lives? Are you being salt and light to those around you who don't have faith in Him? Is your heart changed by your relationship with Christ so that you follow God's law? Is your primary focus and attention on the Kingdom of God rather than anything in this world? Are you living for God's glory alone? Are you living with humility and wisdom?
This is an incredible challenge to us as God's people however this parable is not all doom and gloom. Notice verse 25. If we do live according to the teachings of Jesus and base our lives on Him then this parable provides a great encouragement: nothing will be able to shake us. Though storms come in all our lives if our foundation is in Christ and in His teachings then nothing will be able to destroy or collapse us. If God is our strength and help then we can endure anything and everything the world would throw at us.
The choice is yours. You can live according to Jesus' teachings and set your life on the rock or you can build your life on the sand apart from Christ. Which do you choose?
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 have been studying the Sermon on the Mount at Christlife and through these notes. Pray that God would cement in their hearts all the things that they have learnt and that they would put them into practice. Pray that God would help all of us to be salt and light in our communities.
¥ Pray for the Presbyterian church in Stanthorpe. Pray that God would grow a spirit of generosity in the hearts of the people and that they would be giving so that costs and wages can be met. Pray that God would grow in the congregation a greater passion to see many in the Stanthorpe community come to faith in Christ through the preaching of the gospel.
Discussion Questions For Families
and Groups
1. What can you do to tell if you are building your life on the rock or the sand?
2. Spend some time praying for each other. Pray that the Holy Spirit would grow you in holiness and help each of you to follow Jesus more closely and to live by His teachings.
The thought of your house collapsing with a mighty crash in the face of rain and wind is a frightening thought isn't it. If you have experienced flooding or other natural disasters this might conjure up all sorts of memories and thoughts. The image of a house knocked over by natural forces is hard to forget. Jesus warning in this passage is clear: if we are not living our lives based on Him and according to His teachings our lives will be like those collapsed houses, broken and destroyed.
Think back over our study of the Sermon on the Mount this week. Are you living according to Jesus teachings? Are you living a life which is different from the way that the world lives? Are you being salt and light to those around you who don't have faith in Him? Is your heart changed by your relationship with Christ so that you follow God's law? Is your primary focus and attention on the Kingdom of God rather than anything in this world? Are you living for God's glory alone? Are you living with humility and wisdom?
This is an incredible challenge to us as God's people however this parable is not all doom and gloom. Notice verse 25. If we do live according to the teachings of Jesus and base our lives on Him then this parable provides a great encouragement: nothing will be able to shake us. Though storms come in all our lives if our foundation is in Christ and in His teachings then nothing will be able to destroy or collapse us. If God is our strength and help then we can endure anything and everything the world would throw at us.
The choice is yours. You can live according to Jesus' teachings and set your life on the rock or you can build your life on the sand apart from Christ. Which do you choose?
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 have been studying the Sermon on the Mount at Christlife and through these notes. Pray that God would cement in their hearts all the things that they have learnt and that they would put them into practice. Pray that God would help all of us to be salt and light in our communities.
¥ Pray for the Presbyterian church in Stanthorpe. Pray that God would grow a spirit of generosity in the hearts of the people and that they would be giving so that costs and wages can be met. Pray that God would grow in the congregation a greater passion to see many in the Stanthorpe community come to faith in Christ through the preaching of the gospel.
Discussion Questions For Families
and Groups
1. What can you do to tell if you are building your life on the rock or the sand?
2. Spend some time praying for each other. Pray that the Holy Spirit would grow you in holiness and help each of you to follow Jesus more closely and to live by His teachings.
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