Body Language: Pray for One Another

Body Language: Pray for One Another

Pray for One Another Guest Speaker- Oakhurst Baptist Pastor Dave Russell There are many times we hear about a trial in a friend's life and we say, "I'll pray for you", but often we forget or we don't know exactly how to pray. Paul gives us some great examples of how to pray for other believers in his letter to the Thessalonians. Paul founded this church during his second missionary journey (Acts 17:1–9), around A.D. 49–50. He preached in the synagogue for a few weeks, and some Jews, many God-fearing Greeks, and prominent women believed the gospel. However, opposition quickly arose and unbelieving Jews stirred up a mob, causing unrest in the city and forcing Paul and his companions to leave sooner than they had planned. Because Paul's ministry there was brief, he was concerned about how these young believers were doing in their faith. After leaving Thessalonica, Paul traveled to Corinth, where he received a positive report from Timothy about the Thessalonian believers. Knowing this, he wrote to them to encourage them. Ways to Pray for Believers from 1 Thessalonians 1:11-12 Pray that God would shape one another's character (v11a) The people Paul was writing to were already saved, so he is praying that their lives would increasingly reflect the gospel. He prayed that they would be consistent with the identity given to them through Christ. Pray that God would strengthen one another's obedience (v11b) We must remember that "good intentions" and human resolve are not enough. We must pray for God's power to intervene in our lives. Christian obedience is useless without the power of God Christian obedience is understanding that you need Jesus more each day. That is a sign of maturity. We need His power to trust, to fight sin, to forgive, to keep loving difficult people, to keep serving and not growing weary, to keep following Jesus when it feels costly. Pray that Christ would be glorified in one another (v12) Paul's goal is the glory of Christ. The ultimate goal of the Christian life is to glorify Christ. We should want His power, worth, greatness, and beauty to be on display in our lives. Christ is glorified when people see more of Jesus and less of us. Paul reminds us that not only can Christ be glorified in us, but we can also be glorified in Him! Paul is looking forward to heaven (Rev 21) as he reminds us that the One we honor today will honor us (the redeemed) in glory with Him. As Christians, our future is brighter than our past! In all of this, Paul is saying to pray for one another in ways that help each other live for Christ's glory. We can only do this in His power through His grace. If we all chose to pray for one another in these ways, think about how it would change our church and our city! Instead of talking about one another, let's talk to God on behalf of one another. Questions to Consider: 1. Can you think of a time that you shared a hardship with a friend and they prayed for you immediately? How did that impact you? 2. How do Paul's instructions for praying for others challenge you to pray differently than you currently do? 3. If God answered your prayers from last week, what would change this week? 4. Pray for VBS this week. Pray for our leaders to reflect the gospel, that God's power would be their strength, and that their lives would glorify Christ as they share the Good News with the 700+ children that will be in attendance each day! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Body Language: Comfort One Another

Comfort One Another Jimmy Kallam Paul founded the church in Corinth (Acts 18:1-17). When he arrived, he began to teach and reason in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy arrived, Paul began to preach more. He spent one and half years in Corinth. Many rejected his teaching because he didn’t look like what the people thought a leader should look like. Paul was poor and seemed to have no speaking gift. Second Corinthians was written out of difficult circumstances. The Apostle Paul concludes the book of 2 Corinthians by using the word “finally” in verse 11. Even though the word “finally” is used, what follows is extremely important. He listed five commands that were an expression of God’s grace and not effort on our part. Paul writes that the Corinthian Christians were to rejoice, aim for restoration, comfort each other, agree with each other, and to live in peace.  Paul’s instruction was to rejoice even in difficult times. Our obedience to rejoice will flow out of a relationship with Christ and others. Just as our justification and sanctification are works of God’s unmerited favor, so is our growth in the rhythm of rejoicing. No matter the circumstances we can rejoice that God is our Father, Jesus is our Savior, and the Spirit is our strength. We are also told to aim for restoration. It is a healthy practice to work hard towards mending relationships. Strive for unity and agreement in the essential elements of the faith while exercising grace and patience in secondary issues. Remember, a secondary issue does not mean it is unimportant. We are to strive together in community.  One of the greatest works of Christianity is to comfort one another. We see hurting people everywhere. Loss, death, brokenness, and unwise choices war against the soul. Comfort can be defined as coming alongside others and offering practical hope. Practical hope usually occurs by: 1. Seeing the need in a person’s life. 2. Praying for that person who needs hope. 3. Showing up and being present. We don’t have to say anything. Our presence will encourage them. 4. Listening to them share. Listen to their heart. 5. Taking action if needed. God has comforted you so you can comfort others. This is living out the gospel. Agree with one another. Strive to be of the same mind so that our unity and love for each other will display the love of Christ within us. Finally, we are to live in peace. The hope of the church is not in a new program filled with empty promises. Hope comes about as the result of the invasion of God. Paul prayed for these characteristics for himself and we are to adapt them into our lives as well. Questions to Consider 1. In what ways is rejoicing in difficult times a challenge? Describe a time when your rejoicing in the Lord has changed your perspective. 2. How has the Lord restored you after a difficult time?   3. What are some practical ways you can comfort someone in need? 4. Is peace with others worth striving for? Why? What are the consequences of ignoring the hard work of achieving peace? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Body Language: Forgive One Another

Forgive One Another Student Teaching Pastor Jason Salyer Forgiveness begins with the foundational truth of the gospel reality that God has canceled our ultimate debt of sin through the cross (Col 2:14). As God's chosen, holy, and beloved children, we must first recognize our own profound need for grace and forgiveness from God (Psalm 51). Only then will we recognize that peace (wholeness) does not come from looking inward for self-forgiveness, but from looking to Christ. Forgiveness is like a mirror in that when we forgive others, we see the reflection of God's vertical grace working through our horizontal relationships. We often hear things like hurting people hurt people, but the gospel can change this narrative where the defining marker of followers of Christ is that forgiven people forgive people. Ultimately, forgiveness is a means to an end, a right and restored relationship.  Gospel driven forgiveness takes place eternally (between God and us), internally (within our hearts), and externally (between us and others).  Because we live in an imperfect world, the Bible paints a realistic picture that people will fail you, and you will fail others. Scripture commands us to actively "bear with" one another and forgive complaints, which is impossible to practice in isolation from a church community (Col 3:13). We are called to turn from bitterness and live with compassionate hearts. Forgiving others is a direct command from God, not an optional suggestion. We cannot wait until we "feel" like forgiving, instead we must actively "put on" compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Col 3:12). Forgiveness is also an essential characteristic of God’s people that must be put into practice. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9), and that gift must compel us to extend the same mercy to those around us. Believers must put on love, which serves as the outer garment that binds everything together in perfect harmony (Col 3:14). The culture is about cancelling others when they wrong others, but we look to the cross that has cancelled our sin debt and redeemed us in Christ. (Col 2:14). Jesus speaks at length about this reality in Matthew 18, including a parable showing us that the forgiveness we offer others will never outweigh the far greater forgiveness we receive from God. In the Lord’s Supper, we are called to examine the body of Christ which not only speaks to the physical death of Jesus, but also addresses pursuing unity and turning from divisions or unforgiveness in the local church. (1 Corinthians 11:23-31). Reflection Questions: * Where do you need to seek forgiveness from God? From others? * Where do you need to forgive someone else? * Where do you need to pursue reconciliation in a relationship? Discussion Questions: * How does truly understanding and receiving God’s forgiveness help us to forgive others? * What does it look like to practically "bear with" one another to move beyond the complaints and differences we have with other people? * How can you move toward a gospel driven reflection of forgiveness internally in your heart and/or externally in relationship with others? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Body Language: Love One Another

Love One Another Guest Speaker Milt Jones There is a backstory to love, and it begins before creation. In John 17:24, Jesus is praying to God when He says, "because you loved me before the foundation of the world." There is love inside the Trinity because God is one, and there is love between the Trinity because God is three. In the same prayer, Jesus also prays about "the glory I had with you before the world existed." Glory can be defined as "beauty that is manifested".(17:5) There is also "eternal life" or "lifey-ness" in God. His nature is to give life. Finally, there is joy between the Father, Son, and Spirit. God didn't need anything. He created so He could give more love, glory, eternal life, and joy away. John 13:34-35 says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." "A new commandment" speaks to something different than what was taught for centuries. Deut 6 and Lev 19 speak of loving God and others. Jesus makes this personal and teaches the disciples to look at Him as the pattern. When He says, "as I have loved you", He shows them how to love. * Jesus loved His disciples "to the end" of His life and His plan for redeeming mankind. (John 13:1) * Jesus loved them by serving them. He washed their feet as He was teaching them this Truth. Not only was foot-washing a very humbling thing to do, but it was also a practical love that needed to happen. * Jesus loved them by mending the broken relationship between God the Father and mankind. Remember, Jesus is the pattern for how we have relationships with one another. Jesus' pattern of love is practical and proactive. Jesus goes on to say, "by this all men will know that you are my disciples, of you have love for one another." There is something life-giving when we love like Jesus. In John 15, Jesus speaks about being the vine that we are connected to. He says, "apart from me, you can do nothing". This is a different expression than volunteering at a shelter or giving to the United Way. When we abide in Christ, there is something life-giving about our love for others. The only way to have the love of Jesus is to have the life of Jesus. Not only does Christ give us the humble, practical pattern of love, but He also gives us the power of love. As members of Christ's body and God's family, we need to show the world what God is like by loving each other well, by following Jesus' pattern, and acting in His power. Questions to Consider: 1. What are some ways you can show others practical love? 2. What relationship do you need to mend? 3. What is something you can "give up" for a few minutes or hours that will give you time and attention to love someone else well? 4. Philippians 2:14-15 says, "do all things without grumbling or disputing...in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." What does it look like for you to "shepherd your attitude"? Why is it important to be in biblical community with others in light of this Truth? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Romans 16:17-27

Romans 16:17-27 Senior Pastor Alex Kennedy Paul moves into a warning to begin this last portion of his letter. He warns the church "to "watch out" for those who cause divisions and create obstacles." He is speaking about the primary issues of doctrine that can confuse and give Satan a win (different than his focus in chapter 14). In verse 19, Paul states, "I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil." Without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, a person, a pastor, or a church is powerless. In verse 20, Paul echoes Genesis 3:15, where Satan is crushed under Jesus' feet. He refers to Jesus as the "God of peace". This theme that begins in Genesis runs through the rest of the OT as we see the Prince of Peace...the "serpent crusher" is coming. This crushing begins on the cross, where we can have freedom from sin and reconciliation with God, but it concludes when "the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire..." (Rev 20:3,10) Christ and the gospel bring peace. False teachers bring division and discord. In verses 25-27, Paul moves into his conclusion, which we call a doxology. A doxology is a word that gives glory to God. Paul's aim in these last words is to move his readers to give glory to God. He does this by reminding us of the gospel - what it does, and what it is. "Now to Him who is able to strengthen you" shows us that the gospel has power not only to save us as unbelievers, but also to strengthen us as believers. The rest of verse 25 says, "according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages." The word mystery does not refer to something puzzling or difficult to grasp, but to something that was previously hidden and is now revealed. Pastor Alex used the illustrations of a building site (the supplies are all there, but you don't know how they will all be used), the movie plot twist (you couldn't see it revealed the first time you watched it, but watching it again allows you to see the clues), or the connect the dots example (the dots are all there...Abraham, Noah, David, etc., but you can't make out the picture until the dots are connected). Jesus is the answer! The mystery of the gospel was not God changing His mind. It was God revealing what He had planned from the very beginning. Part of this mystery revealed is that the Gentiles-the nations-are full fellow citizens with Jewish believers by faith in Jesus. (Rom 16:26; Eph 3:6) He concludes, "to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. Paul has taken us to the edge of the gospel through it's depth, beauty, justice, mercy, and power. The proper response is worship! The Glory Trail in Romans 1:5 - "the sake of His name" 1:21-23 - "exchanged the glory" 3:23 - "fall short of the glory of God" 5:1-2 - "rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" 5:8 - "Christ died for us" 8:1 - "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" 8:28-30 - "He also glorified" 11:36 - "to Him be the glory" 16:27 - "to the only wise God be glory forevermore" Questions to Consider: 1. What kinds of people does Paul warn the church about? What are some of the ways you can be influenced by false teachers, sometimes without realizing it? How can you guard against that? 2. Why is the message of Jesus meant for all nations? 3. What are some key take-aways for you from this 41 week study of Romans? How has this sermon series encouraged or challenged you? ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.