WHY DID, AND DOES, JESUS’ CHURCH BAPTIZE? βαπτίζω- baptizō to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk). Lexicon :: Strong’s G907 – baptizō1 Acts 2:36-38 (ESV) 36Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37Now when they […]
Acts 2:37-38 37Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive […]
THE FULFILLMENT OF PREACHING THE GOSPEL IS IN PEOPLE’S RESPONSE. Acts 2:36–47 THEY WERE PIERCED TO THE HEART. THEY BELIEVED WHAT THE DISCIPLES SAID. What shall we do? Peter’s response: Repent. Turn away from self-rule and accept who Jesus is: the King. We are becoming a part of a Kingdom of choice. God offers us […]
1 Corinthians 16:1–3 (NIV) 1Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections […]
WHAT IS THE GOOD LIFE ACCORDING TO GOD? As followers of Christ, the good life isn’t what society and culture defines as the good life. It’s what God, through His word, tells us the good life is. God wants us to have a life that is good, rich, satisfying, pleasing, and full. Not a “prosperity […]
In the “Ever Wonder Why” series, we discussed why we do specific elements of our weekend service. One thing we didn’t talk about that we do every week is the giving of our tithes and offerings. We omitted that from the last series, knowing it would be a focus of this series. From the beginning […]
1. INVESTING IN THE GOOD LIFE IS NOT ABOUT ________________. Proverbs 23:4-5 (NLT) 4Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. 5In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle The word investment implies a return on […]
1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NLT) 17Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be […]
THE GOOD LIFE IS: A life under the Son, which leads to fellowship with others. Really knowing God means you know His heart. Loving God, in return, means we obey. Love requires generosity. 1 John 1:5–7 (NLT) 5This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there […]
1. CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT A GOD WHO LOVES US. Isaiah 9:1-2 1Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, […]
FIRST, DEFINE TERMS—GUILT VERSUS SHAME: If we are going to talk about shame, we must distinguish shame from guilt. Guilt is a God-given emotion that keeps us from doing what we shouldn’t and tells us we are wrong when we do do what we shouldn’t. Guilt has two meanings: There is the state of being […]
1. DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN GUILT AND SHAME: Guilt can be the state of being guilty of some offense or sin. “The jury will determine a person’s guilt.” Guilt is also the emotion we feel when we know we’ve done something wrong. “I am so bummed over the mess I have caused!” That’s guilt. Guilt is designed […]
GUILT Today’s topic is shame, but in order to understand it, we need to look at guilt, as well. Guilt can have two meanings: the state of being guilty of some offense or sin the emotion we feel when we know we’ve done something wrong Guilt in and of itself is not bad. It can […]
INTRODUCTION: Greater: a 4-week study on the book of Colossians Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul while in Roman prison circa 60-64 AD to the predominantly gentile (non-Jewish) church in Colossae. The church was experiencing pressure to follow the Jewish law as some people were adding extra rules and false teachings to the faith. […]
INTRODUCTION: The book of Colossians, written by Paul o Dealing with what is called the “Colossi heresy” o Paul’s disciple, Epaphras, started the church. o The gospel message is the point of controversy in Colossi. The gospel was being distorted in Colossi. o Downplaying the person of Jesus o Downplaying the work of Jesus Colossians […]
IF WE DON’T ESTABLISH THE SUPREMACY OF JESUS NOW, THE REST OF OUR STUDY DOESN’T MAKE SENSE! Colossians 1:15-19 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all […]