Paul Tells Us About Our Hope

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1 Corinthians 15:3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

observation

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There were hundreds of prophecies fulfilled by Jesus but maybe the most important one is the fact that he was raised from the dead. Paul admits to us in this chapter that if it were not true then all of the trouble and hardships that he was going through were a complete waste of time and he would be insane for enduring it all.

1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.

But Christ resurrection was proven by thousands that saw him after he was raised from the grave, even five hundred at one sighting, he even ate food so that they would know that it wasn’t a vision or a ghost that they were seeing.

Our resurrection is guaranteed by Jesus and since he was raised from the dead we can be sure that we will have our own resurrection and we will have a new life

1 Corinthians 15:22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.

Not only will we be raised to live forever but we get to live forever in a brand new body, thank the Lord that we don't have to spend eternity in these old bodies.

My wife will be able to run and dance and not have anymore of the pain that runs through her body that never gives her any relief, she will finally learn how it feels to not hurt again, she is longing for that day to come. There is a lot of pain and suffering that will end forever someday for those of us that are with God for eternity. For people that can get no relief from their doctors, their hope of the future with the Lord is more real to them than to those of us that are healthy.

1 Corinthians 15:42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

It could happen any time now so get ready people you dont have a minute to spare.

1 Corinthians 15:52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

application

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We need to tell others of the wonderful hope that we have, a hope that we are sure of be cause Jesus came to show us that he is alive again.

prayer

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1 Corinthians 15:57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We do thank you Lord that the trouble that we experience down here will some day end and we will experience victory over sin and death, give relief to my wife as she struggles to get through each day.

Related articles

• The Triumphant Entry Changes Everything (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

Paul Teaches About Love

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Ephesians 5:2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.

1 Corinthians 13

Love is supreme
Love is patient, kind, rejoices when truth rules, always hopeful, endures through everything,
Love is not jealous, boastful, proud, rude
Love does not demand it's own way, it is not irritable, it does not keep score, it is not happy about evil
Love never gives up and never loses faith

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Jesus said that the greatest command is to love God and love your neighbor and now Paul tells us that we have to live a love filled life and to do it by following Christ example.

What a vivid definition of what love is and how it is supposed to behave, Paul left us with no doubt about what it is and how to do it. The difficult part is putting it into our lifestyle and making it a part of everything that we do.

The only way to be successful is to spend time with God each day so that you are exposed to his character and his mode of operation.

application

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Show some love to everyone that you meet; it doesn't matter if you think that you deserve it or not. Help me to become more loving to my wife and kids by having those qualities that describe love in 1Corinthians 13.

prayer

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Help me to follow your example in loving others.

Paul Teaches About Our Struggle With Sin

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Romans 7:4,14-15, 21-25 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

observation

The apostle seems like he has it all together since he lived so fully for God and yet here Paul explains to us how much that he struggles with the old sinful nature. We are a child of God and we have the desire and the ability to do the right thing but there is always going to be a struggle with our evil desires that keep fighting to control us and attempt to keep us in slavery. This temporary assignment on planet earth is going to have its difficulties just because it is so full of sinners and as a Christ follower it will be even more difficult as you strive to live against the natural tendency to live for your sinful self. All the desires that I had before I came to Christ and followed him are still there I will never be able to say that I have arrived until I arrive in God’s presence in heaven. I cannot give into sin and continue to live for self. I am able to “produce a harvest of good deeds for God.”

application

I will fight the good fight so that my Savior will be able to say well done.

prayer

Help me to continue to fight against my sinful nature and to truly live for you. I know how I should live but sometimes I fail. Thank you for covering my sin.

Paul Teaches About Grace

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Romans 3:19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. 31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

observation

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How many times have you jumped on your kids about something and had them tell you that they had no idea that they were not supposed to do something? You hear adults use it too, it is real useful when your spouse or your boss is getting after you for something, just tell them “I didn’t know, you never told me” and all of a sudden the blame is going the other direction.

That’s what Paul says in verse nineteen about the purpose of the law, it was given to us so that we can’t say that we didn’t know what God expects of his children, you wouldn’t have a clue how much that you need a Savior if you didn’t know how far off the target that you are.

You know when you make the rules for your children that they are never going to perfectly follow those rules, well guess what, God knew from the beginning that we were not going to make it to heaven without his intervention.

Romans 3:23-24 Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous.

You couldn’t try hard enough to get to heaven and so God gave us “undeserved kindness” and made a way for us to have access to him and now through faith we actually have a greater ability to live a life that is pleasing to God through our helper the Holy Spirit. But don’t start to think too much of yourself and let pride jump into your life, all because you may live a life that follows God’s rules better than you used too, that isn’t because of your ability or goodness it is nothing for you to be proud of.

Romans 3:27-28 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

God sure knows how to take care of his children and he knows how to teach them right from wrong, us parents could learn a thing or two from him.

application

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If I start to feel pretty good about how “good” I am then I need to remember that I still need God’s help and I need his grace. His help because that’s the only way that I can do anything good and his grace to fill in my rough spots because I will not be perfect until he takes me to heaven.

prayer

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Thank you Lord for providing for me what I could not do for myself, help me as I strive to follow your commands and live for you, but don’t allow me to become proud when I start feeling good about how I am doing.

Paul: His Man on His Mission

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Acts 26:8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

Acts 26:20 I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.” 25 “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” 29 Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

observation

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King Agrippa II is in town to see Felix and upon hearing about Paul from Felix he decides that he would like to hear Paul’s defense. We do not know why Agrippa wanted to hear his defense but Paul uses the opportunity to give the gospel message to everybody in the room, the high ranking officials and the leading men of the city (25:23), what else would you expect Paul to do?

The gospel is out there for the whole room to deal with, they all have a decision, for Agrippa the answer is “did you really think that I would convert” The message of the cross is a stumbling block that the wisdom of the world cannot comprehend.

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,

Paul was always on a mission, whether you examine his life before his conversion or after, he was always a passionate man. With messages like “stand firm”, “run the race” and “reach for the goal” he was always living with passion and striving to carry out his mission that God had for him no matter what the circumstances were.

application

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I strive to be “His man on His mission” everyday, there are so many things that we do that don’t amount to anything when viewed through the lens of eternity, I want to live for Christ, lead my family and help my church and my pastor to be successful for the kingdom.
prayer

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I pray that I will be focused on you Lord and on a life that really matters, so that I will truly be “His man on His mission”

Paul's First Mission Trip

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Acts 13:1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.

2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

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Jesus told his disciples to go and make more disciples, the Holy Spirit was very specific when he told the church to send out Barnabas and Saul. The time had come for the church to begin reaching out to the Gentiles, it was time to spread out beyond Jerusalem and Judea, and Barnabas and Paul were the ones chosen by the Holy Spirit.

Of course there was going to have to be resistance, right away they are confronted by a sorcerer and false prophet, then there were the Religious leaders. They were tempted with pride as one town decided that they were gods and Paul was stoned and left for dead outside the town.

application

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It seems to me that if you are going out to spread the gospel you better be certain that your calling is sure. I don’t want to ever lead a team on a mission trip that has not been set apart by the Holy Spirit and sent off with prayer.

prayer

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Help me to always rely on your strength and to be in prayer each day. Thank you for salvation, may I become more eager to share your good news with others.

Saul's Conversion

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Acts 9:1-17 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 8 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

observation

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Stopped in his tracks as he is carrying out his mission Paul is confronted with how wrong that he has been about Jesus. There has been a few times in my life that I wish that God would have sent down a light brighter than the sun and would have had a conversation with me and he would have turned me around.

A Pharisee converts to “The Way”? Are you serious? That would be blasphemy. The Pharisees were so opposed to Jesus and would have nothing to do with the gospel message but here one of their own has had a miraculous conversion experience and we don’t have any evidence that the Pharisees as a whole ever realized that Jesus was the Messiah. They still continued to oppose the church even after Paul became such a champion for the church.

application

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If you are going down the wrong road in life you better be careful. God isn’t showing Himself in burning bushes or flashes of light from heaven. We have the Bible, his instructions for life, to help us stay on the straight and narrow road. That’s why it is so important to stay in his instruction book and learn how to live for him.

prayer

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Draw me close to you through your word, show me the way to live so that I will not get off track. Make me as zealous to work for you as Paul was.

Jesus Last Prayer For His Disciples

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John 17

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Jesus prayer here at the end of his last teaching opportunity with his disciples before going to the cross gives us some things to think about.

What a perfect relationship each person of the trinity has with the other, each of them bring glory to the other, they share everything, there is no fear, it is the perfect model for relationships the way that God intended for them to be.

1 “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you.

23-24 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

Jesus prayed for his disciples and for his future disciples, he prays for our protection from “the evil one”, that is something that we don’t think about every day. How many times have I gotten up in the morning and prayed for protection from the devil? Not often enough! He prayed that we would be with him someday but for now we have to remain in the world and keep our protection on.

He prayed that we would be taught the truth and that the truth that we learn would make us holy.

Then Jesus prays for us to obtain the same unity that he has with the Father so that we will have perfect unity with each other in the church so that the world will become aware of the love that we have and that they will be shown the source of that love.

application

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I will pray for protection from the devil everyday and I will strive for the unity that Jesus wants us all to have.

prayer

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Thank you Lord for loving me and for coming into this world of hate to show me the way to heaven and the way to live while I am here on earth. Give me protection today to stand firm against the devil. Help me to grow in my relationships to be more loving and to be in unity with other believers.

Related articles

• Who Is Your Father, Do YouLook Like Him (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)
• One With Christ (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)
• Jesus Is An Awesome Gift Giver (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

Jesus Last Classroom

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John 13 - 16

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Jesus knows that this is his last teaching opportunity with his disciples and so you know that he isn’t going to waste this time. The things that he has to say right now are very important for his disciples to hear and since we are his disciples too then we should pay attention to what he has to say:

• Serve each other and God will bless you for doing it. John 13:13-17

• Love each other just as much as I loved you, your love for each other will prove that you belong to me. John 13:34-35, 15:12-13

• Trust in God so that you won’t be troubled. I am making a place for you in my father’s house, when it is ready then I will come and get you. John 14:1-3

• You will be able to do great things and you will be able to ask for anything and I will do it for you. John 14:12-13

• If you love me then do what I ask you to do. John 14:15, 23-24

• I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

• If you remain in me you will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

• The world is not going to like you. John 15:19

• I will send the Holy Spirit to help you. John 15:26

• On this planet you will have a lot of trouble but you are still supposed to have peace. John 16:33

Some of these concepts are difficult to understand and some of them are just so backwards to the way that we are wired that they are just hard to do even if we do understand them.

Jesus last teaching opportunity is full of important instructions. If we just had these four chapters of the Bible and nothing else then we would certainly have plenty of information on how a Christ follower is supposed to live.

application

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I need to concentrate on Jesus last teaching opportunity and put this stuff into practice. We have been studying at church how to be more loving, according to this I have to be willing to die for my friends. Wow!

prayer

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Help me Lord to live the way you instructed your disciples to live in your final lessons to them.

Finding The Lost

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Luke 15:1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

observation

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The Pharisees were always confused about Jesus, didn’t he know that associating with the wrong people would ruin his chances of fulfilling all the requirements of the law, you know the law that they had been adding more and more rules to, everybody was being held in bondage because of these guys.

Jesus made his reason for being here quite clear, he was here to be around the “sinners,” and his reason for doing so was so that he could find a lost “sheep,” he wasn’t interested in hanging out with the religious people, he came to search every street corner, highway and ditch until he finds the lost sheep.

Finding the lost is job number one for Jesus and when the lost become found there is a great celebration:

I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

application

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There are too many Pharisees even today, people that are afraid to be around those sinners that might tarnish their reputation, but if we are going to be like Jesus then we cannot stay away from those "sinners."

prayer

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Help us to accept the challenge to go to where people are that need you the most. Help us to get off our pew and get out there looking for lost sheep.

Jesus Give Me More Faith

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Mark 9:16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.

17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

19 Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

observation

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What a situation that Jesus came upon, there is a great uproar because the disciples could not cast a demon out of a boy, perhaps they were too scared because of the violent behavior of the demon.

The disciple’s lack of faith is frustrating to Jesus but he seems to be less upset by the small amount of faith that the boy’s father exhibits. The disciples have seen a lot of miracles and have had the opportunity to have their faith exercised and grown beyond what the father has and yet the father has at least a “mustard seed” size faith and he is crying out for his faith to become greater than it is.

Mark 9:24  The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

It is amazing that someone else was casting out demons in Jesus name and the disciples had the nerve to tell him that he should stop doing it just because he was not a part of their group.

Mark 9:38  “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

When the disciples saw the man cast out a demon perhaps they were proud, maybe they said to themselves “I can do that” but at this point they are probably jealous because they were not able to do it.

We should join in with the man and make this our prayer: “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

application

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I need to have more faith, I hope that I am not being like the disciples and doing my “religious” work without the power of faith, I will fail just as quickly as they did.

prayer

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Lord, increase my faith!

Jesus Ministry Begins

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Mark 1

observation

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The time has come, John the Baptist has declared:

“Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming! Clear the road for him!” 

And Jesus announces:

“The time promised by God has come at last!”And he told them “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

The gospel that Mark wrote is very brief and fast paced, I believe that it gives you a sense of how fast everything was taking place, all of a sudden there is a frenzy of activity as people are amazed because of Jesus power and authority, people are coming from the whole region of Galilee.

Normally after dark, since there weren’t any street lights, there was probably very little going on but that’s not true tonight:

That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch.

The uproar was continuing late into the evening as everybody came to Jesus to see what he could do for them, nobody was concerned about who he is, everybody pushed Jesus into the servant status that he had come to earth to be:

Philippians 2:5-7 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave

application

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I must come to Jesus realizing that I should be asking “what can I do for you” instead of asking “how about doing this for me” And I should take on the same attitude and be willing to serve others.

prayer

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Thank you Lord for coming to be my Savior, for putting up with us when we are seeking to use you for gain, thank you for coming as a servant and giving us an example to follow. Help me to be a better servant.

Preparing For Jesus Arrival

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Luke 1

11 And he saw an angel of the Lord in his place on the right side of the altar. 12 And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear came on him.

13 But the angel said, Have no fear, Zacharias, for your prayer has come to the ears of God, and your wife Elisabeth will have a son, and his name will be John. 14 And you will be glad and have great delight; and numbers of people will have joy at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord; he will not take wine or strong drink; and he will be full of the Spirit of God from his birth. 16 And through him great numbers of the children of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, turning the hearts of fathers to their children, and wrongdoers to the way of righteousness; to make ready a people whose hearts have been turned to the Lord.

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin who was to be married to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary. 28 And the angel came in to her and said, Peace be with you, to whom special grace has been given; the Lord is with you. 29 But she was greatly troubled at his words, and said to herself, What may be the purpose of these words? 30 And the angel said to her, Have no fear, Mary, for you have God's approval. 31 And see, you will give birth to a son, and his name will be Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be named the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his father. 33 He will have rule over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

38 And Mary said: I am the servant of the Lord; may it be to me as you say.

observation

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Good news Zacharias, your wife is finally pregnant and better yet your son is going to have the power of Elijah and his ministry is going to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Even better news for Mary in that she will give birth to the Son of God.

The moment that the prophets had proclaimed for so long has finally arrived. Was Zacharias ready? Do you think that Mary was? Is any parent ever completely ready for a newborn? All of a sudden there are two very important babies on the way and both families have been caught off guard.

application

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Being ready is a requirement the next time that Jesus comes, there will be no excuses for not being prepared. Do not let him catch you off guard.

prayer

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Thank you Lord for coming to be our Savior, I wish that we would all be ready for your return.

We Love Because He First Loved Us

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Obedience to God proves our love for him

1 John 2:5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him

1 John 3:10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

1 John 5:2-3 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

Love for the world

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

God’s great love for us is what brought us into his family

1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

We should love each other

1 John 3:11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

1 John 3:23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

1 John 4:7-8 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:11-12 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:20-21 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Love is a verb

1 John 3:16-18 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

God showed us perfect love

1 John 4:9-10 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

A lifestyle of love will give you confidence on judgment day

1 John 4:16-17 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the Day of Judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

Love and fear do not mix

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

The only reason that we can love

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.


observation and application

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Everybody has a desire to be loved, someone that thinks that you are special. God loves you and he thinks enough of you that he wants you to be a part of his family and he paid a big price for you to become eligible to be one of his children.

There is only one way to prove that I love my heavenly father and that is to do what he asks me to do. If I think that he is asking too much then I need to remember what a privilege it is to be in his family, I need to remember that his only son did more for me than I could ever do for him. I must love him more than this world and anything that this world has to offer to me pales in comparison to what God has to offer for eternity.

God demonstrated his love to us through the greatest means possible as an example of how to love, he didn’t just say that he loves us but he actually proved it to us through his actions. Not many of us will have to die for someone to prove our love but we must love each other through good deeds we can’t just talk about it and never show any proof that we have love.

A lifestyle of love is what we are called to as Christ followers he gave us the perfect example and he calls us to follow after him and show love to everyone that we have contact with.

prayer

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Thank you Lord for adopting me into your family, I am glad that you loved me and made it possible to have a relationship with you. Help me to use your example to learn how to be more loving.

Protection That Cannot Fail

scripture

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Ephesians 6:10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

observation

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This is no ordinary battle

Do you realize how serious this battle is? The scout has returned with this information about our enemy.

The devil has a bunch of strategies that we have to be ready for and he has an army of players in this battle that are not human. That information should be enough to make us more serious about this war and it should keep us from wanting to go it alone.

This is no ordinary battle gear

But wait a minute, even though we have a fierce enemy Paul tells us that if we put on our gear then we cannot lose, “after the battle you will still be standing”, that is some awesome battle gear! The enemy is a very alarming one but we have the best protection that cannot lose the war.

This is no ordinary ally

Not only do we have unbeatable battle gear but we also have an awesome ally in this war.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

application

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We have to be vigilant against our enemy that wants to destroy us and make us ineffective, we must be ready at all times because we can only be guaranteed a win if we have our battle gear on.

prayer

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I thank you Lord that you are awesome and that you have provided for us so that we are not alone in this battle. I want to always be found with my battle gear on so that I can persevere to the end.

Submissive Lifestyle

scripture

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Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, submit to your husband’s as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body.

31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Ephesians 6:1,5 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

observation

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The standard operating procedure for the average person is to look out for number one. That’s how we operate in our relationships and that is why we get in trouble.
The Bible tells us that we are to do relationships the way Jesus did relationships. Jesus never demanded respect, he never demanded that he be treated fairly and he kept his purpose in mind and submitted to God’s will for his life.

People came to him every day with selfish motives, no doubt that many people that he healed didn’t believe he is the Messiah, and they just wanted their life to be easier. The Pharisees came to him to plot against him to protect their position politically and so that their power would be preserved.

He is run out of his home town, his friends deny they know him, all except the one that betrayed him and then he is tried in a court that has already decided his fate.

It is interesting that Paul tells us how to relate to each other and we are expected to do it. There isn’t any fine print or asterisks that give us a way out if the other person doesn’t perform up to our expectations. That’s how Jesus operated, no matter how he was taken advantage of or mistreated, he always displayed love for each and every person, and he showed his love all the way to the cross.

application

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I will show the same kind of love that Jesus displayed even when people were taking advantage of him or treating him unfairly.

prayer

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Give me the grace and patience to go against the flow and put others first no matter how poorly they may treat me.

Got A Light?

Matthew 5:14   “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Ephesians 4:17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

Ephesians 5:8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

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I remember waking up before the sun did and the power was out, no night light, not even a glow from the alarm clock. It is difficult to live in darkness as I soon found out as I played “hide and seek” with the flash lights that are scattered around the house. Okay there is a flashlight but now I need a fresh set of batteries.

We all used to be children of the dark, away from God, following your lust for pleasure you just lived for your own selfish desires, Ephesians chapters four and five give us a lot of examples of how the children of the dark live. But now, if you are a Christ follower, your life should show it just like a one hundred watt light bulb in complete darkness, there should be an obvious difference in our life style that just cannot be hidden from the rest of the world.

If you are in the light then you have a relationship with God and your good deeds should shine out for the entire world to see.

1 John 1:7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

If I am not giving off light then I should be concerned about my relationship with God. I should also be concerned if I am just a night light, or one of those flash lights that needed some fresh batteries, if I am too dim then I will not be able to share my light with those around me

Thank you Lord, for your light that has taken me out of the darkness. Help me to live so that my good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise my heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16).

How To Be A Godly Leader

scripture

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Ephesians 4:11 It was Jesus who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

observation

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If you were going to write a job description for our pastor there a hundred things that you may be tempted to put on his list of job duties and as a pastor you may lose your focus and you may adopt some of those things from the list that your church members have created.

Every pastor and teacher wants to please those that they serve but sometimes you may get so busy working on pleasing the people that you are leading that you may lose sight of the work that Christ gave you to do.

Here is what Paul said that your job is:
· the training of the saints for works of service
· the building up of the body of Christ

And you are supposed to do this work until we all:
· reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God
· become mature

If you follow this plan then the saints that you have under your care will be able to stand up against false teachers by speaking out in love.

Another benefit that the saints will experience is that we will grow to maturity in Christ which will cause the whole body to grow in love as we do our works of service that each of us were created for.

application

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It is a big job to be a leader of God’s flock and one that is to be taken very seriously since a day is coming when every pastor and teacher will have to answer for how well they took care of the sheep that they were given. I must take my role as a church leader with great caution.

As a part of the flock we have to be careful that we don’t bog our pastor down with a job description that God did not intend for him to have.

prayer

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Thank you Lord for my pastor, I pray that we will be good followers as he leads us on to maturity, help me to be a good leader in the ministries that I work in.