Thanks to Kristi for the warm brownies and caramel swirl ice cream!
We began with ITim 1:15-17 "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." We discussed how there is a balance between seeing our standing as "the worst of sinners" and "treasured children" of God. This requires that we ponder His holiness in light of our sin and then His mercy toward us.
Then we went to Gal 1 and discussed how God set Paul (and us) apart. None of us can know exactly how He treasures us, nor all the plans that He has for us. We are by nature pre-occupied with ourselves, so the challenge is for us to saturate our minds with thoughts of God. God's affections and reactions toward us are measured by the gospel. Amazing!! The Old Testament imagery is beautiful where God describes how He has "engraved us on the palms of His hands" and how He wanted to "gather His children like a mother hen gathers her chicks."
We must remember to emphasize God and His work in our lives and not over-emphasize our sin, as if it's the most important thing. The whole purpose of our lives and marriages is God's glory. When we understand that our sin is first against God, not any human being, then we can truly come to Him for help and repentance. The "hidden gift" we receive as we come to understand this is HUMILITY. Paul was a student of his own heart. We would do well to pay attention to our hearts and track the cravings and desires so that we can come more effectively under God's control.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Summary of November 11 Care Group
We shared a wonderful meal together at the Versaces' home. All 14 of us fit around the new table! What a great way to break it in. You guys are great friends!! During dessert we actually discussed Chapter 1 of our book which is called "What Really Matters in Marriage." We talked about "street theology" which is how we work out what we believe as we live every moment with our spouses. Some of us admitted that we were shocked to find out that the main point of our marriages is the glory of God and not our own personal satisfaction. God is indeed the center of our marriages, our lives, our every action. What we believe about God determines the quality of our marriage. We discussed how helpful is it to have a working knowledge of the doctrine of sin. The 2 questions we want to ask ourselves in a times of relational conflict are: 1) What is it that I'm desiring right now and not getting? 2) How can God be most glorified right now in my responses? We are so thankful for the grace of God and His amazing ability to keep our marriages thriving and growing despite our weaknesses and failures to obey Him repeatedly. "Till sin be bitter, marriage will not be sweet."
Friday, October 22, 2010
Summary of October 21 Care Group
We enjoyed a smorgasbord of desserts to start off the evening! Then Tony read to us from Psalm 9:1-2 "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." We finished sharing our personal testimonies to events or seasons in our lives where we knew God cared for us and showed his lovingkindness. Here are some comments:
-All our sharing of these stories are like sermons that keep repeating in my soul and I benefit from them through the week.
-God has used His church as an amazing, constant source of provision, encouragement and comfort through all the "stuff" of life.
-He is an ever-present help in trouble - much bigger than we ever imagined.
-We sometimes have scars after a trial as a memorial of His goodness and faithfulness to us.
-It's OK to have a scar, Jesus has them.
-We can profoundly affect younger believers by our testimonies of trusting God's sovereignty.
-What we believe about God is the most important thing, being able to trust that He is still faithful no matter the situation.
-All our sharing of these stories are like sermons that keep repeating in my soul and I benefit from them through the week.
-God has used His church as an amazing, constant source of provision, encouragement and comfort through all the "stuff" of life.
-He is an ever-present help in trouble - much bigger than we ever imagined.
-We sometimes have scars after a trial as a memorial of His goodness and faithfulness to us.
-It's OK to have a scar, Jesus has them.
-We can profoundly affect younger believers by our testimonies of trusting God's sovereignty.
-What we believe about God is the most important thing, being able to trust that He is still faithful no matter the situation.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Summary of October 7 Care Group
Thanks to Sue for the pumpkin squares! We sang "How can I thank you, oh Lord, for taking my place on the cross? As long as I have breath I will praise you..." Then we began by relating how our children are doing. We realized that our well-being is integrally connected to what our children are going through. It is good for us as a group to be aware of how we can support each other an pray for all our children.
We continued to discuss events in our lives when we knew that God's hand was sustaining us and leading us, even if it was a long, difficult trial. These are the ideas that were presented:
-God is so kind, so wise and ready to help when we cry out for Him. He uses our friends to help us and encourage us.
-If we have God, nothing else matters. Like Spurgeon, we can say "I've given God everything else, He can have my reputation as well."
-Just how do we thank Him for His incredible love and mercy toward us??
-It's wonderful to lose our inflated sense of self-esteem and gain Christ!
We continued to discuss events in our lives when we knew that God's hand was sustaining us and leading us, even if it was a long, difficult trial. These are the ideas that were presented:
-God is so kind, so wise and ready to help when we cry out for Him. He uses our friends to help us and encourage us.
-If we have God, nothing else matters. Like Spurgeon, we can say "I've given God everything else, He can have my reputation as well."
-Just how do we thank Him for His incredible love and mercy toward us??
-It's wonderful to lose our inflated sense of self-esteem and gain Christ!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Summary of September 23 Care Group
Homework for next care group: READ CHAPTER ONE!!!
Thanks to Cheryl for the amazing Apple/Walnut Cake!
We sang the hymn "How Deep the Father's Love For Us." Tony read from II Cor 12:7-10 "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." He then asked us to recall either a specific incident or season in our marriages where we saw that God was with us, leading and guiding, and now we give thanks to Him for His faithfulness. Themes discussed were:
-Trials can be a testimony to God's faithfulness as we see His loving help and care.
-We sense the Everlasting Arms of our Father when we are in need.
-Through any and every season of marriage we must keep trusting God.
-We are thankful to see God's sovereignty in the situations where God alone could have helped so wonderfully and saved us!
-Even during a time when we aren't understanding God's plan we can continue to have faith and even be willing to suffer because we know He is with us and is in control.
-God is with us through dark nights of the soul and honors our committment to our spouses and to Him.
-The gospel sets things right in our marriages. It can keep us from getting way off-center, and can prevent us from putting even "godly" things in a wrong position in our marriages.
-After all these years we give thanks to God for how He has worked in both of us for His glory and our good.
We truly sensed that God was pleased with our discussion and ended with a quote from Job "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you." We all are so glad to have opportunities to share about and process how God is specifically helping us and keeping our marriages fresh and honoring to Him.
Thanks to Cheryl for the amazing Apple/Walnut Cake!
We sang the hymn "How Deep the Father's Love For Us." Tony read from II Cor 12:7-10 "So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." He then asked us to recall either a specific incident or season in our marriages where we saw that God was with us, leading and guiding, and now we give thanks to Him for His faithfulness. Themes discussed were:
-Trials can be a testimony to God's faithfulness as we see His loving help and care.
-We sense the Everlasting Arms of our Father when we are in need.
-Through any and every season of marriage we must keep trusting God.
-We are thankful to see God's sovereignty in the situations where God alone could have helped so wonderfully and saved us!
-Even during a time when we aren't understanding God's plan we can continue to have faith and even be willing to suffer because we know He is with us and is in control.
-God is with us through dark nights of the soul and honors our committment to our spouses and to Him.
-The gospel sets things right in our marriages. It can keep us from getting way off-center, and can prevent us from putting even "godly" things in a wrong position in our marriages.
-After all these years we give thanks to God for how He has worked in both of us for His glory and our good.
We truly sensed that God was pleased with our discussion and ended with a quote from Job "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you." We all are so glad to have opportunities to share about and process how God is specifically helping us and keeping our marriages fresh and honoring to Him.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Summary of September 7 Care Group
Thanks to Debbie for the most amazing marshmallow treats and a great bundt cake!
We are starting the book by Dave Harvey "When Sinners Say I Do." Tony asked us all what our hope was for this book journey. Here are some responses:
-to be more considerate and loving
-to be more skilled at tracking my sinful cravings and selfishness that triggers all sorts of problems in marriage and life in general
-to have help seeing the workings of my heart
-to see sin for what it is and then be able to receive and give grace more freely
-that God would reveal sin in my life and deal with it so that our marriage could be better
-I want to finish well and give glory to God.
-The potential of Christ being glorified in marriage is exciting. It takes time. It's a picture of Christ and the Church. There's a greater, grand purpose.
-to value God's grace "Till sin be bitter, Christ be not sweet."
-to keep my eyes fixed on Him as he leads, guides and causes growth
-to not think more highly of myself than I ought
-to grow in demonstrating the unconditional love of God
-God is more interested in changing us and making us more fruitful than we are, and it's all for His glory!
We are starting the book by Dave Harvey "When Sinners Say I Do." Tony asked us all what our hope was for this book journey. Here are some responses:
-to be more considerate and loving
-to be more skilled at tracking my sinful cravings and selfishness that triggers all sorts of problems in marriage and life in general
-to have help seeing the workings of my heart
-to see sin for what it is and then be able to receive and give grace more freely
-that God would reveal sin in my life and deal with it so that our marriage could be better
-I want to finish well and give glory to God.
-The potential of Christ being glorified in marriage is exciting. It takes time. It's a picture of Christ and the Church. There's a greater, grand purpose.
-to value God's grace "Till sin be bitter, Christ be not sweet."
-to keep my eyes fixed on Him as he leads, guides and causes growth
-to not think more highly of myself than I ought
-to grow in demonstrating the unconditional love of God
-God is more interested in changing us and making us more fruitful than we are, and it's all for His glory!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Summary of August 17 Care Group
After singing about the "unmeasured, vast and free" grace of God, Tony started us off with Ephesians 2 "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world...but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
The message we listened to for our discussion was from Acts 15 where some Judaizers sought to put a yoke of Jewish tradition on the necks of Gentile believers. We can do the same thing today as we put subtle expectations on other believers or ourselves that make God's acceptance of us conditional.
Anytime we add to Jesus' finished work it is like adding to the gospel message and it produces fear of man, guilt, condemnation. This doesn't glorify God at all. There is a connection between the work of God's grace and His glory. God is glorified by His OWN work of grace in us, not our work in addition to His finished work.
Yokes can be born out of a command in God's word that is meant for good, but was never meant to be added to the grace of God for our acceptance. God made us to enjoy Him and get to know Him more and more while we are here on earth. As we preach the gospel to ourselves it keeps us in awe of Him and thankful for the grace of God.
Past sins can be a yoke - an announcement that God's grace isn't enough. Condemnation can come in waves but the gospel shines the light of His glorious grace to bring us back to Him and His truth.
We cry to Him " Lord, teach me how to think! Teach me your ways!" so that our minds can be led by His thoughts and His word and not be captive to anything else of this earth.
God's amazing grace gives us opportunities to share His good news with others as He leads. When he prepares these opportunities for us we can see just how much He does the work of salvation, preparing hearts and minds to hear, and how much we are merely vessels that do His bidding.
Wade read to us from 2Peter 3 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity." The glory of His grace is clearly seen in the face of Jesus Christ. Peter never forgot his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration and he knew that God's glory was something that we would only fully understand when in heaven. But it inspired him to keep growing and learning about our wonderful Lord, thankful for the saving and keeping grace of God.
The message we listened to for our discussion was from Acts 15 where some Judaizers sought to put a yoke of Jewish tradition on the necks of Gentile believers. We can do the same thing today as we put subtle expectations on other believers or ourselves that make God's acceptance of us conditional.
Anytime we add to Jesus' finished work it is like adding to the gospel message and it produces fear of man, guilt, condemnation. This doesn't glorify God at all. There is a connection between the work of God's grace and His glory. God is glorified by His OWN work of grace in us, not our work in addition to His finished work.
Yokes can be born out of a command in God's word that is meant for good, but was never meant to be added to the grace of God for our acceptance. God made us to enjoy Him and get to know Him more and more while we are here on earth. As we preach the gospel to ourselves it keeps us in awe of Him and thankful for the grace of God.
Past sins can be a yoke - an announcement that God's grace isn't enough. Condemnation can come in waves but the gospel shines the light of His glorious grace to bring us back to Him and His truth.
We cry to Him " Lord, teach me how to think! Teach me your ways!" so that our minds can be led by His thoughts and His word and not be captive to anything else of this earth.
God's amazing grace gives us opportunities to share His good news with others as He leads. When he prepares these opportunities for us we can see just how much He does the work of salvation, preparing hearts and minds to hear, and how much we are merely vessels that do His bidding.
Wade read to us from 2Peter 3 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity." The glory of His grace is clearly seen in the face of Jesus Christ. Peter never forgot his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration and he knew that God's glory was something that we would only fully understand when in heaven. But it inspired him to keep growing and learning about our wonderful Lord, thankful for the saving and keeping grace of God.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Summary of August 3 Care Group
God showed up for us tonight. We had a spontaneous discussion and never even sang or got to one question that was on the agenda! Here were the themes:
-God loves our children more than we do.
-We can trust Him with every aspect of their lives.
-In the book of Ezra God used a Babylonian king to rebuild and restore the temple of God. How much more can we trust God to work in our lives and guide our children's lives!
-God has wisdom for us as parents for each and every situation.
Tony read Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
-God loves our children more than we do.
-We can trust Him with every aspect of their lives.
-In the book of Ezra God used a Babylonian king to rebuild and restore the temple of God. How much more can we trust God to work in our lives and guide our children's lives!
-God has wisdom for us as parents for each and every situation.
Tony read Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
July 24 Trip to Pittsburgh
We had a great trip to Pittsburgh. We met at the church at 8:00 a.m. and then drove to the Strip District first. There were a lot of people on the streets, vendors, musicians and singers. We stopped for coffee and a pastry at a nice Italian bakery. Then we did some shopping in some of the grocery stores, bakeries, coffee roasters and souvenir shops. At noon we left the Strip for the Waterfront. When we arrived we walked to Rock Bottom for a nice lunch. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed being together. We hope to do it again soon!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Summary of July 6 Care Group
Thanks to Cheryl for the amazing Cherry Pie!!
Homework for August: List to the June 6 message "The Spreading Flame: Which Yoke?"
We discussed the following ministries in the church that have most affected our Christian growth:
-Teaching - We are thankful for the time and effort our pastors put into their sermons, addressing important matters of life and heart issues, showing their love and care for us. The teaching is life-giving and refreshing.
-Personal Discipleship - There is a high priority on relationships, being hospitable and friendly, which provides a feast of godly instruction especially for new believers. These relationships also provide accountability, comfort, encouragement, and a foundation for how to live out a godly life.
-Transform and Youth Camp - Seeing God at work was amazing at YC this year. The atmosphere was so healthy and challenging. The teens and counselors were all encouraged and blessed by the whole experience. It was evident that "God showed up."
-New Members' Class - This step in becoming a member of the church was such a blessing to us. It is essential to have a forum to discuss doctrine, ask questions without fear, and be clear about what the main teachings of the Bible are.
-Exploring Christianity Class, Women's Discipleship Meetings, Care Groups - We are so thankful for all these ministries in the church. God's sovereignty is awesome as He works out His will in our lives using every situation and tool for His glory and our good. We are equally thankful to be a part of a church that seeks humility, being willing to change course when necessary.
Homework for August: List to the June 6 message "The Spreading Flame: Which Yoke?"
We discussed the following ministries in the church that have most affected our Christian growth:
-Teaching - We are thankful for the time and effort our pastors put into their sermons, addressing important matters of life and heart issues, showing their love and care for us. The teaching is life-giving and refreshing.
-Personal Discipleship - There is a high priority on relationships, being hospitable and friendly, which provides a feast of godly instruction especially for new believers. These relationships also provide accountability, comfort, encouragement, and a foundation for how to live out a godly life.
-Transform and Youth Camp - Seeing God at work was amazing at YC this year. The atmosphere was so healthy and challenging. The teens and counselors were all encouraged and blessed by the whole experience. It was evident that "God showed up."
-New Members' Class - This step in becoming a member of the church was such a blessing to us. It is essential to have a forum to discuss doctrine, ask questions without fear, and be clear about what the main teachings of the Bible are.
-Exploring Christianity Class, Women's Discipleship Meetings, Care Groups - We are so thankful for all these ministries in the church. God's sovereignty is awesome as He works out His will in our lives using every situation and tool for His glory and our good. We are equally thankful to be a part of a church that seeks humility, being willing to change course when necessary.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Summary of June 8 Care Group
Thanks to Sue Brown for the yummy Strawberry Shortcakes! We began with a question "What is a disciple?" Here are the comments:
-a convert who is observing what Jesus said, walking it out, working it out
-an apprentice, a follower, a life-long learner of Jesus
-one who has a passion for following, yearning to be like Him
-one who sees Jesus as lovely, beautiful, a treasure, and is excited to follow Him
Then we were challenged to make Jesus our #1 priority, to truly follow Him and not waste time pursuing other time-sucking activities instead of doing what is pleasing to Him. We prayed for God to move in our hearts and minds and help us to prioritize our lives properly. "Incline our hearts to your testimonies!" we prayed.
We finished by remembering and describing the ones who influenced us to become Christians or to be true disciples of Jesus. These are some people described:
-godly spouses
-godly older Christians who invited us into their homes and spoke the truth to us
-families who lived out the Christian life in a practical way in front of us
-godly friends who took time to invest in our lives
-Christian authors whose works have taught, explained, corrected us
-a convert who is observing what Jesus said, walking it out, working it out
-an apprentice, a follower, a life-long learner of Jesus
-one who has a passion for following, yearning to be like Him
-one who sees Jesus as lovely, beautiful, a treasure, and is excited to follow Him
Then we were challenged to make Jesus our #1 priority, to truly follow Him and not waste time pursuing other time-sucking activities instead of doing what is pleasing to Him. We prayed for God to move in our hearts and minds and help us to prioritize our lives properly. "Incline our hearts to your testimonies!" we prayed.
We finished by remembering and describing the ones who influenced us to become Christians or to be true disciples of Jesus. These are some people described:
-godly spouses
-godly older Christians who invited us into their homes and spoke the truth to us
-families who lived out the Christian life in a practical way in front of us
-godly friends who took time to invest in our lives
-Christian authors whose works have taught, explained, corrected us
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Summary of May 18 Care Group
After singing "Happy Birthday" to Cheryl (who brought the snack on her own birthday!!) we sang about how deep the Father's love for us is. Tony asked Cheryl to read Matthew 28:18-20 to begin: "And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." The third strand of our Mission Statement is to "Reach the World for Christ." We discussed this verse and the following themes:
-We are all challenged by this verse.
-The tendency is for us to be condemned that we are not "doing enough" to fulfill this command, but that wasn't Jesus' intention when he spoke it.
-There are many facets and roles in sharing the Gospel, including speaking the Word, helping new believers on their journey, teaching children, reaching out to neighbors and co-workers, taking an interest in others' lives, offering to pray for others, being available to help those in need...
-This verse describes a life-long process of being pleasing to the Lord.
-We must remember that the Word never comes back void when it is sent out, even through imperfect vessels.
-We can pray for God to open our hearts to see opportunities to share the Gospel. He can lead and guide us so easily into "Gospel-sharing" moments. (Mary prayed for us all to be led by God to people that He has been preparing to hear His Gospel.)
-God doesn't want us condemned by this verse nor puffed up by a successful sharing experience. We are part of the whole movement of the church as it is used to share the Gospel and glorify God.
-We are all challenged by this verse.
-The tendency is for us to be condemned that we are not "doing enough" to fulfill this command, but that wasn't Jesus' intention when he spoke it.
-There are many facets and roles in sharing the Gospel, including speaking the Word, helping new believers on their journey, teaching children, reaching out to neighbors and co-workers, taking an interest in others' lives, offering to pray for others, being available to help those in need...
-This verse describes a life-long process of being pleasing to the Lord.
-We must remember that the Word never comes back void when it is sent out, even through imperfect vessels.
-We can pray for God to open our hearts to see opportunities to share the Gospel. He can lead and guide us so easily into "Gospel-sharing" moments. (Mary prayed for us all to be led by God to people that He has been preparing to hear His Gospel.)
-God doesn't want us condemned by this verse nor puffed up by a successful sharing experience. We are part of the whole movement of the church as it is used to share the Gospel and glorify God.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Summary of May 4 Care Group
We discussed the second part of our church Mission Statement, "Love Others." Here are the themes discussed:
-John 13:34-35 "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."
-It's impossible in our own strength to love every other Christian the way God loves us.
-The sum total of our Christian life is wrapped up in this statement and we will be trying to please the Lord by loving others until we go home to be with Him.
-The Bible is full of "impossible" commands that we need His grace to fulfill.
-We depend on God for all the grace and direction to love others.
-We can't look at our shortcomings alone, we must look to Him and let His grace fill us.
-This command can highlight our limitations but we must remember that "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (I Cor 10:13)
-Practical examples of how we can love others are listed in I Cor. 13. There are times when we need to step out of our comfort zones and serve others.
-The Gospel must be the motivation of our desire to love others or else it can become a moral sacrifice on our part.
-He produces in us a truly God-glorifying, genuine desire for the good of others. If we can truly pray for others, then we know that we are not harboring ill-feelings.
-God looks at our hearts. He enables us by His grace to truly desire blessings for those who have sinned against us and to be able to pray for them.
-God's love is so multi-faceted. It is described in numerous ways throughout the New Testament.
-One of the most challenging verses in the N.T. is Phil 1:8 "How I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus." By God's grace Paul was able to have affection for ALL of them. We can desire God to work such godly affection in our hearts for God's people.
-We must remember that God loves every single person more than we do.
-People know that we are disciples of Jesus if we love one another. It is a powerful witness of His presence and work among us.
-This is a "new" commandment because Jesus raised the bar from the old covenant standards. He set the standard for the motivation of our hearts to be like Him and love as He has loved us. This is impossible without His work in our hearts by the cross.
-I Peter 3:8 "Have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind." Jesus changes our hearts and gives us His love so that we can please Him.
-John 13:34-35 "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."
-It's impossible in our own strength to love every other Christian the way God loves us.
-The sum total of our Christian life is wrapped up in this statement and we will be trying to please the Lord by loving others until we go home to be with Him.
-The Bible is full of "impossible" commands that we need His grace to fulfill.
-We depend on God for all the grace and direction to love others.
-We can't look at our shortcomings alone, we must look to Him and let His grace fill us.
-This command can highlight our limitations but we must remember that "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (I Cor 10:13)
-Practical examples of how we can love others are listed in I Cor. 13. There are times when we need to step out of our comfort zones and serve others.
-The Gospel must be the motivation of our desire to love others or else it can become a moral sacrifice on our part.
-He produces in us a truly God-glorifying, genuine desire for the good of others. If we can truly pray for others, then we know that we are not harboring ill-feelings.
-God looks at our hearts. He enables us by His grace to truly desire blessings for those who have sinned against us and to be able to pray for them.
-God's love is so multi-faceted. It is described in numerous ways throughout the New Testament.
-One of the most challenging verses in the N.T. is Phil 1:8 "How I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus." By God's grace Paul was able to have affection for ALL of them. We can desire God to work such godly affection in our hearts for God's people.
-We must remember that God loves every single person more than we do.
-People know that we are disciples of Jesus if we love one another. It is a powerful witness of His presence and work among us.
-This is a "new" commandment because Jesus raised the bar from the old covenant standards. He set the standard for the motivation of our hearts to be like Him and love as He has loved us. This is impossible without His work in our hearts by the cross.
-I Peter 3:8 "Have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind." Jesus changes our hearts and gives us His love so that we can please Him.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
April 5 Dinner
We came, we ate, we laughed, we talked. Do we know how to have a good time, or what?? What a great care group you all are!!! Thank you, Lord, for great friends who help us to walk with you!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Summary of March 23 Care Group
Thanks to Doug and Sue we enjoyed some great berry pie! And thanks to Susan and Gary, as always, for the great meeting place!
We began with the following scriptures:
IJohn 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."
Romans 5:1-5 "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
John 13:34-35 "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."
These verses show the foundation of how we are to fulfill Jesus' command to "love one another" as fruit of his work in our hearts. We also discussed how we see this work happening in our spouses because marriage is the fertile ground of the love of God. We should witness the love of God from our spouses toward others as well as those in the home.
We began with the following scriptures:
IJohn 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."
Romans 5:1-5 "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
John 13:34-35 "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."
These verses show the foundation of how we are to fulfill Jesus' command to "love one another" as fruit of his work in our hearts. We also discussed how we see this work happening in our spouses because marriage is the fertile ground of the love of God. We should witness the love of God from our spouses toward others as well as those in the home.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Summary of March 9 Care Group
Debbie made us delicious breadsticks and cookies, and Susan had all of our favorite beverages ready for us. Thanks to you both! We all enjoyed snacking and chatting together before we started our discussion. Tony read from John 13: 34-35 before we sang about His love: "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." Tony asked us to elaborate on how God loves us, giving specific adjectives and examples from our lives. Here's the list of what was discussed:
-unconditionally - We bring Him our inadequacies, our poverty, our lack and His gracious gifts inspire awe in us. Why did He choose us?
-deeply and sincerely - His attention is always there for us and is never distracted from us. How amazing and mind-boggling that is!
-sacrificially - He cares for every person enough to reach out with the Gospel and change lives.
-electing - He chose us from before the foundation of the world and knew us before we even imagined knowing Him.
-exposing - God exposes Himself and His truth to others, at the same time exposing their sins and uses us in His amazing way in His love.
-safe - He cares deeply and tenderly for us. We are in a safe place when we trust in His love and follow where He leads. There are no regrets when we walk with Him.
-unchanging - God reaches out to us in our wretched state and opens our eyes. He keeps us and moves us on His path, keeps loving us, changing us, providing for us and helps us!
- He is sympathetic and has a profound care for us even when we go our own way. Jesus prayed "Forgive them for they know not what they do."
-intimate - He knows the number of hairs on our heads, when we lie down and get up. It's awesome!
-lovingkindness - He loves us in spite of our faithlessness. His love is steadfast and with us always. Even after we sin as Christians who "know better" He remains faithful and keeps His loving eyes on us.
-God wants us to experience His love now, but the full realization won't be until we are in heaven. He has plans for our lives and is always willing to rescue us from trouble.
-protective - He has kept us from danger and death untold times. We can't even know how much he has protected us from our own destruction in His kindness.
-personal - He loves ME and gave Himself for ME. Sometimes it's easier to believe that He loves everyone, but we must receive the personal love of God.
We ended with Romans 5:5 "hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Next care group we will discuss point number 2 from our church's Mission Statement "Love Others." We need to understand and be able to elaborate on how God loves us before we can effectively love others. Jesus said "just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." He is our ultimate example!
-unconditionally - We bring Him our inadequacies, our poverty, our lack and His gracious gifts inspire awe in us. Why did He choose us?
-deeply and sincerely - His attention is always there for us and is never distracted from us. How amazing and mind-boggling that is!
-sacrificially - He cares for every person enough to reach out with the Gospel and change lives.
-electing - He chose us from before the foundation of the world and knew us before we even imagined knowing Him.
-exposing - God exposes Himself and His truth to others, at the same time exposing their sins and uses us in His amazing way in His love.
-safe - He cares deeply and tenderly for us. We are in a safe place when we trust in His love and follow where He leads. There are no regrets when we walk with Him.
-unchanging - God reaches out to us in our wretched state and opens our eyes. He keeps us and moves us on His path, keeps loving us, changing us, providing for us and helps us!
- He is sympathetic and has a profound care for us even when we go our own way. Jesus prayed "Forgive them for they know not what they do."
-intimate - He knows the number of hairs on our heads, when we lie down and get up. It's awesome!
-lovingkindness - He loves us in spite of our faithlessness. His love is steadfast and with us always. Even after we sin as Christians who "know better" He remains faithful and keeps His loving eyes on us.
-God wants us to experience His love now, but the full realization won't be until we are in heaven. He has plans for our lives and is always willing to rescue us from trouble.
-protective - He has kept us from danger and death untold times. We can't even know how much he has protected us from our own destruction in His kindness.
-personal - He loves ME and gave Himself for ME. Sometimes it's easier to believe that He loves everyone, but we must receive the personal love of God.
We ended with Romans 5:5 "hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Next care group we will discuss point number 2 from our church's Mission Statement "Love Others." We need to understand and be able to elaborate on how God loves us before we can effectively love others. Jesus said "just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." He is our ultimate example!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Summary of February 23 Care Group
After some tasty cherry and pumpkin pie, we sang about how we "want to sing of His love." Tony started us off with Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Here are the questions that we considered in response to a recent Sunday morning message from early January:
1. Do you have a clear mission for your life? If so, what is it?
2. Our church's mission statement starts with "Love God." How do you implement that into your daily life?
3. Are there current obstacles in your way that are affecting your love for God?
We discussed various themes as we elaborated on what God is doing in our lives and how we seek to love Him practically. Those themes were:
-being thankful for friends that pray for us
-being thankful for His word and seeking to make spending time with Him a priority
-knowing that our love for God is weak, and yet striving to love Him more and more
-wanting to please Him with our everyday activities and reactions
-remembering that God is pleased with the fact that we love Him
-wanting to give Him glory as we seek to honor the gospel with our lives
Mark read from Psalm 43 "Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! For you are the God in whom I take refuge...Send our your light and truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Than I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God."
1. Do you have a clear mission for your life? If so, what is it?
2. Our church's mission statement starts with "Love God." How do you implement that into your daily life?
3. Are there current obstacles in your way that are affecting your love for God?
We discussed various themes as we elaborated on what God is doing in our lives and how we seek to love Him practically. Those themes were:
-being thankful for friends that pray for us
-being thankful for His word and seeking to make spending time with Him a priority
-knowing that our love for God is weak, and yet striving to love Him more and more
-wanting to please Him with our everyday activities and reactions
-remembering that God is pleased with the fact that we love Him
-wanting to give Him glory as we seek to honor the gospel with our lives
Mark read from Psalm 43 "Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! For you are the God in whom I take refuge...Send our your light and truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Than I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God."
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Summary of January 19 Care Group
Tonight we welcomed Mark and Kristi to our group! Everyone was in attendance. After singing about how deep is the love of God for us, Tony started us off by reading from Ps 86:5-6 "For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace."
Tony then asked us how the CD series we just finished by Paul Tripp has affected our walks with God. Here are the themes that were discussed:
-Having worked through the messages with everyone from the care group has amplified the benefit in our lives because we had the chance to work out practical applications for our everyday lives.
-We feel more connected to the body.
-This is a safe place to know my heart is guarded by accountability to others.
-private vs. public persona: -It's good to know that we don't have to pretend we are flawless in front of others.
-It's important to respond to others with the soft brush of God's grace.
-God's agenda is evident as we come together.
-God never intended for us to be alone in our walk with Him. His perfect plan includes us caring for and loving one another.
Then we spent the remainder of the time identifying gifts in some of our members. Here are some of the evidences of grace we see by God's activity in each other: mercy, caring, faithfulness, serving, friendship, love, sacrifice, wisdom, humility, approachability, steadfastness, committment. Isn't God amazing?? He takes people like us and works His beautiful fruit into our lives so that others can see!!
Eric ended with Ps 16: 1-2 "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.'"
Tony then asked us how the CD series we just finished by Paul Tripp has affected our walks with God. Here are the themes that were discussed:
-Having worked through the messages with everyone from the care group has amplified the benefit in our lives because we had the chance to work out practical applications for our everyday lives.
-We feel more connected to the body.
-This is a safe place to know my heart is guarded by accountability to others.
-private vs. public persona: -It's good to know that we don't have to pretend we are flawless in front of others.
-It's important to respond to others with the soft brush of God's grace.
-God's agenda is evident as we come together.
-God never intended for us to be alone in our walk with Him. His perfect plan includes us caring for and loving one another.
Then we spent the remainder of the time identifying gifts in some of our members. Here are some of the evidences of grace we see by God's activity in each other: mercy, caring, faithfulness, serving, friendship, love, sacrifice, wisdom, humility, approachability, steadfastness, committment. Isn't God amazing?? He takes people like us and works His beautiful fruit into our lives so that others can see!!
Eric ended with Ps 16: 1-2 "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.'"
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