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.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)