We read the following scriptures:
I Cor 2:10-14
Eph 1:13
Heb 4:12
Rom 12:2
John 5:39
Here's what we discussed:
-God works His will in us by His Spirit through our interactions with others and as we read His word. He makes it come alive.
-Ps 138:8 - He works His purpose into our lives. His Spirit gets us ready for what He wants us to do.
-His Spirit with us is real, energizing and powerful.
-The Holy Spirit helps us to imagine actually being there with the disciples during the time when Jesus was on earth!
-When we read we can know God fills us and gives us what we need. He leads us and guides us.
-We need Him more and more as we grow in God.
-Ps 145:20 - The Lord preserves those who love Him!
Monday, October 13, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
September 23
We read the following scriptures together:
2 Tim 3:16-4:6
Ps 19:7-11
Ps 119: 105, 9-11
I Pet 1:22-25
Matt 4:4
Jn 8:31-32
Here's what we discussed:
-God's word is all we need to know Him, worship Him, and walk with Him.
-The Bible is necessary to know God, be saved, and walk with God.
-We can easily miss the mark on God's character, salvation, etc. if we don't stay grounded in the Bible.
-It would be horrific if we all just depended on our own personal revelation of God. We would have no idea what God is really like.
-Prov 29:25 - It is better to trust in the Lord than to fear man.
-Prov 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart...
-Phil 4:4-8 - Rejoice in the Lord always...do not be anxious for anything...pray and fix your minds on what is true. We can trust Him through all of life's seasons.
-God tells us that His grace is sufficient for us.
-Hebrews says that He will never leave us nor forsake us. That's true no matter what we feel like.
-When we can't see answers we need to trust God's leading and sovereignty.
-As we mature in God we need Him more and more, not less.
-Without His word we would be groping and stumbling around in the dark.
2 Tim 3:16-4:6
Ps 19:7-11
Ps 119: 105, 9-11
I Pet 1:22-25
Matt 4:4
Jn 8:31-32
Here's what we discussed:
-God's word is all we need to know Him, worship Him, and walk with Him.
-The Bible is necessary to know God, be saved, and walk with God.
-We can easily miss the mark on God's character, salvation, etc. if we don't stay grounded in the Bible.
-It would be horrific if we all just depended on our own personal revelation of God. We would have no idea what God is really like.
-Prov 29:25 - It is better to trust in the Lord than to fear man.
-Prov 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart...
-Phil 4:4-8 - Rejoice in the Lord always...do not be anxious for anything...pray and fix your minds on what is true. We can trust Him through all of life's seasons.
-God tells us that His grace is sufficient for us.
-Hebrews says that He will never leave us nor forsake us. That's true no matter what we feel like.
-When we can't see answers we need to trust God's leading and sovereignty.
-As we mature in God we need Him more and more, not less.
-Without His word we would be groping and stumbling around in the dark.
Friday, September 12, 2014
September 9 Care Group
We discussed the Sunday morning message called
"God Has Spoken - Breathed Out By God."
Key Verses: 2 Tim 3:16-17, Psalm 138:2, 2Peter 1:20-21
-We talked about what this means in our everyday lives. It means that His word is our authority and gives us the guidelines to live our lives.
-His word is the engine, our feelings are the caboose.
-The common cultural saying "Follow your heart" and "Do what feels right" are horrible ways of making decisions and living life.
-Our measuring line is the word of God, nothing else.
-Scriptures inspire us to obey God, be encouraged, and give Him glory.
-We can always check what we are taught with the word of God, that's a safeguard for us.
"God Has Spoken - Breathed Out By God."
Key Verses: 2 Tim 3:16-17, Psalm 138:2, 2Peter 1:20-21
-We talked about what this means in our everyday lives. It means that His word is our authority and gives us the guidelines to live our lives.
-His word is the engine, our feelings are the caboose.
-The common cultural saying "Follow your heart" and "Do what feels right" are horrible ways of making decisions and living life.
-Our measuring line is the word of God, nothing else.
-Scriptures inspire us to obey God, be encouraged, and give Him glory.
-We can always check what we are taught with the word of God, that's a safeguard for us.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
June 3 Care Group
We discussed the Sunday sermons from Romans 6: 6, 14 - We have been crucified with Christ...sin will have no dominion over you.
-When we are tempted it's time to cry out to God for the grace to resist. It's frustrating to find ourselves in a battle, but that doesn't mean we are enslaved. It means that we have to make a choice!
-The fact that we even think to cry out to God is evidence of His life working in us and proof that we can present ourselves to God.
-It's a humble act of obedience to pick our cross and consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God.
-We must know who we are in God, consider what He's done for us, choose His way and keep presenting ourselves to God!
-When we are tempted it's time to cry out to God for the grace to resist. It's frustrating to find ourselves in a battle, but that doesn't mean we are enslaved. It means that we have to make a choice!
-The fact that we even think to cry out to God is evidence of His life working in us and proof that we can present ourselves to God.
-It's a humble act of obedience to pick our cross and consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God.
-We must know who we are in God, consider what He's done for us, choose His way and keep presenting ourselves to God!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
May 20 Ladies' Worship and Sharing Night
Well, we sang and we shared!! It was great - we'll do it again sometime!!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
May 6 Care Group
Our text for the evening was Romans 5: 9-11. Here are the ideas we discussed:
-Heb 7:25
-His ongoing life guarantees our salvation, we are on our way to heaven, recipients of his grace, saved from the wrath of God!
-Now we always have light and hope even in extreme trials. In hell there will be NO hope, NO mercy.
-We are hidden with Christ in God - Col 3:3 Lord, Hide me under the shadow of your wings.
-We are reconciled to God by His death. Because of His death we will glorify God as He lives in us. It is a process - that life working in us and saving us from temptations, trouble, sin...
-We rejoice = delight, enjoy, more than anything else
-Jesus, in his glory, is caring about the details of our lives and paying attention to us, answering our prayers.
-We can get side-tracked and think we have to take care of ourselves. We must remember to keep looking to Him and asking for grace and help.
-Sometimes a lack of joy can stop us from enjoying his salvation and from giving joy back to God.
-We are sorrowful yet always rejoicing!
-Our real identity is who God made us to be. Our prayer is "Lord, bring out your nature in me."
-We look forward to being with Him and that wonderful day when we will see Him and be changed into His likeness.
-Heb 7:25
-His ongoing life guarantees our salvation, we are on our way to heaven, recipients of his grace, saved from the wrath of God!
-Now we always have light and hope even in extreme trials. In hell there will be NO hope, NO mercy.
-We are hidden with Christ in God - Col 3:3 Lord, Hide me under the shadow of your wings.
-We are reconciled to God by His death. Because of His death we will glorify God as He lives in us. It is a process - that life working in us and saving us from temptations, trouble, sin...
-We rejoice = delight, enjoy, more than anything else
-Jesus, in his glory, is caring about the details of our lives and paying attention to us, answering our prayers.
-We can get side-tracked and think we have to take care of ourselves. We must remember to keep looking to Him and asking for grace and help.
-Sometimes a lack of joy can stop us from enjoying his salvation and from giving joy back to God.
-We are sorrowful yet always rejoicing!
-Our real identity is who God made us to be. Our prayer is "Lord, bring out your nature in me."
-We look forward to being with Him and that wonderful day when we will see Him and be changed into His likeness.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
April 8 Care Group
We spent the evening discussing possible ways to serve all the new people who are coming to our church. We prayed for everyone who is making decisions about how to structure care groups and make new ways for people to build relationships and meet new people.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
March 18 Care Group
Mark began by asking us if we had a strong grasp on "Righteousness through faith in Jesus." Here are the comments:
-It's amazing that God counts Jesus' righteousness as toward me!
-He sees me as perfectly righteous now.
-It's refreshing to keep hearing the truth of the Gospel from the pulpit.
-The environment of our church is "rich in truth" and this helps chip away at our tendency to look at ourselves and be introspective in an unhealthy way instead of looking to Jesus.
-Our righteousness is in heaven - Jesus Christ himself!
-The lack of legalism in our church is restorative.
-I feel completely free to serve God without fear or guilt.
-Religious rituals can lead to deadness and dryness of spirit. God wants us to experience His righteousness through faith.
-I Cor 6:9-11 "...and such were some of you." We have been moved from darkness to light. Now our fundamental identity is that we are righteous in Christ!
-What hope this brings to our lives. All we encounter in this fallen world beats us down. He equips us with His outlook, like glasses to see through.
-Knowing the truth of His righteousness given as a gift through faith in Jesus lifts the burden of having to perform to please God.
-Thank you, Lord!
-It's amazing that God counts Jesus' righteousness as toward me!
-He sees me as perfectly righteous now.
-It's refreshing to keep hearing the truth of the Gospel from the pulpit.
-The environment of our church is "rich in truth" and this helps chip away at our tendency to look at ourselves and be introspective in an unhealthy way instead of looking to Jesus.
-Our righteousness is in heaven - Jesus Christ himself!
-The lack of legalism in our church is restorative.
-I feel completely free to serve God without fear or guilt.
-Religious rituals can lead to deadness and dryness of spirit. God wants us to experience His righteousness through faith.
-I Cor 6:9-11 "...and such were some of you." We have been moved from darkness to light. Now our fundamental identity is that we are righteous in Christ!
-What hope this brings to our lives. All we encounter in this fallen world beats us down. He equips us with His outlook, like glasses to see through.
-Knowing the truth of His righteousness given as a gift through faith in Jesus lifts the burden of having to perform to please God.
-Thank you, Lord!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
March 4 Care Group
We had a good discussion about this past Sunday's sermon from Romans 1 & 2. Mark asked us when, in our christian journeys, we became aware of God's wrath.
Some of us lived in guilt, some had a sense of God's displeasure or wrath, some were aware of being alone or searching for meaning in life. God worked in us in many different ways, in our hearts and minds, to move us toward Him and the knowledge of the truth.
In many different ways God made us aware of His displeasure with us, our sin, and our need for Him and His salvation.
The next question he asked was about how we are tempted to look down on others who may be caught in sin.
We agreed that we humans are hard-wired to judge others. How sad! Even though we are so imperfect and have received so much forgiveness and mercy, we still tend to look down on others who don't "have our knowledge or understand the bible like we do."
It's by His work and grace that we can be turned away from this kind of arrogance in thinking and living!
God reveals His flawless, perfect righteousness to us with no pride. He is truly awesome!
We go through seasons of getting a little bit of knowledge in an area and then can feel superior to others.
We need to remember that all we have is a gift! There's no room for arrogance or pride in a christian's life.
Some of us lived in guilt, some had a sense of God's displeasure or wrath, some were aware of being alone or searching for meaning in life. God worked in us in many different ways, in our hearts and minds, to move us toward Him and the knowledge of the truth.
In many different ways God made us aware of His displeasure with us, our sin, and our need for Him and His salvation.
The next question he asked was about how we are tempted to look down on others who may be caught in sin.
We agreed that we humans are hard-wired to judge others. How sad! Even though we are so imperfect and have received so much forgiveness and mercy, we still tend to look down on others who don't "have our knowledge or understand the bible like we do."
It's by His work and grace that we can be turned away from this kind of arrogance in thinking and living!
God reveals His flawless, perfect righteousness to us with no pride. He is truly awesome!
We go through seasons of getting a little bit of knowledge in an area and then can feel superior to others.
We need to remember that all we have is a gift! There's no room for arrogance or pride in a christian's life.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
February 4 Care Group
We had such a sweet time together! First we sang about trusting in God and about how there is no one like our God. Then we prayed fervently for our dear friends, Mark and Kristi, and their family. We discussed Sunday's message about being captivated by and confident in the gospel:
-We are captivated by Jesus and who He is. That's the gospel, the good news about who Jesus is, and all that He's done for us.
-He is all-consuming. When we belong to Him He has ALL of us, he's taken over our lives completely.
-Even when we're aware of our sins and shortcomings, we know we are still loved by God and by those who love God. It's humbling!
-When a penitent person is blatantly honest and transparent it makes us captivated by the gospel.
-The concept of condemnation is not relevant any longer for those who belong to Christ. I am now quicker to go to Him, confess, be cleansed, confident of His work in us - captivated by His power.
-Knowing His sacrifice in a very real and personal way brings us to tears.
-God holds us captive by His amazing love and power. He has led us to obedience and worship and brings us to confidence in Him.
-We appreciate the faith He's given us and it gives us more confidence as we move forward in life.
-We were held slaves to this world but Jesus broke our chains and freed us to serve Him and be His slaves. He's holding on to us - we are captives of His, and we love it!!
-Evangelizing is simply being honest about the truth of God with us and in us and working through the trials and paths of life, speaking to all whom God brings our way.
-It's also how we live our lives - people notice us and know who has hope, peace, love and joy in this life.
-We can actually shock ourselves with the faith and grace He pours on us when we need it.
-We sense His presence so very much when we go through hard times. We KNOW He's there for us, giving us confidence in His help.
-We are captivated by Jesus and who He is. That's the gospel, the good news about who Jesus is, and all that He's done for us.
-He is all-consuming. When we belong to Him He has ALL of us, he's taken over our lives completely.
-Even when we're aware of our sins and shortcomings, we know we are still loved by God and by those who love God. It's humbling!
-When a penitent person is blatantly honest and transparent it makes us captivated by the gospel.
-The concept of condemnation is not relevant any longer for those who belong to Christ. I am now quicker to go to Him, confess, be cleansed, confident of His work in us - captivated by His power.
-Knowing His sacrifice in a very real and personal way brings us to tears.
-God holds us captive by His amazing love and power. He has led us to obedience and worship and brings us to confidence in Him.
-We appreciate the faith He's given us and it gives us more confidence as we move forward in life.
-We were held slaves to this world but Jesus broke our chains and freed us to serve Him and be His slaves. He's holding on to us - we are captives of His, and we love it!!
-Evangelizing is simply being honest about the truth of God with us and in us and working through the trials and paths of life, speaking to all whom God brings our way.
-It's also how we live our lives - people notice us and know who has hope, peace, love and joy in this life.
-We can actually shock ourselves with the faith and grace He pours on us when we need it.
-We sense His presence so very much when we go through hard times. We KNOW He's there for us, giving us confidence in His help.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
January 21 Care Group
We discussed Sunday's message about being pure in heart. Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
-What is the heart? thoughts, desires, emotions, inner workings
-Gen 6:5 paints a dismal picture of men's hearts. It is only God's grace that can pull us out of that state.
-God created us to give Him glory. As we walk with Him He shows us the real "junk" that's inside our hearts that we may not be aware of - but it's not hopeless, it just makes us need Him and love Him more.
-God sees everything about us and patiently loves us anyway.
-Ezek 36 says that now we have been given a new heart! He motivates us to do His will and His pleasure.
-The fact that we care about our motives is a sign that God is at work in our hearts.
-Matt 5:27 - Do we open the gate and entertain the sinful thoughts and temptations that come our way? We should instead cry out immediately for help.
-Praying for those who have sinned against us is a real key to staying in forgiveness and not letting bitterness creep in.
-This is part of our good fight of faith.
-Some of us have daily battles to get through the constant challenges that life brings our way. We need to go to His word, call out for strength and wisdom all the time.
-Ps 119:9-11 - How do we keep our way pure? By keeping His word in our hearts!
-This world is wearisome, yet God builds us up. We know that His grace and His word are more than sufficient.
-What is the heart? thoughts, desires, emotions, inner workings
-Gen 6:5 paints a dismal picture of men's hearts. It is only God's grace that can pull us out of that state.
-God created us to give Him glory. As we walk with Him He shows us the real "junk" that's inside our hearts that we may not be aware of - but it's not hopeless, it just makes us need Him and love Him more.
-God sees everything about us and patiently loves us anyway.
-Ezek 36 says that now we have been given a new heart! He motivates us to do His will and His pleasure.
-The fact that we care about our motives is a sign that God is at work in our hearts.
-Matt 5:27 - Do we open the gate and entertain the sinful thoughts and temptations that come our way? We should instead cry out immediately for help.
-Praying for those who have sinned against us is a real key to staying in forgiveness and not letting bitterness creep in.
-This is part of our good fight of faith.
-Some of us have daily battles to get through the constant challenges that life brings our way. We need to go to His word, call out for strength and wisdom all the time.
-Ps 119:9-11 - How do we keep our way pure? By keeping His word in our hearts!
-This world is wearisome, yet God builds us up. We know that His grace and His word are more than sufficient.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
January 7 Care Group
We discussed the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. Here is a summary:
-Being "poor in spirit" means that we trust God and do not feel pressured to make sure our lives go "our way."
-It also reminds us of our tremendous need of God and His power and presence in our lives.
-It's not ok to be self-dependent. God is making us more and more humble. We need Him more and more as we grow in Him.
-It pushes us to pray and seek God for all life situations, knowing our need.
-Success is not the issue it was when we were younger. We want to finish well, not just chase after some worldly level of achievement.
-It makes us realize how valuable God's truth is and how many lies are fed to us by the world.
-The Beatitudes are filled with ways that we can grow, character we can achieve by God's grace. They are relevant to our lives today.
-They are opposite of the world's values.
-This world tells our kids "You can be anything you want if you put your mind to it." It's a lie! What we really want is children who walk with God and love Jesus more than anything, putting His values and kingdom first in their lives.
-There is no room for arrogance, self-centeredness, and conceit in our lives.
-"Mourning" refers to times of suffering and we know that those times can leave scars on our souls. Those scars remind us of bad times as they push us to God over and over to receive His comfort and a sense of His presence.
-"His grace is sufficient" takes on very real significance for those who mourn either their sin or a trial.
-We praise Him during times of blessing as well as times of suffering.
-Being "poor in spirit" means that we trust God and do not feel pressured to make sure our lives go "our way."
-It also reminds us of our tremendous need of God and His power and presence in our lives.
-It's not ok to be self-dependent. God is making us more and more humble. We need Him more and more as we grow in Him.
-It pushes us to pray and seek God for all life situations, knowing our need.
-Success is not the issue it was when we were younger. We want to finish well, not just chase after some worldly level of achievement.
-It makes us realize how valuable God's truth is and how many lies are fed to us by the world.
-The Beatitudes are filled with ways that we can grow, character we can achieve by God's grace. They are relevant to our lives today.
-They are opposite of the world's values.
-This world tells our kids "You can be anything you want if you put your mind to it." It's a lie! What we really want is children who walk with God and love Jesus more than anything, putting His values and kingdom first in their lives.
-There is no room for arrogance, self-centeredness, and conceit in our lives.
-"Mourning" refers to times of suffering and we know that those times can leave scars on our souls. Those scars remind us of bad times as they push us to God over and over to receive His comfort and a sense of His presence.
-"His grace is sufficient" takes on very real significance for those who mourn either their sin or a trial.
-We praise Him during times of blessing as well as times of suffering.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)