Last week I sent an email to church members about helping Amaris get the £5000 deposit for the theology course in London. It was a big ask, but clearly not too big for God – raising £5000 in 10 days was “easy” and God provided!
Now, the next hurdle, is even bigger but we are confident that if God wants this, He will move His people to step out in faith.
Here are the details. Please pray about helping Ama
Http://www.gofundme.com/HelpAmaris
For you to discuss and engage in the spiritual life of your children here is what we looked at this week at Calvary Family Ministry.
The Church was divided (1 Corinthians 1)
Paul told believers in the Corinthian church to come together because of the gospel of Jesus. He reminded them that Jesus saves sinners. Because of Jesus and what He has done, believers can humbly come together as one body.
Paul helped start the church in Corinth, a city in southern Greece, during his second missionary journey. Corinth was known for its wickedness. If any city needed a church, this was it. Paul remained in Corinth for about 18 months and then continued traveling to share the gospel and plant more churches.
Six years later, Paul received word from Chloe, a believer in Corinth, that the church there was struggling. The church was fractured and openly engaging in various sins. Some believers were even denying the resurrection! This news surely troubled Paul, so he sat down to write a letter to the church.
One of the first issues Paul addressed was the church’s division. Even if he could help resolve the other issues, a divided church would never be healthy and impact the city the way it needed to. According to Chloe’s report, several factions had formed in the church. Some claimed to follow Paul. Others Apollos. Others Peter. And some even claimed to follow Jesus, which wasn’t as good as it sounded. This group was most likely simply trying to sound more spiritual than the others.
Paul told the Corinthian believers that they should not be divided; they should all be one because of their shared faith in Jesus. Jesus isn’t divided, and He alone died on the cross for them. Paul’s message was clear: the gospel does not divide believers, it unites them.
We all—kids included—are experts in finding ways to divide ourselves. Sin and selfishness divide, but Jesus and the gospel unite. God designed the church to show what true unity among a beautifully diverse people looks like.
Q: Why does God want us to obey Him?
A: Obedience is our response to God’s love for us.
Discuss: Paul wrote that Christians are joined together by faith in Jesus.
Galatians 2:20
The Church showed favouritism (James 2)
We are coming to the end of our teaching series on sanctification. One of the topics that we have thought about is the Sabbath and rest. I was intrigued to read this week a short article from Logos Bible that was reviewing a book called Soul Rest by Curtis Zackery. Here’s the article:
In the midst of a cacophony of noise, finding true soul rest is nearly impossible. With so many responsibilities and distractions vying for our attention, too many of us have built unhealthy cycles of rest. As a result, we burn ourselves out, striving and straining against God’s intent for our lives. In Soul Rest, Curtis Zackery reveals how our misaligned view of rest has its roots in an identity that is out of rhythm with God.
In this excerpt, Zackery examines the source of this real, true rest and hints at the possibility of a sustainable life with Jesus:
There are certainly enough things in this life that cause us to long for a bit of respite. Whether it’s our kids’ busy schedules, long hours at work, or the “always on” nature of our lives on social media, our culture is certainly not one that is restful by default. On top of all the regular day-to-day stresses, we also experience things like an emotional strain connected to financial issues, sickness in our families, or even deep fatigue from the turbulent state of our world. So much of our life requires that we keep pushing, striving, and moving forward in order to advance and never affords us the opportunity to consider the state of our soul.
What if there was hope that we could find real, true rest? What if we realized that our desire for rest goes back way further than we could imagine? What if God actually designed humanity to live and thrive from a restful place?
Spiritual fatigue is real as well, and, sadly, becoming more and more prevalent. Ministry burnout is increasingly common. With the enormous and unrealistic expectations that ministers and followers of Jesus are living under and placing on themselves in our culture, it only makes it seem like a matter of time before the other shoe drops and they give up. I often encounter people from all walks of life who identify themselves as followers of Jesus who say that they don’t know if they can “do it” anymore. The “it,” for many, is the ability to keep up with what is believed to be the successful Christian life. Usually, these thoughts are followed up with the confession that they are flat-out tired. What this can manifest is a growing sense of disillusionment with God and the church.
One of the most fundamental things that we can discover in our pursuance of God throughout the Scriptures is His desire for humanity to understand Sabbath and experience rest. Throughout the Old and New Testament, there is a thread that connects God’s intention for us to pay attention to the significance of true soul rest in our lives.
The thought that this type of soul rest could be possible feels so distant from us. The truth is, we have the words of Jesus to remind us that not only is it possible but it is what He desires for us. In Matthew 11:28–30, Jesus speaks directly to the individual that is in the exact scenario that we are discussing: “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.” There are great implications to the statement that Jesus makes here. For the moment, we rejoice in two main ideas: The possibility of real soul rest is available, and Jesus is the source of it.
Right now our current teaching series is highly practical and I thought that sharing this audio sermon from Reality Church LA would be helpful as we continue to think about worship, idols and money.
Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Jeremy Treat says this: “When we worship God, we are declaring how much he is worth, and how we will offer our lives and sacrifice everything for him. But you’re also doing the same thing every time you slide your debit card. You’re declaring how much something is worth to you, and how much you will sacrifice for it.” t
Here’s the rest
On Sunday 27th May I was delivering a sermon that called for us to serve each other as a way to dethrone the god of pride. I suggested that each of us carry out an experiment:
I’m sure you’ve been great at taking up that challenge this week. Indeed, Lorrie and I were recipients of this service – thank you (whoever you are). It’s not too late .. get serving and see pride dethroned!
For you to discuss and engage in the spiritual life of your children here is what we looked at this week at Calvary Family Ministry.
Paul confronted Peter (Galatians 2)
Peter was wrong to separate himself from the Gentiles. The gospel is for everyone, and we should show love to everyone. Paul reminded Peter that only Jesus can save people from sin. God accepts people who have faith in Jesus, not people who try to earn salvation on their own.
Peter, one of Jesus’ original disciples, had grown up in a culture where the Jews believed that God only cared about them, not the Gentiles. Because of this, most of the Jews looked down on the Gentiles and refused to even associate with them. Jews believed Gentiles were unclean; Gentiles didn’t live the right way to please God. Any Jew who did associate with Gentiles did so at the risk of being ridiculed by his own people.
After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, God shared with Peter that He loved not only the Jews, but the Gentiles as well. (Acts 10:9-16) Peter took to heart this message from God and began associating with Gentiles, even eating with Gentile believers—that is, until some Jewish believers came around. When he was among Jews, Peter did not eat with the Gentiles and even told them they were supposed to follow certain Jewish laws. But he knew that was not true! Peter also led Barnabas, known for encouraging believers and bringing them together, into acting the same way.
When the apostle Paul learned about this, he confronted Peter in person. Paul reminded Peter that they both knew that God accepts people not based on how they live but by faith. (Rom. 3:21-22) Peter’s actions contradicted that core gospel message.
Paul shared this story with the believers in Galatia (a major province of Rome in modern Turkey) to remind them, and us, of the same truth. Salvation is not based on ethnicity or external obedience to the law. Salvation comes from faith in Jesus Christ, a faith that is freely available to people of every tongue, tribe, and nation.
Salvation is found in Jesus. Because God loves all people, we—in Jesus—can love all people too.
Q: Why does God want us to obey Him?
A: Obedience is our response to God’s love for us.
Discuss: Paul wrote that we are saved through faith in Jesus alone.
Galatians 2:20
The Church was divided (1 Corinthians 1)
“When we have said all that we can, the secret Mysteries of a new Nature, and Divine Life can never be sufficiently expressed; language and words cannot reach them: nor can they be truly understood but by those Souls that are enkindled within, and awakened unto the sense and relish of Spiritual things, There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth this understanding. The power and life of Religion may be better expressed in actions than in words, because actions are more lively things, and do better represent the inward principle whence they proceed, and therefore we may take the best measure of those gracious endowments, from the deportment of those in whom they reside, especially as they are perfectly exemplified in the holy life of our Blessed Saviour, a main part of whose business in this world was to teach by his practise what he did require of others, and to make his own conversation an exact resemblance of those unparalell’d Rules which he prescribed: So that if ever true Goodness was visible to mortal eyes, it was then when his presence did beautify and illustrate this lower world.”
Henry Scougal – The Life of God in the Soul of Man
I’ve been thrilled to hear so many positive things that are coming from our Small things BIG Difference series. This week, one response, in particular, stunned me in its honesty, vulnerability and depth. Life Groups this week were asked to triangulate the words of Jesus found in Matthew 11:28-30:
“Come to me, all who labour 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Once again Life Group members were asked to note the things that are true about God, the things that are true about ourselves and then list the correct faith response.
One Life Group member took this further and decided to paraphrase the text and this I found so wonderful that I asked his permission to share it. he agreed (thanks Bill!) and so please, read this slowly … it’s kinda awesome!
Come to me, I am approachable, even though I am the Son of God, come now with enthusiasm and joy because I have come to seek you out, come to seek my rebellious subjects with no word of condemnation on my lips, but an invitation.
You see, I see the weariness and frustration that each your experience, you Greeks who are exhausted by your search for truth and you Jews whose religion has become a matter of endless regulations and duties
I see that all this creates is a downward spiral of trying hard, failing, trying harder, and failing more. And this leads to guilt from past failure, fear of future failure, and pride from any perceived measure of success.
But I alone, have come to you, to provide an exit from this life-sapping cycle that isn’t found in obeying more rules or different rules, but in working in partnership with me, as I give the power to be and do what I require
My yoke is easy, I am not offering you a lawn chair and soda, the yoke is still an oxen’s tool for working hard.
But it’s a special kind of yoke, with the weight falling on bigger shoulders than yours.
I have all the pulling power you need and I will be up front helping you every step of the way sharing life’s responsibilities you and turning your frown is into a smile and your complaint into a song.
For you to discuss and engage in the spiritual life of your children here is what we looked at this week at Calvary Family Ministry.
Paul preached in Europe (Acts 17)
The men of Athens worshiped a false god whom they did not know. Paul explained to the men God’s plan of salvation. He said that God is not like the Greek idols. Only God deserves our worship! Paul talked about Jesus and the resurrection. All people can know God because Jesus took the punishment for sin that separates people from God.
Paul and Silas had been released from prison in Philippi. Before leaving the city, they met with believers at Lydia’s house and encouraged them. Then they traveled to Thessalonica and stopped at the synagogue to explain to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah. A large number of Greeks and influential women believed in Jesus.
Before long, Jews in the city became jealous and forced Paul and Silas out of the city. Even though the Jews opposed Paul’s preaching, the number of believers in Thessalonica grew and the church there was established.
Paul made his way through Berea, where people heard the gospel and believed. The Jews from Thessalonica followed him and caused trouble, so Paul went to Athens. Athens—about 200 miles from Berea—was a cultural center. People in Athens loved to hear about and study the latest ideas. The Jews and the philosophers in the city were interested in what Paul had to say, but Paul was troubled by what he saw. Athens was full of idols to every kind of god. There was even an altar to an unknown god.
The people obviously had a religious desire. Paul knew that their hunger for God could be satisfied—in Jesus. Paul began preaching, telling the people that they worshiped a god they did not know. He said that people can know God! God made the world and everything in it! “We ought not to think that God is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man,” Paul said.
Then Paul told them about Jesus and how God wanted them to turn away from their sins. Some people made fun of Paul, but others believed. Paul explained God’s plan of salvation. God is not like the Greek idols. Only God deserves our worship! Because Jesus took the punishment for our sin, we can know God.
Q: How do people hear about Jesus?
A: God uses Christians to tell others about Jesus so they may repent and be saved.
Discuss: Paul taught the people in Athens that the one true God sent Jesus to be the Savior.
Philippians Acts 1:8
Paul’s third journey (Acts 18)
