Monday, June 23, 2014
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Parables: The Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-15) Questions for Discussion and Reflection
Dig Deeper
Jesus frequently taught the crowds by using parables;
in fact Mark’s Gospel reveals a season when Jesus “did not say anything to them
without using a parable.” (Mark 4:34) The gospels record several different
kinds of parables, story parables, similitudes, parabolic sayings and metaphors.
The parable of the Shrewd Manager in Luke 16:1-15 is known as a story parable in that it is a story with
a beginning, an ending and a plot. In their book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, authors Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart describe the primary purpose of
a story parables as “calling forth a response on the part of the hearer” (152).
Read Luke 16:1-15.
What is the setting? (Luke 16:1, 14)
What problem or issue is Jesus addressing in this
parable? (Luke 16:15)
What response is Jesus calling for? (Luke 16:9-13)
Jesus said in Luke 16:8, ““The master commended
the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this
world are more shrewd (prudently or wisely) in dealing with their own kind than
are the people of the light.” How do you imagine His different hearers reacting
when He said this?
The disciples--
The crowds--
The Pharisees--
What insight about His hearers does Luke 18:9
offer for understanding Jesus’ purpose for telling this parable?
Application
How are you using what you have been entrusted?
Jesus declares, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13b). How is the
Holy Spirit leading you to love/serve God with your money?
Memorize This
Matthew 7:24-25— “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine
and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. NIV
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Living Beyond Your Capacity, Part 6 Questions for Discussion and Reflection
On two occasions in the New Testament Christians
are commanded to “pray in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18 & Jude 20). Praying in
the Spirit means to pray consistent with the Holy Spirit’s leading similar to
Jesus’ invitation to “ask anything in His name (John 14:14) or the
confidence we have when “we ask anything according to his will (1 John 5:14).
Rather than a certain type of prayer for special occasions, we are to pray in
the Spirit “on all occasions with all kinds of prayer” (Ephesians 6:18).
Discuss/Reflect on the statement, “Prayer in the
Spirit is much less about getting a desired response from God and much more
about discovering and sharing God’s heart."
Read Romans 8:26-27 and 1 John 5:14. What insights
do these Scriptures provide about the role of the Spirit in our prayers?
Ephesians 6:18 refers to “all kinds of prayers.” Using
the acrostic ACTS what do the following Scriptures reveal about these different
kinds of prayers?
A= Adoration (Worship)
2 Samuel 7:28; Psalm 150:1; Matthew 6:9--
C= Confession
2 Chronicles 32:20-26; Psalm 51; 1 John 1:9--
T= Thanksgiving
2 Chronicles 7:3; Psalm 136; Ephesians 1:15-23--
S= Supplication (Requests)
Psalm 55:22; Matthew 6:11; Philippians 4:6; 1
Peter 5:7--
Application
Set aside time this week to prayer through ACTS.
Memorize This
Galatians 5:16— So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify
the desires of the flesh. NIV
Monday, June 9, 2014
Dr Robert Berry's Story
Here's the video of Dr. Robert Berry's story we viewed yesterday. Dr. Berry left his career as an ER doctor to start a clinic that provides compassionate healthcare for those in need. He has forgone a loss in income, a loss in reputation. Is it worth it? Watch as he demonstrates why it was worth the risk and why following God’s call to start this clinic has kept him from being “willingly blind”, softening his calloused heart to the needs of his neighbor.
Remember, this is Dr. Berry's story. There are doctors whose calling is to the ER (my family has certainly benefited from great ER doctors). Ephesians 2:10 reads, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (ESV). To what good works have you been called to walk in?
Check out other stories of God's call here.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Living Beyond Your Capacity, Part 5 Questions for Discussion and Reflection
Theologian Lewis Sperry Chafer explains that the
Christian quenches the Holy Spirit “by any unyieldedness to the revealed will
of God. It is simply saying ‘no’ to God, and so is closely related to matters
of divine appointments for service” (He
That Is Spiritual, page 86). After instructing his fellow Christians not to
quench the Spirit, the apostle Paul makes clear the aim of the Spirit in the
life of the Christian, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through
and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
To be sanctified means to be made holy or
consecrated to God. The aim of the Holy Spirit is to lead every Christian to a sanctified
life “through and through.” When this is resisted, the Spirit is quenched.
What do the following Scriptures reveal about God’s
will for every Christian?
Romans 12:1-2--
1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, 5:18----
John 20:21; Acts 1:8--
Application
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 for the context of
the command “Do not quench the Spirit.”
5:12--
How is the Holy Spirit leading you to acknowledge and honor those who care for
you spiritually?
5:14--
How is the Holy Spirit leading you to warn the idle, encourage the disheartened,
help the weak, be patient with everyone and forgive anyone who has wronged you?
5:15--
What opportunities to strive for good has God opened to you?
5:16-18--
How is the Holy Spirit leading you to rejoice always, pray continually and give
thanks in all circumstances?
5:19-22--
How is the Holy Spirit leading you to dig deeper into the Scriptures?
Memorize This
Galatians 5:16— So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify
the desires of the flesh. NIV
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Venture Expeditions Northern Tour departs TODAY!
Check out this video put together last summer by cyclist Joe Han. NMBC is seen at the 7.02 mark.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Living Beyond Your Capacity, Part 4
Many of us on occasion have labored to know “God’s
will” for a specific area of our life. These often involve life’s “big”
decisions such as, “Whom shall I marry?” or “What vocation should I pursue?” There is one aim of the Holy Spirit for which
every Christian can be assured: holiness. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 and 7 reads, “For
this is the will of God, your sanctification… For God did not call us to
uncleanness, but in holiness” (NKJV). Bible teacher and author Jerry Bridges
defines holiness as “to be morally blameless… separated from sin and, therefore,
consecrated to God” (The Pursuit of
Holiness, page 19).
Positionally before God the Christian has been
made holy at the moment of salvation (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). The Holy Spirit
is at work day by day in the life of the Christian aligning his daily practice
with his position. Jerry Bridges explains, “Progressive sanctification is not a
partnership with the Spirit in the sense that we each - the believer and the
Holy Spirit - do our respective tasks. Rather, we work as He enables us to
work. His work lies behind all our work and makes our work possible.”
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 and Ephesians 4:25-32.
What practical insights do these Scriptures provide for how we ought to pursue
holiness in everyday life?
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8--
Ephesians 4:25-32--
Application
In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul describes
living holy as bearing spiritual fruit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is…” How
are you observing the fruit of the Spirit in your life? What areas are you
sensing the Holy Spirit leading you to greater reliance?
Love (1 John 2:10)
Joy
(Philippians 4:4)
Peace (Philippians 4:7)
Forbearance (Philippians
4:5)
Kindness (2 Corinthians 6:6)
Goodness
(Ephesians 5:9)
Faithfulness (Matthew 25:21)
Gentleness (Colossians 3:12)
Self-control (2 Peter 1:6)
Memorize This
Galatians 5:16— So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify
the desires of the flesh. NIV
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