Here is the basis of the brief introductory talk I gave last week for our college ministry.
At the foundation of all of our relationships, we have to realize and recognize that everyone is made in the image of God (this concept is theologically referred to as the doctrine of “Imago Dei”). This is evident in Genesis 1:26-27.
Because of Genesis 1:31, we know that at the end of the day, God was pleased with what He had created. However, if we continue reading, we see in Genesis 2:18, God declares that it is not good for man to be alone. God is not bipolar or misleading when in chapter 1 He declares what he created good and then in chapter 2 he says “It is not good for man to be alone.” What we see here is God, in His infinite wisdom, declaring the importance of relationships in a person’s life before Adam knew he needed them.
God is a triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He has always been a triune God and always will be. That means that within Himself, God the Father has always been in a perfect relationship with the Son and Holy Spirit. He was that way before He created anything in our universe and will remain that way long after He returns to Earth. Therefore, we should not be surprised by the fact that God understands the need for relationships in our lives and was determined to provide us with a means to experience a glimmer of what He Himself experiences.
The often-quoted-during-weddings verse of Genesis 2:24 tells us how God determined for our most intimate earthly relationship to be completely separate and unique from all of our other human relationships and that is lived out in a healthy marriage. However, before we can have a healthy marriage and before we can experience the sort of relationship that God calls most people to have in marriage, we have to sort through a bunch of misconceptions and lies we have been fed by Satan about every relationship we are a part of.
In our pursuit of a “significant other”, as well as any other relationship, we must always be mindful of the fact that God created us for His Glory. We were made to worship Him. We are commanded to love Him first and foremost above all else. It would be foolish to attempt to discuss relationships without first pointing out that the most important relationship we have in our lives is our relationship with God. Throughout the Bible we are reminded of this, time and time again. In Luke 10:27, Jesus summed up all of the commandments in the Old Testament by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. We are commanded to love God and then love other people. In doing so, we will be fulfilling our created purpose, while building and maintaining healthy relationships at every stage of our lives.
Over the course of the next two weeks we will be answering questions about relationships and dating. We will attempt to answer some pretty typical questions on the topic, while taking time to specifically answer the questions you have submitted in the previous weeks. There are some things that we will say that may not be popular and may go against the culture in which we live, but we believe them to be True as stated in God’s Holy Word. Some of what we share may be informed opinion, but our intent and desire is to base our answers on our understanding of the Bible and what it says about relationships and dating. As with any topic of potential division, we plead and pray for an extra amount of grace and mercy to be woven throughout our conversations on this important topic.
Showing posts with label REALM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label REALM. Show all posts
REALMnotes - Prayer #2 (How We Pray) 13APR10
Debunking Prayer Misconceptions
- It is not for our reputation
- It is not for others to see and hear
- It is not vain repetition
- It is not to spread gossip
- It does not require certain words or phrases
- It does not have to said at certain times
How do we pray?
- Privately (secretly) (Matt 6:5-8)
- In small groups (Acts 1:14)
- Publicly (examples of Christ praying publicly are present throughout the New Testament)
What do we pray for?
- We don’t pray for selfish gain (James 4:3)
- We pray for God’s Will to be accomplished (1 John 5:14 and Acts 4:29-31)
o The Holy Spirit translates our prayers (Romans 8:26)
o God knows the condition and motivation of our hearts (Romans 8:27)
The Lord’s Prayer is a model (Matthew 6:9-13)
- Correct Recipient
- Respectful
- Humble
- Thankful
- Earnest
- Honest
When we pray with pure hearts, seeking the Will of God, we are actively interacting with every member of the Triune God.
- Jesus provides the access
- The Holy Spirit provides a translation
- God the Father listens to the heart
Small Group Handout
What kind of things do you find yourself praying about most often?
Prayer Journal Update
Looking back at your requests from last week, have any of those prayers been answered?
Don’t spend too much time talking about what the group can pray for…
Get to it.
- It is not for our reputation
- It is not for others to see and hear
- It is not vain repetition
- It is not to spread gossip
- It does not require certain words or phrases
- It does not have to said at certain times
How do we pray?
- Privately (secretly) (Matt 6:5-8)
- In small groups (Acts 1:14)
- Publicly (examples of Christ praying publicly are present throughout the New Testament)
What do we pray for?
- We don’t pray for selfish gain (James 4:3)
- We pray for God’s Will to be accomplished (1 John 5:14 and Acts 4:29-31)
o The Holy Spirit translates our prayers (Romans 8:26)
o God knows the condition and motivation of our hearts (Romans 8:27)
The Lord’s Prayer is a model (Matthew 6:9-13)
- Correct Recipient
- Respectful
- Humble
- Thankful
- Earnest
- Honest
When we pray with pure hearts, seeking the Will of God, we are actively interacting with every member of the Triune God.
- Jesus provides the access
- The Holy Spirit provides a translation
- God the Father listens to the heart
Small Group Handout
What kind of things do you find yourself praying about most often?
Prayer Journal Update
Looking back at your requests from last week, have any of those prayers been answered?
Don’t spend too much time talking about what the group can pray for…
Get to it.
REALMnotes - Phillipians Week #1 (Humility) - 09MAR10
Last night we began our series in Phillipians, where we will cover a few of the overarching themes over the next few weeks. Below is the outline with basic points that I used to conduct the talk and generate the associated questions about the topic of Being Like Christ in our Humility.
Main text: Phillipians 2:1-11
Verses 1-4 give us instructions on how we should view ourselves and treat others, as a result of recognizing what God has done for us as Christians.
Verse 5 declares that our attitude should be like Christ. It's not an optional thing.
The following verses explain to us exactly what Christ accomplished and the attitude with which He conducted Himself during that process of purchasing our salvation.
There are three basic characteristics of humility:
Main text: Phillipians 2:1-11
Verses 1-4 give us instructions on how we should view ourselves and treat others, as a result of recognizing what God has done for us as Christians.
Verse 5 declares that our attitude should be like Christ. It's not an optional thing.
The following verses explain to us exactly what Christ accomplished and the attitude with which He conducted Himself during that process of purchasing our salvation.
There are three basic characteristics of humility:
REALMnotes - Axiom (Week1) 02FEB10
Here are the questions we thought about and talked about last night at the REALM. This was the beginning of a discussion that will be carried on and expounded upon further by Chris and Bruce over the next two weeks. It would be beneficial for you to read through the questions and then look up the verses listed below, as preparation for next week.
REALMnotes - Ekklesia (Belonging to a Church)
Group Questions
What does it mean to be a member of a church?
Is there really any reason to become a member of a church?
Is it okay to not join a church and go to several different ones consistently?
Are there any real benefits of plugging in to a local church body?
What are some characteristics of a healthy church?
What makes you a “good” member of a church?
To Think About
When it comes to being a Christian, are you a Consumer or a Contributor?
Are you currently helping the church to grow more Christ-like (healthy)?
Are there things you can do to be a more helpful, encouraging member of the body?
When we came back from the group time, we had quite a bit of discussion about what the questions meant by “the church” (local body). We worked our way through that, as well as discussing why a small group Bible study or active involvement in a parachurch organization is not a replacement for the church (Biblical leadership structure, accountability, church discipline, etc). This is in no way a condemnation of parachurch organizations, for they do play a roll in teaching and reaching the lost. And we should be a part of a small group Bible study, in order to grow in a deeper understanding of our faith as well as to build relationships with others that can help encourage us and keep us accountable.
Coming out of that discussion, we focused on Romans 12:3-21.
- We are the body of Christ
- We have been given different gifts to aid the body of Christ
- We are commanded to love other members of the body
The importance of church membership cannot be understated. We are commanded by Scripture to not stop meeting together as Christians (Hebrews 10:25). We are instructed in how to set up the structure of the church (1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1), so it is evident that we are meant to be a part of it. We are told how we should use our gifts within the church as well as outside the church, in order to bring God glory.
Scripture References (used in talk and in the preparation):
Acts 2:45-47
Acts 9:26-28
Romans 12:3-21
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Ephesians 4:11-16
Ephesians 5:25-32
1 Timothy 3
Titus 1
Hebrews 10:25
What does it mean to be a member of a church?
Is there really any reason to become a member of a church?
Is it okay to not join a church and go to several different ones consistently?
Are there any real benefits of plugging in to a local church body?
What are some characteristics of a healthy church?
What makes you a “good” member of a church?
To Think About
When it comes to being a Christian, are you a Consumer or a Contributor?
Are you currently helping the church to grow more Christ-like (healthy)?
Are there things you can do to be a more helpful, encouraging member of the body?
When we came back from the group time, we had quite a bit of discussion about what the questions meant by “the church” (local body). We worked our way through that, as well as discussing why a small group Bible study or active involvement in a parachurch organization is not a replacement for the church (Biblical leadership structure, accountability, church discipline, etc). This is in no way a condemnation of parachurch organizations, for they do play a roll in teaching and reaching the lost. And we should be a part of a small group Bible study, in order to grow in a deeper understanding of our faith as well as to build relationships with others that can help encourage us and keep us accountable.
Coming out of that discussion, we focused on Romans 12:3-21.
- We are the body of Christ
- We have been given different gifts to aid the body of Christ
- We are commanded to love other members of the body
The importance of church membership cannot be understated. We are commanded by Scripture to not stop meeting together as Christians (Hebrews 10:25). We are instructed in how to set up the structure of the church (1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1), so it is evident that we are meant to be a part of it. We are told how we should use our gifts within the church as well as outside the church, in order to bring God glory.
Scripture References (used in talk and in the preparation):
Acts 2:45-47
Acts 9:26-28
Romans 12:3-21
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Ephesians 4:11-16
Ephesians 5:25-32
1 Timothy 3
Titus 1
Hebrews 10:25
Divine Interruption #2 (Redemption) - REALMnotes
These are notes that I used for last week's college talk.
Traditions, a Tree, Presents and More
When you hear the word Christmas, we think of many things:
Some are family traditions, some are cultural traditions and some are memories of the past.
Tonight we are going to begin at a place that is very familiar to most (if not all) of us. It’s a familiar story. Some of us could recite it. Most of us could tell it. But tonight we are going to take the next step and dive a little deeper into why Christmas is important.
Last week, JTosh talked about the prophecies that were fulfilled by the birth of Christ. He spoke of how Christ’s arrival on Earth was the original Divine Interruption in the timeline of humanity. Tonight we are going to dwell on why the birth of Christ matters from an eternal perspective. To do that, we must take a look at His life and see what makes Him so unique, so worth celebrating.
Obviously, we cannot retell everything about Jesus’ life, so I thought maybe we could start right where Linus left off in the “Christmas story” and work our way through some of the events of Christ’s life.
There are certain moments in Jesus' life that are directly tied to the Temple. As a Jew, there were certain activities that the Law demanded during His life on Earth.
7 Days Old – Luke 2:21
Christ was circumsized.
40 Days Old - Luke 2:25-40 (references Exodus 13:2,12 ; Leviticus 12:8)
Christ was first proclaimed by a man to be God's Promised Salvation and as a Light to the Gentiles. The first pronunciation of how God intended for Salvation to reach all men.
Christ is "Lost" at the Temple
Christ first publicly proclaims who He is - God.
Jesus Drive the Money Changers out of the Temple
Small Group Questions
Read Luke 19:10. What did Jesus say was His purpose for being alive?
Romans 3:23 & Roman 6:23 make it clear that all are lost.
Read carefully through John 3:14-21 and answer the following:
• Does Christ reveal how He will die?
• What was God’s purpose for sending Christ?
Romans 5:17-21 speaks of two men.
• Who is the disobedient man mentioned in this passage?
• What is the result of the actions of the second man?
• What is the importance of Christ’s being fully human, yet fully God?
Galatians 4:4-5
• Why was Christ born according to this passage?
• What do we as Christians get out of His birth?
When we think about these verses, do they increase the importance of what we are celebrating at Christmas? How so?
Does thinking about Christmas as the day God began your adoption process change your perspective at all?
Bonus Question - Does Jesus care if we say Merry Christmas or not?
We’ve established why Jesus came to live on the earth for 33 years.
Now let’s look at what He accomplished for all eternity.
At the Moment of His Death - Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38
The Temple curtain is torn in two
- This had separated the Israelites from God.
- Only the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer the sacrifice on Israel's behalf.
- Without the curtain, there was no way for a proper sacrifice to be offered.
- Without the curtain, there was no way separate the world from God.
- The curtain was ripped apart from top to bottom, something no man could do.
Hebrews 9:22
- The Law demands blood to cover and eliminate sin
Hebrews 9:27
- Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people
Hebrews 10:5-10
- Jesus took on human for for this purpose
Hebrews 10:11-24
- Jesus offered one sacrifice (Himself) and then sat down because the atonement was complete
- Jesus is the High Priest
- Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice, Himself
Hebrews 12:2-3
- Jesus is the cornerstaone of our faith and finisher of our faith
Take-Aways
1. Christ was born in order to fulfill Old Testament prophecies about His birth and death.
2. Christ knew His purpose and lived purposefully.
3. Christ accomplished His life’s mission.
4. We have been adopted into his family and given new life.
It is impossible to celebrate Christmas without the Cross.
Tell the birth story.
Remember the baby.
Study the Man.
Repent at the Cross.
Live as a redeemed child of God.
Traditions, a Tree, Presents and More
When you hear the word Christmas, we think of many things:
Some are family traditions, some are cultural traditions and some are memories of the past.
Tonight we are going to begin at a place that is very familiar to most (if not all) of us. It’s a familiar story. Some of us could recite it. Most of us could tell it. But tonight we are going to take the next step and dive a little deeper into why Christmas is important.
Last week, JTosh talked about the prophecies that were fulfilled by the birth of Christ. He spoke of how Christ’s arrival on Earth was the original Divine Interruption in the timeline of humanity. Tonight we are going to dwell on why the birth of Christ matters from an eternal perspective. To do that, we must take a look at His life and see what makes Him so unique, so worth celebrating.
Obviously, we cannot retell everything about Jesus’ life, so I thought maybe we could start right where Linus left off in the “Christmas story” and work our way through some of the events of Christ’s life.
There are certain moments in Jesus' life that are directly tied to the Temple. As a Jew, there were certain activities that the Law demanded during His life on Earth.
7 Days Old – Luke 2:21
Christ was circumsized.
40 Days Old - Luke 2:25-40 (references Exodus 13:2,12 ; Leviticus 12:8)
Christ was first proclaimed by a man to be God's Promised Salvation and as a Light to the Gentiles. The first pronunciation of how God intended for Salvation to reach all men.
29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,12 Years Old - Luke 2:41-52
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."
Christ is "Lost" at the Temple
Christ first publicly proclaims who He is - God.
48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."33 Years Old – One Week Before His Death - Luke 19:45-48
49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Jesus Drive the Money Changers out of the Temple
Small Group Questions
Read Luke 19:10. What did Jesus say was His purpose for being alive?
Romans 3:23 & Roman 6:23 make it clear that all are lost.
Read carefully through John 3:14-21 and answer the following:
• Does Christ reveal how He will die?
• What was God’s purpose for sending Christ?
Romans 5:17-21 speaks of two men.
• Who is the disobedient man mentioned in this passage?
• What is the result of the actions of the second man?
• What is the importance of Christ’s being fully human, yet fully God?
Galatians 4:4-5
• Why was Christ born according to this passage?
• What do we as Christians get out of His birth?
When we think about these verses, do they increase the importance of what we are celebrating at Christmas? How so?
Does thinking about Christmas as the day God began your adoption process change your perspective at all?
Bonus Question - Does Jesus care if we say Merry Christmas or not?
We’ve established why Jesus came to live on the earth for 33 years.
Now let’s look at what He accomplished for all eternity.
At the Moment of His Death - Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38
The Temple curtain is torn in two
- This had separated the Israelites from God.
- Only the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer the sacrifice on Israel's behalf.
- Without the curtain, there was no way for a proper sacrifice to be offered.
- Without the curtain, there was no way separate the world from God.
- The curtain was ripped apart from top to bottom, something no man could do.
Hebrews 9:22
- The Law demands blood to cover and eliminate sin
Hebrews 9:27
- Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people
Hebrews 10:5-10
- Jesus took on human for for this purpose
Hebrews 10:11-24
- Jesus offered one sacrifice (Himself) and then sat down because the atonement was complete
- Jesus is the High Priest
- Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice, Himself
Hebrews 12:2-3
- Jesus is the cornerstaone of our faith and finisher of our faith
Take-Aways
1. Christ was born in order to fulfill Old Testament prophecies about His birth and death.
2. Christ knew His purpose and lived purposefully.
3. Christ accomplished His life’s mission.
4. We have been adopted into his family and given new life.
It is impossible to celebrate Christmas without the Cross.
Tell the birth story.
Remember the baby.
Study the Man.
Repent at the Cross.
Live as a redeemed child of God.
Rythm #4 - Holiness (REALMnotes)
The following are the refernce materials I used and questions I asked while leading the college group through the study portion of our Tuesday night meeting this week.
Small Group Breakout Discussion
Romans 12:1-2
- What do you think Paul means when he says that we should present our bodies “a living sacrifice”? What might this look like?
- In verse 2, Paul commands us to avoid “the pattern of this world”. How do we live in the world without conforming to it?
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
- In this set of verses, Paul warns of overconfidence in our lives. What areas do you find yourself feeling confident in that you might need to pay attention to more closely?
- What is the “way out” of temptation that Paul says God will provide for us?
2 Corinthians 1:12
- According to this passage, how are we to live?
- Is there a conflict between the confidence Paul speaks of in this passage versus the confidence he mentions in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13? Why or why not? Is there a difference?
Items For Personal Reflection
1. What is one thing in your life or in this world that you would change if you could? Why? Are you doing about it?
2. What is one thing that you struggle with on a daily basis? Is it something you are trying to overcome? If so, how are going about trying to make progress in this area?
3. Pray that God would convict you of sin in your life and that you would live a life that is pleasing to God.
The following texts were referenced throughout the talk:
Romans 12:1-2
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
2 Corinthians 1:12
Galatians 6:14 (Our confidence is rooted in the Cross. The Cross is our boast.)
Ephesians 4:20-24
Phillipians 3:10-15
2 Timothy 3:10-17
I also used the following texts as part of my preparation:
2 Corinthians 3:18
2 Corinthians 7:1
Hebrews 12:14
1 Peter 1:13-16
Small Group Breakout Discussion
Romans 12:1-2
- What do you think Paul means when he says that we should present our bodies “a living sacrifice”? What might this look like?
- In verse 2, Paul commands us to avoid “the pattern of this world”. How do we live in the world without conforming to it?
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
- In this set of verses, Paul warns of overconfidence in our lives. What areas do you find yourself feeling confident in that you might need to pay attention to more closely?
- What is the “way out” of temptation that Paul says God will provide for us?
2 Corinthians 1:12
- According to this passage, how are we to live?
- Is there a conflict between the confidence Paul speaks of in this passage versus the confidence he mentions in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13? Why or why not? Is there a difference?
Items For Personal Reflection
1. What is one thing in your life or in this world that you would change if you could? Why? Are you doing about it?
2. What is one thing that you struggle with on a daily basis? Is it something you are trying to overcome? If so, how are going about trying to make progress in this area?
3. Pray that God would convict you of sin in your life and that you would live a life that is pleasing to God.
The following texts were referenced throughout the talk:
Romans 12:1-2
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
2 Corinthians 1:12
Galatians 6:14 (Our confidence is rooted in the Cross. The Cross is our boast.)
Ephesians 4:20-24
Phillipians 3:10-15
2 Timothy 3:10-17
I also used the following texts as part of my preparation:
2 Corinthians 3:18
2 Corinthians 7:1
Hebrews 12:14
1 Peter 1:13-16
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