1 Corinthians 16:1-14 (NIV)

1) Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2) On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3) Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4) If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me. 5) After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia. 6) Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7) For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8) But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9) because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me. 10) When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11) No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers. 12) Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity. 13) Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14) Do everything in love.

TAKEAWAYS

1. We are into good stewardship
2. We are Missions Church
3. Stewardship and Mission involves surrendered people

1 Corinthians 15:1-7, 12-14, 35-38, 42-44, 51-58 (NIV)

1) Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2) By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3) For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4) that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5) and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6) After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7) Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 

12) But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13) If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14) And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

35) But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36) How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37) When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38)But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.

 42) So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43) it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44) it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.  If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

51) Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52) in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53) For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54) When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55) “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?” 56) The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57) But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58) Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

TAKEAWAYS

Who We Are:

1. We are people who believe that Jesus is alive.  (v 3-8)
2. We are people with a shared future (v 35-54)
3. We have the ability to bounce back in all circumstances. (v 58)

1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13 (NIV)
1) If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2) If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3) If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.  4) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5) It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7) It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  8) Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9) For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10) but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11) When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12) For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  13) And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

TAKEAWAYS

1. If we have Power, Position, Prophecy,  Prosperity or Intentional Poverty, but not love we have lost, v 1-3
2. Love is something that needs work.
3. Love will have the final word, v 8-13

1 CORINTHIANS 12:1-14 (NIV)

1) Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2) You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3) Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.  4) There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5) There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6) There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7) Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8) To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9) to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10) to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11) All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.  Unity and Diversity in the Body  12) Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13) For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14) Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:27 (NIV)

27) Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

TAKEAWAYS

1. You are The Body of Christ (v27)
2. Each one is a part of the Body

I. GIFTS - how he has shaped you
II. SERVICE - how we respond and make ourselves available
III. WORKING - the result as to what God does in and through

1. Treasure
2. Time
3. Talent

1 CORINTHIANS 3:1-17 (NIV)

1) Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2) I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3) You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4) For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?  5) What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6) I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7) So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8) The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9) For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.  10) By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11) For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12) If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13) their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14) If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15) If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.  16) Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17) If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Maturity - I am growing in the Lord!
2. Planting- I am involved in kingdom cultivation!
3. Temples - I am a temple of the Holy Spirit!

1 CORINTHIANS 2:6-16 (NIV)

6) We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7) No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8) None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9) However, as it is written:  “What no eye has seen,  what no ear has heard,  and what no human mind has conceived”—  the things God has prepared for those who love him—  10) these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11) For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12) What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13) This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14) The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15) The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16) for,  “Who has known the mind of the Lord  so as to instruct him?”  But we have the mind of Christ.

TAKEAWAYS

1. God’s wisdom is perfect and accessible.
- God’s wisdom is helpful.
- God’s wisdom is transformational.
2. God’s wisdom is a revelation we can receive.
3. God’s wisdom is spiritually understood in Christ.

I Corinthians 2:2 NIV
[2] For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except
Jesus Christ and him crucified.

1 Corinthians 1:10-12 NIV
[10] I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. [11] My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. [12] What I mean is this:
One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas ”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

1 Corinthians 3:21-23 NIV
[21] So then, no more boasting about human leaders!
All things are yours, [22] whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future---all are yours, [23] and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

1 Corinthians 1:19-21 NIV
[19] For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” [20] Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? [21] For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

1 Corinthians 1:23-29 NIV
[23] but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, [24] but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. [25] For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. [26] Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. [27] But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. [28] God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things---and the things that are not---to nullify the things that are, [29] so that no one may boast before him.

 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 NIV
[1] And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you,
I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. [2] For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Not big personality but the cross.
2. Not human cleverness or nuance, but the cross.
3. Not by power but in weakness, to the cross.

Myth 1: You can do anything you want to.
Myth 2: You are fine just the way you are.
Myth 3: It’s not my fault.

Acts 9:32-43 NIV

32) As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33) There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34) “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35) All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.  36) In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37) About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38) Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”  39) Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.  40) Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41) He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42) This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43) Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

TAKEAWAYS

How can we apply resurrection to our lives?

1. To be a Christian is to experience a resurrection we’ve been raised with Christ.

2. To be a Christian also means that we  shall be raised either from when we die  or when Jesus returns!

3. The bride of Christ will be united with  the bridegroom at the Great wedding  feast.

4. Resurrection means that the Lord revives his people.

 Act 9:26-31 NIV

26) When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27) But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28) So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29) He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30) When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31) Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

TAKEAWAYS

1. We must be saved.

2. We can have the wrong idea about each other.

 Act 9:19-25 NIV

19) and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20) At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21) All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22) Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. 23) After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24) but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25) But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Saul began his new life in Jesus with fellowship.

2. Saul lived a gospel-sharing life from day one (v 20)

3. Saul grew in the faith, in such a way that his opponents were baffled (v 22)

Act 9:10-16 NIV

10) In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11) The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.12) In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13) “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14) And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15) But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.16) I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

TAKEAWAYS

1. Ananias says “Yes, Lord”.

2. The obedient disciple is given a difficult assignment.

3. Ananias was exceedingly blessed as a result of his obedience.

Act 9:1-9 NIV 

1) Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2) and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3) As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4) He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5) “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, ”he replied. 6) “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7) The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8) Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9) For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Saul the persecutor 

2. Saul was humbled 

3. Saul the convicted 

-Conviction of sin is the pathway of faith in Jesus

 Act 8:26-39 NIV

26) Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27) So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28) and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29) The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30) Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31) “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32) This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33) In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” 34) The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35) Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36) As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] 38) And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39)When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 

TAKEAWAYS

1. The best way to seek God is to open your Bible

2. We need to understand that Jesus is at the heart of the Bible

3. Take the plunge of faith and obedience

 Acts 8:9-25 NIV

9) Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10) and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11) They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12) But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13) Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. 14) When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15) When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16) because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17) Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18) When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19) and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20) Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21) You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22) Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23) For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”24) Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” 25) After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Spiritual Fakes

– Sorcery, v 9a

– Boasting, v 9b

– Enticing, v 11

– Amazed, v 11

2. The Genuine Gospel

3. Back to Fake ministry

4. So, we finish with the Genuine

Acts 8:5-8 NIV

5) Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6) When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7) For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8) So there was great joy in that city.

 Acts 7:59 - 8:8 NIV

59) While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60) Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

1) And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2) Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3) But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. 4) Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5) Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6) When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7) For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8) So there was great joy in that city.

TAKEAWAYS

1. The Church Persecuted, v1a

2. The Church Scattered, v 1b

3. The Church Caring, v2

4. The Church even more on Mission, v4

Acts 7:54-60 NIV

54) When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55) But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56) “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57) At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58) dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59) While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60) Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Evil Enemies

2. The Exalted Jesus

– Jesus is the Living comfort

– Jesus is our Dying comfort

3. Example to us and Saul

Act 6:8-15 NIV

8) Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9) Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10) But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. 11) Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12) So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13) They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14) For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” 15) All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Stephen’s preaching ministry.

2. Stephen’s powerful opponents.

3. Stephen’s saintly character.

Judges 16:4-6; 20-31 NIV

4) Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5) The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” 6) So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” 20) Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21) Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. 22) But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. 23) Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.” 24) When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.” 25) While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, 26) Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” 27) Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28) Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29) Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30) Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived. 31) Then his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.

TAKEAWAYS

– Sampson’s hair is growing again: The loss of strength was debilitating. It was disastrous. Through disobedience, ourselves much sorrow. But the source of his strength is returning.

Colossians 4:2-6 NIV

2) Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3) And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4) Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5) Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6) Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Pray With Devotion
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Vs. 2

2. Pray For Open Doors That The Gospel Is Shared Clearly
“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains” Vs.3

3. Pray For Wisdom
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Vs. 5-6

Mark 10: 17-31

17) As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
18) “Why do you call me good? ”Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.19) You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20) “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21) Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack, ”he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22) At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23) Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24) The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25) It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26) The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27) Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 28) Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29) “Truly I tell you, "Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30) will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31) But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”


TAKEAWAYS

1. It's right to approach Jesus, but he's more than a moral teacher.
2. It's right to approach Jesus, but not claim our own righteousness.
3. It's right to approach Jesus, but we do not dictate the terms.

Deuteronomy 6:1-2  NIV

1) These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2) so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3) Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4) Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6) These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7) Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8) Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9) Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 10) When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11) houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12) be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Context (v 1-3)
2. Key Verses
3. Application
4. Outcome

Act 6:1-7 NIV

1) In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2) So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3) Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4) and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5) This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6) They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7) So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

TAKEAWAYS

1. The problem- division

2. The solution was practical and spiritual

3. The aim is the spread of the gospel and the health of the church (v 2)

4. The outcome

Act 5:33-42 NIV

33) When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34) But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35) Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36) Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37) After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38) Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39) But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 40) His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41) The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42) Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

TAKEAWAYS

1. The good of Gamaliel

– Gamaliel calmed hot heads down

– Gamaliel talked of the progress of God

– Gamaliel was 50% correct- maybe the church would be OK

2. The Sin of Gamaliel

– He did not believe and commit to the message preached

– He allowed the apostles to be punished

– He participated in the decision to ban the apostles’ preaching

3. The Good of the apostles

– They never stopped.

Act 5:12-32 NIV

12) The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13) No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14) Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15) As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16) Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. 17) Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18) They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19) But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20) “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” 21) At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22) But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23) “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24) On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to. 25) Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26) At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. 27) The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28) “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29) Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30) The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31) God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32) We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

TAKEAWAYS

Dad Habits:

1. Bring your family to church

2. Daily time with God, centered around the Bible and prayer

3. Avoid bad screen habits

4. Have a generosity plan

5. Get involved in service

6. Don’t let toxic people get you down

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1. The apostles gave a wide invitation to a narrow path. On repeat.

2. The apostles kept a tender and compassionate heart to the people. On repeat.

3. The apostles take every opportunity for the gospel and are not intimidated by pressure. On repeat.

4. The apostles experience, what no habit can manufacture – the grace of God at work. On repeat.

5. The core habit of the apostles is obedience. On repeat.