Sunday, September 30, 2012

Opening: Have you ever been called to the Principal’s office or to a review board? Maybe to a personnel committee who had questions about things you said or did? What did it feel like? Were you able to respond calmly, or did you get defensive?

Scripture: Read Acts 11:1-18.

Insights:

• “Attention. Peter, please come and answer charges of associating with Gentiles.” There were some unhappy people who had serious accusations against Peter. This same thing occurs to Paul later in Acts, but we will get to that in a week or so. 
• It is interesting to see how important this event is to Luke. It’s not like he had unlimited space to write. He wrote on a papyrus roll which was unwieldy. The longest roll that was used was about thirty-five feet long, just enough to fit the Book of Acts. Luke had to be careful what he put in. So to tell the Cornelius story twice tells you how important he thought it was. 
• We usually do not realize how near Christianity was to becoming only another kind of Judaism. All the first Christians were Jews and the whole tradition and outlook of Judaism would have moved them to keep the movement to themselves and to believe that God could not possibly have meant it for the Gentiles. Luke sees this incident as a notable milestone on the road along which the Church was groping its way to the concept that the Gospel is for the world. 
• Peter’s defense is: the Holy Spirit told me to do it. Of course, that is easy to say. But when the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles, it became an ill refutable and convincing argument. Plus, he had 6 witnesses with him (see Acts 11:12).

Life Questions:

• It is difficult to go against what we have always believed, what we have always taught. Look at it this way:

1.    Tradition is “the living faith of the dead”, the embodiment of the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures through the belief and practice of disciples through the centuries and handed on to present and future generations.

2.    Traditional is a congregation’s or denomination’s familiar practices rooted in a given era.

3.    Traditionalism is “the dead faith of the living”, a belief checklist, because “we have always done that.”[1]

• In Wesleyan theology, we believe that every Christian has the Holy Spirit within. How has the Holy Spirit led you? Where and to what is He leading you now? (To learn more about the Holy Spirit, plan to attend the First Sunday: Christianity 101 class, November 4, 2012.)

Prayer Focus: That we would be guided by the Holy Spirit in everything we do.

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[1] Adapted from “Contemporary Worship for the 21st Century: Worship Or Evangelism?” Daniel T. Benedict and Craig Kennet Miller. Discipleship Resources, 1994.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Opening: What is one thing in your life that you know you should do, but you have a really hard time doing it? Balance the checkbook? Lose weight? Make a difficult phone call? What keeps you from doing what you probably know is the right thing to do?

Scripture: We begin a new series tomorrow. Read James1:19-27.

Insights:

• Wow. James really hits his readers hard. These are very difficult:  
1. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  
2. Get rid of filth and evil.  
3. Humbly accept God’s word and do what it says.
4. Control your tongue.
5. Care for those in need.
6. Don’t let the world corrupt you.
• James uses the vivid word pictures in verse 21:  
1. He tells his readers to get rid of filth and evil. The word he uses for “get rid of” is the word used for stripping off one’s clothes. He tells them to get rid of all defilement as you would strip off filthy clothes or as a snake sloughs off its skin.  
2. The word we translate “filth” is ruparia; and it can be used for the filth which soils clothes or soils the body. But it has one very interesting connection. It is a derivative of rupos and, when rupos is used in a medical sense, it means wax in the ear. It is possible that it still retains that meaning here, that James is telling us to get rid of everything which would stop our ears to the true word of God. When wax gathers in the ear, it can make a person deaf; and our sins can make us deaf to God.  
3. The word for “evil” is perisseia. James thinks of evil as tangled undergrowth or a cancerous growth which must be cut away.
• James talks more about the tongue in chapter 3, verses 1-12.

Life Questions:

• Of the 6 things James tells us to do, which is the hardest for you? Is there one that if you really prayed about it, you might find God wants you to work on that one too?

Prayer Focus: For tomorrow’s worship celebration and that we be more than simple hearers – we will be doers!

Tomorrow’s Message Title: “God, You Want Me To Do What?” Message Series: “Sent”

Friday, September 28, 2012

Opening: Do you have something that is your favorite? A favorite team? A favorite fast-food place? A favorite brand of car? Is it something that you root for or use exclusively? You know, “Yeah Ohio State. Boo Michigan.”

Scripture: Read Acts 10:34-48.

Insights:

• Peter shares the essential truths of the Gospel:  
1. God doesn’t show favoritism. He wants a relationship with everyone.  
2. Jesus is God’s love gift of peace to us.
3. Jesus came to banish pain, sorrow, and sin from the world.
4. He was crucified him, but God raised him to life.
5. We are to be proclaimers of this message, that everyone who believes in Him will be forgiven.
• The Holy Spirit doesn’t wait for Peter to finish his sermon; He came to those who heard the message even as Peter was speaking. This was proof that God invited even Gentiles – you and me – to become children of God. The gift of the Holy Spirit was confirmation that the apostles were to go “…everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 
• Cornelius wanted Peter to stay with him for several days. He was a new believer and realized his need for teaching and fellowship.

Life Questions:

• Sometimes we can limit who God wants us to reach. We think that neighbor that is so mean and has those all night parties isn’t a person God wants. It may that ex-spouse; certainly God knows the kind of person he or she is. Do you really think God has given up on them?  
• What are you doing to grow in your understanding and your relationship with Christ? Is there someone you count on to help you?

Prayer Focus: That the Holy Spirit will not wait for us, but show us clearly who we might share the Gospel with.

 

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Opening: Can you think of a major revelation in your life that completely changed the way you thought or felt? Your “the world is not flat, it is round” moment?

Scripture: Read Acts 10:1-33.

Insights:

• Caesarea, sometimes called Palestinian Caesarea, was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea 32 miles north of Joppa. The largest and most important port city on the Mediterranean in Palestine, Caesarea served as the capital of the Roman province of Judea. This was the first city to have Gentile Christians and a non-Jewish church. 
• Cornelius was a Roman centurion stationed at Caesarea, the headquarters of the government of Palestine. He is the equivalent of a company sergeant-major, leader of 100 men. Centurions were the backbone of the Roman army, men who were known for their courage and loyalty. But Cornelius was more than that:  
• Cornelius was a God-fearer. He probably didn’t accept circumcision and the Law, but he attended the synagogue and believed in one God and in the pure ethic of Jewish religion. Cornelius then was a man who was seeking after God, and as he sought God, God found him.  
• Cornelius was a man of charity; he was characteristically kind. His search for God had made him love people, and the person who loves others is not far from the kingdom (see Mark 12:18-27).  
• Cornelius was a man of prayer. Perhaps as yet he did not clearly know the God to whom he prayed; but, according to the light that he had, he lived close to God.  
• Peter’s vision is a direct message from God: what you consider impure and unclean is not to God. That includes people! Peter is learning this truth, as evidenced that he is staying with a tanner, but God opens his eyes to a broader understanding of His purposes, and the people Peter is to reach. Of course, it takes God three times to get it through to Peter, but he does get it (see Acts10:28-29).  
• The Jews of Peter’s day believed that other nations were outside the mercy of God. The really strict Jew would have no contact with a Gentile or even with a Jew who did not observe the Law. See what Peter did. When the emissaries of Cornelius were at the door – and knowing the Jewish outlook, they came no farther than the door – Peter asked them in and gave them hospitality (see Acts 10:23). When Peter arrived at Caesarea, Cornelius met him at the door, no doubt wondering if Peter would cross his threshold at all, and Peter came in (see Acts 10:27). In the most amazing way, the barriers are beginning to go down.

Life Questions:

• From its earliest days, Christianity has been breaking down barriers; and it can still do that when given the chance. What barrier does the Church still need to be break? What barrier in your life still needs breached? Who are the people who need you to hear God’s message?  
• “Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”  How do you wait to hear the message of the Lord for you?

Prayer Focus: That we would be willing to go anywhere and meet anyone to talk about our life with Jesus.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Opening: When people describe you, what is the characteristic they use that you are most proud of?

Scripture: Read Acts 9:32-43.

Insights:

• The story leaves Paul (for now) and returns to Peter, and it sets up tomorrow’s lesson, which will be another major shift in Peter’s understanding of who might become followers of Jesus. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. 
• Lydda (which means “strife”), is the Greek name of the town that in Hebrew is called Lod, and is in the area given to the tribe of Benjamin. It was 12 miles from Jerusalem on the main road to the sea port city of Joppa, which was another 9 miles further. A stream outside the town is still bears the name of Abi-Butrus (Peter), in memory of the apostle. 
• Joppa was the chief seaport for Jerusalem and Judea. It was from Joppa that Jonah tried to escape the call of God (see Jonah 1:3). It is the modern city of Jaffa, and is the southern and oldest part of the Tel Aviv - Jaffa municipality. 
• Twice, Luke uses the Greek word hagios to refer to the Christians at Lydda. It means “holy”, or in this context, “saints” (see Acts 9:32,41). This is the same word that Paul always uses to describe the church member, for he always writes his letters to the saints that are at such and such a place. 
• Don’t let verse 43 just slide by. Peter stays with Simon, a tanner of hides. Simon would have constantly dealt with and touched dead animals. That meant he would have always been unclean in the Jewish mind, and anyone and anything within the house of an unclean person would also be considered unclean. This is a big, big deal that Peter is staying with him!

Life Questions:

• Peter heals Aeneas with the words, “Jesus Christ heals you…”  Peter knows that the power to heal is not his, but comes from Jesus. We think too much of what we can do and too little of what Christ can do through us. What area or ministry in your life needs less of you and more of Jesus?
• Do you think of yourself as a saint? What if “saint” meant more than “holy”, but also meant “different?” It does. Christians are the people who are different, their difference lying in the fact that they were chosen for the special purposes of God. So then we who are Christians are not different from others in that we are chosen for greater honor on this earth; we are different in that we are chosen for a greater service. We are saved to serve.

Prayer Focus: That we would be saints – holy and different – in service to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Opening: Think back to when you started on your new path (remember yesterday?). Maybe it was a new job in your career field, or when your new baby came home. Maybe it was when you accepted Jesus as your Savior. Were you excited? Did you give it everything you had?

 

Scripture: Read Acts 9:19b-31.

Insights:

• Saul becomes a powerful witness and apologist (defender) for movement and message of Jesus. And why not? He was a learned Pharisee; he knew the Scriptures. He had to wonder on his way to Damascus how good people would risk their lives on what he considered a lie. Now he knows why, and he is willing to risk it all for this new faith. 
• Two plots to kill Saul. Wow. The Jews considered him a dangerous man. 
• At the same time, the believers thought Saul’s conversion was a ruse, a way to get on the inside, and then rat everyone out. They were afraid to meet with him. It was Barnabas who vouches for this new believer. According to Galatians 1:18-19, Paul was in Jerusalem only 15 days and that he met only with Peter and James.

Life Questions:

• Saul goes back to his hometown to tell them that he is a changed man and that the one who changed him is Jesus Christ. If you have always lived in your hometown, what would people say about your Christian example? If you live away from your hometown, what would people say when you went back for a visit or reunion? 
• Verse 31 is another one of Luke’s summary/recap statements. He indicates that first, the church grew strong as the believers “lived in the fear of the Lord.” Second, the church grew in numbers through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit. What does this mean for our church?

Prayer Focus: That we would be powerful and effective witnesses for Jesus.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Opening: Have you ever experienced a turning point in your life, a moment when your life completely changed direction? What was it like in the moment? How are you different now because of it?

Scripture: Read Acts 9:1-19a.

Insights:

• Saul’s (Paul) letter from the high priest gave him authority wherever there were Jews. He heard that some Christians had escaped to Damascus when persecution broke out (see Acts 8:1), so he went to extradite them back to Jerusalem. The journey was about 140 miles from Jerusalem to Damascus. Saul’s only companions were the officers of the Sanhedrin, a kind of police force. Because he was a Pharisee, he could have nothing to do with them; so he was alone with his thoughts. 
• Saul stayed in the house of Judas on Straight Street, which was called that because (are you ready) it was straight.
• In his letters, Paul refers to this experience on the Damascus Road as the start of his new life in Christ (see 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8; Galatians 1:15,16). At the center of this wonderful experience was Jesus Christ. Paul did not see a vision; he saw the risen Christ himself (see Acts 9:17). Paul acknowledged Jesus as Lord, confessed his own sin, surrendered his life to Christ, and resolved to obey him.

Life Questions:

• Some people wish they had a “Damascus Road” type of conversion experience. You know, a kind of conversion with a blinding light, get knocked off your horse, and hear a voice. But God works in all kinds of ways. The important thing is that you have made a conscious decision to turn your life over to God. 
• Ananias was told by God to do something that he thought was crazy! “Go to Saul, the persecutor of the church. Are you sure, God?” Has God ever asked you to do something that seemed crazy? How did it go?
• God told Ananias, “And I will show [Saul] how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”  We want to think that faith in Christ brings great blessings, and it does. But it often brings great suffering too. Paul would suffer for his faith (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-27). God calls us to commitment, not to comfort. Let that sink in for a moment! Yet, no matter what we go through, He will be with us.
• What does Ananias call Saul in verse 17? Though he had some doubts about coming to Saul, he greeted him lovingly. Jesus said, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”  We are called to love even those who we think might persecute us.

Prayer Focus: That our turning points would bring us closer to Christ, and that we would be willing to do whatever “crazy” thing God calls us to do.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Opening: Have you ever found yourself at the right place and at the right time? That you were led somehow to be somewhere at the same moment someone else needed someone like you? What did it feel like? How does it feel to think that God placed you there?

Scripture: Read Acts 8:26-40.

Insights:

• We return to the story of Philip (see Friday’s lesson).
• The Ethiopian was an important official in the government of his country. But why did he go to Jerusalem? Judaism was known in his land through the influence of Queen Sheba who visited King Solomon (see 1 Kings 10). The treasurer was a proselyte of Judaism and had come to Jerusalem, but because he was a eunuch, he could not join Judaism (see Deuteronomy 23:1). As he was returning home from his religious pilgrimage, he was reading from Isaiah.
• By one count, the book of Isaiah has 38 prophecies regarding the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus. See Isaiah 7:14, 11:2, and 53:1-12 for examples.
• Philip understood that Christianity is for everyone. He baptized the eunuch, despite the fact that he might not have been admitted into full membership in the Jewish church.

Life Questions:

• Notice who initiates this encounter. It is God all along. God tells Philip to go to a particular road, and then tells him to strike up a conversation. Who is God nudging you to go to and simply start a conversation? 
• Are you, as 1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” like Philip was? If not, maybe you could learn how. Contact Pastor Gary if you are interested.

Prayer Focus: That we would be faithful and available to the leading of the Holy Spirit to start a spiritual conversation.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Opening: Do you remember a time when you or your child was lost? It could have been in a store or in the neighborhood or at Kings Island. What were your feelings? Fear? Panic? Desperation?

 

Scripture: Sunday’s message is our text today. Read Luke15:1-7; 19:10.

Insights:

• The Pharisee’s complaint of Jesus: He purposefully spent time with “notorious” sinners. A Pharisee was forbidden to be the guest of these kinds of people or to have them as a guest in his house. The Pharisee was even forbidden, so far as it was possible, to have any business dealings with a sinner. It was the deliberate Pharisaic aim to avoid every contact with the people who did not observe the petty details of the law. Obviously, they would be shocked to the core at the way in which Jesus companied with people who were not only rank outsiders, but sinners, contact with whom would necessarily defile.  
• The shepherd was personally responsible for each one of his sheep. If one was attacked by a wild animal, the shepherd went to rescue it or returned with the sheep’s body. It was difficult and dangerous work, exposed to the elements and dangers of the wilderness. 
• The community gathers together, waiting for all the shepherds to return home. The news spreads – one is still out there. And when the last shepherd with his lost sheep are seen in the distance, there is great rejoicing. It is a party! (Sound familiar?)

Life Questions:

• What is Jesus’ motivation for being with sinners? It was more than “get them saved” or “increase His followers.” It was more simple and more profound than that: it was love. Can you imagine loving someone so much that no matter what they did, you could not let them go?  
• Sometimes we tend to “write off” a person that is very far from God. But the incredible truth is that God never gives up on anyone – not you and not the lowliest sinner. Do you know someone whom you think is a lost cause but of whom God is still pursuing? What might you do about it?

Prayer Focus: For tomorrow’s worship celebration, that we would hear the Good News about the Kingdom, and would risk it all for the lost souls.

Tomorrow’s Message Title: “The Church is like a… Search and Rescue Mission.”

Souls of men! why will ye scatter

Like a crowd of frightened sheep?

Foolish hearts! why will ye wander

From a love so true and deep?

Was there ever kindest shepherd

Half so gentle, half so sweet,

As the Savior who would have us

Come and gather round his feet?

For the love of God is broader

Than the measure of man’s mind;

And the heart of the Eternal

Is most wonderfully kind.