This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
This series Core Strength is designed to address various core truths, foundational truths of the Christian faith. It comes out of a spiritual life survey we did with the church back in November of 2014. Thus far in the series we have addressed Scripture, faith, God, Jesus, and today, the Holy Spirit.
Before we jump in, what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear that we’re going to be talking about the Holy Spirit? Pay attention to that and feel free to discuss it with God along the way.
In your group or on your own, what are the texts that you would go to (in the Old Testament and New Testament) that would help describe who the Holy Spirit is?
How does Christianity collapse if the Holy Spirit is taken out of the equation?
Text: Acts 1:4,8 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about…. you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Our text first speaks of the promise that Jesus makes to his disciples, that God will give them the Holy Spirit to empower them to do what He has called them to do. It soon happens in Acts 2.
Acts 4:24-31 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David…Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
This text is all about needing more power to do what God had called them to accomplish in the face of opposition. So the Holy Spirit comes on them a second time.
Our key text last week was 1Timothy 3:16. Mark explained that to be “vindicated” means to be “justified” “(declared righteous), to show, or exhibit.” What was Holy Spirit actually doing to “Vindicate” Jesus? Take a look at Matthew 12:28, Romans 1:4, and 1 Peter 3:18.
The Holy Spirit’s power flowing through Jesus proved who Jesus was.
How does this reality affect how we live as the Church – as Jesus’ Body?
If you’re in a group setting, you might have some interesting dialogue around this topic. Consider this quote:
"Satan has opposed the doctrine of the Spirit-filled life about as bitterly as any doctrine there is. He has confused it, opposed it, surrounded it with false notions and fears. . . . The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people"
(A.W. Tozer, How to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit, Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, n.d.).
What’s your first response to this statement?
Why do you think this statement may or may not be true?
What issues can cloud our understanding of who Holy Spirit is? Could fear influence our interpretation of Scripture regarding Holy Spirit? If so, what distortions are possible?
The Holy Spirit is the person referred to by Jesus as “…the gift…”
Next to Jesus, could Holy Spirit be the most important gift God gives to the church today?
“Do not leave…wait for the gift my Father promised…”
Being head of the Church, He knew what it would take to make it happen. Interestingly, Jesus put a boundary so that they weren’t to run with the visions on their own, but wait. The Holy Spirit’s power enabled men to do what God had planned. It had been talked about, envisioned, planned and the preparations made, but nothing could go ahead and Jesus didn’t let them go ahead until they were empowered by the Spirit of God. Why is that significant to you?
God keeps His promise
Our Heavenly Father does what He promised through Jesus because the disciples waited on God’s method, God’s timing, and God’s power. They did things beyond what was humanly possible as the Spirit of God enabled them to communicate and articulate the message.
In the face of opposition they prayed: “enable your servants to speak…with boldness…”
The need for courage was urgent. So the Holy Spirit comes on them to empower them a second time. Apparently, it’s ok to get “filled” twice? I wonder if this presents any challenge to our thinking or beliefs.
This is great news. God calls us to do his will, but never expects it to be done in human strength. So when we step up to doing His will, we need Him. We need the person of the Holy Spirit who is the power to make it happen. All we have to do is ask, based on His promise and His call on our lives. God pours out His spirit on His people to advance his purposes and build His Kingdom.
In our culture of opportunity & affluence, it’s way too easy to think, “God helps those who help themselves.” But that’s not in God’s vocabulary! God’s reality? He calls us to Himself, to do His will, His way, which He empowers by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is as much as part of God as the Father and Jesus are. The fact is that if you see one, you get a glimpse of the others.
So, the good news? If you need help to do God’s will, there’s Someone whose nature is to unleash the power to make it happen!
That may make you do a double-take the next time you consider what He’s asked you to do. But think of the possibilities if the Holy Spirit pulls it off!
Kent Bandy
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Touching Base, Part 252
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
This series Core Strength is designed to address various core truths, foundational truths of the Christian faith. It comes out of a spiritual life survey we did with the church back in November of 2014. Thus far in the series we have addressed, Scripture, faith, God and today, Jesus Christ.
In your group or on your own, what are the texts that you would go to in the OT and NT that would help describe who Jesus is?
How does Christianity collapse if Jesus is taken out of the equation?
Text: Our key text is 1 Timothy 3:16. This is believed to be an old hymn from the early church. It is a great verse to memorize.
Now before you jump in to v.16 be sure to read the preceding verses. Note that Paul is talking about how people ought to conduct themselves. It is within this context that the question comes up about godliness which leads Paul into quoting this old hymn.
What do we learn about godliness from this text?
He appeared in a body
What makes His (appearance) in a body so unique?
Check out John 20:28, Romans 9:5, Titus 2:11–13
Larry Richards and Clyde Hoeldtke write,
“The doctrine of the Incarnation is distinct and unique to the Christian faith. Many religions speak of appearances of deities in the guise of men or animals. But these are ‘appearances’ only. None takes the startling position of Christianity, which affirms that the God who existed from eternity and who created all things entered His creation to actually become a human being. Yet this is just the radical affirmation of the Christian faith.” (A Theology of Church Leadership [Zondervan], p. 61).
Who in your life would disagree with this and why?
What is their disagreement based on?
Was vindicated by the Spirit
This next line in the hymn clues us in to why he came in flesh. To be vindicated means to be “justified” (or declared righteous), to show, to exhibit. Why would Jesus need to be declared righteous?
The following doctrine helps explain.
“Substitutionary atonement”: The doctrine that Jesus is able to take and pay for the sins of mankind.
Jesus Christ was declared to be the Righteous One who could pay a debt no other person could pay. It was not His debt - He was the Righteous One. Note Romans 1:1-4, Hebrews 2:14-18
Jesus paid a debt we owed. This is very different than what religion teaches. Religion is spelt D-O! Religion teaches that I need to pay that debt by living a good enough life. On the other hand, Christianity is spelt D-O-N-E!. Christianity teaches that God (in a body) paid the debt that I could never pay on my own. To try to pay my own debt would be like offering up a looney in the face of a 1 trillion dollar debt load!
What were you taught as a kid growing up about your debt to God, about how that debt would be paid?
Why is it so hard for some to rest in what God in Christ has DONE for them?
Was seen by angels
The mystery of godliness transcends the physical and encompasses the spiritual realm. You can almost imagine a standing ovation being given by the angelic hosts!
Was preached among the nations
What did they preach? They preached “done” versus “do”.
Was believed on in the world
What did “belief” mean?
What are some of the “cheaper” versions of belief?
What has believing meant for you?
Again look at the text and you will see what belief means. For Paul belief was not just cheap insincere words or a time in the past that has no implications for today. Belief meant to trust Christ for what he has done, repent and live differently. We see this pattern of living differently in the final line and in the larger context of this text.
Was taken up to glory
This refers to the bodily ascension of the risen Lord Jesus. It is put last, out of chronological sequence, because “it is the crown of his exaltation” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible [Revell], VI:818). Now He is seated at the right hand of the Father, with all authority in heaven and earth. As the angels promised, one day He will return to earth in the same manner as He ascended: visibly, bodily, in power and glory.
We might think great, He rules and reigns, and yes that is true. But don’t forget why Paul quotes this hymn. Paul’s point in verse 16, then, is that the incarnate Son of God reveals the Father to us. And the connection between verse 16 and verse 15 is, just as Jesus reveals God, even so ... The church that believes, you and I reveal Christ to the world (3:14-15). We are the visible expression to the world of the Savior who is presently in heaven. What an awesome responsibility, one that only can be fulfilled as one is empowered by the Holy Spirit which is next week’s foundational truth.
So what is the big idea? Jesus Christ, Superstar!
He is the foundation of the Church, the anchor of our salvation, the face of God to the world, the One who appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believe on in the world, was taken up in glory.
I don’t know about you, but for me this certainly qualifies as superstar status!
Mark Kotchapaw
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
This series Core Strength is designed to address various core truths, foundational truths of the Christian faith. It comes out of a spiritual life survey we did with the church back in November of 2014. Thus far in the series we have addressed, Scripture, faith, God and today, Jesus Christ.
In your group or on your own, what are the texts that you would go to in the OT and NT that would help describe who Jesus is?
How does Christianity collapse if Jesus is taken out of the equation?
Text: Our key text is 1 Timothy 3:16. This is believed to be an old hymn from the early church. It is a great verse to memorize.
Now before you jump in to v.16 be sure to read the preceding verses. Note that Paul is talking about how people ought to conduct themselves. It is within this context that the question comes up about godliness which leads Paul into quoting this old hymn.
What do we learn about godliness from this text?
He appeared in a body
What makes His (appearance) in a body so unique?
Check out John 20:28, Romans 9:5, Titus 2:11–13
Larry Richards and Clyde Hoeldtke write,
“The doctrine of the Incarnation is distinct and unique to the Christian faith. Many religions speak of appearances of deities in the guise of men or animals. But these are ‘appearances’ only. None takes the startling position of Christianity, which affirms that the God who existed from eternity and who created all things entered His creation to actually become a human being. Yet this is just the radical affirmation of the Christian faith.” (A Theology of Church Leadership [Zondervan], p. 61).
Who in your life would disagree with this and why?
What is their disagreement based on?
Was vindicated by the Spirit
This next line in the hymn clues us in to why he came in flesh. To be vindicated means to be “justified” (or declared righteous), to show, to exhibit. Why would Jesus need to be declared righteous?
The following doctrine helps explain.
“Substitutionary atonement”: The doctrine that Jesus is able to take and pay for the sins of mankind.
Jesus Christ was declared to be the Righteous One who could pay a debt no other person could pay. It was not His debt - He was the Righteous One. Note Romans 1:1-4, Hebrews 2:14-18
Jesus paid a debt we owed. This is very different than what religion teaches. Religion is spelt D-O! Religion teaches that I need to pay that debt by living a good enough life. On the other hand, Christianity is spelt D-O-N-E!. Christianity teaches that God (in a body) paid the debt that I could never pay on my own. To try to pay my own debt would be like offering up a looney in the face of a 1 trillion dollar debt load!
What were you taught as a kid growing up about your debt to God, about how that debt would be paid?
Why is it so hard for some to rest in what God in Christ has DONE for them?
Was seen by angels
The mystery of godliness transcends the physical and encompasses the spiritual realm. You can almost imagine a standing ovation being given by the angelic hosts!
Was preached among the nations
What did they preach? They preached “done” versus “do”.
Was believed on in the world
What did “belief” mean?
What are some of the “cheaper” versions of belief?
What has believing meant for you?
Again look at the text and you will see what belief means. For Paul belief was not just cheap insincere words or a time in the past that has no implications for today. Belief meant to trust Christ for what he has done, repent and live differently. We see this pattern of living differently in the final line and in the larger context of this text.
Was taken up to glory
This refers to the bodily ascension of the risen Lord Jesus. It is put last, out of chronological sequence, because “it is the crown of his exaltation” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible [Revell], VI:818). Now He is seated at the right hand of the Father, with all authority in heaven and earth. As the angels promised, one day He will return to earth in the same manner as He ascended: visibly, bodily, in power and glory.
We might think great, He rules and reigns, and yes that is true. But don’t forget why Paul quotes this hymn. Paul’s point in verse 16, then, is that the incarnate Son of God reveals the Father to us. And the connection between verse 16 and verse 15 is, just as Jesus reveals God, even so ... The church that believes, you and I reveal Christ to the world (3:14-15). We are the visible expression to the world of the Savior who is presently in heaven. What an awesome responsibility, one that only can be fulfilled as one is empowered by the Holy Spirit which is next week’s foundational truth.
So what is the big idea? Jesus Christ, Superstar!
He is the foundation of the Church, the anchor of our salvation, the face of God to the world, the One who appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believe on in the world, was taken up in glory.
I don’t know about you, but for me this certainly qualifies as superstar status!
Mark Kotchapaw
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Touching Base, Part 251
TB 251
God (and Donkeys)
05 Oct 14
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
“God in 30 minutes.” That’s essentially this Sunday’s sermon, although that’s not the exact title. It sounds downright irreverent, but God is, nevertheless, the topic this week in our series on Core Strength, sermons on foundational truths.
So try “God on one page, double-sided”. That’s essentially this week’s Touching Base. Read on.
The Bible itself gives several summaries of God: who He is, what He’s up to generally, and His plans for humankind.
Read Acts 7 where Stephen, his face shining like an angel, gives a short history lesson to a Jewish audience of God’s acts for the previous 2000 years (some of the most eloquent and profound last words). Read Acts 17:22-34 where Paul, standing on Athens’ Areopagus, gives a short philosophy lesson on God’s nature to a Gentile audience. Need it shorter? Read Hebrews 1:1-3.
Less than 150 words so far. We could stop now. Just read the above passages or go for the whole Bible. You will find out about God.
But if you want something in between the little speeches of Acts and the whole Genesis-Revelation package, we’ll keep going.
And talk about donkeys.
Back near the beginning of the Bible in Numbers 22-24, the Israelites have been wandering around the desert for years. They’ve been spectacularly unbelieving and even their leader, Moses, has sinned and won’t be allowed to enter the Promised Land.
But the Israelites forge ahead and gather to travel through Moab. The King of Moab is terrified because he sees how many Israelites there are. So he resorts to a very ancient practice and summons a famous diviner named Balaam to come (possibly a long way and for a handsome reward) to curse the threatening Israelites and so bring defeat upon them.
Balaam rides his old donkey on his way to carry out this mercenary curse-for-hire. If you’re not familiar with the story or don’t hear the sermon, read Numbers 22:22-35. It’s a good read, and unexpected. After the donkey annoys Balaam three times with Balaam responding angrily, Yahweh opens the donkey’s mouth and it says, “What have I done to you to deserve these beatings?”
“You have made a fool of me!” Balaam shoots back.
“Haven’t I been a faithful old ass? Do I usually do this kind of thing?” asks the donkey rhetorically.
“You have, and no,” Balaam admits.
Then he, too, sees the angel of Yahweh.
When Balaam arrives in Moab, God then opens Balaam’s mouth – and out come blessings, over and over, on God’s people. The King of Moab who hired Balaam isn’t impressed, but on the blessings go anyway. Finally, the King, exasperated, tells Balaam to just stop – “don’t curse them or bless them at all!” – and then to go home. He then adds, not surprisingly, “Yahweh has kept you from being rewarded.”
The God Who Acts:
The Old Testament isn’t the story of Adam, or Abraham, or Joseph, or Moses, or David. It is the story of Yahweh. He is the central character and it is His character that is developed.
In this story, God is not abstract. The story doesn’t go about attempting to prove the existence of Yahweh to the pagan diviner, Balaam, by proofs and argument. Instead, Balaam sees God’s actions and is forced to shout, “What hath God wrought!” or “See what God has done!” This God acts – donkeys speak – and acts for his own – God protects them from temporal armies and from the curses of the spirit world.
Question: What attributes of God does this story illustrate?
Powerful… frightening… having a sense of humour…? Perhaps.
Sovereign… incomparable… unchanging? Certainly.
All of the above quickly come to mind (not quite accurately) as “Old Testament” attributes of God. Would the adjectives “Loving” and “Triune” jump to mind?
Love:
If you read through Genesis – that part of Scripture we tend to think of as rife with wise old bearded men with a God to match – you will find that the history is full of Yahweh as loving and extraordinarily merciful.
The pagan, Balaam, with little previous knowledge of Yahweh before meeting Him in the road, extols the attributes of Yahweh without full understanding. I picture him listening to himself as he opens his mouth and emits the poetic blessings and marveling at who this God is with whom he is unwittingly tangling far from home while overlooking the wilderness.
“The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them,” Balaam proclaims of the Israelites. The One who is giving him the oracles is actually among the people down below in the plain; He is on their side. “See,” Balaam shouts for anyone listening, “what God has done!”
Read Deuteronomy 23:5
Later, in the midst of lists of Jewish Laws in Deuteronomy, a reflection on the story of Balaam once again illuminates God: “The Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you” (emphasis mine). This verse is an important explanatory footnote. It is the backstory you cannot help but infer when reading about Balaam, but it’s still comforting to get it in writing – and literally in a legal document as well. It couldn’t be plainer.
Triune:
Read Numbers 24:2-4 and 17
“Triune” means “three in one”. We often think of God the Father as the default position of God, the God of the Old Testament who created everything, called Abraham out of Haran, and gave Moses the Ten Commandments. But that is quite one-sided (just one of three sides, actually).
When Balaam is about to proclaim his third oracle, “the Spirit of God came upon Balaam…” (24:2). The Spirit Himself comes upon the pagan diviner and it is then that he can refer to himself as one whose “eye is opened,” one who “hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty,” whose eyes are “uncovered”.
And a little later: “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (24:17). Many commentators, including Irenaeus, a Church Father as early as the 2nd century, thought this prophecy referred to Jesus, the Messiah, God the Son.
It’s quite a view of God that a pagan from Pethor and his donkey were privileged with that day.
I must include one more brief donkey story to be complete.
Find and read Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in any of the four Gospels (or all of them, as they’re short).
It’s another story of a donkey doing the unexpected. The first one talked. This one is young and untamed and likely lively and skittish and yet lets a man ride on it while people shout loudly on either side and even throw coats and branches near it. The star of Jacob, the bright and morning star, the scepter of Israel, the King Himself comes riding in on this donkey.
No fiery angel blocked the way for that donkey that day. No, the angels were surely standing back watching history unfold before their eyes. No drawn sword blocked the way. The gates of Hell could not have barred the route from the Mount of Olives, though they undoubtedly tried. The donkey didn’t turn right or left or lie down. As it did in Numbers 22, it obeyed God, but this time God was sitting on its back. The King whose shout among His people so astonished Balaam, the God of power and incomparability and sovereignty that protected the Israelites from their enemies was now quiet, “humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden” (Matthew 21:5). The only shouts came from the crowds lining the way: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The Big Idea this week?: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are active and loving. We will spend eternity trying to fathom each of those words.
Question: What attributes or names of God do you most associate with Him? Are there ones you’ve heard in Scripture but can’t understand or try to avoid?
Question: God is the main character of the Old and New Testaments, the one who acts, the one to be reckoned with, the one who protects His own, the one driving history with purpose moment-by-moment, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He reveals Himself in these stories by acting. In your story, do you know of Him in the abstract, or can you think of times when He has shown Himself to you by His actions?
Aside for discussion: Is a talking donkey hard to believe? Read 2 Peter 15-16, where Peter refers to the donkey’s speech. (How is it that the parts of the Old Testament that some find “fantastical” are cited in the New Testament, sometimes by Jesus Himself – the creation of Adam and Eve, Jonah and the whale, Balaam’s donkey?) Which is harder to believe? – a donkey that speaks plain donkey opinions, or a famous pagan diviner hired for pay to curse but who blesses?
Eric Prost
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
God (and Donkeys)
05 Oct 14
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
“God in 30 minutes.” That’s essentially this Sunday’s sermon, although that’s not the exact title. It sounds downright irreverent, but God is, nevertheless, the topic this week in our series on Core Strength, sermons on foundational truths.
So try “God on one page, double-sided”. That’s essentially this week’s Touching Base. Read on.
The Bible itself gives several summaries of God: who He is, what He’s up to generally, and His plans for humankind.
Read Acts 7 where Stephen, his face shining like an angel, gives a short history lesson to a Jewish audience of God’s acts for the previous 2000 years (some of the most eloquent and profound last words). Read Acts 17:22-34 where Paul, standing on Athens’ Areopagus, gives a short philosophy lesson on God’s nature to a Gentile audience. Need it shorter? Read Hebrews 1:1-3.
Less than 150 words so far. We could stop now. Just read the above passages or go for the whole Bible. You will find out about God.
But if you want something in between the little speeches of Acts and the whole Genesis-Revelation package, we’ll keep going.
And talk about donkeys.
Back near the beginning of the Bible in Numbers 22-24, the Israelites have been wandering around the desert for years. They’ve been spectacularly unbelieving and even their leader, Moses, has sinned and won’t be allowed to enter the Promised Land.
But the Israelites forge ahead and gather to travel through Moab. The King of Moab is terrified because he sees how many Israelites there are. So he resorts to a very ancient practice and summons a famous diviner named Balaam to come (possibly a long way and for a handsome reward) to curse the threatening Israelites and so bring defeat upon them.
Balaam rides his old donkey on his way to carry out this mercenary curse-for-hire. If you’re not familiar with the story or don’t hear the sermon, read Numbers 22:22-35. It’s a good read, and unexpected. After the donkey annoys Balaam three times with Balaam responding angrily, Yahweh opens the donkey’s mouth and it says, “What have I done to you to deserve these beatings?”
“You have made a fool of me!” Balaam shoots back.
“Haven’t I been a faithful old ass? Do I usually do this kind of thing?” asks the donkey rhetorically.
“You have, and no,” Balaam admits.
Then he, too, sees the angel of Yahweh.
When Balaam arrives in Moab, God then opens Balaam’s mouth – and out come blessings, over and over, on God’s people. The King of Moab who hired Balaam isn’t impressed, but on the blessings go anyway. Finally, the King, exasperated, tells Balaam to just stop – “don’t curse them or bless them at all!” – and then to go home. He then adds, not surprisingly, “Yahweh has kept you from being rewarded.”
The God Who Acts:
The Old Testament isn’t the story of Adam, or Abraham, or Joseph, or Moses, or David. It is the story of Yahweh. He is the central character and it is His character that is developed.
In this story, God is not abstract. The story doesn’t go about attempting to prove the existence of Yahweh to the pagan diviner, Balaam, by proofs and argument. Instead, Balaam sees God’s actions and is forced to shout, “What hath God wrought!” or “See what God has done!” This God acts – donkeys speak – and acts for his own – God protects them from temporal armies and from the curses of the spirit world.
Question: What attributes of God does this story illustrate?
Powerful… frightening… having a sense of humour…? Perhaps.
Sovereign… incomparable… unchanging? Certainly.
All of the above quickly come to mind (not quite accurately) as “Old Testament” attributes of God. Would the adjectives “Loving” and “Triune” jump to mind?
Love:
If you read through Genesis – that part of Scripture we tend to think of as rife with wise old bearded men with a God to match – you will find that the history is full of Yahweh as loving and extraordinarily merciful.
The pagan, Balaam, with little previous knowledge of Yahweh before meeting Him in the road, extols the attributes of Yahweh without full understanding. I picture him listening to himself as he opens his mouth and emits the poetic blessings and marveling at who this God is with whom he is unwittingly tangling far from home while overlooking the wilderness.
“The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them,” Balaam proclaims of the Israelites. The One who is giving him the oracles is actually among the people down below in the plain; He is on their side. “See,” Balaam shouts for anyone listening, “what God has done!”
Read Deuteronomy 23:5
Later, in the midst of lists of Jewish Laws in Deuteronomy, a reflection on the story of Balaam once again illuminates God: “The Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you” (emphasis mine). This verse is an important explanatory footnote. It is the backstory you cannot help but infer when reading about Balaam, but it’s still comforting to get it in writing – and literally in a legal document as well. It couldn’t be plainer.
Triune:
Read Numbers 24:2-4 and 17
“Triune” means “three in one”. We often think of God the Father as the default position of God, the God of the Old Testament who created everything, called Abraham out of Haran, and gave Moses the Ten Commandments. But that is quite one-sided (just one of three sides, actually).
When Balaam is about to proclaim his third oracle, “the Spirit of God came upon Balaam…” (24:2). The Spirit Himself comes upon the pagan diviner and it is then that he can refer to himself as one whose “eye is opened,” one who “hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty,” whose eyes are “uncovered”.
And a little later: “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (24:17). Many commentators, including Irenaeus, a Church Father as early as the 2nd century, thought this prophecy referred to Jesus, the Messiah, God the Son.
It’s quite a view of God that a pagan from Pethor and his donkey were privileged with that day.
I must include one more brief donkey story to be complete.
Find and read Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in any of the four Gospels (or all of them, as they’re short).
It’s another story of a donkey doing the unexpected. The first one talked. This one is young and untamed and likely lively and skittish and yet lets a man ride on it while people shout loudly on either side and even throw coats and branches near it. The star of Jacob, the bright and morning star, the scepter of Israel, the King Himself comes riding in on this donkey.
No fiery angel blocked the way for that donkey that day. No, the angels were surely standing back watching history unfold before their eyes. No drawn sword blocked the way. The gates of Hell could not have barred the route from the Mount of Olives, though they undoubtedly tried. The donkey didn’t turn right or left or lie down. As it did in Numbers 22, it obeyed God, but this time God was sitting on its back. The King whose shout among His people so astonished Balaam, the God of power and incomparability and sovereignty that protected the Israelites from their enemies was now quiet, “humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden” (Matthew 21:5). The only shouts came from the crowds lining the way: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The Big Idea this week?: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are active and loving. We will spend eternity trying to fathom each of those words.
Question: What attributes or names of God do you most associate with Him? Are there ones you’ve heard in Scripture but can’t understand or try to avoid?
Question: God is the main character of the Old and New Testaments, the one who acts, the one to be reckoned with, the one who protects His own, the one driving history with purpose moment-by-moment, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He reveals Himself in these stories by acting. In your story, do you know of Him in the abstract, or can you think of times when He has shown Himself to you by His actions?
Aside for discussion: Is a talking donkey hard to believe? Read 2 Peter 15-16, where Peter refers to the donkey’s speech. (How is it that the parts of the Old Testament that some find “fantastical” are cited in the New Testament, sometimes by Jesus Himself – the creation of Adam and Eve, Jonah and the whale, Balaam’s donkey?) Which is harder to believe? – a donkey that speaks plain donkey opinions, or a famous pagan diviner hired for pay to curse but who blesses?
Eric Prost
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
Friday, September 26, 2014
Touching Base, Part 250
Core Strength, Part 2
FAITH FACTOR: A RESPONSE TO REALITY
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
Big Idea: Faith in God is a Response to Reality.
Question: If you were asked to explain what it means to have faith in God, what would you say?
Text: Matthew 16:13-17
For many of the New Atheists, such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, faith in God is blind trust, it is crazy and, at its worst, it is dangerous.
We might not share the same type of emotion that someone like Richard Dawkins carries, but there is a sense in which many of us do think that faith is a bit silly. So, what is the Christian understanding of faith?
The Christian understanding of faith could be understood in three themes:
- Believing (i.e. believing certain things to be true; I believe there is a God.)
- Trusting (i.e. God is trustworthy)
- Receiving (i.e. receiving God’s invitation into a personal relationship.)
A big point to understand here is that faith in God is NOT ‘the ability to believe in things even when you have no idea whether they are true or not’. (See Beyond Opinion, “Conversational Apologetics”, p.138.)
In Matthew 16:13-17, we see that Peter makes a bold declaration of who he believes Jesus is: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”(v.16b) One of the interesting things to glean from this story is why Peter makes such a statement. Given that Peter and his friends have been with Christ for quite sometime now, they have witnessed miracles, have shared meals with Christ, listened to his teachings, Peter utters this statement—a statement of faith—because of the evidence he has seen; not in spite of it. It is in this way that faith in God is evidence-based belief. Faith in God is not antithetical to evidence. It is rooted in knowing who God is.
A hugely important question we need to ask ourselves when we talk about faith is, do we know this God? Do we really know Him?
But there are challenges to our faith. What do we do when our beliefs seem to collide with what we experience or feel? What does Christianity have to say to all the wrong we observe and the wrong we experience?
a) Christianity says that evil is real and that it is wrong. These two points, the reality of evil and the wrongness of it are important to note, especially since many faiths and systems of belief do not share this view. Many streams of Eastern thought teach that suffering or pain is illusory. Pain is an illusion, many will say. Hard atheism tells us that evil may be real, but it is not necessarily wrong; it just is.
b) Christianity tells us that God looks at evil and sees that it is real and wrong, but that He has also done something about it. He got involved in the problem! Jesus Christ dying on a cross tells us that God is not one who is distant from pain. He knows the problem intimately.
c) Christ’s resurrection tells us that the world that is—a world full of pain and evil—is not the world that will be.
Summary:
What does it mean to have faith in God?
Faith in God centres on the fact that God is there! He is trustworthy and we can have a personal relationship with Him. This relationship is one that brings us hope; a hope that sustains us day to day.
Helpful resources:
Os Guinness, God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt (Crossway, 1996).
Ravi Zacharias, Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend, Reprint (Thomas Nelson, 2010).
Websites: www.rzim.ca; www.rzim.org; www.rzim.eu; www.bethinking.org.
Nathan Betts
Apologist, RZIM Canada
Twitter: @nathanbetts09
Website: www.rzim.ca
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
FAITH FACTOR: A RESPONSE TO REALITY
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
Big Idea: Faith in God is a Response to Reality.
Question: If you were asked to explain what it means to have faith in God, what would you say?
Text: Matthew 16:13-17
For many of the New Atheists, such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, faith in God is blind trust, it is crazy and, at its worst, it is dangerous.
We might not share the same type of emotion that someone like Richard Dawkins carries, but there is a sense in which many of us do think that faith is a bit silly. So, what is the Christian understanding of faith?
The Christian understanding of faith could be understood in three themes:
- Believing (i.e. believing certain things to be true; I believe there is a God.)
- Trusting (i.e. God is trustworthy)
- Receiving (i.e. receiving God’s invitation into a personal relationship.)
A big point to understand here is that faith in God is NOT ‘the ability to believe in things even when you have no idea whether they are true or not’. (See Beyond Opinion, “Conversational Apologetics”, p.138.)
In Matthew 16:13-17, we see that Peter makes a bold declaration of who he believes Jesus is: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”(v.16b) One of the interesting things to glean from this story is why Peter makes such a statement. Given that Peter and his friends have been with Christ for quite sometime now, they have witnessed miracles, have shared meals with Christ, listened to his teachings, Peter utters this statement—a statement of faith—because of the evidence he has seen; not in spite of it. It is in this way that faith in God is evidence-based belief. Faith in God is not antithetical to evidence. It is rooted in knowing who God is.
A hugely important question we need to ask ourselves when we talk about faith is, do we know this God? Do we really know Him?
But there are challenges to our faith. What do we do when our beliefs seem to collide with what we experience or feel? What does Christianity have to say to all the wrong we observe and the wrong we experience?
a) Christianity says that evil is real and that it is wrong. These two points, the reality of evil and the wrongness of it are important to note, especially since many faiths and systems of belief do not share this view. Many streams of Eastern thought teach that suffering or pain is illusory. Pain is an illusion, many will say. Hard atheism tells us that evil may be real, but it is not necessarily wrong; it just is.
b) Christianity tells us that God looks at evil and sees that it is real and wrong, but that He has also done something about it. He got involved in the problem! Jesus Christ dying on a cross tells us that God is not one who is distant from pain. He knows the problem intimately.
c) Christ’s resurrection tells us that the world that is—a world full of pain and evil—is not the world that will be.
Summary:
What does it mean to have faith in God?
Faith in God centres on the fact that God is there! He is trustworthy and we can have a personal relationship with Him. This relationship is one that brings us hope; a hope that sustains us day to day.
Helpful resources:
Os Guinness, God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt (Crossway, 1996).
Ravi Zacharias, Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend, Reprint (Thomas Nelson, 2010).
Websites: www.rzim.ca; www.rzim.org; www.rzim.eu; www.bethinking.org.
Nathan Betts
Apologist, RZIM Canada
Twitter: @nathanbetts09
Website: www.rzim.ca
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
Friday, September 19, 2014
Touching Base, Part 249
TB 249
CORE STRENGTH - FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS TO OUR FAITH
Part 1 - The Word and the Core
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
Big Idea: God’s Word Does God’s Work in the Heart of God’s People.
Question: How does God’s Word help build “core strength”?
Text: 2 Timothy 3:15-17
Today we kick off our “Core Strength” series with a topic that is crucial to your growth as a Christ follower.
Discuss the following:
“About one in seven Canadian Christians, or 14%, read the Bible at least once per week. The majority of Canadians, including those who identify themselves as Christians, read the Bible either seldom or never.” Hiemstra, Rick, Confidence, Conversation and Community: Bible Engagement in Canada, 2013
How do you stack up against the stats?
What do you think is the foundational issue for why so many Christ followers are not in the word?
What are the dangers?
The dilemma we find ourselves in is that the Word of God is the main way believers grow. It is the number one catalyst for spiritual growth. So where does that leave the believer if they are not in the Word?
Today we want to look how the Bible develops core strength in the believer.
Context
Note the context of our key text. In 3:1-10 and chapter 4 Paul is talking about godlessness in the last days. So the instruction to be in the word is one way to remain godly when so many are simply listening to what their “itching ears” (4:3) want to hear. Also notice another set of book-ends that describe the function of the word:
- Function #1 3:15 Salvation- Timothy had a sound knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures, which he had received from his grandmother and his mother, and he believed those Scriptures to be the inspired Word of God (2 Tim 1:5) Note this is a great commentary on the OT. That is all Timothy would have been exposed to until the NT Scriptures arose. This text can tell you how to get right with God.
- Function #2 3:17 Thoroughly equipped - Thoroughly – “artios”—“complete, capable, proficient in the sense of being able to meet all demands” and Equipped - To drive home his point still more emphatically Paul added equipped (exērtismenos, “furnished” or fitted out-) for every good work.
Note: The intention of the Word is not just to make us right with God(salvation) but to grow us up in that salvation (thoroughly equipped). You don’t read the word to stay where you are but to grow where God wants you to grow.
How does the Bible develop core strength in the believer?
Teach
Didaskalia- instruction, doctrines. There is an instructional aspect to the word. It can be like reading an instructional manual to put a new purchase together. The Bible instructs on how to put life together.
As a group brainstorm on all the issues that the word of God teaches on?
What particular teaching has been especially helpful to you in a certain chapter of life?
Rebuke
Here is where the heat is turned up.
Rebuke- An act of criticism and censure, to expose. The process of teaching reveals knowledge that I did not have, but also habits , attitudes, values and beliefs that I possess that are incorrect.
What do these first two functions of the word of God reveal about the nature of man? The nature of the word reflects on the nature and need of man. We are broken and one of the functions of the word is to expose and critique issues in our lives that are inconsistent with our liberation/salvation.
Talk about a time in your life where you argued with God over what it was saying and how it was challenging a particular issue in your life.
Do you believe people see the word as a book of liberation or oppression? Justify your answer.
Correct
This is a great word. The idea behind it is IMPROVEMENT. The act of offering an improvement (according to a standard) to replace a mistake. It is the idea of setting something right- which is so much the heart of God
In the NT “ὀρθός” is used in the healing of the lame man at Ac. 14:10 in the sense of “standing up straight.”
Paul sees the faith of the sick man and orders him: “Stand up straight on your feet.” Heb 12:12,13 quotes Prov.
4:26-How has God’s word introduced you to a better way when it comes to attitudes, values, relational patterns, marriage, sexuality, etc.?
Train in Righteousness
Training- The words “paideía” and “paideúō” relate to the upbringing of children, who need direction, teaching, instruction, and discipline
Righteousness- A life or lifestyle in conformity to justice, law, or morality as given by God. Jesus is the
ultimate example of righteousness.
Training implies repeated action- coming to the word, time and time again and training. Training includes not just my personal time in the word but my community time in the word.
“Our study found that reflection on the meaning of the Bible for people's lives is an important kind of Bible engagement, but that conversation with others about the meaning of the Bible is the key factor in deepening Bible engagement. “ Hiemstra, Rick Confidence, Conversation and Community: Bible Engagement in Canada, 2013
Talk about your group (assuming you are in a group) and its effectiveness in helping you get into the Word.
What could your group do better in helping the group be Biblically-centered?
What kind of help do you need to be in the Word daily?
Ask your friends, those in your group about what they do, tools they use to daily read and reflect on
God’s Word.
Check out the app I use- https://www.youversion.com/
Start today if you haven’t already to develop your core by being in the word.
Mark Kotchapaw
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
CORE STRENGTH - FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS TO OUR FAITH
Part 1 - The Word and the Core
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
Big Idea: God’s Word Does God’s Work in the Heart of God’s People.
Question: How does God’s Word help build “core strength”?
Text: 2 Timothy 3:15-17
Today we kick off our “Core Strength” series with a topic that is crucial to your growth as a Christ follower.
Discuss the following:
“About one in seven Canadian Christians, or 14%, read the Bible at least once per week. The majority of Canadians, including those who identify themselves as Christians, read the Bible either seldom or never.” Hiemstra, Rick, Confidence, Conversation and Community: Bible Engagement in Canada, 2013
How do you stack up against the stats?
What do you think is the foundational issue for why so many Christ followers are not in the word?
What are the dangers?
The dilemma we find ourselves in is that the Word of God is the main way believers grow. It is the number one catalyst for spiritual growth. So where does that leave the believer if they are not in the Word?
Today we want to look how the Bible develops core strength in the believer.
Context
Note the context of our key text. In 3:1-10 and chapter 4 Paul is talking about godlessness in the last days. So the instruction to be in the word is one way to remain godly when so many are simply listening to what their “itching ears” (4:3) want to hear. Also notice another set of book-ends that describe the function of the word:
- Function #1 3:15 Salvation- Timothy had a sound knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures, which he had received from his grandmother and his mother, and he believed those Scriptures to be the inspired Word of God (2 Tim 1:5) Note this is a great commentary on the OT. That is all Timothy would have been exposed to until the NT Scriptures arose. This text can tell you how to get right with God.
- Function #2 3:17 Thoroughly equipped - Thoroughly – “artios”—“complete, capable, proficient in the sense of being able to meet all demands” and Equipped - To drive home his point still more emphatically Paul added equipped (exērtismenos, “furnished” or fitted out-) for every good work.
Note: The intention of the Word is not just to make us right with God(salvation) but to grow us up in that salvation (thoroughly equipped). You don’t read the word to stay where you are but to grow where God wants you to grow.
How does the Bible develop core strength in the believer?
Teach
Didaskalia- instruction, doctrines. There is an instructional aspect to the word. It can be like reading an instructional manual to put a new purchase together. The Bible instructs on how to put life together.
As a group brainstorm on all the issues that the word of God teaches on?
What particular teaching has been especially helpful to you in a certain chapter of life?
Rebuke
Here is where the heat is turned up.
Rebuke- An act of criticism and censure, to expose. The process of teaching reveals knowledge that I did not have, but also habits , attitudes, values and beliefs that I possess that are incorrect.
What do these first two functions of the word of God reveal about the nature of man? The nature of the word reflects on the nature and need of man. We are broken and one of the functions of the word is to expose and critique issues in our lives that are inconsistent with our liberation/salvation.
Talk about a time in your life where you argued with God over what it was saying and how it was challenging a particular issue in your life.
Do you believe people see the word as a book of liberation or oppression? Justify your answer.
Correct
This is a great word. The idea behind it is IMPROVEMENT. The act of offering an improvement (according to a standard) to replace a mistake. It is the idea of setting something right- which is so much the heart of God
In the NT “ὀρθός” is used in the healing of the lame man at Ac. 14:10 in the sense of “standing up straight.”
Paul sees the faith of the sick man and orders him: “Stand up straight on your feet.” Heb 12:12,13 quotes Prov.
4:26-How has God’s word introduced you to a better way when it comes to attitudes, values, relational patterns, marriage, sexuality, etc.?
Train in Righteousness
Training- The words “paideía” and “paideúō” relate to the upbringing of children, who need direction, teaching, instruction, and discipline
Righteousness- A life or lifestyle in conformity to justice, law, or morality as given by God. Jesus is the
ultimate example of righteousness.
Training implies repeated action- coming to the word, time and time again and training. Training includes not just my personal time in the word but my community time in the word.
“Our study found that reflection on the meaning of the Bible for people's lives is an important kind of Bible engagement, but that conversation with others about the meaning of the Bible is the key factor in deepening Bible engagement. “ Hiemstra, Rick Confidence, Conversation and Community: Bible Engagement in Canada, 2013
Talk about your group (assuming you are in a group) and its effectiveness in helping you get into the Word.
What could your group do better in helping the group be Biblically-centered?
What kind of help do you need to be in the Word daily?
Ask your friends, those in your group about what they do, tools they use to daily read and reflect on
God’s Word.
Check out the app I use- https://www.youversion.com/
Start today if you haven’t already to develop your core by being in the word.
Mark Kotchapaw
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
Friday, August 15, 2014
Touching Base, Part 248
17 Aug 14
What Does a Moment in Time Reveal about Who or What Has Authority Over Your Heart?
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
Hearts can be tenuous to say the least. Moments in time can reveal what or who has authority over the human heart. A moment in time can reveal that a heart is healthy, or a moment in time can reveal that a heart is sick, weak and vulnerable.
Jesus knew about the human heart and how it responds to the Word of God. In our text, Jesus talks about four different kinds of “heart soils” and what (or who) has authority over the human heart.
Big Idea: A moment in time demonstrates who or what has authority.
Question: What controls or has authority over your heart?
Text: Luke 8:1-15
HEART #1 - THE HARDENED HEART
Jesus identifies this heart in verse 5 and explains it in verse 12.
In the Middle East, conditions are already dry. The path is the place where farmers walk, where sheep make their way to water and grass. The path ran through the common fields, separating the plots, and the foot traffic hardened the soil. The path is hard and dry, and the seeds don’t have a chance
What Jesus states clearly with this heart (but is certainly implied in the next two hearts) is that there is a spiritual dynamic that shapes our heart. The enemy uses people, places and things to damage our hearts.
What do you note about this heart? What are your observations? I think we would miss a major point of application if we did not realize that the enemy can also harden the heart of a believer. There are many believers walking around with an unhealthy heart.
What does the enemy use to harden the human heart?
Would you not agree that life can harden your heart very easily if you don’t guard it?
Have you ever noticed hardness in a heart, your heart?
What does that hardness look like?
A moment in time demonstrates who or what has authority. For some, it is hardness and the cause of that hardness that holds the ultimate authority in the human heart. The seed bounces off this kind of heart.
HEART #2 - THE SHALLOW HEART
Jesus identifies this heart in verse 6 and explains it in verse 13.
In many parts of the Holy Land you find a substratum of limestone covered with a thin layer of soil (like Kingston). The shoot can grow up, but the roots cannot go down, and the sun withers the rootless plant.
How much time has this person invested in the Word?
What are their disciplines like when it comes to spending time in God’s Word?
A moment in time demonstrates who or what has authority. What has authority over this heart? What do the roots reveal about authority? I would sum up what has authority with two words – “EASY BELIEVISM”. This person has bought the lie that says I can say yes to Jesus but there is not much beyond the yes. These kinds of people may look back at a moment in time when they said yes to Jesus but every moment since has indicated that they don’t invest in the Word. They have set their spiritual life on auto pilot and think that they will safely arrive. The result is that they will crash. “Easy believism” will put you in the ditch.
HEART #3 - THE CLUTTERED HEART
Jesus identifies this heart in verse 7 and explains it in verse 14.
Someone said a long time ago that if the Devil can’t make you sin, he will make you busy, because either way your soul will shrivel. Our world will divert your soul’s attention because it is a cluttered world. And clutter is maybe the most dangerous result, because it’s so subtle.
Note how Jesus gets specific with the clutter - worries, riches, pleasure.
What has authority over this heart?
Here is a clue - What is choking the life out of this person? Would you not say that, if you can choke someone to death. you probably have a degree of authority or control over that person?
I would sum up what has authority in one word - IDOLATRY. Idolatry can refer to when good things become ultimate things.
What happens when those idols fail us?
“If you live for career and you don’t do well it may punish you all of your life, and you will feel like a failure. If you live for your children and they don’t turn out all right you could be absolutely in torment because you feel worthless as a person.”
Tim Keller
Only if your identity is built on God and his love, says Kierkegaard, can you have a self that can venture anything, and face anything.
A moment in time demonstrates who or what has authority. Unfortunately for this heart idolatry is fully in charge.
HEART #4 - THE HEALTHY HEART
Jesus identifies this heart in verse 8 and explains it in verse 15.
Note the contrast with the other hearts.
• Good soil versus - hard, shallow, cluttered
• Good harvest versus- trampled, fall away, choked
• Good focus (persevere) versus death on all three accounts.
What has authority over this heart?
Describe what it is like for this person to hear or read the Word of God? What describes their response to it?
What is your heart attached to?
What does a moment in time demonstrate about what your heart is attached to?
What did this week at work, at school, when no one was looking demonstrate what your heart is attached to?
What does how you treat others demonstrate about what your heart is attached to?
What does your marriage indicate about what your heart is attached to?
He who has an ear, let him hear!
Mark Kotchapaw
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
What Does a Moment in Time Reveal about Who or What Has Authority Over Your Heart?
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
Hearts can be tenuous to say the least. Moments in time can reveal what or who has authority over the human heart. A moment in time can reveal that a heart is healthy, or a moment in time can reveal that a heart is sick, weak and vulnerable.
Jesus knew about the human heart and how it responds to the Word of God. In our text, Jesus talks about four different kinds of “heart soils” and what (or who) has authority over the human heart.
Big Idea: A moment in time demonstrates who or what has authority.
Question: What controls or has authority over your heart?
Text: Luke 8:1-15
HEART #1 - THE HARDENED HEART
Jesus identifies this heart in verse 5 and explains it in verse 12.
In the Middle East, conditions are already dry. The path is the place where farmers walk, where sheep make their way to water and grass. The path ran through the common fields, separating the plots, and the foot traffic hardened the soil. The path is hard and dry, and the seeds don’t have a chance
What Jesus states clearly with this heart (but is certainly implied in the next two hearts) is that there is a spiritual dynamic that shapes our heart. The enemy uses people, places and things to damage our hearts.
What do you note about this heart? What are your observations? I think we would miss a major point of application if we did not realize that the enemy can also harden the heart of a believer. There are many believers walking around with an unhealthy heart.
What does the enemy use to harden the human heart?
Would you not agree that life can harden your heart very easily if you don’t guard it?
Have you ever noticed hardness in a heart, your heart?
What does that hardness look like?
A moment in time demonstrates who or what has authority. For some, it is hardness and the cause of that hardness that holds the ultimate authority in the human heart. The seed bounces off this kind of heart.
HEART #2 - THE SHALLOW HEART
Jesus identifies this heart in verse 6 and explains it in verse 13.
In many parts of the Holy Land you find a substratum of limestone covered with a thin layer of soil (like Kingston). The shoot can grow up, but the roots cannot go down, and the sun withers the rootless plant.
How much time has this person invested in the Word?
What are their disciplines like when it comes to spending time in God’s Word?
A moment in time demonstrates who or what has authority. What has authority over this heart? What do the roots reveal about authority? I would sum up what has authority with two words – “EASY BELIEVISM”. This person has bought the lie that says I can say yes to Jesus but there is not much beyond the yes. These kinds of people may look back at a moment in time when they said yes to Jesus but every moment since has indicated that they don’t invest in the Word. They have set their spiritual life on auto pilot and think that they will safely arrive. The result is that they will crash. “Easy believism” will put you in the ditch.
HEART #3 - THE CLUTTERED HEART
Jesus identifies this heart in verse 7 and explains it in verse 14.
Someone said a long time ago that if the Devil can’t make you sin, he will make you busy, because either way your soul will shrivel. Our world will divert your soul’s attention because it is a cluttered world. And clutter is maybe the most dangerous result, because it’s so subtle.
Note how Jesus gets specific with the clutter - worries, riches, pleasure.
What has authority over this heart?
Here is a clue - What is choking the life out of this person? Would you not say that, if you can choke someone to death. you probably have a degree of authority or control over that person?
I would sum up what has authority in one word - IDOLATRY. Idolatry can refer to when good things become ultimate things.
What happens when those idols fail us?
“If you live for career and you don’t do well it may punish you all of your life, and you will feel like a failure. If you live for your children and they don’t turn out all right you could be absolutely in torment because you feel worthless as a person.”
Tim Keller
Only if your identity is built on God and his love, says Kierkegaard, can you have a self that can venture anything, and face anything.
A moment in time demonstrates who or what has authority. Unfortunately for this heart idolatry is fully in charge.
HEART #4 - THE HEALTHY HEART
Jesus identifies this heart in verse 8 and explains it in verse 15.
Note the contrast with the other hearts.
• Good soil versus - hard, shallow, cluttered
• Good harvest versus- trampled, fall away, choked
• Good focus (persevere) versus death on all three accounts.
What has authority over this heart?
Describe what it is like for this person to hear or read the Word of God? What describes their response to it?
What is your heart attached to?
What does a moment in time demonstrate about what your heart is attached to?
What did this week at work, at school, when no one was looking demonstrate what your heart is attached to?
What does how you treat others demonstrate about what your heart is attached to?
What does your marriage indicate about what your heart is attached to?
He who has an ear, let him hear!
Mark Kotchapaw
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
Friday, August 8, 2014
Touching Base - Part 247
TB 247
10 Aug 14
Intersection Series, Part 4
Paul's Conversion
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
Seeing things clearly can be a difficult task. We are all familiar with illusions and the perceptual tricks our minds can play on us. But, there are some perceptual issues that are less obvious and for this reason the word ‘paradigm’ has become a large part of our language. In a sense paradigms [mental habits, belief systems] influence how we see things. As you can imagine, it is difficult then to see things from a new perspective.
This is the problem that the Apostle Paul faced. He had a very fixed point of view. A point of view that made him see Jesus in a very negative manner. In fact, his point of view made Paul an enemy of Jesus!
Question #1: What beliefs do you have that limit your view of Jesus?
I. A Radical Man
Luke traces the pre-conversion life of Paul so that the kind of man Paul was can clearly be seen. To put it simply, Paul is described as a wild beast, a nasty person. He consents to Steven’s death. He drags men and women out of their homes and commits them to prison. It is not a nice picture.
Question #2: In your pre-Christian days, what behaviours were injurious to Jesus and to Christians in general?
II. A Radical Change
The change in Paul in the book of Acts is spectacular. Indeed, Luke takes great pains to make Paul look a whole lot like Jesus. He faces numerous trials. He is declared not guilty. He is hit by the High Priest’s aides. He is stoned. He is placed in prison.
Question #3: In what ways, since your belief in Jesus, have you changed and come to look more like Jesus?
III. A Radical Confrontation
What brought about the radical change in the life of Paul? The Jesus he thought was a hoax was in fact a reality. When the resurrected Jesus speaks to Paul he can no longer escape the truth about Jesus. He makes a 180-degree turnabout in his life!
Question #4: What radical changes have taken place in your life since you encountered Jesus?
Lew Worrad
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
10 Aug 14
Intersection Series, Part 4
Paul's Conversion
This is a useful tool for small group discussion, personal reflection or in a one-on-one conversation. We believe that if the Sunday teaching is discussed outside the morning services, it will be an opportunity to go deeper and build community because God's Word needs to be discussed in community.
Seeing things clearly can be a difficult task. We are all familiar with illusions and the perceptual tricks our minds can play on us. But, there are some perceptual issues that are less obvious and for this reason the word ‘paradigm’ has become a large part of our language. In a sense paradigms [mental habits, belief systems] influence how we see things. As you can imagine, it is difficult then to see things from a new perspective.
This is the problem that the Apostle Paul faced. He had a very fixed point of view. A point of view that made him see Jesus in a very negative manner. In fact, his point of view made Paul an enemy of Jesus!
Question #1: What beliefs do you have that limit your view of Jesus?
I. A Radical Man
Luke traces the pre-conversion life of Paul so that the kind of man Paul was can clearly be seen. To put it simply, Paul is described as a wild beast, a nasty person. He consents to Steven’s death. He drags men and women out of their homes and commits them to prison. It is not a nice picture.
Question #2: In your pre-Christian days, what behaviours were injurious to Jesus and to Christians in general?
II. A Radical Change
The change in Paul in the book of Acts is spectacular. Indeed, Luke takes great pains to make Paul look a whole lot like Jesus. He faces numerous trials. He is declared not guilty. He is hit by the High Priest’s aides. He is stoned. He is placed in prison.
Question #3: In what ways, since your belief in Jesus, have you changed and come to look more like Jesus?
III. A Radical Confrontation
What brought about the radical change in the life of Paul? The Jesus he thought was a hoax was in fact a reality. When the resurrected Jesus speaks to Paul he can no longer escape the truth about Jesus. He makes a 180-degree turnabout in his life!
Question #4: What radical changes have taken place in your life since you encountered Jesus?
Lew Worrad
If interested in joining or starting a small group contact bethelcommunitygroups@gmail.com
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