Joy - Arrival - Matthew 11
John the Baptist is in prison. He sends out some of his followers to ask Jesus if he is truly the king. John is wondering about joy and how can we have joy in following a savior who does not meet our expectations. But perhaps we can see the joy found in the eyes of those whose expectations have been broken, those who truly have something to treasure.
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Faith - Arrival - Luke 21
What is faith? How do we apply faith? Faith is one of those things that is hard to talk about. It sometimes seems fleeting and faint, hard to grasp. Perhaps pictures will help us. Look at the faith of the poor woman giving two coins to the temple. When the world is difficult to understand, perhaps we should continue to look at images of great faith like hers.
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Hope - Arrival
God’s people have been scattered all over the world. Babylon has come in and taken them over and separated them as far as the east is from the west. When will the good king come and bring us back together? I often feel just as scattered, having to run from this house or party to another this time of year. Even my family is scattered all over the country. I, too, am waiting for someone to bring us all together.
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Christ the King Sunday
Just as Christ is “the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end,” at the close of every liturgical year, we look forward with renewed hope to Christ’s coming again in glory to reign as Lord forever. In the same way we look forward to our own resurrection and the time of a new earth — an earth that is no longer broken by sin and groaning. Christ will come again in glory just as surely as He came the first time — when He was born. So we have these three weeks of “transition” at the end of the “long green season” into the Advent Season: the new beginning of the liturgical year.
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God's Promise - God's Plan
God has always been like a father for his people. And just like a good father, He gives His children what they want and need. So He tells us to ask Him for everything we need. He encourages us to ask Him for what we need and want, even when we have not been our best selves or when we have been wasteful of what He has given us. He is the Good Father and wants to give us good gifts.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
What is a favorite gift that you have given? What made that a favorite gift to give?
Read Matthew 7: 7-12. What does Jesus invite you to do? Why does he do this?
Often times we can feel unworthy to ask God for requests because of our sin and evil. How do these verses give you confidence to approach God and ask?
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God's Provision - God's Plan
Today we look at His “provision.” There is an absolute, unmistakable connection between love and provision – those of you who are parents know exactly what I mean. The two are inseparably linked. If you truly love someone, you find great joy, satisfaction, and delight in providing for them.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
What inspires you to be generous in your life?
Read Genesis 14:17-24. This occurs after Abram had a great victory. Who does Melchizedek say gave Abram the victory? Who delivered Abram’s enemies into his hand?
How does Abram respond to what Melchizedek said? How does this show that Abram trusts God?
This is the first example of a tithe, someone giving God 10% of what he’s given, in the Bible. God had just delivered Abram. How has God delivered you?
Why should we tithe, giving God “a tenth of everything?” What does tithing show/remind us about God?
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God's Passion - God's Plan
God says that the pure of heart will see Him as He is (Matthew 5:8) and that the pure of heart will know Him and understand Him. God says that the pure of heart will diligently seek Him, and as they seek Him, they will find Him (Proverbs 8:17). So it seems that stewardship is, first and foremost, not about money, time, or talent, but rather stewardship is a matter of where our hearts are before Almighty God, our Father.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Read Malachi 4. What will happen when the Day of the Lord comes?
Read 1 Samuel 16:7. When God is choosing the next king, what characteristic matters most? What do you think it means to have God look at your heart?
We see that God desires our true hearts. Read Psalm 51. This is how King David responds after he realizes his heart is full of sin. What is the only way for him to have a pure heart?
How does a life of confession and remembering God’s heart and love for you help you live out God’s plan?
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God's Purpose- God's Plan - Jeremiah 29:4-14
Have you ever wondered why you are where you are? Do you wonder why God didn’t choose you to have the things you long for, or why He would allow you to struggle with the things that sometimes drag you down? None of it comes by chance. God doesn’t leave our lives to a set of random circumstances. Certainly God doesn’t control our lives, as if you we were puppets, but He has a purpose and plan for each one of us. We just need to stop trying to run the show and allow Him to reveal His plan to us. God has a plan for your life, and Christian stewardship is really all about discovering God’s purpose for our lives.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Describe something that didn’t go as planned in your life.
Read Jeremiah 29:4-9. This was written to God’s people when they were living in exile, separated from their homeland. They longed to go back. Several false prophets had said they would go back soon. The temptation would have been to look towards the future to find their plan. In contrast, what does Jeremiah tell them to do? What surprises you about this?
Rather than looking towards what’s next for you, what is God’s purpose for you where you are in life right now?
Read Jeremiah 29:10-14. God speaks that the future is planned out for your good. We see this in Jesus as He has been raised to life for you. How does trusting that God has the future worked out allow you to let His blessings flow through you where you are now?
How has this text helped you understand God’s plan for your life?
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Hope from the Dust - Uncomfortable - Daniel 10-12
The last few chapters of Daniel look like all things are hopeless. The beasts look like they are just grinding God’s people into the dust. But the book of Daniel has already been a hopeful book for God’s people, and we see hope comes up from the dust.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
What stresses you out and destroys hope for you today?
Read Daniel 12:1-4. What hope does Daniel receive from this vision? How do we have hope in rising from the dust?
Read Genesis 2 and 3. What does Genesis 2 and 3 speak regarding dust? How does this tie into Daniel’s vision.
Read Isaiah 65:17-25. Realizing that this is poetry artistically speaking about the life in the resurrection, what will the resurrection and new creation be like?
Based on what we’ve learned in Daniel, how should we live our lives in the midst of the beasts of our world today?
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Seven - Uncomfortable - Daniel 9
Daniel is an old man, and he has been waiting for his whole life for the Lord to return his people back to the homeland. According to the prophet Jeremiah, it was only to last 70 years, and there are just 3 years left. However, an angel of the Lord comes to Daniel and tells him, “No, it’s 7 times 70.”
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Share a time when you had to wait for something good to happen. Did you ever try to make it happen early?
Daniel reads in Jeremiah that the captivity will last 70 years. Read Daniel 9:3-19. How does Daniel approach the Lord with his prayer?
How can his prayer serve as a model for us, as we live out our life?
Read Daniel 9:20-24. What is the response of God to Daniel through the angel Gabriel? What are you still waiting for God to do?
Daniel 9:24-27 is very apocalyptic in its reading. However, it strongly points to God’s victory over evil at the end. Take comfort in the God who wins over evil through His anointed messiah, Jesus.
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Goats and Rams - Uncomfortable - Daniel 8
Daniel has another terrible dream. This one has rams and goats running all over the world destroying it in their wake. Nothing can be done; they are just too big and powerful. Who can stop the charging goats and rams?
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Describe a scary experience you’ve had with an animal. What made it so scary?
Read Daniel 8:1-14. Daniel is told later in chapter 8 that the destructive ram and goat represent the Persian and Greek empires. It was terrifying for him. As a Christian, what in the world terrifies you today?
If you read the explanation of the vision in Daniel 8:15-27, we see that ultimately the ram and the goat cause destruction but will be destroyed “by no human hand” (v. 25). God will give his people the victory. Peter speaks of similar trials that God’s people will face. Read 1 Peter 1:6-9. How does Jesus give you the victory in the midst of trials?
Knowing that Jesus has won the victory and has defeated the scary rams and goats, how do we live now?
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Beastly Nature - Uncomfortable - Daniel 7
We go back in time; Daniel is back in Babylon under that last terrible king. Daniel wakes up sweating; he had a terrible dream, just like the kings before. He sees four beasts coming from the sea, each more powerful than the last. The fourth is the biggest and worst beast; however, we see the son of man gives us hope for the future.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
What is the strangest dream you’ve ever had?
Read Daniel 7:1-14. Describe Daniel’s dream.
In Daniel’s dream he sees 4 beasts coming out of the sea. Describe a time when you saw an institution or individual acting like a beast. Also, think about a time when you have acted like a beast.
Read Matthew 26:57-68. This is Jesus before the High Priest, right before they hand him over to the Romans to crucify him. How does Jesus answer the high priest’s (Caiphais’s) question about whether he is the Christ?
Ultimately, how does Jesus (the Son of Man) deliver us from the beasts around us and the beast of our sin?
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Trusting with Lions - Uncomfortable - Daniel 6
Babylon is over; the Persians are no longer in charge. King Darius loves Daniel because he has an amazing spirit of the Lord and is able to help the king do his job well. But the other leaders don’t like Daniel and create a rule to bring him down. How will Daniel react; will it be with panic and anger, or will he trust in the Lord no matter what may come?
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Share about a time when you had to deny yourself something.
Read Daniel 6:1-5. What is Daniel’s job with the new King, who is still not known to follow the true God? What about this job surprises you? What does this tell us about our vocations/jobs?
Read Daniel 6:6-24. Compare and contrast what happens with Daniel to what happens with Jesus before the cross and His resurrection.
Read Daniel 6:25-28. What effect does God’s deliverance of Daniel have on the king? How might you bear witness to Jesus who has delivered you?
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Writing On The Wall - Uncomfortable - Daniel 5
Fast forward 20 or 30 years. The current king of Babylon is not a good one. There are drunken parties every night, even though there is trouble at the gates. But when will this king open his eyes? Perhaps when the writing is on the wall. Or perhaps his heart will always be hard.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Describe a time when you realized “the writing was on the wall?”
Read Daniel 5:1-9. What action by the king causes the writing on the wall? How do we participate in similar actions? What should be the result for us?
Read Daniel 5:17-23. Thinking back to Daniel 4, what is the difference between King Nebucudezznar and Belshazzar?
Read Daniel 5:24-31. What is the interpretation of the writing on the wall? What should be the result of our sin?
Read Isaiah 49:8-18. As we struggle with the writing on the wall, what message does God give us through his prophet Isaiah?
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Beastly Pride - Uncomfortable - Daniel 4
The king wakes up in a cold sweat, another bad dream. A huge tree that touches the sky is cut down and is prevented from growing out of the ground again. What does it mean, and will the king listen? Or will the king keep up his behavior of glorying his own image and become no different than a beast in the field?
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
Share a time when you saw someone's pride cause them to fall.
Read Daniel 4:1-27. What is King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream? How does Daniel interpret what it means for the king?
Read Daniel 4:28-37. Compare verse 29 and verse 34, where the king is looking. What does this tell us about our pride and our relationship with God?
Read Philippians 2:5-11. How does Jesus come into the world? How should we respond to this? What does this say about pride and humility?
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Value of Life - Uncomfortable - Daniel 3
The king sets up a huge image, and when the music plays, you are to make yourself reverent towards that image and join in worship. Daniel's friends respectfully decline, which enrages the king so much that we see his value of the image of God: human life.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK -
What are some things that culture expects us to bow down and declare our allegiance to today? (Read Daniel 3:1-7)
Read Daniel 3:8-30. How do Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego respond to the king’s demand? Why do you think they respond this way?
What does the king do after he confronts them? How does God show up?
How does this story give you encouragement to live out your faith in Jesus in today’s world?
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Uncomfortable in Culture - Uncomfortable - Daniel 1
Daniel and his 3 friends are the best of the best. They are all royal Hebrews: handsome and filled with wisdom. But when they are taken captive by Babylon, they are put in a place meant to demean them. They are given new names glorifying false gods and are given food sacrificed to those gods. How would you handle this situation? It’s interesting to see what Daniel does.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK - “Rough Seas”
What, in today’s world, makes it difficult for you to live out your faith?
Read Daniel 1:1-7. What do the Babylonians do to try and strip Daniel and his friends of their identity of God’s people? If you were Daniel's friend, how would you be tempted to respond?
Read Daniel 1:8-21. How does Daniel respond to the Babylonians? What does God give him and us that enables us to respond in this way?
Read 1 Peter 2:13-25. Here Peter speaks of submitting to authorities who we might sometimes not agree with. What wisdom does Peter give to you in these verses?
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Rough Seas - The Spirit Experience - Acts 27
Paul has been passed from local official to local official. No one knows what to do with him; they think he is innocent, but he wants to stand before Caesar. This sends Paul into the chaos of the sea, riding a ship from the outskirts of the empire to the center of Rome. But along the way there are problems. Huge storms and a shipwreck show us God’s love and guiding grace among difficult times.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK - “Rough Seas”
Read Acts 27:13-26. What happens along Paul’s journey to Rome? What promise does Jesus, through an angel of the Lord, give Paul?
When are some times that you have felt in distress in your life? What is God’s promise for you? How do you know His promise is true?
Read Acts 27:27-44. What does God use to preserve his people through the 14 days of the storm? What is Paul’s role in this?
What is God’s promise for us in the midst of suffering? How can you encourage a Christian friend who is going through suffering in their life?
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Belts and Bribes - The Spirit Experience - Acts 20-26
Paul wants to go to Jerusalem to visit the church there; however, on his way, folks keep talking about Paul in chains down in Jerusalem. When he arrives, a riot immediately ensues, forcing the rioters and the government to act in the only powers they know. Paul is showing them and us a different way, where we don't have to worry about what the opposition will do to us. Paul is showing us the way of the kingdom.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK - “Belts and Bribes”
Read Acts 21:7-16. How does Paul respond to Agabus when he prophesied that Paul will be put into prison?
Often times things can be scary for us in our faith. How can Paul’s trust in Jesus encourage you?
After Paul is arrested, he gives similar speeches in his defense. Read 22:1-22. What are the key points of his speech?
In times when the world seems to persecute you, how can you keep speaking of Jesus and the resurrection?
Bonus Question: For an overview of this whole section, read Acts 20-26. What are some common elements across these chapters? How do they help us understand the way of Jesus?
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True Power - The Spirit Experience - Acts 19
Paul walks into Ephesus, and he sees multiple displays of power. First he sees the Spirit of God when some are baptized and they begin speaking in tongues. Then he sees the Spirit when some begin to use the power for their own gain and are quickly humbled. Finally, there’s power of the crowd when they feel Paul’s message of Jesus threatens their city and their God.
QUESTIONS TO REFLECT ON DURING THE WEEK - “Freedom To”
Read Acts 15:1-5. What is the issue that the church is facing?
Read Acts 15:6-22. What is their decision regarding this issue? How do they go about making their decision?
Read 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1. Their decision at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15 deals with how to live under the freedom of Christ. How does Paul in 1 Corinthians shed more light on this?
What are some temptations you have faced that cause you to use the freedom you have in Christ that is permissible but not beneficial?
How does Christ and His attitude towards you and other sinners serve as a model to imitate for neighbors in your life?
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The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – Dec 15th. Starring Lauren Graham, Judy Greer, and Pete Holmes.