Big Questions - Power... When the Holy Spirit Comes
Awake Us Now
Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit to believers, is all about the power of God -- the power to live a new life, the power to give glory to the Living God, the power of faith that transforms us and that beckons to others to come to God as well!
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Big Questions - My Witnesses... To the Ends of the Earth
Awake Us Now
It is easy to get distracted by other things — some of them perhaps important things — but Jesus makes it clear to His followers that our primary task is make disciples. To that end, we are to be His witnesses, "even to the ends of the earth."
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Dig Deeper - Week 2: The "Submission" Passage
Awake Us Now
Today’s class is a study of Ephesians 5:21-33. A group of verses that are controversial, often attacked and many times misunderstood. Ephesians 5:21-22 “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, [submit] yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” In the original Greek text the second [submit] word is not there. There is not a verb in this sentence and so in traditional Greek practice, you take the verb from the previous sentence and insert it into the next sentence. Please note that this is really important - because what this is saying is,...
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Big Questions - Obey... Everything I Have Commanded
Awake Us Now
Obedience is not optional - it is command from Jesus Himself. But we are not saved because we obey; rather, we obey the Lord because He has saved us!
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Big Questions - All Authority... in Heaven and on Earth
Awake Us Now
God has chosen you and me not simply to be religious, but to be disciples. We are to follow Jesus faithfully, grow in the knowledge and love of Him, and share with others the powerful things He has done so that they become disciples too!
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Questions - Week 13: Is Marriage Outdated?
Awake Us Now
In this message we will look at what the Scriptures have to say about marriage, analyze concerns and questions raised in our day, overview the cultural changes that have led to many questioning the value and benefit of marriage, and do so from a Christian worldview. We will also take a look at some secular contemporary research and what it indicates. Common Reactions: 1. The culture has changed: - Married Couples comprised: 1950 — 78% of all US households 2020 — 47%...
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Kings & Prophets: From Solomon to Jeremiah - Week 4
Awake Us Now
Our study opens with a look at Civil War between Rehoboam and Judah vs. Jeroboam and Israel (931-910 BC). 1 Kings 12:1 We read that Rehoboam went to Shechem, “for all Israel had gone there to make him king.” Shechem was an historic site for the nation from about 500 years early when Levitical priests recited the blessings and the curses from Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Shechem is the city near these two mountains. In verses 3 and 4 we read that Jeroboam challenges Rehoboam. Reheboam goes to 2 advisory boards. One was the elders that had served under his father, Solomon. They...
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Big Questions - Lord and God! Jesus' Amazing Claims
Awake Us Now
Lord and God? A great moral teacher? A very good man? What claims did Jesus actually make about His identity?
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Big Questions - Stop Doubting and... Believe!
Awake Us Now
Faith is essential ... but in what do place our faith? The scriptures make it clear that we are to place our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Savior of all the nations, and the Hope of all the earth!
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Big Questions - Receive... the Holy Spirit!
Awake Us Now
When Jesus says to His disciples, "Receive the Holy Spirit," it is not a "one-and-done" activity. He desires us all to live continually in the Spirit!
info_outlineDespite the most rigorous physical exercise and training regimen, our bodies will age and, eventually, die. But there is a training - training in godliness - that lasts into eternity.
The spiritual diet we eat, the spiritual exercise we do and the spiritual training we choose affects our ability to grow graceful as Jesus’ disciples.
Training ourselves for godliness has benefits for today, tomorrow and for eternity. Spiritual training is timeless.
Train to be godly - Christianity is not a spectator sport. We can’t be a couch potato. We must be in training to be godly. This is training with eternal rewards - a crown of life.
Train yourself to be godly - What does godly training look like and how do we accomplish it?
1. DIET - We are what we eat - this truth is both physical and spiritual. Concentrate on what is true, good, honorable and noble and be in God’s word. Fill up on the food that truly nourishes, the food of His Word. We are to seek Him with our whole heart and that begins with our diet, as we take in God’s Word and allow that word to fill us up for the work He has given us to do. How’s your diet? Fill up on the good things of God.
2. EXERCISE - we need to exercise our faith, to practice what we preach, to live out what we believe, to put into practice what God has said. As we practice our faith we grow stronger. It’s like strength training with weights; the more we exercise and practice, the stronger we get. As we practice our faith we become stronger in our commitment to Christ: that is training in godliness.
3. A TRAINER - A personal trainer can really help with preparing to participate in a race and God provides a personal spiritual trainer for each and every believer, that personal trainer is the Holy Spirit, our Advocate. The Holy Spirit, our Personal Spiritual Trainer, helps to strengthen, encourage and equip us for godliness.
Why live a couch potato life as a follower of Jesus? Why be just a weekend warrior? Why not live as dedicated disciples, committed to Jesus and who are training ourselves in His strength for godliness? Let us finish the race well!
Training in godliness is the natural follow-through for a follower of Jesus.
Scripture: 2 Peter 1:3-8, 1 Timothy 4:7-8, John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 9:25, Ezekiel 33: 31-32
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