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Questions - Week 13: Is Marriage Outdated?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!
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Dig Deeper - Week 1: In the Beginning
Awake Us Now
Genesis 1:1 - “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Let’s look at the words “God” and “created.” in this verse in Hebrew the word used for God is a plural noun and created is a singular verb. What day did God create the world? It says God created everything in 6 days and He rested on the 7th day, the Sabbath, and that is Saturday. Which means the first day of creation was on Sunday. What was the day of the week that God began a new creation? That was on the day Jesus arose from the grave. The Bible tells us this was on the first day of the week, on a...
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Big Questions - All Nations: How Close Are We?
Awake Us Now
From Genesis to Revelation, God's plan remains the same - to reach all nations and bring people back to Him. How close are we to seeing that happen? Why is belief in Jesus growing at such an astounding pace in much of the world, but not in Europe and North America?
info_outlineLuke 1:39-56; “Elizabeth’s Story”
The story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth is often a forgotten story. But what it shows us should not be ignored. It is life-changing, powerful, dynamic and has impact on the way we understand the Bible, the way we perceive and understand God and how he moves in our lives today.
Earlier in the chapter we learned Elizabeth was now about 6 months pregnant with John the Baptist and Mary is just newly pregnant with Jesus. When Mary arrives and greets Elizabeth, Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit, In this first chapter of Luke the Holy Spirit is mentioned three times. Why is this significant?
When we look at the Old Testament - which contains 23,145 verses, the Holy Spirit is only mentioned a total of 3 times. But now in the New Testament in this first chapter of Luke in the first 41 verses, the Holy Spirit is mentioned three times! What this indicates is a profound truth: with the coming of Jesus, EVERYTHING CHANGES! It ushers in the age of the Spirit that will continue until Jesus’ return.
The three Holy Spirit incidents:
Mary’s told by the angel announcing her to be Jesus’ mother, that the Holy Spirit will come upon her.
Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit as Mary arrives at her home and greets her.
John in Elizabeth’s womb leaps in the power of the Holy Spirit.
In points one and two we see they are women receiving the Spirit, this prompts us to look to see if a woman being filled with the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Old Testament and there is not a mention of that.
So let’s look at Joel 2:28-29 “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” Here we read God will pour out His Spirit on both men AND women! In Luke 1 - we see this prophetic word coming true. God is pouring out His Spirit on young (Mary) and old (Elizabeth) and both men and women. God’s Spirit in fullness to all!
At this point everything changes because God is now dealing with His people in a dynamic NEW WAY by pouring out his Spirit in abundance. Why? Because the Messiah has come - within the womb of Mary! it is in Him that the Spirit comes and we are freed to live in this power.
Additionally, we hear in our story that as Mary greets Elizabeth and Elizabeth is filled with the Spirit, the baby (John) inside her womb leaped and was filled with the Spirit.
Elizabeth immediately responds: “Blessed are you among women, Mary, blessed is the child (Jesus) you will bear. But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your voice reached my ears, my womb leaped for joy!”
The angel foretold this about Elizabeth’s baby (John the Baptist) when he announced to Zechariah (Elizabeth's husband) he would have a son: “for he (John) will be great in the sight of God…and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born!" Luke 1:15
All these pieces coming together! What happens next? Looking at Joel 2:28-29 we see everything prophesied happening EXCEPT for this line: “your sons and daughters will prophesy” but in the very next verse of our story what happens? Mary prophesies in a beautiful song, The Magnificat. (Luke 1:46-56)
In this song of praise to God verses 51-55 are also prophetic. Pastor Dodge, using Hebrew context, goes on to explain and describe how these verses are prophecy. (Our hope is that you will listen to this most interesting and revelatory insight on Mary’s song).
Jesus ushered in the age of the Spirit when He came to earth and even while still in Mary’s womb this is still true. Just like Mary, Elizabeth and John, we too are told we are filled with the Holy Spirit. It's through the Spirit that we can say, “Jesus is Lord!” (1 Corinthians 12:3 “Therefore I want you to know that… no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”)
In this story we see the evidence of God keeping His word. Every promise of God’s will be fulfilled.
We read Mary stayed three months with Elizabeth and oh the conversations they must have had! Our Christian faith is personal and communal: shared with families, friends, and others. When God’s people talk together about faith and what God is doing, we are encouraging each other in our faith and exalting God’s Name together! Just as Mary and Elizabeth did 2,000 years ago!
Our website – https://www.awakeusnow.com
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St. Luke’s Account is part three of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. This book written by Luke, a non-Jew, offers a unique perspective into the story of Jesus’ life.
This study is great for large group, small group or home group study.