The Living One - Week 13: The Name
Awake Us Now
Peter and John were bold witnesses of the power and authority of Jesus. It is in Jesus’ name alone that we find Salvation. Peter and John’s courage in telling others about Jesus astonished others, and the people noted that Peter and John had been with Jesus, eyewitnesses that had spent time with Him. We, too, can spend time with Jesus and get to know Him like Peter and John did.
info_outline
The Living One - Week 12: Devoted
Awake Us Now
In the midst of cultural lunacy, craziness, confusion and deception, how are Christians to live? (Hint: It’s not through a mindset of judgement.) Pastor points us to a heart of devotion and encourages us to submit ourselves to the authority of God’s word, to seek an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, to be a people of prayer, to pray for God to open people’s hearts and minds, and to pray for awaking and transformation.
info_outline
Questions - Week 4: What Happens When I Die?
Awake Us Now
“If someone dies, will they live again?” Three Basic Views 1. Oblivion - there’s nothing more after this life. But Near Death Experiences (NDE's) are challenging this view. 2. Reincarnation - a view held mainly in the eastern world. 3. Afterlife - there is something beyond the grave, that our lives do not end when our bodies die. This is also at the heart of the biblical message. Will All People Die? The answer is “No!” The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 that there will be one generation...
info_outline
Kings & Prophets: From Solomon to Jeremiah - Week 7
Awake Us Now
Pastor opens with Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Our class starts and ends with the story of the kings of Judah. But in between Asa’s 40 year reign as a king of Judah and his son, Jehoshaphat’s 22 year reign, we see the turmoil and chaos that is transpiring in Israel the northern kingdom. Major events of Asa’s Reign: ⁃ Zera the Cushite attacks (2 Chr. 14:8-15) ⁃ Azariah and Covenant Renewal (2 Chr. 15:1-19) ⁃ ...
info_outline
The Living One - Week 11: Cut to the Heart
Awake Us Now
In the last several decades, there has been a pendulum swing. No longer are the majority of Christian, non-Christian, agnostic and atheist theologians and historians viewing the story of Jesus as Biblical theology that was developed gradually over time. Most are now in agreement on 7 key points regarding Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. No longer do they see Jesus’ story as an evolving story. Instead, their attitudes have been transformed by recent historical, archeological and linguistic evidence. The question is: Will you allow the evidence to transform your attitude as well?
info_outline
The Living One - Week 10: The Outpouring
Awake Us Now
Pentecost is a Jewish holiday (Shavuot, or Feat of Weeks), thanking God for His provision; a festival that gives us understanding of the Bible and also for God’s will and purpose for each of us in our walk with Him. The verses Pastor explores today are a fascinating section of Scripture that hold a mystery around the word "house." Was the place of the first Pentecost in a house, like maybe the Upper Room? Or was it referring to The Temple, the Holy House, the House above all other houses? And why does that make a difference?
info_outline
The Living One - Week 9: This Same Jesus
Awake Us Now
In the Scripture for this message, Acts 1:9-11, we read that a cloud came down and covered Jesus as He ascended. What is it that’s so important to know about the “cloud” that came and covered Jesus? Did you know that Jesus promises to return the same way as He ascended -- on a cloud! A fascinating study on a very fascinating and unique topic! Other text references: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 1:7, Revelation 14:14, Titus 2:11-13.
info_outline
The Living One - Week 8: Key Words
Awake Us Now
The story of Jesus is not mere religion! It is life-changing, real and true, and so our lives can never be the same. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that is essential for the Christian life. Jesus will return and the season of His return is NOW. Today’s teaching explores some of Jesus’ last words before he was taken to heaven. These key words: proof, kingdom, Spirit, witness and restoration are words for us today!
info_outline
The Living One - Week 7: Opened Minds
Awake Us Now
Scriptures for this message: Luke 24:13-48. Are you familiar with the Bible’s salvation story? Two conversations recorded in the Bible have changed how we understand God not just 2,000 years ago, but today as well. These two dialogues are important for us who are living in a culture full of deception. Join us today as Pastor showss us hope and truth!
info_outline
Questions - Week 2: Can You Explain the Trinity?
Awake Us Now
Questions about the Trinity are often asked this way: • Is the word “Trinity” in the Bible? • Do Christians worship three Gods? • Was “Trinity” invented by the Church? • Isn’t the notion of “Trinity” irrational? • Don’t you think this is a minor issue? Pastor digs into the question of the Trinity by starting at the beginning, in Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In Hebrew the word for God that is...
info_outlineAs the church began to grow with believers both Jew and Gentile, a division between the two started, especially as Jews began to be out numbered by gentile believers who brought in their customs.
Many gentile believers were God-fearers who believed in the Old Testament but weren’t circumcised and didn’t eat kosher, yet went to the synagogue to worship God. Other Gentiles were proselytes and were circumcised and ate kosher and followed rituals prescribed by the Hebrew Scriptures.
As a result of the growing number of God-fearers, a division between Jew and Gentile began to grow. One group of Jews wanted to mandate circumcision and kosher eating so they brought the issue to the elders and apostles.
Peter addresses the gathering with the story of how God had given the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles just as He had done for the Jews and that God did not discriminate between Jew and Gentile, because He gave them both faith. Peter then challenged the group to not test God because God had already made it clear that He gave the Holy Spirit and faith to gentiles just as He had for Jews. Peter concludes by saying that it’s no longer Jew and Gentile. It’s that both are now coming to faith in Jesus and are united by God’s grace for both.
We are only saved through Grace Alone! Not by how religious we are or because we’ve obeyed the commandments, or been good.... We are saved by grace and grace alone.
The Cause of our salvation is that Jesus died for us.
The Cause of our salvation is the grace of God in Christ (who reached in when we were God’s enemies).
It’s all about grace through faith in Christ.
The Result is we change - we grow and mature. Salvation is not earned, it’s something we receive and it has a powerful impact in our lives. Growing and maturing are not the Cause of our salvation, they are the Result of it.
When Peter had finished, James, Jesus’ half brother, spoke and he said it was his judgement that they shouldn’t make it difficult for gentiles coming to faith. James ends the gathering with encouragement to both Jew and Gentile to not stand in the
way of what God was doing and not to offend each other by how each lived.
Through the forthright words of Peter supported by James and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the division dissipated.
This story has clear directives for us today with new believers, different cultures and those converted from other faiths.
It teaches us that:
1. We are Saved by grace alone, so we will not make requirements of others that Jesus did not make. We are not to judge.
2. We are Saved by grace alone, so we will gladly restrict our freedom for the sake of others, so as not to offend.
Grace alone motivates us to receive others the way God does, with His love and mercy because all of us have been saved by the grace of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
Jesus is the key to knowing the Father. Many religions acknowledge God the Father but do not acknowledge God the Son and because they don’t know the Son, they truly don’t/can’t know the Father. It is through Jesus that we come into relationship with the Father. Only knowing about the Father is just that, it's knowing ABOUT Him. When we receive Jesus into our hearts and what He did for us (death on the cross, victory over the grave, returning for us) when we receive Jesus, it takes us from knowing about the Father to KNOWING Him. That’s when we finally step into relationship with the Father because it’s then that we understand the Father’s true character - one of grace and mercy and love. We see who the Father truly is when we know Jesus.
John 14:7 - Jesus said, “If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.”
Scripture for the message: Acts 15:1-21
Check out the video on our website https://www.awakeusnow.com/living-one
Check out the video on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOwUarSm3uJrzLI4thAJNXQj