A friend came to me
to say his daughter was floundering in a college math class. I told him that the
only way I made it through college and advanced degrees was by having “study
buddies”. He passed this on to his daughter and she is now passing her math
class. If it takes study buddies to pass a college math class, it is no
surprise that it takes “study buddies” to make it through the Christian Walk (Acts
2:42; Acts 5:42; Titus 2:3; Matthew 28:19-20). Have we really restored New Testament
Christianity?
You know we all have
24 hours in a day. The way we choose to spend those hours proclaims our level
of commitment to either the things of this world or to the Kingdom. Please take
a little of the time God has blessed you with and converse, communicate, and
collaborate with your study buddies. You may include me in any of the
questions, concerns and conversations (joy@arpisd.org
) that you are having. I would love to be included!
In the last words of
our Savior as His feet arose from the earth into the Heavens, He gave us this one
thing to make our priority:
AS YOU GO
into the entire world, MAKE DISCIPLES, baptizing them and MENTORING them in all
that I have commanded you. Share the Good News.
(1)
Are we making
the Kingdom a priority in all our decisions? “Seek ye first the Kingdom and His
righteousness”.
Let’s be honest here,
we are being called by God to “make disciples” but our cell phones are too busy
to receive His call. The acceptable American life style is to “give our kids
all the benefits we didn’t have growing up”. But do they really benefit from
all the activities we place them in when we neglect our First Love? Who OWNS
time? Who gives us time? Whose time is it anyway? Have we stolen from God?
The biggest regret you will have as a
parent is not preparing your child to serve the Living God and to make His
Kingdom the Priority of their Life-style. Within the next decade our nation
will no longer have a Christian majority. (remember this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6-3X5hIFXYU
) Our children will either endure the persecution and alienation or they will
meld into the popular culture. What are we preparing them to do?
Here is how you can answer that
question honestly! Make a journal of your days’ activities. Make it for one
week. Add up time you spend in purely worldly pursuits and time you have
prioritized your Heavenly calling. “Wake up!”
Three songs and a prayer does not make
a Spirit-led Christian!
How consumed is our time, money,
energy, mind, actions... with things that do not remotely bring glory to God
and will not bring us praise from our Savior on that Last Day? Are we being seduced
by Babylon?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86dsfBbZfWs Consumed by the red line
Too often we have taken our focus off
our Heavenly Calling and placed it on our earthly possessions, pursuits, and
perceived position in society. We have craved acceptance by the world instead
of what is acceptable to God. Do we have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying
to the churches? Rev 3:22?
Too often we have drained the Blood
out of the Gospel. We have taken the Cross out of Christianity. We have covered
our lives with comfort and shoved out the pursuit of righteousness for the
pursuit of entertainment, popularity, fame, finances, fitting-in, and even
being praised by the world. John 12:40-46Concentrate on the inconsistencies of who we are versus who we should be if we are indeed Spirit-led.
We get caught up the "rat race", keeping up with the Jones, and latest fads and fashion, instead of falling in love with Jesus and accepting His sacrificial life-style. Are we too comfortable?
WATCH Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA_uwWPE6lQ Balance Beam
Too often we have become Americanized instead of Spiritualized. We talk about our rights, our freedoms, and our politics more than we talk about our Savior.
If anyone was ever abused it would
have been Christ and the 1st Century Christians...yet what do you learn from
their examples? Do we even LEARN from their examples?
(2) Are we consumed by a search for
righteousness?
Don't give me homework in Bible class because I have too much to do. Do you
have too much to do? or do we choose to have other things to do?(3) Are we willing to get alone with God's Word and Wait on The Lord to fill us with His Will? Jesus went into the wilderness 40 days to become filled with God's will for the next phase of His life. Jesus often went away from the business of life to meditate and pray. Are we in less need of this than Christ?
(4) How consumed are we by our time, money, energy, mind, and actions... with things that do not remotely bring glory to God and will not bring us praise from our Savior on that Last Day? Are we being seduced by Babylon?
(5) Are we decidedly more Spirit-filled today than a year ago? Are we making self-sacrificing choices more in tune with the will of God then we did a year ago?
(6) Is "transformation" on the front burner of your hearts?
(7) What did Paul mean when he said, "I have determined to know among you only Christ and Him crucified"?
(8) Does every action of our life have a spiritual priority? Terry Rush said," When my son asked me if he could go to the prom, I asked him why he was going? If he was going to share and glorify Christ, then yes, go. If he was going to mimic the world, then no."
(9) Are we a temple of the Holy Spirit? Why was it advantageous for Jesus to leave and send the Holy Spirit? John 16:14. John 17: Jesus had to be glorified by His suffering -- crucifixion, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God. Once He was glorified the Spirit came to glorify Christ --testify in our hearts. If we are spirit-filled, what is our purpose?
- 1 Corinthians 6:20
- Romans 15:6;
- 1 Peter 4:16;
Unfortunately, not only do we not suffer as Christians (yet), we don't even
want to become a little tiny bit uncomfortable. If you have ears hear what the
Spirit says to the church (Rev 3:22) –“Wake up!”
Approx 37 times God warns us to hear what the Spirit says to the church...to
the CHURCH! Because many of us are ASLEEP.
- 1 Cor 15:24
- Rom 13:11
- Eph 5:14
Hearing, in our case as Christians, means to get out of our head knowledge and
get His Spirit into our Heart knowledge.
– “Gnosis” - Experiential Knowledge --to know
intimately from experience...not just from reading, studying, or even
meditating but to know from perceiving His actions on our hearts and in our
lives.
--Likewise, “kenosis” is the Greek
term meaning "self-emptying". This is what Jesus came to do…to empty
himself, his own will and to become entirely receptive to the will of God. Phil
2:6-7. If we are His disciples, His followers, this is the life we are called
to.
Are we serious about this Christian walk of self-emptying or are we "playing" church? Are we selling out to Babylon?
When I was a little kid, I remember going out in my garden where there was a stone pillar and pretending to preach to the flowers. I use to bang my fists on the stone pillar and shout unknown words and phrases I had learned from listening to my dad. I was "playing" church. I no more understood what I was saying or what it meant than the flowers did. I was mimicking what I had seen from others...not what I knew to be true. Are we mimicking the “lukewarmness” around us or building an intimate, experiential relationship with the Holy Spirit?
(11) Being a temple of God means what? What do you do in a temple? You praise the one for whom the temple was built. But we spend too much of our time praising each other…praising human talents instead of the one who gave the talents.
It does take EFFORT to live Spirit-led. "I press on" Paul says. "Make every effort to make your election sure" ... EVERY EFFORT!
We often find that our biggest effort is getting everyone dressed and fed and in the car on a Sunday morning...that's our every effort….not at all what Christ had in mind.
Are we serious about this Christian walk of self-emptying or are we "playing" church? Are we selling out to Babylon?
When I was a little kid, I remember going out in my garden where there was a stone pillar and pretending to preach to the flowers. I use to bang my fists on the stone pillar and shout unknown words and phrases I had learned from listening to my dad. I was "playing" church. I no more understood what I was saying or what it meant than the flowers did. I was mimicking what I had seen from others...not what I knew to be true. Are we mimicking the “lukewarmness” around us or building an intimate, experiential relationship with the Holy Spirit?
(11) Being a temple of God means what? What do you do in a temple? You praise the one for whom the temple was built. But we spend too much of our time praising each other…praising human talents instead of the one who gave the talents.
It does take EFFORT to live Spirit-led. "I press on" Paul says. "Make every effort to make your election sure" ... EVERY EFFORT!
We often find that our biggest effort is getting everyone dressed and fed and in the car on a Sunday morning...that's our every effort….not at all what Christ had in mind.
(12) Does the Spirit make a difference
in my life? If the Spirit left my life today, would I even notice?
Are we a caterpillar or a butterfly?
Have you been transformed (“metamorphosis”) Romans 12:1-2? Are we a new
creation? Are we different than the world? Have we taken to heart the Will of
God as a dedicated disciple of Christ?
(13) Are we comparing ourselves to
lukewarm Christians and feeling pretty good about our walk with the Lord?
(14) Are we on the path to blessing or a path to death? Which city are we a
citizen of… Babylon or Jerusalem?(15) Is our picture of Jesus too puny? It is the task of the church to witness how big Jesus is....how high and lifted up He is! Do we see the greater reality? Are our eyes on Jesus 24/7? Are our ears open to His Spirit?
HOMEWORK (Better Known as Kingdom Preparation)
(1) Read and discuss with
Study Buddies Chapter 2 of Forgotten God.
(2) Listen to Revelation
Lesson 2. Be ready to compare the two lessons and to discuss how they are
related.
(3) MUST Watch this
video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deuca-kXtnI
The Holy Spirit’s Power and our Effort.
(4) Be ready to explain “why
we need homework”. Memorize Romans 12:1-2
(5) Bring to class some
of your discussion thoughts, questions, ideas, videos you found, and finally, “Wake
UP!” as the Spirit leads you into a deeper relationship.
