Sunday School Update for Oct. 5th

Verses This Week

Romans 1.18 - 32; 3.9 - 10

We are about to enter into a 7 week study in the book of Romans. I challenge everyone to please study at least the verses during the week prior to each Sunday. Pray and ask God to reveal Himself to you and discover what he is trying to speak to you as an individual.

I don't know about you, but in recent weeks I have felt under attack. I wonder sometimes if we walk around in a "masquerade" as an effort to not bring others down or just to be super private. I understand the need to keep things "private" but we should not try to be so private to our Lord. He already knows anyway.

Let's strive to be more transparent in our faith. The Book of Romans has a way of causing us to pause and examine our lives. Let's do so individually as well as a class and really DIG deep into The Word over the coming weeks.

Extended Trailer on :The Truth Project" Please take 6 minutes to watch this short video

Do we dare go deeper?

Do we as a class want to go deeper into God's word, know more about God, know more about what we say we believe?

There is an oppotunity for us to explore all these questions and more through "The Truth Project"

See links below.

Who is God? dvd trailer

God and His creation, what we know and don't know. Is that important at all? dvd trailer

What does God and our Government/Laws have to do with us? dvd trailer

The Truth Project Website

Perspective of how big God is and His Creation

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A note of disclaimer about this video.

It is a secular video made by a NASA scientist discussing the far reaches of space from the Hubble Telescope point of view. Please don't get too caught up in his remarks about "the possibility of life on other planets". Those comments are brief and do not take away from the purpose of use viewing the video.

I hope this gives us some perspective. I believe we really loose sight of how big God really is, How small we really are and How Great God is to know that one day for the redeemed, God (as mentioned in Revelation 21,22) will one day walk with and be among us.

Imagine, the God that we worship, that created all that we see (and don't see as mentioned in this video) is going to wipe away our tears in heaven, and fellowship with us for all of eternity.

What an awesome God we serve.

Now, for those who have about 6 minutes, I implore you to take time and enjoy the visual sights and try to put your mind around the concept of what all God has created, including the Heavens !

The closing comment on the video says to "Keep Looking Up" . I think is goes without saying but be sure we are looking , and worshiping the creator and not the creation.

Thanks for everyones input during the last 5 weeks as we have studied Revelation. Again, thank you Regina and Tommy for teaching in my absence for the 2 weeks I missed also.

Lee

A Sermon everyone should hear. Paul Washer, brief excerpt, Audio only. Not video (Sermon about genuine Salvation)

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Heaven, what will it be like?

As you prepare this week read the text from Revelation 21 and 22. Look for words that describe Heaven. Maybe even write down the words and think about and pray about what words you see. Look at a different translation from what you normally read. See if anything else comes to mind you may not have thought of before. Make notes of things that might not make sense to you or that confuse you. Email me your thoughts too if you have any really difficult questions and I will try to post a short reply on the blog.... Who nows, someone else might be thinking the same thing.

For this Sunday

Questions to be thinking about:

• Where will the new Jerusalem be?
• What will not be in heaven?
• What is the lamb’s book of life?
• What does the tree of life represent?

These are just some of the topics we will discuss. Once again, please remember we are one lesson behind in the lifeway ss book. We are studying the last lesson for July this week rather than the 1st lesson in August.

Thanks and see you Sunday !!!

How to contact Ashley

You can email Ashley Hazel at

ashhazelj @ gmail . com

This is broken up to protect her from spam and search engines that roam the web looking for email addresses.

Info for 7/27 Sunday School Lesson (please read)

As we discussed yesterday, we will continue the lesson on Chapter 19 of Revelation this coming Sunday. We only made it through verse 5 and actually never made it to our core verses.

Please continue to read, pray and study over Chapter 19 this week. See what God has to say to you this week about our Lords impending return.

I do not want to predispose you to any thoughts for the remaining verses 6-21, so no notes will be sent from me after today about the lesson.

Thanks for your attendance and comments this past week. If you were absent, you were greatly missed.

Lee

Christ Coming Down.... What is the event about? What does it mean to us?

Thank you Regina and Tommy for teaching the last 2 Sundays. I heard we had great lessons both days and good discussion.

This Sunday we will study Christ's return as described by John in Revelation 19. Below are some of our talking points for this Sunday.


Rev. 19:6-9,11-16,19-21

• What anxiety do you think people experience when they think about the return of Jesus?
• The Scripture describes Jesus’ coming in terms of a Bridegroom arrived for the wedding. What does that mean to us?
• How should knowing Jesus is coming back impact how we live our lives today?
• How can the promise of Jesus’ return help us face life today?

Let's discover what will happen when Jesus returns. Please read and study the entire Chapter of Revelation 19.

See you Sunday

Something to consider when preparing for Sunday School each week

I have been thinking about how to best prepare and deliver the Sunday School lesson each week. As part of that I have also thought about how to try make the lesson more meaningful each week for each person.

I asked myself as a student in the class what did I do each week to prepare for the lesson and to be perfectly frank, I usually did very little if anything. I usually was uninspired by the Sunday School quarterly (not the fault of the publication) and I let other things get in the way of actually studying the lesson, and as I reflected, I realized my problem as a student and sometimes as a teacher were one in the same.

Many times I would just go the the Sunday school material and begin reading the prescribed pages and rarely would I finish a lesson.

What was wrong?

What was my epiphany?

It was so simple what I left out.

Rarely would I pray before I attempted to study. Rarely would I open God's word to read beyond the "prescribed verses" for the week. Rarely would I open other reference material to dig deeper into the meaning other than what the publisher and author was saying.

After thinking about all this, I decided I would post this to the class with a suggestion of what might be a "better" way.

In weeks to come, consider doing this or something similar in this order.

• Look into the lesson material to find the reference verses or get them from my posts each week.
• Don't read the lesson or even the lesson plan for that week at this time.
• Get your bible, "God's Holy Word" and open to the reference verses.
• Before you begin to even read His word, pray to God to reveal what He wants you to see and understand. Ask Him to help you understand His word.
• Begin reading the referenced verses. Maybe even read what is happening before the verses you are to read for the actual lesson. Maybe even read beyond the verses for that week. Try not to look at the "study helps" in your bible the 1st couple of times through. Those notes while helpful are not "God's word". They are helpful for later, but for now ponder on His word only and pray about it.
• Come back to His word maybe another day, Pray again and then read the verses again. Maybe read Study Bible help notes. Think about what God might be saying to you.
• Come back yet again another day, Pray again asking God to reveal Himself, and now read the Sunday School material. Make notes in your quarterly or notebook about what your thoughts are and questions.
• Finally come back another day, read verses that you are really focused on and make more notes and questions or answer in your notebook some the questions you had earlier. All total we are talking about 3 - 5 days for Sunday School preparation.

Of course these are my thoughts and not necessarily the only way, but it is a fresh way of looking at the topic each week.

Consider something that challenges your mind and spirit each week with the lesson. We must be grounded theologically. If not we fall prey to false teachers, false beliefs, just like the video presented earlier today.

I hope you find this at least thought provoking.

See you Sunday.

Hold onto this thought for future Sunday School Topic....

Recent New Article on PEW Study

This goes back to what we talked about last week. We "ALL" need to be sure proper Theology is being taught in our classes, from the pulpit and discussed in the work place. This is where we are heading if not.

If Your Money Could Talk

Proverbs 3:9-10; 11:24-26; 13:11; 15:16-17; 16:11; 23:4-5

I gave you $1000 Sunday and you had to spend it that day, what would you buy or do with it?

Money...... You can't live without it, but yet do we really understand God's principles toward it and how we are supposed to live with it?

See quote below from Dave Ramsey:

The Love of Money, Not Money, Is the Root of All Evil

As a Christian, I am amazed how certain political and religious groups have decided that wealth is evil. Many of the heroes of biblical faith, of world history, and of our nation were very wealthy, including Kind David, Solomon, Job, and most of our Founding Fathers. There is a negative mind-set justifying money mediocrity that is maddening. Wealth is not evil, and people who possess it aren’t evil by virtue of the wealth. There are rich jerks and poor jerks. Dallas Willard, in his book Spirit of the Disciplines, says to use riches is to cause them to be consumed, to trust in riches is to count upon them for things they cannot provide, but to possess riches is to have the right to say how they will or will not be used.

If you are a good person, it is your spiritual duty to possess riches for the good of mankind. If you are a Christian like me, it is your spiritual duty to possess riches so that you can do with them things that bring glory to God.

Source: Dave Ramsey, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2003), 221.

Sunday School This Week ..... and Special Thanks

Thanks to Regina for teaching this past Sunday. I heard we had a big crowd. Tommy was visiting his Dad on Fathers Day and I was out of town with Luke. Regina took one for the "team" and did an outstanding job. Thanks again Regina.

For this week. Please read the passages below and contemplate some of these thoughts and questions.

Prov. 14:25; 15:1,4,23,28; 16:24; 17:27-28; 18:20-21; 21:23; 25:11-12; 26:20-22,28

Proverbs 14.25. What are some ways people can lie?
Proverbs 15.4. Can you tell of a time when you were crushed by words?
Proverbs 26:20-22. What do we learn about words from watching a fire?
Proverbs 26:28. How does flattery hurt?

See you Sunday !!!

Nest Sunday's Lesson - Proverbs 6:1-15

If you are not reading anything else these days, I'd encourage you to read the proverb of the day this month. There are thirty-one chapters in Proverbs and thirty one days in a long month (This month you can read chapter 30 and 31 on the same day), so that works out nicely. If you have missed a day, just skip to the next one that matches the calendar.

Some questions to think about for Sunday:

• What is a sluggard?
• What is the cost of being a sluggard?
• What other verses speak of the danger of being a sluggard?
• What is the appeal of being a sluggard? What is the temptation?
• In what ways are you tempted to be a sluggard?

Sounds like a fun lesson doesn't it. Please review the passages and see you Sunday.

Next Sunday's Passages for the Lesson and Thoughts - Ephesians 4:17-32; Philemon1

This Sunday concludes our theme of "Unlocking our Best Relationships"

This Sunday we will be look at 2 books in the New Testament. Ephesians's and the the oft overlooked but powerful little book Philemon.

As you read Ephesians and Philemon below, Consider these thoughts and questions. (The actual passages are referenced below the questions and thoughts)

From our passages in Ephesians:

1. What is the old self?
2. How do you put on the new self?
3. How have you seen dishonesty ruin a relationship?
4. How literally do you take, “don’t let the sun go down on your anger”?
5. What does it mean to grieve the Spirit of God? How do we grieve God?

The Philemon story is a story of forgiveness. As you review the passages, think about these questions and thoughts:

1. How do you think Philemon felt as he read this letter for the first time?
2. Would it have been wrong of Paul not to send Onesimus back?
3. Did Paul have to do this?
4. This is a lesson in forgiveness. How do we forgive when it is difficult to forgive?
5. What are some common misconceptions about forgiveness?
6. His forgiveness a gift?
7. Biblically speaking....Who is forgiveness for, the person giving the forgiveness or receiving?
8. Is there true forgiveness without considering the biblical aspect of forgiveness or is the world's view of forgiveness the same as God's view of forgiveness?

Our Passage for the Week. (note there are a few more verses than the ss quarterly's lesson points)


Ephesians 4:17-32

(Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Living the New Life

17 Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.

20 But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, 21 assuming you heard Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus: 22 you took off your former way of life, the old man that is corrupted by deceitful desires; 23 you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; 24 you put on the new man, the one created according to God's [likeness] in righteousness and purity of the truth.

25 Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and don't give the Devil an opportunity. 28 The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. 29 No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear. 30 And don't grieve God's Holy Spirit, who sealed you for the day of redemption. 31 All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness. 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Philemon 1

(Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Greeting

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy, our brother:

To Philemon, our dear friend and co-worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your house.

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon's Love and Faith

4 I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. 6 [I pray] that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us for [the glory of] Christ. 7 For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

An Appeal for Onesimus

8 For this reason, although I have great boldness in Christ to command you to do what is right, 9 I appeal, instead, on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an elderly man and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus, 10 appeal to you for my child, whom I fathered while in chains—Onesimus. 11 Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful to both you and me. 12 I am sending him—a part of myself —back to you. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that in my imprisonment for the gospel he might serve me in your place. 14 But I didn't want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be out of obligation, but of your own free will. 15 For perhaps this is why he was separated [from you] for a brief time, so that you might get him back permanently, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave—as a dearly loved brother. This is especially so to me, but even more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me a partner, accept him as you would me. 18 And if he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, may I have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Since I am confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 But meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.

Final Greetings

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, and so do 24 Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Lesson for 4/6/2008 - Genesis 12:1-8; 13:5-161

Please Read the following Scripture and surrounding passages. Genesis 12:1-8; 13:5-161

1. As you read this, look for what caused a quarrel between Abraham and Lot.

2. Imagine this from Abraham’s perspective. What did this feel like for God to say, “Get up
and move to the place where I will show you.”

3. Is this how God normally guides–telling us a direction without a destination?

Many of us want the full path laid out before us in order to commit to action. Is this just being prudent, cautious, disobedient or a lack of faith/trusting when it comes to following where God is leading?

What is it that God is trying to speak to us about in our daily walk and path ahead?

Please come prepared to discuss and move into a deeper discussion this Sunday.

God Bless and I hope everyone is having a great spring break !!!

Final Lesson this Month (Revelation Chap 1 and 3)

Revelation 1:9-13,17-18; 3:14-22

The above referenced passages are the core verses for this week. We will most likely look at other verses within those chapters as well.

Below is a list of some things we will discuss this week. Please be thinking about your input.

• What have you read in your quiet time recently that has warmed your heart?

• Has anyone had a spiritually significant conversation with an outsider in recent days?

1. What all do we know about the John who wrote Revelation?
2. Locate Patmos on a map. What was John doing on Patmos?
3. What did John see in this vision?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Also, I will be updating you later as to which classroom we will be moving to after I have confirmed with the church the date and location.

See you Sunday !!!

Easter Sunday Lesson (Ephesians 1:18-21; 2:4-9; 3:16-211)

Ephesians 1:18-21; 2:4-9; 3:16-211

Please review these verses for Sunday Morning. I hope everyone is having a great Good Friday and a Wonderful and Worshipful Easter Weekend and Morning.

See Below:

What Does Jesus Do for Us? Jesus Lives for Us

Scripture tells us the reason Jesus went to the cross was to pay the price for our sins. His resurrection assures us of His, and ultimately our, victory over death. Simply put, Jesus died so we would not have to experience eternal death; He rose again so that we could experience eternal life.

That is what Easter is all about. It’s about having come to a point in our lives where we understand that we are sinners in need of a Savior. It’s about recognizing that nothing can save us from the penalty of our sins except the blood of Jesus. And coming to that recognition, we must accept the forgiveness of sins Jesus offers and place our lives under His control, that’s what it means to be saved.

Many people have a superficial understanding of what it means to be a Christian. They think that holding to a certain moral or ethical code will get them into heaven. Others think that joining the church or being baptized will do it, but Scripture tells us we must be born again, we must be made new in Jesus, we must pass from the death of trespasses and sins into the new life found only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s what Easter is all about.

But not only is it a time to celebrate the new life we have in Jesus because of His resurrection, it is also a time for us to reflect upon what the resurrection means in our everyday experience.

Belonging to Jesus means you are no longer of the world. You may be in the world but you are no longer of the world and thus you will ever be at odds with the world.

The world hates us because our new life in Christ is such a contrast with the life they live. When we are surrendered to the point that the life of Jesus is seen through us, our lives serve to convict the world around us of their sin. Our lives force them to see themselves for what they really are and it’s not something they want to see.

We who were dead in trespasses and sins have been made alive in Christ, we have been born again, we live in a realm the lost world cannot understand and because we have this new life, because we have been spiritually raised from the dead, and our life is different from that of the world. The one distinctive which we should possess that makes us different is love.

If you really know Him, if you’ve really trusted Him, then live like Him. Don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t profess one thing and practice another. If you have really trusted Him, then your actions will demonstrate it.

Do you know Him? Is the evidence of His love visible in your life? Have you ever trusted Him? Are you walking in obedience to Him, or are claiming to be a Christian without any substantiating evidence?

Source: Whittman, Calvin. What Does Jesus Do for Us? Jesus Lives for Us. Retrieved March 11, 2008, from www.lifeway.com.

Living 3:16-Where God Is at Home

1 Corinthians 3:9-17; 6:12-13,18-20

The church Paul established in Corinth was filled with both Jews and newly converted Gentiles. Although he spent a year and a half with the church at Corinth, teaching them God’s Word and the attributes of godliness, they continued to struggle with self-discipline and were setting a poor example for their pagan neighbors. Paul felt responsible for this baby church filled with new Christians who struggled with previous worldly influence. Paul wrote a letter to them, admonishing them and encouraging behaviors that would honor God. A foundation of faith had been established for the church to build on, but many were straying from godly behavior and were beginning to look like the world.

Some questions we will discuss next week:

• What does it mean to be revealed by fire?
• What does it mean to live honorably?
• What is the cost of living honorably as unto God?

Please continue to pray for Revival and those we have been praying for in our class.... Especially our class members.

Ask God this week to open our eyes to a view of things more eternal.

God Bless !!!

How to Live - 3:16

Paul and Timothy were not only brothers in the ministry of sharing Christ, but they were friends. Second Timothy was written while Paul was imprisoned, and it was the last letter he would write before he was put to .

We can sense Paul’s urgency in his request for Timothy to come and in his words of exhortation to be steadfast as a Christian and a minister. Paul knew young Timothy would face trials, alienation, and possibly , so he reminded Timothy of the calling God placed on his life and then challenged him to be unashamed of the gospel, encouraging him to rely on God's power to face suffering that might come because of the gospel.

so..........

Half of All s Say Their Faith Helped Them Personally Handle the 9-11 Aftermath

Faith Made a Difference

Tens of millions of Americans turned to their faith to help process the tragedies. When asked if their religious faith made any difference in how they handled the attacks, one-fourth of all s (25%) said their faith has been "the single most important resource" they have relied on and an additional one-quarter (23%) said their faith has been "one of several important resources" that has enabled them to deal with the attacks. These figures represent about 100 million s who credit their faith with helping them to address the attacks.

Source: The Barna Research Group (2002, September 3). Half of All s Say Their Faith Helped Them Personally Handle the 9-11 Aftermath. Retrieved February 20, 2008, from http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=120.

Let's Discuss tomorrow as we kick off our revival How to live.........

Living 3:16--By the Book