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

Celebrating the Savior's Birth, Luke 2:1-20

Luke 2 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus ^{(A) [a]} that the whole empire ^[b] should be registered. 2 This first registration took place while ^[c] Quirinius was governing Syria. ^(B) 3 So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.

4 And Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, ^(C) 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him ^[d] and was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough—because there was no room for them at the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord ^(D) stood before ^[e] them, ^(E) and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ^[f] 10 But the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, ^(F) for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 today a Savior, ^(G) who is Messiah ^(H) the Lord, ^(I) was born for you in the city of David. 12 This will be the sign for you: ^(J) you will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a manger."

13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, ^(K)

and peace on earth ^(L) to people He favors! ^{(M) [g] [h]}

15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."

16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the feeding trough. 17 After seeing [them], they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things ^[i] in her heart ^(N) and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God ^(O) for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told.