Notes on Sunday AM class

Acts 19:19 - Those who practiced sorcery came together publicly to burn their books. While they were not commanded to destroy their books, it was the only thing they could do in order to be truly repentant.

Sometimes it is necessary to rid ourselves of physical things in order to repent. Other times we need only to change our attitude. If our problem is lack of patience, or anger with our brother, the solution is not to kick him out of the house, but to humble ourselves and work through our differences.

Whether getting rid of things or attitudes, repentance requires a sacrifice. We must be willing to give up something when we desire to change.

Inspired by Drew's sermon

Judas sought out Jesus' enemies to betray Him. he was chosen by Jesus to have great power, he was there to witness the miracles, to listen to all of the parables and their meanings, and he was there when Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ. Yet somsething in him allowed himself to seek personal gain and betray Him, whatever his reasoning. He felt that doing so was more valuable to him than obeying Jesus.

What is most valuable to me? Is it my favor among others, or my financial status, or my professional experience? Or is it my relationship with God? Do the things I do place more emphasis on self, and place them above God's importance in my life?

Inspired by Steve's sermon

As Isaiah did in chapter 6, we come to worship not for ourselves, but to fellowship in the presence of the Lord of Hosts. Church service is not for us, for us to get something out of. We are here to worship and through that we will be blessed.

The word "worship" used in the New Testament implies a physical act. It is not enough for us to just be here. We must actively participate and engage our minds. Then we are worshipping in Spirit.

We come to service to encourage one another. Hebrews 10:23-25. To stimulate one another, we must move them to action, to do what we are convicted to do.

"They were continually devoting themselves..." (Acts 2:42) literally, constantly attending all exercises. The early church was there for each other at all times, taking every opportunity to serve one another.

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee

Laban became greedy and began to treat Jacob poorly. He grew to covet the prosperity he received after Jacob worked for him, and took advantage of Jacob's hard work. From the moment he tricked Jacob by giving him Leah instead of Rachel, Laban tried to take whatever he could from Jacob without giving anything in return. Never did he see him as a son, only as a means of making a profit.

Yet despite all of his efforts, God still blessed Jacob and gave him much. When he fled to Canaan with what had been decided as his wages, he had much, even though Laban had tried to take it all away from him. Jacob served Laban even while being mistreated, and God rewarded Jacob while taking from Laban what he tried so hard to hold on to.

Often times people see us for less than what we are. They look at how we can better their lives, and do not take into account the needs of our own life. Yet we are not to repay their inconsiderate attitude with one of our own. Just as Jacob had committed to serving Laban, so we have a commitment to God to server others. We can not let the bad things others do make us into bad people. Romans 12:17-21 tells us that we should not return evil for evil, and that God is the one who will enact vengeance. Just as Laban lost his daughters and his cattle, so God will repay as He sees fit. We need to be as Jacob was and wait for God's blessing.

Beloved, let us love one another.

"As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and not a lie, and just as it has been taught you, abide in Him." - 1 John 2:27

Truth can not be learned from a bible study. It can't be taught through discussion, listening to sermons will not give you the truth. We can only receive the truth from the Spirit. So why do we evangelize? To give people the knowledge and direction to find the truth. Why do we study with each other? Because we have the truth, and now we must help each other grow and remain in the truth. It is important for others to be involved in our spiritual walk, to lead us, to strengthen us, and to keep us accountable. But ultimately, people can not save us. Only through discovering the truth and keeping the commands (1 John 2:5) can we be perfected.

"We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." - 1 John 3:16

Jesus laid down His life by sacrificing and dying on the cross. yet the death was not what was important, it was the sacrifice. If Jesus had died through the plan of men, it would not have been enough. But His death was through the plan of God, that He may take upon Himself the burden of man so that we would not have to struggle with them anymore. We lay down our lives for others by doing the same, sacrificing ourselves and taking upon their burdens. it is rare that it would benefit anyone by dying for them. But we can take on their financial or emotional or even physical burdens, in order to alleviate the burden from them. This is how we fulfill God's command and show love.

I'm gonna make it after all

What purpose do we have for this life, if not but to serve God and serve others? I believe the latter is more important the former, since we shall also serve God for eternity.

Today at work, as my thoughts focused again on all the hurt and pain inflicted on me in past and recent times by those who are closest to me, I was reminded of the pain Jesus must have endured throughout His life. Not the physical pain of the crucifixion, but emotional pain as the ones He loved the most turned their backs on Him. He was not always well respected. And I'd wager that even some of those He helped eventually shunned Him. Yet He did not respond with indignation. He did not feel sorry for himself, nor pull Himself away emotionally to keep from being hurt again. He continued to love the people who spat on his face, who treated Him with contempt, or who were just too self-absorbed to realized what was needed of them. And He never demanded what was needed. His love and affection was never conditional. It was always about the other man, never about Him. And in that regard, I still have a long way to go.

Judas is always looked upon as the villain. But really, he was just a man who had a moment of weakness, and put himself before others. Before the Lord. We do that every day. Judas' real fault was that he didn't know how to make things right within himself again. To ask for forgiveness and change for the better. Instead he just gave up, and never made things right. Sadly, many of us do that far too often, too. I hope that I never become one of those people.

J O Y

Philemon 8-9 - Because of the faith of Philemon, Paul knew that, although he had the authority to tell Philemon what he should do, he did not have to, because Philemon was already sound enough to do what was right.

Do I take the initiative to do the right thing because of my faith and love for God, or do I wait until God puts me in a situation where I have my hand placed for me, where the only way to get out if it would be to completely disobey? I should not wait until I have no choice but to do good. I should offer myself when the situation is available, before anyone is given the chance to ask.

Matthew 25:33-46 - Sheep and goats

We are commanded to help others, and help each other. Especially each other, our brothers and sisters. We should not have to wait for God to always say "go." Anytime we see someone with a need, we should do what we can to help. This also includes spiritual needs. "If a brother is caught in sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently." Most people will not ask for help until there are no other options. We can not allow our family to get to that place, especially in regard to their relationship with God. In order to be proactive in helping others, we must always be aware of what is going on in their lives. If we focus everything on ourselves, we can not look outward at others. We may not always be able to help, but we must always be prepared and ready to help, or use our resources to find help. it is our responsibility to look out for others, and in turn, they should look out for us. This is not to say that we do nothing to take care of ourselves. But our needs are secondary if they prevent us from serving others. "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor." (Romans 12:10). "Carry each other's burdens and, in this way, you fulfill the Law of Christ."