Presenting Jesus Christ Through Our Lives

2 Corinthians 4:10-11

10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

Think about vs 10! As Christians we carry around with us in our body the death of Jesus!

What do you think about that? It's encouraging in some respects, because we know that Gods grace through Jesus death is always upon us. It's also sobering to know Jesus is with us in every thing that we do on a daily basis.

Where has your body been? Where have you taken the cross of Christ? Into arguments with your spouse? Pornography? Inpatients with your kids? Wordly endeavors?....etc.

When I'm in the middle of sin Jesus and his death is right there with me! Do I continue to sin or allow Jesus's death lead me to repentance?

We are called to carry the cross in a way that will glorify God.

Have you carried the cross of Jesus in a way that his glory would be revealed through you to others? We need to continually think about how we are presenting our selves as Christ ambassador and the way we represent him with our lives.

How do you represent Jesus in your marriage, work, school...etc. Do people see Jesus in you as you interact with them during your daily routine?

Vs 11 tells us that the purpose of carrying Jesus's death in our bodies is so that Jesus's life will be revealed to others through us and that we should be putting our sinful nature to death.

Evangelism is not about what you say but about how you live your life. We have to be Godly examples in every aspect of our lives!

What struggles have you put to death or do you plan to put to death today?

When we have unrepentant sin in our lives, the bible says we are crucifying Jesus all over again (Hebrews 6:6).

If by our lives people can see Christ then conversely if we are not living the life Jesus called us to live as Christians, then we can have a negative impact on the way others view Christianity or even God as a whole.

DON'T LOSE HEART – THERE IS HOPE!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Sometimes trying to live a Christian life can feel like you're wasting away! But we can't loose heart or get discouraged! Satan wants us to think that our troubles are not momentary and we are some how missing out on life, but vs 17 tells us that we are achieving an eternal glory that far outweighs them all!

 

Building Gods Kingdom through love

2 Timothy 1:1-8

God does not want us to have a spirit of timidity when it comes to the good news and testimony of Jesus Christ!

God wants us to have a spirit of love and confidence. Our love should be evident to all people!

Our challenge as Christians is to learn how to love the way god intended us to love! Gods definition of love and the worlds definition of love are two totally different things.

1 John 4:7-11;16

God is love! To truly define Gods love you have to look at what God has done for us. He is always faithful, always there for us, he never has nor will let's us down. He sacrficed his one and only son for us so that we would not meet destruction!

Our challenge in building the kingdom is to love one another in the same way God has loved us! Then and only then will we people be able to see Gods spirit in us. Our example to the world is through our love.

The world teaches us that love is conditional. If you love me and treat me the way I want, then I will love you...etc

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Love is more important in Gods eyes than any wordly accoplishment we can obtain or achieve!

This is the Godly definition of love. Do you love your brothers and sisters, your neighbors, your family the way this scriptue defines love?

The best way to measure your love for someone is to ask them. Ask your family and friends if they feel loved by you in this way?

Matthew 22:35-40

The bible hangs on two things. Loving God and loving other people.

John 15:9-14

Loving God has to do with being obiedent to his commandments. We cannot love God unless we love other people!

Being obiedent to God is also connected to denying our sleves. Denying our selves what we want by following gods will for our lives instead.

Love is having a "one another relationships". Being deeply in love spiritualy for each other and being envolved in each others lives! Having compassion for people in the world. How can God use you in someone elses life? What impact spiritualy can you have in someone elses life.

1 John 2:9-11

God sees our hearts. We may be able to fool each other but god knows our motives and actions. We cannot walk with God and be in the light unless we love our brothers and sisters!

Forgiveness; Bible Study

Mark 11:24-26

24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."[g]

This passage of scripture is has a double edge. Vs 24 we hold on too and want to agree with, vs 25, well, wow...that's a tough one!

What are the thoughts that come to your mind when you read vs 24?

In vs 24 Jesus tells us that all we have to do is ask, believe and we will receive! I think we forget sometimes how much power God has given us in prayer! In doing so some times our prayers can become rituals and just a daily check list and not passionate conversations with our creator.

Ask your self this question:

How often do you truly take your problems, desires and whishes to God and pray for them earnestly?

For me unfortunately I pray to God a lot more when I'm in trouble than I do on good days with no problems.

Vs 24 – also tells us that our faith in God or lack of faith in God can dictate if our prayers are answered. We have to have faith when we pray!

What do you think about what Jesus said in vs. 25?

Hard teaching, scary scripture to think about, who can accept it?...etc

I don't think this scripture would make anyone's top 10 favorite bible verses! We like to remember and meditate on the feel good scriptures, like John 3:16 etc... Unless we are on the receiving end of someone's hate or unforgivingness. At that point we know this scripture really well and we conveniently use it to say you have to forgive me or God won't forgive you!

How have you for filled this scripture in your life? Who have you not forgiven?

Do you pray for people that you struggle with?

It's interesting in vs 25 that Jesus asked the question “if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him” during the act of praying.

It's hard to pray for someone that you have issues with or bad feelings towards, isn't it?

To be truly resolved with someone you should be able to pray for them without any hesitation.

If you want God to forgive you, then you have to forgive others. It's that simple!

Why is forgiveness so important with regard to our relationships?

If someone refuses to forgive you for something, how do you feel?

In order to love someone you have to be able to forgive them right?

I know in my own life that when I've done something to hurt my wife or one of my daughters, I desire their forgiveness to no end. I long for it. I want reassurance that I have been forgiven by them!

People can see Gods grace and forgiveness in us when we choose to not hold grudges and forgive!

How to lead a bible discussion group

What should be the purpose of a bible talk or small spiritual bible study group be?

1. Reach the lost.
   
2. Bring people into our lives so they can see Jesus in our lives.
   
3. Meet the needs of the church.
   
4. Helping people see their need for a relationship with God.

Specifically, these groups should be designed to seek and save the lost! God calls us to share his word and call others to follow him.

Suggestions for leading a great bible talk or small spiritual bible study group:

1. It should not be run like a church service with a formal type atmosphere.
2. The bible study should be a discussion group and you need to ask a lot of questions and get feed back.
3. Be prepared for you study group and your lesson should be thought threw and planed.
4. Ask engaging questions. Thought provoking questions that relate to the biblical topic or subject.
5. This should not be a time to preach but again a time for spiritual discussion.
6. Lead by example in share your weaknesses and temptations and how god has helped you in your own life!
   

Example scripture
Matthew 5:38-40
Share how turning the other cheek has been a struggle for you. Give circumstances in your week that have challenged you in this commandment.

• Reduce distractions by setting up childcare...etc
• Always finish the discussion on time and the lessons should not exceed 30 minutes.
• Have inspiring lessons and try to incorporate ice breaker activities to get people involved.
• Use current events, relevant topics, cuing stories and interesting facts that relates to the discussion topic.
• Try to plan your topic around a single passage of scripture.
  

Building Deep Spiritual Relationships

Ask yourself this question; How are my relationships? None us can make it on our own! God designed one another relationships for a reason and he wants us to have deep brotherly relationships to help us spiritually!

Of course not all relationships will be at the same intimacy level and God does not expect us to have cookie cutter relationships! The bottom line is, we need to build relationships that allow the spirit to move in our lives. The goal is to help each other to stay faithful and get to heaven!

Proverbs 27:17

Our number one priority should be our relationship with God but we cannot neglect the power of God that works through others in our relationships. Sometimes other people can see us better than we see our selves.

Deuteronomy 6:4

Again we need a personal relationship with God.

Do you have prayer time with God every day? If Jesus is to be lord of your life then you need to be spending time in prayer everyday!

Do you ready the bible everyday? We eat food every day to survive and our spiritual health is no different. We need the word of God to sustain us and allow us to grow spiritually!

Ephesians 5:22-30

  How is our relationship with our Spouse? Are we fulfilling this scripture with our relationship with our spouse?

Husbands do you love your wife the way Christ loved the church? Our responsibility is to present our bride radiant and blemish free!

1 Timothy 5:8

God wants us to be connected to our physical families and provide for them

Deuteronomy 6:7

We need tone in a teaching mode with our kids so that we can impress upon them the word of God. Providing for your family means so much more than just worldly physical needs. Their spiritual health is important in your relationship with them.

With regard to the relationships in the church we need to be open with each other. We need to confess sin to each other so we can help each other?

Encouragement should be another key factor in building deep and close relationships. The bible also talks about practicing hospitality with our brothers and sisters. Invite people into your home. Allow people to get close to you and to see your life on a daily basis.

With these key principals you will have Godly relationships with you physical family and your spiritual family.

The power of discipleship

Biblical examples of discipleship:

Old Testimate
Proverbs 4:1; 19:20; 27:5-6; 27:17

God knows our nature and the struggles that we will face. There are times in our lives when we need to allow others to help us spiritually

New Testimate
Matthew 28:19-20
Timothy 2:1-2

God designed his church for discipleship. As brothers and sisters we should be intimately involved in each others lives. Superficiality was never an attribute for God's church. We need to be real with each other and hold each other accountable to God's word!

Colossians 1:28-29 2:1-2

The apostle Paul struggled with discipleship and being in a true one another relationship!

Discipleship is a struggle and takes work and vulnerability to engage one another.

There are 56 passages in the bible about loving one another! God wants his people to love one another. To truly do that we need to know what each others needs are, what our struggles are...etc!

If we are not in a discipline relationship that challenges us and calls us higher in our personal relationship with God then we hindering God from working in our lives!

Why is discipleship important? With all the scriptures that were mentioned and read above this question has been answered, but here are some additional reasons why discipleship is important:

1. Keeps us focused on Jesus
2. Protects and guards our heart from Satan schemes
3. We become more aware of our sin
4. Builds character and spirituality by helping us become who we are and not just being religious in what we do.
5. God works in powerful ways through our spiritual relationships.
   

The key to a discipling relationship is being open, getting advice and vulnerable.

Jesus made himself vulnerable in his life and he constantly called the apostles to a one another relationship! Look at the letters that the apostle Paul wrote and notice his vulnerability in those letters.

Many of our problems in life and in our marriage are because we failed to get advice and listen to the godly men and women god has put in our lives!

Proverbs 12:15; 13:10; 15:22

Seeking advice is a matter of being wise.

Having a submissive spirit is another key to a great discipling relationship

James 3:17
1 Peter 5:5-6

Godly vision for a new year!

Zechariah was called by god to inspire gods people to rebuild the temple. There was much opposition from neighboring countries. The temple was started and then stopped and then delayed, but Zechariah new that the temple had to be completed and God's will must be done!

Zechariah 4:1-6

Not by might nor by power but by the spirit of the lord. When we do God's will we have to rely on him. We will have obstacles and set backs but with gods power we can accomplish all things!

Zechariah had a vision to see what was to come and the angel of the lord asked Zechariah what do you see?

So I will ask, what do YOU see? What plans do you have for fulfilling God's will in your life? We have to have vision for what God can do in our lives and then we have to be willing to let God use us!

Not by might and not by our own power but by the strength of the spirit of the lord! As long as God is with us we will be able to complete the task!

Psalms 46:1-11

Vs 10 Be still and know that I am God! God will do the work if we surrender to him and his will!

Zechariah 4:7

Gods spirit moved mountains. Some of us are over whelmed with the mountains in our lives! We have to see that God has the power to overcome what ever struggle, trial or tribulation we may be facing in our life!

Today, what is your mountain? We can name all the problems we have and believe that this the reason for the struggles in our lives but the real mountains we have to overcome are internal! The true battle is how we deal with our problems internally! Bad things can and will happen, however, it is how we react to them that changes the outcome.

Pride, impatience, selfishness, envy, greed....etc are the mountains that we face and they are all internal sins.

Matthew 21:21-22

Have faith and god and throw that mountain into the sea!

Bible Study: Storing Up Treasures

First let me say that I am not against investing, saving money or any other practice that would help any person become self sufficient and financially stable. This free bible study is aimed at dealing with the heart of the matter and help us see Gods perspective on how we should view our money and ultimately where we should really get our security!

What do u think about investments? Stable, risky or a complete gamble?

The bible talks a lot in proverbs about being wise with our money and not becoming lazy or complacent. God also teaches that we should get our security from him and not our money. We should also not put anything before God. He is to be full desire of our hearts.


Matthew 6:19-21

¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Where is your treasure? It is not always money. Some times we store up treasure and get our security from our how many friends we have or the type of boyfriend/girlfriend we have.

Where is your heart? the bible says where your treasure is there your heart will be also. Our treasure and security should be in God alone!

Genesis 12:4-6;13:5;14

Lot chose Sodom not because of the sin but for worldly standards. Sometimes money can cloud our vision and Satan can use it to cause us to make us wise and worldly decisions.

Matthew 6:31

God knows what we need! Let him focus on our worldly needs and we should focus on the spiritual things!

Genesis 22:1-8
    
Abraham saw his spirituality as the most Important thing for him and his son....Even if it meant to sacrifice him!

What are you investing in with your children? Is their spirituality a priority or are you more concerned with college tuition and goods schools? We all want what is best for our children physically, however, our priority should be their spiritual health!

Hebrews 11:17-19
     
Do we believe like Abraham that if we sacrifice our kids
worldly future they will gain a spiritual one!?

Spiritual dreams should be a priority over worldly dreams. Consider it a blessing if you are poor based on worldly standards and rich spiritually! God wants to be the number one priority in your life, over money and any other worldly possession!

Where do you get your confidence?

TEEN BIBLE STUDY:

How do you build confidence or more personally, what things build your confidence?

Some basketball players wear a shooting sleeves and football players wear elbow bands. Why? Mostly for looks. Like wise, some girls wear trendy clothes, jewelry and a lot of make up.

How do you feel when you wearing the latest fashions? When you dress your best and feel good about what you are wearing? Do you go to school with confidence? Of course you do!

Why do we put of confidence in such things?

Some times we get our confidence from the wrong places like clothes, Jewelry, shoes, friends...etc.

The world tells us that our self worth has to come from material things.

Where should our confidence and strength come from? God, the bible and through prayer!

Ephesians 6:10-18

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Lets break this scripture down by verse and meditate on what God is saying here.

Vs 10 – Where should we get our strength? From God and his mighty power!

Vs 11 – Put on the full armor of God! Would you fill confident in battle with out armor? What if you only had a helmet and no shield...etc. No you would not be confident until you were wearing the full armor.

Vs. 12 – Satan wants us to think our battle is against each other, but our battle is really against the status quo. The underlined forces that tell us we have to dress a certain way to be cool or have sex before marriage...etc. Our battle is a spiritual battle! A spiritual battle for the purity of our souls!

Vs. 13 – When will the day of evil come? It's not a matter of IF but when! How do we stand our ground and resist temptation? This can only be accomplished with the full armor of God!

Vs. 14-17 – In order to stand firm, to be strong and confident we must put on each piece of armor. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet have to be fitted with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith (use to extinguish Satan's arrows), the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of god!

So how do we put on the full armor of God? By upholding the truth, making a decision to live a righteous life, spreading the good news and being about our purpose, having faith in his promises and his power, accepting our salvation and reading the word of God and obeying his commands.

We can face anything life has to throw at us with strength and confidence if we have this approach. With God all things are possible and he has given us the tools and power to overcome!

Romans 8:31-35

31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Our confidence should come from God and God alone! Our faith and trust should be in him and him alone! Make a decision to follow the word of God and not the status quo.