Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so, I am sending you.” John 20:21 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. I…
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Investing In God’s Work
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Philippians 1:3-5 And you Philippians yourselves know that at the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into a partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment and more. I am well supplied, having received…
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The Mission Is Big
And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” Luke 4:42-43 What are you passionate about? We give time to those things that we are passionate about. If you are passionate about sports, you will take the time to watch or participate in sports. You know everything there is about that sport (s). If you are passionate about your yard, you take the…
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Pray For The World
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. James 5:16 Do you have a group of people that you can have them pray for you? As believers, we need to pray for one another and share where we are struggling. For through him, we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:18 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. Ephesians 3:…
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A Look At Shepherds: Part 1
I am the Good Shepherd. John 10:11 Read Genesis 4:1-9. Who was the first shepherd mentioned? What word described the animals Abel brought to sacrifice to the Lord in verse 4? Why did God prefer Abel’s sacrifice here in Genesis? Read 2 Samuel 24:24. We need to remember the type of sacrifice that we are bringing to the Lord. Let’s jump to Hebrews 11. Here we learn more about the brothers’ sacrifices. In verse 4, who was mentioned first? Why was his sacrifice acceptable, according to this passage? It was his faith. Abel brought the best part of his animal to the Lord. He did this out of faith. We…
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Things to Hope For
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Faith is trusting God in all things. It does not base its hope on the visible circumstances but on confidence in spiritual realities. The same things that are the object of our hope are the object of our faith. We can put our hope in God even when we don’t physically see him. We have hope in God’s promises. We can lean on God. Since we have hope, we have the confidence in faith. The unseen things of hope become rare and real. Our hope in God is the faith we have that…
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Against All Hope
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 Hope! What kind of hope do you have? Do you have guarded hope? Or do you have optimistic hope? Either way, there are pitfalls to both postures. IF you are overly optimistic, you might not be prepared for the outcome. However, if you don’t let yourself be too hopeful, you can miss blessings. Read Romans 4:13-25. What are you hoping for? What is the good news of hope? Paul speaks about faith, however, it brings in the connection of promises and hope. This brings us to a deeper understanding…
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Hope In A Family
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 Did you ever learn the children’s song, Father Abraham? Or do you know this song? It was one of my favorites songs to sing in the children’s churches. In fact, it is still one of my favorites. I teach it to all the kids in my children’s church when given the opportunity. It goes like this: Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you So let’s all praise the Lord. The actions to this song were in verse…
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Bad News And Good News
Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. What then? I some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, ” That thou lightest be justified in thy words, and lightest prevail when thou art judge. ” Romans 3:1-4 Have you ever heard the phrase “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Are you a person who wants the bad news first or wants the good news? Read Romans 3:9-20. Sin…
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The Power
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes – the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by Faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life. ” Romans 1:16-17 Read Romans 1:1-17. What comes to mind when you hear or see the word power? Are there times in your life when you feel powerful and at times you don’t? God is power. We serve a powerful God, who has…