Jesus is the Word of God
I gave these short talks at the daily prayer meetings for Falmouth CU mission week.
Throughout Luke 8 we see the Word spreading powerfully though it's opposed at every turn. Through death, darkness and much frustration, light and life does triumph.
Luke 8:1-15 - The Word like Seed
Luke 8:16-21 - The Word as Light, Investment & Adoption Papers
Luke 8:22-25 - The Word that rules creation
During mission week at Falmouth CU we showed The Dark Knight Rises. I was going to give a short talk at the end but we had some technical problems halfway through so I gave the talk in the middle instead. Thankfully it didn't affect the talk too much since it wasn't based on the plot of Batman but on the concept of myths.
JRR TOLKEIN: ‘The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories… But this story has entered History... There is no tale ever told that men would rather find was true, and none which so many sceptical men have accepted as true on its own merits.”
CS LEWIS: “The story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others but with the tremendous difference that it really happened.”
Catch-up:
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321-GO!
Session 4: GOING WITH THE MISSIONARY GOD
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God is a Community on Mission... and so are we! John 20:21-23
Outgoing-ness not so much a decision or act – a way of life.
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Not Simply Sent... We Join Him In His Outgoing Life Matthew 28:18-20; Heb 13:13
If God is outgoing, what does it mean to be godly?
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Mission is a community thing John 13:34-35.
What kind of community reaches the world?
Why should this be so?
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We Help Each Other 1 Peter 2:9-12; 4:10-11
What does it mean for church to be a priesthood?
What is the significance of our different gifts within the priesthood?
Remember 1 Peter 3:15 - All are called to use words when the time is right!
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A Sentence Up Your Sleeve...
“That’s what I love about my church...”
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QUESTIONS
1. Sometimes it feels like God is up in heaven and wants us to go out and bring people in. How does this teaching challenge that thinking?
2. How does your community think of your church? (Do you want those thoughts to change?)
How does your church think of your community? (Do you want those thoughts to change?)
3. How can the life of church be more invitational? How can you be more invitational?
4. How would you complete that sentence "That's what I love about my church..."? How might you naturally talk about your church family with friends?
321-GO!
YOUR ONE-NESS
How are we one with Jesus?
Vine and Branches John 15:4-5
Head & Body / Groom & Bride Ephesians 5:25-30
Ruler and rulers Revelation 2:26-27
Priest and People Hebrews 4:14-16; 6:19-20; 7:23-28; 9:23-28; 10:11-14
Champion and Army 1 Samuel 17
Seed of Abraham Galatians 3:16,29
Son and sons Galatians 3:26
Anointed one(s) 1 John 2:20
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The Privileges of Oneness with Jesus
His Status
His Inheritance
His Family
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Discuss
If you asked the non-Christians you know ‘What is the Christian life all about?’, how would they respond?
How does Oneness with Jesus shape our understanding of the Christian life?
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Becoming One with the Son of God John 1:12-14:
How does someone become a Christian?
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Discuss:
People often say “I wish I had your faith!” What’s their understanding of “faith”?
How can people “have faith”?
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A Sentence Up Your Sleeve...
“That’s what I love about being a Christian...”
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QUESTIONS
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Last week I heard Leon Sims' pure nard on Church: where heaven meets earth.
This Sunday I went to St Andrew's to hear the glory man Marcus (Channing) Nelson on Malachi 4. An absolute corker on Christ's return - DOWNLOAD HERE.
Later that day, Steve (Woody) Nichols preached on Galatians 4: A choice of religions. DOWNLOAD HERE.
Highly recommended.
321-GO!
THE WORLD’S TWO-NESS
What’s the big problem with the world?
DISCUSS: “You and I do bad things and fail to do good things. If we don’t sort out this sin problem now we’ll be in trouble when we die.”
What’s good and bad about this statement?
How would you improve it?
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1 Corinthians 15:20-23
In Adam we – and the whole world – are taken down to death and curse
In Christ we – and the whole world – are raised to life and blessings
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Shaped by our families
In Adam we share:
family history – disconnection from God.
family traits – defects: suspicion, slavery, selfishness, stuff-ups
family inheritance – death.
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Our problem is not so much our behaviour, it’s our being.
How will this affect our evangelism?
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O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight
And to the rescue came.
Praise to the Holiest in the Height, J.H. Newman
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How does Jesus solve our disconnection, defects and death?
John 3:1-18
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A Sentence Up Your Sleeve...
“That problem is beyond me. I don’t think I/we can ever solve it, do you?”
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QUESTIONS
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321-GO!
THREE God is Three Persons united in love
TWO The story of the world is the story of two representatives
ONE You are one with Adam. Will you be one with Jesus?
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GOD’S THREE-NESS
What was there “in the beginning?” John 1:1-18
Nothing
Chaos
Power
Love
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From His Family to Our Failures Matthew 3:13-17
He joins us in our filth to invite us to His Family.
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It All Begins With Jesus John 1:14; John 14:5-10; Colossians 1:15
Which God do you believe in?
Which God don't you believe in?
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A Sentence Up Your Sleeve...
“That’s what I love about Jesus...”
QUESTIONS
E V Hill preaching at his wife's funeral (he calls her 'Baby').
Devastating and exultant at the same time. You will be a blubbering wreck in 19 minutes time...
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dubKFRf6etA]
Can someone with time and skills make an 8 minute typographied version of this?
Leon preached a corker tonight at Emmanuel, Plymouth.
From Psalm 84 he answered the question, Why isn't church more exciting?
We're the only source of life for this dying world.
We're the only place where people can meet with God.
We're the only place where the broken and hurt can find healing and refuge.
We're the only place on earth where God lives.
David Meredith The Trinity Applauded
Mike Reeves How the Trinity Shapes the Gospel
Mike Reeves How the Trinity Shapes Evangelism
Discussion: Mike Reeves, David Meredith with Melvin Tinker
David Meredith The Trinity Applied: Church life
The discussion time is particularly worth hearing.
