What Did You Learn In Church Today?

[DragonFox91]

2/23/25 on Mark 10
Some of us have the gift of service. Sometimes it takes time to develop our gifts.
The world doesn’t see Christians as servants & it is broken & in need of servants.
James & John want to have the rule the Romans have over them. They tell Jesus what they want, & he describes to them the Kingdom, the need to be a servant. He tells us to be set apart from the world as servants. Jesus is a servant his whole ministry. He often repeats the need to be a servant & work. Goes back to Genesis where God tells Adam to work the Garden. It’s a form of worship.
Being a servant requires action. We are all to serve like how deacons serve in a church. It is the church’s responsibility & the individual’s responsibility, in the family & out of the family, those we like & those we don’t, above us & below us. There’s not always a thank you, but God sees it, & sometimes the thank you comes later. It’s not always fun, can require us going out of our way, & we make excuses, b/c we’re selfish. But serving brings healing to us & others. We can serve b/c Jesus liberated us from sin on the Cross.

 

[DragonFox91]

3/9 on Acts 18
God uses all types to teach & disciple. He uses evangelists like Paul, apologists like Apollos, & normal people like Aquila & Priscilla. He uses people like us who commit to be filled w/ his Spirit & Word.
"God gave you your makeup..........No one else has your story" Chuck Swindol
Be competent in the Word, have the character that backs it up, a method, & be motivated by love & spirit
God wants us to keep learning & growing so we can teach & disciple. Be willing to listen others, & eager to teach in new settings

 

[DragonFox91]

3/2/25 am on 1 Tim 4
We influence others by are words & actions. People watch us as Christians. W/ so many ungodly examples, we need to be godly examples. We are to influence false teachers even when it’s hard. Not just for pastors.
There are 3 commitments that establish Christian example.
1. Character (you are this so do it)
a. Speech (we mean what we say, not empty, brings destruction or gives life. Bad: lying, complaining, etc. Good: Grace, truth)
b. Conduct (What we do. In routines)
c. Love & faith (self-sacrifice not expecting return, includes when things not going our way. Loyalty to the Lord -> eyes on him)
i. “I will send Timothy……….I have no one like-minded” Phi 2
d. Purity (includes sexual purity – that’s such a powerful example b/c mankind struggles w/ it)
2. The Bible
a. Reading & teaching it (straying from it leads to strayed action. Done in private & public. Private leads to public. Cannot be replaced by entertainment or politics
3. Service
a. Helping the church be healthy & godly w/ our spiritual gifts (we do not get left out of this)
b. Everyone around us sees it (we do not stop our commitment. It does not matter if we change people’s minds, we are to just do it)

SS on John 5
Copyists add footnotes to make it clear the context b/c people wouldn’t have known
The man was sick 38 years – not days or months. Jesus comes to him. He doesn’t ask for help b/c he’s consumed. Jesus doesn’t use the water or angels: he does it. The man doesn’t worship after he’s healed, maybe b/c he doesn’t like Jesus, & that’s why he tells the Jews

PM on Acts 18
“I was w/ you……..in fear” 1 Cor 2
Every Christian s/ expect to feel fear. Fear comes in familiar patterns. Even as Paul serves Christ faithfully, he faces anxiety & fear. If he struggles w/ it, so can we.
We can expect God’s support in fear. W/ his help, you can squeeze the life out of it like it’s trying to do you. Choke it w/ his character, work, & promises. Whatever you’ve been putting off from fear, just do it. Loving others keeps our minds off our fear.

 

[DragonFox91]

3/16/25 am on Acts 1
The Commission is important b/c it's Jesus's last words before he ascends, but we think there's so many people in the world, who cares.
'Jerusalem' is overcoming ours fear & failures. For the disciples, they were scared b/c the Savior was crucified & the city was against them. They had also failed him by denying & abandoing him. Even tho they had heard Jesus was resurrected, they still hid behind a locked door. They wouldn't have wanted to evangelize in Jerusalem but somewhere else where they could start new. Fear is a big reason we don't evangelize. If we don't overcome our fear & start where we're at, it doesn't make sense we'll be able to evangelize elsewhere.
'Judea' is overcoming hyper-independence. This is people we wouldn't think to evangelize to b/c we're wrapped in other things & can't reach by ourselves. The disciples were from Galilee & had to pass thru Judea to get to Jerusalem, wouldn't have spent much time in Judea. It takes teamwork. Doesn't come easy. Hard to work with others. Jesus says we will do it.
'Samaria' is overcoming people we think are hard (& they think we are hard). We all have people like this. They may've hurt us. We make excuses. We might not know everything about them. Samaritans are a group of people we find hard. Jesus witnessed to them. We need to overcome our pride & prejudice & love as Jesus does
"Ends of the earth" is overcoming apathy. We seek those the same as us, but evangelize to people significantly different from us in worldviews, cultures, & languages. Leave comfort zone.
Evangelizing is his design. He is still at work!

Sunday School missionaries to Muslims in Ukraine & Bosnia shared

PM was on mission trends. Some trends:
1.)Asymetric growth of the global church
2.) The re-envisioned role of the Western church
3.) The world is at our door
4.) Technology
5.) Rising costs
6.) Relying on the Holy Spirit's direction & provision

 

[DragonFox91]

I missed a couple weeks of notes but here's the one from Easter / Resurrection Sunday

4/20/25 on John 11
The Bible promises a future, literal, physical resurrection in a remade earth
There is also a spiritual resurrection now: We are all dead in sin & due to sin, but God’s gift to us is life thru Jesus Christ made possible by his resurrection
Jesus promises to Martha we can have this life now. When he says ‘I am the resurrection’, he is referring to God’s name in the OT & that his character is consistent.
One example of this new life is we get to experience the fullness of joy in God’s gifts to us b/c we have him to praise, we know the Giver. We are not meant to ‘just exist.’
We chase after life’s pleasures & are never satisfied. We also feel we can’t measure up. This is b/c our soul’s happiness can only be found in submission to our Creator. We make poor choices so we surrender to him out of love & he responds in love
In the Bible, ‘belief’ means action that corresponds w/ it in a way others see it.

 

[DragonFox91]

4/27/25 on 1 Tim 6
Our work is a calling b/c it glorifies him, is part of our sanctification, & can be used for witnessing. He expects us to work. People see your faith in action at work. Work pre-Fall.
Slavery: Paul doesn't condemn slavery b/c all hearts are in equal need of the Gospel. But early church leaders after the Bible write on the evils of slavery. At the time slavery was not life-long, not race-based, not unique to the kind of work, & used to pay off debt. Was true lot of evil too.
All honest work is good. Is true there is pain in it.
Your Christian faith follows you to your place of employment. Our goal is to never cause God's name & Christian faith to be misaligned.
Not a good witness: anger, do a bad job, lazy, bad attitude, argumenative.
"Urge bondservants..........to their own masters............that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect...........bringing salvation" Tit 2
Does not matter if employer is poor to you.
Even when serving Christian employers we still maintain a Christ-like testimony.
We are specific: Follow orders (don't push back), work hard w/ a good attitude (a full day & not half-hearted), do your work to please the Lord b/c he's always watching you (& over you), & be honest & full of integrity (humility)
Your real boss is God (you are really serving him)

 

[DragonFox91]

5/4/25 on Deut 6
We are addicted to our cellphones. They contribute to anxiety & we want to know everything. We are in a world of false worldviews & tempting rituals & asked to follow a God we cannot see. Moses tells us we must disciple
If you want others to love & fear the Lord, it must start with you.
So you should read your Bible & talk about Christ. Pass it on. You discipling others never ends. If you don't love & fear the Lord & hold him in awe, you can't pass it on. This is your highest priority. Does not come easy.
Loving & fearing the Lord is shaped: They are growing or shrinking. With your heart (thinking), your soul (your desires), your might (your body).
You must think different thoughts then the world's: The world's thoughts: Power, envy, the best, sensuality, security. Remember there is only one God, he's superior, & there's none like him.
You must want different things then the world's: One way is worship. Rebuild a fire for God! Retrain yourself!
You must use your body to do different things then the world's: It's an instrument for righteousness. Your body was bought. It's a temple.
Disciple others to love & fear the Lord. Don't outsource it: Someone will disciple them in something.
Discipleship must take place in life's daily rythyms. Be like a scribe. Doesn't matter age.

I can't find my notes on Sunday School & Pm service

 

[DragonFox91]

5/10 on Matthew 5
We have people outside our circle, people we don’t like, don’t get along with, & struggle with b/c we’ve been hurt & have hurt. It’s easy not to love them
Jesus says they’ve heard ‘love your neighbor & hate your enemy.’ He’s quoting Leviticus ‘love your neighbor’, but ‘hate your enemy’ isn’t found in the OT. They added to it b/c the Roman rulers are oppressing them & they don’t like the Romans & want violence.
Jesus says we’re to love our enemies too b/c we’re reflecting the Father when we do b/c we all get good gifts from him & he gives us what we desire, regardless if we love him or hate him. Blessings are not based on our behavior b/c he is generous, although we will be held accountable for our actions. It's common grace. Jesus follows the Father’s pattern by meeting all people’s needs at meals
Jesus is talking about Agape love. It’s not emotion or feeling. It’s attitude & choosing an action that sees them the way God does. Recognize God made them in his image & pray for them.

 

[DragonFox91]

6/15/25 AD on Phil 2
We are to be humble to all placed in our life. Humility does not mean having a low view of yourself. Pride & low view of yourself are the same extreme: the focus is on you. Humility means focusing on others: "how can I uplift?"
We get this humility by our focus on Christ.
Philippians says Jesus is the very form of God even before the incarnation. He's not just a copy of God & he doesn't become God based on his work on earth. Before he came to earth, he was seated on the throne & all the glory was his, & he lets it go.
When he takes on human flesh & comes to serve man, it's an infinite lowering of himself.
Humility not a Roman virtue, they think it is for slaves. They see it as a shame. They see death on the cross as shame. & the Jews say it means you're cursed.So Jesus brings himself even lower then a servant when he goes to the Cross
This is who God is: he's a servant & he's humble. When we see Jesus, we see the Father. We are to empty ourselves by following his example in our pains.