Church at the Cross

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Key Takeaways:  + Two Destinies  + One Day + Listen and Live + Patience and Persuasion 1 Peter 3:14-16

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23 Key Takeaways:  + The Seed explained  “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” – Thomas Edison + The Soil explained The Path Rocky Ground Thorns + For me to live is ______ and to die is ______ The Good Soil

Scripture: Genesis 11:1–9 Key Takeaways: Genesis 9:1 + Pride seeks to construct a life apart from God -       Do I consistently spend time seeking God in his word and in prayer? -       Do I often spontaneously voice to God my admiration of Him, gratitude to Him, and need for Him? -       Do I often lose arguments with God? -       Do I pray and seek wisdom in God's word and from God's people before I make a major decision? -       Do I arrange my life around God's priorities? -       Am I generous toward God? Psalm 4:6-8 + Pride is always resisted by God Luke 14:11 + Jesus is the Anti-Babel Philippians 2:5-11 + Jesus reverses Babel Acts 2:4-11

Scripture: Genesis 8:20–9:17 Key Takeaways: + God will not let evil prevail + God saves by grace -       1 Peter 3:20–21 + God honors faith -       Hebrews 11:7 + God has another Day of Judgment coming -       Matthew 24:36–44

Scripture: Genesis 7:11-8:19 Key Takeaways: Genesis 1:31 Genesis 3:15 + God's judgement is severe Genesis 7:11-23 -       a. It's devastating Genesis 7:21-22 -       b. All encompassing + God's character is consistent -       a. In His standard Genesis 7:16 -       b. In His grace Genesis 8:1 + God's salvation is sufficient Genesis 7:17 -       a. It overcomes death -       b. It sustains in the midst of death -       c. It delivers through death Genesis 8:13-19 Genesis 3:15 Isaiah 53:10

Scripture: Genesis 6-7:5 Key Takeaways: Isaiah 46:8-11 Malachi 3:6 Psalm 18:30 + God grieves/regrets = A providential, heartfelt response resulting in a planned course of action + 2 Truths of God's Grief The Seriousness of Sin  ·       The Justice of God + Big Question – Why is Noah spared? 

Scripture: Genesis 4:1-16 Key Takeaways: + The Nature of Worship True Religion vs Transactional Ritual Hebrews 11:4 1 John 3:11-13 + The Nature of Sin + The Nature of God Hebrews 12:24

Scripture: Acts 1:1-11 Key Takeaways: + Lifted up to a Place of Honor John 17:4–5 Philippians 2:5–11 “Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” – C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity + Lifted up to a Place of Intercession Hebrews 7:22–26 1 John 2:1–2 Luke 22:31–34 + Lifted up to a Place of Authority Ephesians 1:19–22 Matthew 28:18–20

Scripture: John 12:20-33 Key Takeaways: + By his death, Jesus opens up heaven to the world. + By his death, Jesus shows us how to truly live. Galatians 6:14 + The world no longer tells me how to live and the world no longer tells me if I'm truly living.

Scripture: Genesis 3:7-24 Key Takeaways: + The Ruin “The effects of sin touch all of creation; no created thing is in principle untouched by the corrosive effects of the fall. Whether we look at societal structures such as the state of the family, or cultural pursuits such as art or technology, or bodily functions such as sexuality or eating, or anything at all within the wide scope of creation, we discover that the good handiwork of God has been drawn into the sphere of human mutiny against God. ‘The whole creation,' Paul writes in a profound passage in Romans, ‘has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time' (Romans 8:22).” – Creation Regained, Albert Wolters. -       Loss of Perfection -       Loss of Peace -       Loss of Presence   The Restoration -       The Search -       The Seed -       The Skins Revelation 21:1–5 Revelation 22:1–6

Scripture:  Genesis 3:1-7 Key Takeaways: + The Serpent -       Revelation 12:7–9 -       Ephesians 6:12 + The Scheme -       Ephesians 6:11 -       2 Corinthians 2:10–11 Questions God's Word Questions God's Truthfulness Questions God's Goodness Appeals to our Desires -       2 Corinthians 11:13–15 + The Sin -       2 Corinthians 11:2–3 -       John 8:44

Scripture: Genesis 2:18-25 Key Takeaways: + Marriage is a good gift from God. + Marriage is designed for companionship and partnership “…not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.” – Matthew Henry + Marriage is designed for permanence and exclusivity “So, in the one-flesh union of marriage, all the boundaries between a man and a woman fall away, and the married couple comes together completely, as long as they both shall live. In real terms, two selfish me's start learning to think like one unified us, building a new life together with one total everything: one story, one purpose, one reputation, one bed, one suffering, one budget, one family, and so forth. Marriage removes all barriers and replaces them with a comprehensive oneness. It is this all-encompassing unity that sets marriage apart as marriage, more profound than even the most intense friendship. – Ray Ortlund, Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel. + Marriage is designed for vulnerability and security + Marriage is meaningful but not ultimate Ephesians 5:31-33

Scripture: Genesis 2:4-17 Key Takeaways: + Work is a good gift from God. “Let the Church remember this: that every maker and worker is called to serve God in his profession or trade—not outside it. The Apostles complained rightly when they said it was not meet they should leave the word of God and serve tables; their vocation was to preach the word. But the person whose vocation it is to prepare the meals beautifully might with equal justice protest: It is not meet for us to leave the service of our tables to preach the word.” – Dorothy Sayers, “Why Work?” + Work is to be done for God and for his glory. Ephesians 6:5–8 + Good work that glorifies God is ethical work. + Good work that glorifies God is excellent work. "The Church's approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables. Church by all means, and decent forms of amusement, certainly – but what use is all that if in the very center of his life and occupation he is insulting God with bad carpentry?” – Dorothy Sayers, “Why Work?”  “The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.” – Martin Luther Exodus 31:1–5 Proverbs 22:29 + Work is how we partner with God in his care of the world.  “God Himself will milk the cows through him whose vocation that is.” – Martin Luther + Our identity is to be found in Jesus and his work, not ours. “If our identity is in our work, rather than Christ, success will go to our heads, and failure will go to our hearts.” – Tim Keller

Scripture: Genesis 2:1-3 Key Takeaways: Proverbs 26:15 + SHABBAT = Sabbath Isaiah 40:28  + God created this world and put us in for: -       His good pleasure -       His glory Exodus 20:8-10 + Sabbath Keeping: Principle vs Rule -       As Christ followers are we required to keep the Sabbath as a rule? Mark 2:23-28 Romans 14:1; 5-6 + Summary of work and rest: -       Work diligently as unto the Lord. -       Rest consistently centered on the Lord.  “Our hearts are restless, until they find their rest in You.” – Augustine Matthew 11:28-30 John 19:30  + “TETELESTAI”

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-31 Key Takeaways: + God made us male and female to bear his image -       Matthew 19:3-6 + Our bodies are a good gift from God and tell us who we are “This is hugely important. If the body is merely a vehicle or a costume for the real you, then it is the equivalent of property. But we know this can't really be the case. However much we might privilege the mind or soul over the body as the ‘real' us, we know deep down that the body is an essential part of who we truly are. When people hurt your body, you know that they have not just damaged some of your property; they have violated you. What you do to someone's body, you do to a person… We cannot escape our embodied-ness. Alastair Roberts sums it up neatly: ‘The body isn't just something that clothes the self but is itself the self.” – Sam Allberry. What God has to say about our Bodies. + Some people feel an incongruence between their biological sex and their internal sense of self “In many Western countries, we've seen a massive spike in teenagers questioning their gender. For instance, the Tavistock Centre in London, the main gender clinic in the United Kingdom, treated 51 (34 males, 17 females) children and teenagers in 2009 who had gender dysphoria or were identifying as trans*. In 2016, the same clinic saw 1,766 (557 males, 1,209 females) children and teenagers, and in 2019 it saw 2,364 (624 males, 1,740 females). That's more than 5000% increase among females in 10 years. Researchers have documented similar upsurges, among biological females in particular, in many Western countries: Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.” – Preston Sprinkle. Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say. + Our hope is in transformation not transition “Christian discipleship is oriented toward living out the divine image that God created us to be. Sexed bodies are part of that image. Ontologically then, transitioning would be moving us further away from who we are, not bringing us closer to it.” – Preston Sprinkle. Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say. -       Romans 12:1-2 -       2 Corinthians 5:17 + See people as image bearers that are to be loved, protected, and cared for + Develop convictions not just gut reactions + Parents, own and exercise your authority compassionately + Seek to be a welcoming community that listens, learns, loves, and shares the truths with compassion and patience

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-31 Key Takeaways: “The historian Tom Holland, a longtime secular progressive, recently wrote that despite his faith in God fading during his teen years, he now realizes his most fundamental instincts about life only makes sense as an inheritance from the Christian story. Holland's book, Dominion, is a journey through Western history to narrate how our culture's moral ideals derive “ultimately from claims made in the Bible: that humans are made in God's image; that his Son died equally for everyone; that there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female.” Human rights, a universal concern for the vulnerable, human equality, sexual restraint, the reverence for humility, and the notion of moral progress itself are just a few of our common ideals that have developed in light of the Christian story. Holland can't get past the irony: “The West, increasingly empty though the pews may be, remains firmly moored to its Christian past.” – Joshua Chatraw, Telling a Better Story + To Relate to God + To Reflect God Genesis 2:25 + To Represent God  Psalm 8:1-6 Colossians 1:15 Hebrews 2:6-9 Romans 3:23-24

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-31 Key Takeaways:  + Every human being possesses dignity as an image bearer of God “But human rights are just like Heaven, and, like God, it's just a fictional story that we've invented and spread around. It may be a very nice story. It may be a very attractive story. We want to believe it, but it's just a story. It's not a reality. It is not a biological reality. Just as jellyfish and woodpeckers and ostriches have no rights, homo sapiens have no rights, also. Take a human, cut him open, look inside. You find their blood, and you find the heart and lungs and kidneys, but you don't find any rights. The only place you find rights is in the fictional stories that humans have invented and spread around.” – Yuval Noah Harari, TED Talk + You Matter + All People Matter + Christianity Matters + Every human being is fully dependent upon God Image: I make a sacrifice to the God → The God gives me what I want Acts 17:24-25 Image: God reaches down in unmerited grace → We respond in joyful and obedient thanks Ephesians 2:8-9

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2:3 Key Takeaways: “Today as I read Genesis 1–2 my thoughts go to high school biology and physics. How does the biblical depiction of creation relate to the big bang theory and evolution? No doubt, Genesis 1–2 has bearing on our evaluation of these modern scientific accounts of cosmic and human origins. But a moment's thought will jar us into remembering that this comparison would not have occurred to ancient authors and readers. It is certain that the biblical account of creation was not written to counter Charles Darwin or Stephen Hawking, but it was written in the light of rival descriptions of creation...Since God's people were constantly tempted to worship the deities of other nations, we shouldn't be surprised that the biblical accounts of creation were shaped in such a way as to provide a clear distinction from those of other nations.” – Tremper Longman III, How to Read Genesis + Creation is God bringing cosmos out of chaos + Creation is framing and filling + Creation is God revealing himself Romans 1:20 -       Declares the glory of God Psalm 19:1-2 -       Displays the wisdom of God + Creation is God's good gift to us + God brings about the new creation like he brought about the first creation 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

Scripture: Genesis 1:1 Key Takeaways: Psalm 33:6 Nehemiah 9:6 Revelation 4:11 + God Exists as the Eternal and Transcendent God             Aseity Hebrews 11:6 + God Exists as the Good and Personal God “There is a philosophical fissure between fundamental impersonalism or fundamental personalism. First of all, there is the difficulty of deriving ethical values from a nonpersonal source. If the universe is most fundamentally matter, time, and chance, then it becomes very hard to argue that one combination of those three is necessarily and of itself better than another combination  - for example, that life is better than death or kindness better than selfishness - in any way that gets deeper than a feeling or an unjustifiable decision… the impersonal cannot create obligation. From looking at the natural world, we can tell what is but not what should be. We can tell that hot is different from cold, drought from moisture, lightness from heaviness, and good from ill, but we cannot tell in any of those cases that one is better than the other in any way more profound than we happen to prefer it. Philosophers try very hard, sometimes very hard indeed, to derive something resembling commonly accepted human ethical principles from a radically impersonal universe, but such valiant and well-meaning attempts tend to be unconvincing or rely on the goodwill of the reader in granting contestable assumptions.” – Christopher Watkin, Thinking Through Creation. + God Exists as the Triune God John 1:1 John 1:18 John 17:5 John 17:24 1 Peter 1:18-20 “For that some should rule and others be ruled is a thing not only necessary, but expedient; from the hour of their birth, some are marked out for subjection, others for rule.” – Aristotle, 384–322 BC “Plato thought that in order to be worth rearing, children must be “malleable, disposed to virtue and physically fit”. If they did not prove themselves worthy, parents would “properly dispose of [them] in secret, so that no one will know what has become of them.” Aristotle thought defective children should be exposed—that is, discarded at rubbish tips, abandoned on hillsides, thrown down wells or drowned in rivers. “As to exposing or rearing the children born, let there be a law that no deformed child shall be reared.… Around the world and down through history the vast majority of cultures have considered that we are all better off without the weak.” – Glenn Scrivener, The Air We Breathe

Scripture: Psalm 23 Key Takeaways: + A Shepherd leads by provision, presence and protection Matthew 16:31-22 + We worship the Lord because He is a divine provider + We worship the Lord because of His divine presence “Dear Jesus, how foolish of me to have called for human help when You are right here.” – Corrie Ten Boom, Hiding Place + We worship the Lord because of His divine protection + We are worshipping when we FOLLOW the Lord + LORD (all caps) = YHWH;  Lord (lower case) = Adonai  John 10:10-11 + Worship the Shepherd. Follow Jesus.

Scripture: Psalm 133 Key Takeaways: + God is pleased when His people dwell in unity John 17:20-23 + Renewal happens when God's people dwell in unity Romans 12:16 Romans 13:8 Romans 14:3 Romans 15:7 Romans 15:14 Romans 16:16 1 Corinthians 16:20 2 Corinthians 13:12 1 Peter 5:14 + Jesus is seen when God's people dwell in unity

Scripture: Psalm 80 Key Takeaways: + The Need for Renewal – Loss of God's presence – Loss of Joy Psalm 32:3-4 Psalm 31:9-10 – Loss of Spiritual Power + The Prayer for Renewal Acts 3:19-20 Isaiah 30:18

Scripture: Luke 19:1-10 Key Takeaways: + Zacchaeus was Hungry ‌Luke 19:2 Luke 19:7‌ “But while nearly everyone would agree that Hitler has earned a spot in hell, the Bible says that Billy Graham has earned a spot in hell, too.” – Brady Tarr ‌Ephesians 2:1–5 Luke 19:3‌ Jeremiah 29:13 + Zacchaeus was Humble Luke 19:4 + Jesus sees us Luke 19:5 ‌+ Jesus knows us ‌Luke 19:5 Romans 10:14 + Jesus saves us ‌Luke 19:9–10 ‌+ Zacchaeus climbed a tree to see, Jesus climbed a tree to save. Luke 19:10

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14 Key Takeaways:  + A Purchased People Mark 10:45 + A Prized People Image of Micky Mantle card $13m 1 Peter 1:18–19 + A Purified People “Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.” – Mark Twain 1 John 1:7 Hebrews 10:22 + A Passionate People

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14 Key Takeaways:   + Isaiah 9:6-7 + Matthew 1:1 + Matthew 1: 17   + Tangible Hope + Visible Glory + Unimaginable Awe   “We don't hope that we will see Katy again. We have the hope that we KNOW we WILL see Katy again.” – Holly Rost   + Hebrews 9:27 + Matthew 24:36-42   “Joy to the world the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room. And heaven and nature sing.”

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14 Key Takeaways:  + Christmas is the inbreaking of the age to come into this present age. + Mark 10:29–30 ·       Satanic age ·       Sinful age ·       Secular age ·       Sensual age ·       Selfish age + 2 Timothy 3:1–4 ·       Secular age + 2 Timothy 4:10 + Through Jesus, God brings us into the age to come and brings the age to come into us. + Galatians 1:3–5 + Romans 12:1–2 + God's saving grace in Jesus doesn't just forgive sin, it trains and transforms the forgiven sinner. + The Beauty of Jesus. + The Power of the Spirit. + Ezekiel 36:25–27 + 2 Corinthians 3:18 + The Loving Discipline of the Father. + Hebrews 12:5–11

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14 Key Takeaways: + Christmas is the Incarnation of the Son of God + John 1:1-2 + John 1:14 "...the supreme mystery with which the gospel confronts us...lies not in the Good Friday message of atonement, nor in the Easter Sunday message of resurrection, but in the Christmas message of Incarnation. The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man - that the second person of the Godhead...took humanity without loss of deity, so that Jesus of Nazareth was as truly and fully divine as he was human. Here are two mysteries for the price of one - the plurality of persons within the unity of God, and the union of Godhead and manhood in the person of Jesus." – JI Packer, Knowing God. + 1 John 1:1-3 + Christmas is the Revelation of the Grace of God. + Christmas is the Provision of the Salvation of God. + James 2:10 + Ephesians 2:8-9 + Titus 3:4-7 + Christmas is the Invitation to Contemporary Man. + 1 Timothy 1:15

Scripture: John 6:26-40 Key Takeaways:  “Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” – CS Lewis + John 6:26 + John 6:35 + Long for Him Who is forever + John 6:27 + Ephesians 3:9-13 + 2 Corinthians 5:21 + John 6:35-40 + Ephesians 4:7-10 + Romans 5:8 + Long for Him Who is free + John 6:30-31 + Philippians 4:6 + Bread + Believe in Him + John 6:27-29 + Isaiah 26:3 + Read His Word + Psalm 119:105 + Embrace His Mission -        What is the mission of God? + Matthew 28:19-20 + Acts 1:8 + Approach His Throne + Hebrews 4:16 + Delight in Him + Isaiah 61:10 “Oh, soul are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Savior And life more abundant and free. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.” – Helen Lemmel

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:23-27 Key Takeaways: “It was in 1980, that the legendary boxing trainer Cus D'amato discovered the young juvenile delinquent, Mike Tyson. 6 years later as a 20 year old kid, Tyson would destroy Trevor Berbick in 6 minutes to take the crown to initiate the start of his heavyweight reign. For those 6 years, Mike Tyson's daily workout involved getting up at 4am for a 5-mile jog, sparring for 3 hours, doing 2000 sit-ups, 500 pushups, 500 dips, 500 shrugs and about 30 minutes of neck bridges. He repeated this regiment 6 days a week. In short, despite training for ‘only' six years, the quality and consistency of the work he was doing was enough to match the quantity of work that other fighters do.” ― Reemus Boxing + The Purpose of Discipline “Every action you take is a vote for the person you want to become.” - James Clear, Atomic Habits 1 Corinthians 9:23 + The Pain of Discipline Hebrews 12:11 1 Timothy 4:7-10 “People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.” ― D.A. Carson + The Prize of Discipline James 1:12 Romans 6:22 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 + Set your highest joy on Jesus. + Set your heart to honor Jesus. + Train your mind, body, and soul with grace-driven effort as you wait for Jesus.

Scripture: John 14:25-31 Key Takeaways:  John 16:33  [Got Milk Slides] + Not the Peace the World Gives Control Circumstances + His peace + The only way you can have the peace of God is to be at peace with God Romans 5:1 John 16:33 Refuse to fear Refuse counterfeit saviors Seek the Felt Experience of the Holy Spirit

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6 Key Takeaways: + God cares more about The Church than this nation, so order your loves. Acts 17:26 (CSB) + Order our loves according to spiritual principles and spatial proximity. + Our Theology is our relational Glue, so don't seek unity around anything else. Graphic of Three Circles Graphic of Three Circles expanded. + The Character we display matters more than the vote we cast, so be like Jesus. + Jesus is Lord, so don't freak out whatever happens Tuesday.

Scripture: Galatians 5:13-26 Key Takeaways: + Holy Intention 1 Peter 1:15–16 (ESV) Ephesians 1:4 (ESV) 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (ESV) 1 Thessalonians 4:7 (ESV) 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (ESV) “Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of God.” – J.I. Packer, Keeping in Step with the Spirit. “Lord, make me as holy as it is possible for a saved sinner to be.” – Robert Murray McCheyne + Holy Conflict + Holy Habits -        Treat your flesh like the enemy it is. -        Don't give the flesh an opportunity. -        Give the Spirit every opportunity.

Scripture: Jeremiah 2:1-13 Key Takeaways: + The Essence of Idolatry Romans 1:22-25 + The Shock of Idolatry Sin against Love Sin against Logic + The Cost of Idolatry Psalm 16:11 + The Cure for Idolatry

Scripture: Romans 16:25-27 Key Takeaways: “This epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament and is truly the purest gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. We can never read it or ponder over it too much; for the more we deal with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes.” Martin Luther. + Live for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) + Find your strength in the Gospel. Justification Romans 3:23-25 (ESV) Propitiation Union with Christ Romans 6:4 (ESV) Adoption Romans 8:14-17 (ESV) 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (CSB) + Help take this Gospel to the world.

Scripture: Romans 16:17-23 Key Takeaways: + Unity in the church is worth defending Romans 16:17 + Obedience strengthens our Unity Romans 16:19 + Love for the Church and its mission strengthens our unity Romans 16:3-15 Acts 17:5-9 Acts 20:4 + Gospel unity results in victory Romans 16:20 Genesis 3:15 Ephesians 6:12-15

Scripture: Romans 16:1-16 Key Takeaways: + The Church was an intimate family in Jesus. 1 Timothy 5:1-2 (ESV) + The Church included and dignified women. “Amidst contemporary denunciations of Christianity as patriarchal and sexist, it is easily forgotten that the early church was especially attractive to women… Christianity was unusually appealing because within the Christian subculture women enjoyed far higher status than did the women in the Greco-Roman world at large.” – Rodney Stark Philippians 4:2–3 (ESV) “…we see an early example of women serving as deacons in the correspondence between Pliny the younger and the emperor Trajan (AD 98–117). In a fascinating conversation, Pliny asks Trajan for advice about what he should do as the legate to the province in Bithynia with Christians. We want to think about one small piece of the conversation. Pliny refers to two Christian women, who were called ministrae in Latin. In English we can translate this word as “ministers,” and that is a good translation into Latin of the Greek word diakonos, which means “servant” or “minister.” We thus have an early example—in the second decade of the second century—of women serving as deacons. Obviously, such an example doesn't prove women should serve as deacons, but it suggests women functioned as deacons in the early church.” – Thomas Schreiner + Whatever we see women doing in the Bible, we want to see them doing it in our Church. + Fully Engage in the Church

Key Takeaways: + Prayer is the Direct Communication with God. + Prayer Shapes Outcomes. Psalm 34:6 (ESV) “In essence, prayer is rebellion – rebellion against the status quo, the state of the world in its sin and fallenness. It is the absolute and undying refusal to accept as normal what is completely abnormal. It is the rejection of every agenda, every scheme, every opinion that clashes with the norms that God originally established.” – David Wells. 2 Thessalonians 3:1–2 (CSB) Acts 12:1–5 (CSB) Philemon 22 (CSB) + Prayer is Contending for the Purposes of God.  "The secret of prevailing prayer is not our eloquence, but our faith; not our fluency, but our fervency." - George Muller  "Prevailing prayer is the most powerful force in the universe. It can move mountains, heal the sick, and change the world." - Charles Spurgeon 2 Corinthians 10:3–4 (NIV) "The number one reason why prayer malfunctions in the hands of a believers is that they try to turn a wartime walkie-talkie into a domestic intercom. Until you believe that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for. Prayer is for the accomplishment of a wartime mission… But what have millions of Christians done? They have stopped believing that we are in a war. No urgency, no watching, no vigilance, no strategic planning. Just easy peacetime and prosperity. And what did they do with the walkie-talkie? They tried to rig it up as an intercom in their cushy houses and cabins and boats and cars - not to call in fire power for conflict with a mortal enemy, but to ask the maid to bring another pillow to the den." – Piper, Prayer the work of Missions + What status quo in your life do you need to rebel against? + Will you give yourself to intercessory prayer for the mission of God?

Scripture: Romans 15:14–29 Key Takeaways:  1 Timothy 1:12–17 (CSB) + Ministry to the Church + Ministry to the Needy 1 Corinthians 16:1–2 (CSB) 2 Corinthians 8:9 (CSB) + Ministry to the Unreached + The Unreached will be reached Revelation 7:9–12 (CSB) + It will take missionaries with ambition who are willing to go 1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 (CSB) + It will take the preaching of the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. + It will happen through Church Planting + It will happen through sacrificial Christians who see their role in God's great mission as senders and pray-ers.

Scripture: Romans 15:8-13 Key Takeaways: + God is a Trustworthy God. 2 Corinthians 1:20 (CSB) Titus 1:2 (ESV) + God is a Merciful God. Isaiah 30:18 (NIV) + God is a Missionary God. Genesis 12:3 (ESV) Illus: ee-taow. Image of Missionary being carried. Psalm 67:4 (ESV) Matthew 24:14 (ESV) + God is a Hope-Giving God. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (CSB) Titus 2:13 (ESV)

Scripture: Romans 14:19 -15:1–7 Key Takeaways: + Every person has a God-given Conscience. Hebrews 10:22 (ESV) + Our conscience needs to be obeyed. + Christians disagree on matters of conscience. + Nobody has an inerrant conscience. + We must prioritize Christian Unity over our personal freedoms. + “When do you have the freedom to do something?” 1.      Does this violate a biblical command or principle? 2.      Is there a latent danger to me in doing this? 3.     Am I fully persuaded this is OK for me to do? 4.    Will this be a barrier to the people I'm trying to reach. 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 (ESV) 5.     Will a weaker brother or sister that I am with in this moment be encouraged to follow my example and violate their conscience. 6.     Does doing this in this moment introduce a barrier to Christian fellowship? 7.     Does this negatively impact my thought life? Philippians 4:8 (ESV) 8.     What is my motive for doing this?

Scripture: Romans 14:13-23 Key Takeaways: + Not everything in the Christian Life is Black and White + The Temptation to make gray what is black and white 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 (ESV) Galatians 6:1 (ESV) + The Temptation to make black and white what is gray + Love Requires that we Limit our Freedom 1 Timothy 4:1-5 (ESV) + Experiencing the Holy Spirit is more critical than experiencing my freedom and more effective than increasing my restrictions. Colossians 2:20-23 (NLT) Galatians 5:16 (ESV)

Scripture: Romans 14:10-12 Key Takeaways: “On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” ― Nicene Creed, 325 AD John 5:22-24 (ESV) + Make sure you're ready to stand before Jesus. Romans 10:9-13 (ESV) Isaiah 45:22–24 (NIV) + Make every effort to help people confidently stand before Jesus. Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ, if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay, and not madly to destroy themselves. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for. ― Charles Spurgeon + Our Vison: Helping People & Places Encounter Jesus “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory + Make honoring Jesus the highest aim of your life. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (ESV) Colossians 1:9-10 (ESV)

Scripture: Romans 14:1-9 Key Takeaways: + There are gray areas that each Christian must decide upon for themselves + A growing confidence in the gospel leads to a growing freedom in the gray spaces. Colossians 2:16–17 (NIV) + We are to give grace to one another in the gray spaces. + Whatever you do in the gray space, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

Scripture: Romans 13:11-14 Key Takeaways:   + Wake Up   1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (ESV)   + Get Dressed

Scripture: Romans 13:8-10 Key Takeaways:  + Love is our greatest and ongoing debt + Love is the measure of our maturity John 13:34–35 (ESV) Maturity is not marked by how much of the bible you know, your church attendance, your impeccable morality, your spiritual experiences, your giftedness, even your service, or commitment to God. All those things are good, but they are nothing without love.  1 Corinthians 13:1–3 (ESV) 1 Thessalonians 3:11–13 (ESV)  “The rule of love is that one should wish his friend to have all the good things he wants to have himself and should not wish the evils to befall his friend which he wishes to avoid himself. He shows this benevolence to all men. No evil must be done to any. Love of one's neighbor works no evil. Let us then love even our enemies as we are commanded, if we wish to be truly unconquered.” St. Augustine, “Of True Religion.” Luke 6:27–36 (ESV) + Start in your home + Make this house a house of love  + Care more about being righteous than being right + Be Specific

Scripture: Romans 13:1-7 Key Takeaways:   + Christians inhabit 2 kingdoms   Ephesians 1:19-23   Colossians 1:13-14   Daniel 2:19-21   Jeremiah 27:4-6   Daniel 4:31-32   John 19:11   Revelation 1:5   Revelation 11:15   + All human government is ordained by God and Christians are to submit to it. To resist the government is to resist God. To submit to the government is a way to live free of fear. Governing authority is for the good of an ordered and just society.   + Christians should never violate their conscience through disobedience to the government or by obedience to the government.   Acts 5:29   “For men's religion to God is between God and themselves. The king shall not answer for it. Neither may the king be judge between God and man. Let them be heretics, Turks, Jews or whatsoever it appertains not to the earthly power to punish them in the least measure. This is made evident by our lord the king by the scriptures.” - Thomas Helwyss, “A Short Declaration of the Mystery of Iniquity” (1612). + Christians should be exemplar citizens that seek the good of their communities. Pay taxes Honor leaders Steward influence

Scripture: Romans 12:14-21 Key Takeaways:   + Bless   Matthew 5:10-12   + Live in Harmony Harmony Requires Humility Pride is the Enemy of Harmony   + Do Not Do Evil Romans 6:17-18 Romans 3:10-12 + Our vengeance is evil + Only God's wrath can offer full vengeance + Vengeance is not for us, but for the glory of God

Scripture: Romans 12:9-13 Key Takeaways:   “Beloved Brethren, we are philosophers not in word but in deeds; we exhibit our wisdom not by our dress, but by truth; we know virtues by their practice rather than through boasting of them; we do not speak great things, but we live them.” Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, 256.   + Genuine Love Genuine Discerning Affectionate   Psalm 16:2-3 (ESV) Honoring + Zealous Service   + Patient Joy   + Generous Hospitality

Scripture: Romans 12:3-8 Key Takeaways:   New Identity New Assignment   1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (ESV) 1 Corinthians 12:11 (ESV)     New Power   Ephesians 3:7-8 (ESV) Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV)

Scripture: Romans 12:2 Key Takeaways:   Resist the Formation of the World   Galatians 1:3-5 (ESV) Romans 8:5-8 (ESV) “We can present our bodies to the Lord as genuinely holy and acceptable sacrifices only if we “do not conform to this world” but “are transformed by the renewing of the mind. - Douglas Moo Renew your Mind by the Gospel   Titus 3:5-7 (ESV)   “MY DEAR WORMWOOD, I note with grave displeasure that your patient has become a Christian. Do not indulge the hope that you will escape the usual penalties; indeed, in your better moments, I trust you would hardly even wish to do so. In the meantime we must make the best of the situation. There is no need to despair; hundreds of these adult converts have been reclaimed after a brief sojourn in the Enemy's camp and are now with us. All the habits of the patient, both mental and bodily, are still in our favour.” - Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis   Ephesians 4:17-24 (ESV)   Restore your Dignity by the Spirit's Help   Romans 8:13-14 (NIV) 2 Cor 3:17-18 (ESV)

Scripture: Romans 12:1 Key Takeaways:  “The Christian and the Materialist hold different beliefs about the universe. They can't both be right. The one who is wrong will act in a way which simply doesn't fit the real universe. Consequently, with the best will in the world, he will be helping his fellow creatures to their destruction.” - C.S. Lewis   Romans 12:1 (NIV)   Romans 1:24-25 (ESV)   Romans 12:1 (NIV)   Offer Your Body to God   1 Peter 2:5 (ESV)   Philippians 4:18 (ESV)   Display the Worth & Beauty of Christ in Your Body.   “It has been said that in the New Testament doctrine is grace; and ethics is gratitude; and something is wrong with any form of Christianity in which, experimentally and practically, this saying is not being verified. Those who suppose that the doctrine of God's grace tends to encourage moral laxity are simply showing that, in the most literal sense, they do not know what they are talking about. For love awakens love in return; and love, once awakened, desires to give pleasure.” - J.I. Packer, Knowing God   Luke 7:47-50 (ESV)