2.9.16 Bible Study

The Way of Love
There is no question; what the world needs more than anything else is love. If people loved each other, really loved each other, there would be no more war, crime, abuse, injustice, poverty, hunger, starvation, homelessness, deprivation, or immorality. Love is the one ingredient that could revolutionize society. Love is the greatest quality of human life. Love is the supreme quality, the most excellent way for a man to love.
 

 
I. The love of God has preeminence over every subject discussed in the Word of God.
A. Love encompasses everything.
B.  Nothing in your life, finances, family, healing, and so on-will work to its full potential until you perfect
      your love walk. (Galatians 5:6).
C.  Love is not an option (John 15:12)
D. We must strive to increase our love for people (I Thessalonians 3:12)
E. Our power is derived from our relationship with others.
 
II. You must deal with selfishness in your life.
A. Removing the stony heart (Ezekiel 36:26)
B.  Loving others will use people to recognize you as a disciple (John 13:34-35).
 
III.Practice the way of LOVE (I Corinthians 13:1-3 AMP)
A. Love endures long
B.  Love is patient
C. Love is kind (Ephesians 4:32 AMP)
D. Love is not envious ( James 3:16)
E. Love is not jealous
F. Love is not boastful
G.  Love is not haughty (Proverbs 16:18)
H.  Love is not conceited
I. Love is not rude
 
IV. Conclusion
A. The great importance of love . Unequivocally, the decree is pronounced; the judgement is given; the verdict is   declared:
1. The superior quality of life is love; it is no gifts.
2.  The most excellent way to live and serve is to possess and share love; it is not gifts.
B.  The contrast between love and gifts is vivid. Three verdicts are declared and the verdicts stress with resounding fo
 
    Verdict one:  tongues without love are meaningless.
A person can possess the gift and ability to speak and share Christ in all the languages of the world, but if he  does not have love, he becomes only a clanging and tinkling noise. His speech is meaningless.
 
A person can possess the spiritual gift of tongues, that is, speak in the heavenly language of angels; but if he does not have love, he becomes only a clanging and tinkling noise. His heavenly, angelic language is meaningless.
 
Note the phrase he becomes. This is a crucial point: The gifted person’s speech is not only meaningless, the person himself becomes meaningless. He becomes useless in his life and ministry for Christ. Love is far more superior than the gift of tongues.
 
C. Verdict two:  gifts without love are no thing. 
1.  Not only is his gift of prophecy nothing, but he is nothing.
2. Not only would his understanding and knowledge be nothing, he would be nothing. 
3. Imagine a person possessing “all faith” yet, if he did not possess love, he would be nothing
 
D.  Verdict three:  giving without love profits nothing. 
1.  Imagine giving everything- “bestowing all my goods to feed  the poor- yet, if I have not love, it profits me nothing.
2.  Yet, if a person does not have love, his martyrdom profits him nothing. He dies in vain. 
 
 
 

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January Bible Study 2016

Sevanthood:  The Low Road to our HIGH CALLING
Matthew 11:28-30; John 13:1017
 
I. The Sign of Discipleship
A. In the first century, the sign was a fish.
B. In all centuries, the sign is servanthood.
II.The Lordship of Jesus Christ
A. Dying to self is your responsibility (Luke 9:23-24; Romans 12:2)
B.  Becoming like Christ is your choice. (Philippines 2:5-9; Hebrews 12:1-2_
III. The Characteristic of Christ-like Servanthood (Matthew 11:28-30).
A. Gentle (meek) in heart
B.  Humble (lowly) in heart
IV.  The Model of Servanthood (John 13:1-17)
A. The setting for servanthood (1-4)
B.  The lessons of servanthood 
1. Unannounced service, not “watch my humility (5)
2. Grace-giving and grace-receiving (6-11)
3. Recipients of servanthood respond  in service to others (12-14)
C.  The actions of servanthood (15-16)
1.  Servanthood is something  you do, not something you merely talk about
2.  Servanthood is rooted in an attitude of being meek and lowly in heart
D.  The benefit of servanthood- personal happiness (17)
V.  The Practical Application of Servanthood
A.Servanthood depends on obedience to God’s Word
1. Believers fail to obey because of a lack of response to God’s love.
2. Believers fail to obey because they are not Word-oriented.
B.  Servanthood depends on personal involvement with people
C.  Servanthood involves serving where others will not
D. Servanthood allows you to give up your perspective and embrace Christ’s perspective.

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12.1.15 Bible Study: We Have Authority as a Believer

Topic: We Have Authority as a Believer

Matthew 10:1

I.  Introduction
A.  Through unmerited, undeserved favor, God has given us authority to do the same things that Jesus did during his earthly ministry. Those things include supernatural acts like healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons. We may see ourselves as ordinary people, but if we are to use this authority we have been given, we must change the way we see ourselves. This power is given to every born-again believer through God’s love and grace.
B. The authority of the believer is simply the grace-given right to command into existence all that belongs to us secured by the finished works of Jesus Christ. By grace, we have been healed, delivered, redeemed, and made righteous. This authority is not ours because of anything we have done to deserve it, but because God loves us. This is powerful, and because of what Jesus did over two thousand years ago, we now have that same power.
II. Jesus Christ himself passes on this authority from the Father to us.
A. One man’s mistake brought death, but those who receive abundant grace through Jesus shall rule in life (Romans 5:17).
B.  Jesus commanded His disciples to use this authority by preaching the gospel, healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and casting out demons (Matthew 10:7-8, AMP).
C. We have already received this authority to defeat the devil without being harmed in any way. Jesus has given us the mental and physical strength to do this (Luke 10:19, AMP).
III. God has given us His promise. His power is activated in our life only through Jesus.
A. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. We have the ability to get results when we are in Him, and He is in us (John 15:5).
B.  We must be content with what we have. God promises never to leave us on our own (Hebrews 13:5, AMP).
C. Those who believe have the power through Christ, who was raised from the dead (Ephesians 1:19,20).
D.  God will not alter His covenant or change what He has said (Psalm 89:34).
E.  Everything is held together by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).
F.  When we submit to God and resist the devil, he will flee (James 4:7).
IV. The enemy tries to fool us into serving him. We must be careful to whom we yield ourselves.
A. When we yield ourselves to someone (or something), we become that person’s servant. We can either be servants of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness (Romans 6:16).
B. Jesus gave His disciples power against unclean spirits, and the power to heal sickness and disease (Matthew 10:1, AMP).
They were given the authority to drive out all those spirits and cure all weaknesses and infirmities.
 
#FAITHWORKS!

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11.17.15: Bible Study

 

11.17.15: It’s Your Father’s Pleasure to Give You the Kingdom
I. INTRODUCTION

Luke 12:31-32(MSG) 

31 Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.  32 Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
 
A. In the Book of Genesis when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they received specific instructions concerning the tree of
knowledge of good and evil “…thou shalt not eat of it: for the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
B. Well, you know the story. Through the subtle temptation of the devil “…. She (Eve) took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also
unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” The result was the fall of man. 
C. Mankind fell from the lofty place of being a child of God to being a child of the devil. Personally, I don’t believe anyone, in their own
wildest imagination, can come close to understanding how far mankind has fallen.
D. Before the fall, the limit of man’s potential was God. He and God were operating as one, perfect fellowship and limitless abilities.
Experience was not man’s best teacher; God was.
E. Adam had the mind of God, to the degree that he could perceive and conceive the realm of the natural and the realm of the spirit. He
could operate in the seen and the unseen, having access to the full spectrum of reality.  We could say, he was the “exact duplicate of the God-kind”  (Genesis 1:26).
 
II. BECAUSE OF CHRIST, THERE ARE NO LIMITS TO YOUR POTENTIAL
A. God placed a demand on his potential by having him to name all the beasts and birds. 
B.  Our potential is determined by God, not by our relatives. 
C.  Why do  most folks never challenge their potential? fear
 
III. GOD WILL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO COMPLETE YOUR ASSIGNMENT
A.  Another important thing that Adam had was provision.
B.  When Adam sinned, he lost all of that- his assignment, his authority, and his provision. (Genesis 3:17-19
 
C.  Jesus, “the last Adam” and the Light of the World, came to redeem mankind and restore lost humanity back on top, the place of 
“original”man (I Corinthians 15:14 AMP)
 
IV. GOD HAS GIVE YOU, HIS CHILD, THE WHOLE EARTH AND EVERYTHING IN IT. IT BELONGS TO YOU!
A.  We (Believers) are here to enforce the victory (Matt. 6:9-10)
B.   This is mine, it belongs to me: Proverbs 13:22; Job 27:17; I Cor 3:21
C.  Now match some “super spiritual saint” try to alter that statement saying, “Well, that just means spiritual things (Romans 3:4, Luke 19:13)
D.  You have the SEED: (Luke 8:11)
 
 
 
 
 

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11.3.15: Angels on Orders(Bible Study)

I. Introduction
Angels are a very important part in the completion of the Church’s mission here on earth. In Hebrews, starting at Chapter 1, the writer gives us information about this powerful unseen force. “And they are not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” Here we see that they are spirits. Spirits are something not detected by our natural physical senses. (Not talking about those angels that we entertain unawares.)
In other words, they can be present and you are not aware of it. According to the Bible, they are with you now, assigned to you as a servant or minister to help you, PROTECT, PROVIDE, PROMOTE, and PROSPER you.
II. Here’s something you might consider about believing in angels (Psalms 34:7)
A. Act in line with your belief. (Hebrews 2:1-2)
B.  The Church has not taught on angels, which is a very important aspect of our rights as a citizen of the kingdom.
The enemy has resisted or delayed God’s people manifesting God’s plan, mainly because of a lack of knowledge regarding 
angels.
III. It is time for the manifestation of the sons of God, a time to take charge and subdue every wicked force in the earth (Joshua 1:5 &
A. God never expected Moses or Joshua to possess their inheritance without the divine assistance of angels. Nor does He expect that of me and you. (II Kings 6:16-18)
B.  The key is  having our angels go to work for us.  (Psalms 103:20)
i.   Even though the angels are sent on assignment, and stand ready to protect us, to deliver us, to prosper and promote us. They  need the voice of faith to move on our behalf. 
ii.   A closed-mouth Christian will remain a victim (Joshua 6:2-16)
iii.  A prayer in faith can send angels (II Kings 19:2-7, 14-19, 35)
iv.  Declare the Word of the Lord boldly. (Daniel 3:17)
v.   Deliverance and Promotion (Psalms 91:15)
 
IV. Conclusion:
A. An angel appeared to the Virgin Mary and told her she was going to have a child and he would be the Son of God. Angels sometimes take a physical form when ordered to do so by God. She chose to deliver God and gave birth to the Christ child, Jesus, the Son of God.
B.  So we are in a season of manifestation, a time where God has provided a way for us to win in every situation. 
C. It’s time to make full use of the power of God available to you. To not neglect the ministry of our angels, who are sent forth to keep
us, to guide us, and to ensure that everything Jesus died to provide comes to us. 
FAITH WORKS!

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