Another Fall Bible Study

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World:

Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of life

Tuesday Nights

September 8 - November 24

6:30 pm

Child care not provided. No Children please.

Join Traci Lewis at her home on Tuesday nights at 6:30 pm starting Sept. 8th for this 12 week study on finding time for Christ in our busy lives. This Bible study is a print-driven study, meaning you read a chapter and come back to have Bible study about that chapter. The cost is $15.00, which provides the book for you. This study is limited to the first 12 who sign up and pay for their book. There will be a sign up sheet at the Women's Ministries Table at Hope Community Church or you can contact Sharon McQueary via phone, email or facebook!

Ephesians 4:1-16

Please read Ephesians 4:1-16

Paul has already laid out the groundwork in chapters 1-3 of Ephesians. That groundwork is full of spiritual truths that our faith has been built on. Our faith is built on the truth of Christ, the truth of the transformation that He supplies and the truth of living out the purpose that He calls us to.

Paul now shifts his focus to the body of Christ. Being a Christian is not a solitary act. Christ established His Church (body of Christ) to be a very communal and relational venture. One of the biggest “proofs” of our faith is God’s work in us, as seen in how we feel towards others, how we respond to one another and how we love each other.

In verses 2 & 3, Paul gives us a picture of just this “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Verse 4-6 explains that this unity is only possible because of God and Christ’s sacrifice. “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Unity within the body of Christ is a direct indication of the presence and power of God in that body.

Why does this “body of Christ” matter so much? Why can’t we be Christians on our own little islands or in our own worlds segregated from the rest of the Church? Because “to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” (verse 7) Pastor Brandon a couple of weeks ago talked about this grace. This grace is an empowering grace. It is the grace that is given to each of us in the form of gifts and abilities to do God’s will in this world and to bring our community to the point of being a reflection of the kingdom of God on this earth.

Each of us has a specific purpose in the body of Christ as a whole throughout the world and each of us has a specific purpose within the context of the community we live in every day, and our local church. “He gave to some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.” (verse 11) He gave these gifts to these people so that they might “prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (verse 12) He gives blessings and grace to us so that we can in turn bless and grace others.

This building up that Paul is speaking of has many avenues and facets but one in particular that Paul immediately addresses is the idea of babies. Through unity in the body and in oneness with Christ, making use of each person in the body we are promised that we move from babes that have no coordination and no set direction for life to have fullness and knowledge. We are promised that together we become “mature, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (verse 13-14) “From Christ the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (verse 16)

Augustine once said “He cannot have God for his Father who refuses to have the church for his mother.” The church is the body of Christ. So here’s the hard part “what contribution are you making to help make your church a place where people are loved and where they can mature in their Christian faith?” You have a place and a purpose in the body of Christ. As our this past Sunday was, so it be today, “Lord, break our hearts with what breaks yours, and give us a clear vision of our your purpose for us in the body of Christ. Where is it that you want us to serve? What breaks your heart? Father, pour your grace out on us so that we might be the body that you called us to be, so that we might love you deeper than ever before, love others with your heart and be able to change the world for your glory!”

Ephesians 3

Right off the bat, I have to tell you that if you have time on Sunday mornings, you should joins us at 9:30 for a live discussion about Ephesians. We are learning and growing so much together as a group. Nothing can replace one-on-one building of relationships and discipleship, so please join us!!!!

Ephesians 3 marks the beginning of a transition in this letter to the Ephesians. He spent the first paragraphs of his letter explaining who we are without God, what God did for us through Christ and how that grace translates into the lives of Gentiles as well as Jews. So he's explained a bit and before he goes, he wants to make clear to the Ephesians what exactly His purpose in Christ is. This chapter is about God's plan and how Paul fit into it. It is a brief "testimony" of his life with Christ.

This week I have chosen to use The Message Bible. It's probably the easiest read for this chapter. Let's start with Ephesians 3:1-13:

This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you're familiar with the part I was given in God's plan for including everybody. I go the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief.
As you read over what I have written to you, you'll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God's Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. They mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.
This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.
And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!
All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don't let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!

Have you ever felt like Paul? Completely inadequate? I know I have. In fact, this testimony that Paul shares could be the testimony of many Christians today. Why me? Isn't there someone more qualified? Paul was the "chief among sinners." He persecuted the very thing he became. It was before Christ his life mission to persecute and kill Christ followers. And then He encountered Christ and Christ transformed his life to be more than he ever imagined. Christ gave him a purpose.

We see a couple of things in this part of the passage:
1) Paul had a clear sense of what God's purpose for him was
2) Paul realized that this purpose was only going to be fulfilled in obedience to God and by the grace and gifts of God, alone he was nothing.

Pastor Rick Warren said, "The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose."

Paul thoroughly understood this. He knew that God has a plan and that God alone has the power to make that plan happen. He will use you in ways that you never thought possible if you will just be willing to let him.

The last part of Ephesians 3 (verses 14-21) Paul begins another prayer for the brothers and sisters of Ephesus. As we've seen before, Paul's prayers are amazing. They are not just prayers to God but also sendings to us. So let's end this chapter of Ephesians with this sending from Paul to discover what God has for us, to be open to His will in our lives! To reach for the greatest gift ever! Soak it in. Read it twice. Read it three times. Know that Paul, if he were here today, would pray the same for you and your life!

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent
Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his
Spirit-not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength-that Christ will live
in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet
planted firmly in love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus
the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the
breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full
lives, full in the fullness of God.
God can do anything, you know-far more than you could ever
imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us
around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory
to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the
generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Bible Study for Fall 2009 set....won't you join?

Priscilla Shirer ministers full-time to women. Her desire is to see women not only know the uncompromising truths of Scripture intellectually but experience them practically. In He Speaks to Me, Priscilla shows us how God spoke to Samuel and how He speaks to Christians today.

Why do we settle for the Word of the Lord revealed to someone else and passed on to us as if God does not speak to us individually? This shouldn't satisfy us. He wants us to hear His voice, understand and obey. The Lord desires to speak to us personally. He wants to meet us where we are despite who we are and reveal His will for our lives.

God is going to reveal Himself and His plan for you in new ways. Make a commitment to be obedient to whatever He says. The results will be glorious!

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS

SEPTEMBER 2 - OCTOBER 7, 2009

6:45 PM - 8 PM

Cost: $15.00

mcqueary1@bex.net for more information.

Ephesians 2:21-22

Ephesians 2:21-22 - In him the whole building is joined together and rises
to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together
to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

These two small verses are jam-packed with both individual and corporate meaning. Just prior to these verses, Paul proclaims Christ as the Chief Cornerstone to a household of believers that have been gathered and built through the centuries on His foundation.

The foundation of Christ is essential in our lives. Corporately, as a church, our feet must rest firmly on Christ. Pastor Neil Cole said, "The core reality is Jesus Christ being followed, loved and obeyed. Christ alive, forming spiritual families and working with them to fulfill His mission...the church really is an embodiment of the risen Jesus." (Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens, 2005) As individuals, we should so thoroughly soak in the love of God, allowing ourselves to be filled with His Spirit that we can't help its overflow into the lives of those around us.

When we assemble as Christians, God is joining us together to become a holy movement for His purpose. "Simply gathering a group of people who subscribe to a common set of beliefs is not worthy of Jesus and th sacrifice He made for us." (Neil Cole, 2005) We must bear fruit. That fruit isn't seen in pews being filled or membership growing, it is seen in the transformed lives of those we have found and discipled in the ways and love of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

From the very beginning, God's blessing to Abraham found in Genesis 12:2-3, was a blessing that gives a foundation to our Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).

God says to Abraham, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless
you;I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those
who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."

Today, we as believer's share in that blessing. We learned in Ephesians 1 that we have been adopted into that blessing. As we are blessed, we are called to be a blessing. Pastor Andy Lauer, shared with us in one of his sermons that there has got to be something more. "If not us, then who?" Who will be the hands and feet of Jesus today? We as a church and as individuals are called to bless others because of the blessing that is being built within us through the Holy Spirit.

God has joined us together so that we might be about His business, that we might be fulfilling His purpose not our own! So that through Christ we can be someone else's hope! That is the foundation that Paul is talking about. Christ is our Chief Cornerstone, in Him we can do the will of the Father who sent Him. How can you be someone's hope today? Are you looking at life through the eyes of Jesus? Are you seeing people with the compassion and grace that God saw you?

Ephesians 2:11-20

Read Ephesians 2:11-20.

Paul begins here talking about circumcision. The Jews were required by their law to circumcise their male children. It was by this mark that one would "prove" they were a Jew. I've often wondered how it is that circumcision would be an outward sign of a relationship with God. My mind wonders how that is outward at all, being covered by clothes and robes? Anyways, Paul tells us point blank that circumcision was a physical thing, not a spiritual act. It wasn't a change of heart, just a change of physical characteristics that made them who they were.

Remember these baby Christians in Ephesus were being told (not by Paul but by other converts), "you have to become like us." "It's not good enough just to believe, you must become a Jew, you must act like us, you must look like us." Paul combatting that mentality says, No! Christ died to break down barriers between people. You can be in Christ a new creation and not have to become a Jew.

Today, many in our world are so hopeless. They know nothing of God and the hope that is offered through Christ. How can we witness today of God's love to the hopeless? How can we follow Paul's example? Is it by loving and accepting people without forcing them to become like us - to dress like us, to worship like us, to look like us. Expecting a change, because we are promised to be new creations, but to allow them to be who Christ says they are, instead of who we think they should be?

If we go back to last weeks lesson, we begin to see that Paul was saying, remember who you were and the hopelessness that you had because people all around you are in that position today and need to be loved. In him "our hostility toward each other was put to death." Christ died so that all may live in Him, not so all would be like alike, like little clones of each other. First Corinthians 12 points out how in Christ we are all different, given different gifts and yet still one body in Christ.

It is because of Christ's sacrifice we can come before God as a family of great differences and yet as holy because Christ makes us holy. What great joy we have in knowing that we have a Father in heaven who loves us for who we are. That He saw us where we were and sent His Son to redeem us and give us new life.