LG Family and Friends:
Our passage of study last week was Isaiah 61:1-9. We read how God the Son was stating He was Anointed (Hebrew -Messiah, Greek -Christ) by God the Spirit and will bring good news to the poor, bind and heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, release the prisoners of darkness, comfort mourners, etc.
It is a great passage of hope and encouragement.
This is the same passage Jesus read in church as described in Luke 4:14-21. Someone handed Him a scroll to read, he read this passage out of Isaiah (of His own words), and then told the audience that He read about Himself! Awesome.
We ended with a story about a guy named Joe who lived a very hard life. Then he decided to follow Jesus, changed his life, had a new purpose, and began serving others. The people he served did not know Jesus. But they knew Joe and they saw how he changed and they wanted to be like Joe.
My challenge to you this week is to be like Joe. When you are around your family, friends, and enemies during Thanksgiving, be like Joe. Help people see Jesus through you.
Be intentional.
Travis
LIFE GROUPS: You don’t have to be a member of the church to join one of Lake Pointe’s small groups called Life Groups…it’s “the church within the church”. Life Groups are made up of people with similar ages or family structures meeting together for: •Living For Others | Mission/Ministry •Interactive Bible Study •Fellowship •Encouragement This is where real, life-enriching relationships can form and develop.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Weekly Challenge -Isaiah 52:13-53:3
This passage of scripture is an amazing summary of the grace that is the good news of the gospel:
In this passage we are shown just how unfathomable God's ways are to us. He warns us that we must pay close attention if we are to fully "see" Christ because He is not going to be or do the things that we expect.
In this passage we are shown just how unfathomable God's ways are to us. He warns us that we must pay close attention if we are to fully "see" Christ because He is not going to be or do the things that we expect.
This week my challenge is to really seek Jesus Christ - investigate what he looks, speaks and acts like. Intimately comb the word to find the real Him!
Be intentional.
Jamie
Be intentional.
Jamie
Monday, October 5, 2015
Weekly Challenge -Isaiah 48:17-22
In this section of scripture God says several things to us:
1. He reminds us of who He is.
2. He reminds us that His ways are not only good but also good for us.
3. He makes a promise to us of what will happen if we listen to Him.
4. He tells us to be free from captivity even when we can't live up to our end of the deal and to proclaim the greatness of Christ and the freedom He provides.
5. Finally He reminds us that we can not do this on our own and that to be truly free we must hand over whatever is holding us captive to Him and return to His arms.
My challenge to all of us this week is to meditate on whatever has or is holding us captive. Put a name to it, put it at the foot of the cross and then live fully in the freedom that Christ has bought for us.
Be intentional.
Jamie
1. He reminds us of who He is.
2. He reminds us that His ways are not only good but also good for us.
3. He makes a promise to us of what will happen if we listen to Him.
4. He tells us to be free from captivity even when we can't live up to our end of the deal and to proclaim the greatness of Christ and the freedom He provides.
5. Finally He reminds us that we can not do this on our own and that to be truly free we must hand over whatever is holding us captive to Him and return to His arms.
My challenge to all of us this week is to meditate on whatever has or is holding us captive. Put a name to it, put it at the foot of the cross and then live fully in the freedom that Christ has bought for us.
Be intentional.
Jamie
Monday, September 28, 2015
Weekly Challenge -Isaiah 45
Life Group community:
· If you were on trial, would you be convicted of being a Christian?
Quick summary of the last few weeks:
Chapter 43
–God says you are my redeemed. You are
my witnesses. Gave us a message of
comfort, protection, hope, steadfastness.
We will be tested, but God will remain faithful.
·
The
question to you is, are you a good witness for God?· If you were on trial, would you be convicted of being a Christian?
Chapter 44
–Idolatry is a lie. Recognize
that God is the Creator, and that He has not left His creation to determine its
own path. God is continually working
within creation. Though the events, powers, and strategies of the world may
hide God’s work, God has made promises to His chosen people Israel to remind
them that God has not abandoned them.
Chapter 45
starts off with a big intro to Cyrus. He
was mentioned in 41 but now we see more detail.
The surprise to the Israelites is that Cyrus is called the Lords
shepherd and his anointed. For Cyrus
himself was a pagan idolater! God may
disapprove of idolatry but use an idolater for some good purpose. The fact that
he uses someone in a specific way does not mean that he approves of that
person’s total lifestyle. That is great
news for me. It means that He can still
use me even though I have idols in my life!
In Isaiah 45, God is explaining why idols get in the way
of allegiance to Him. So my challenge to you this week is to
repeat the challenge from last week.
Spend time identifying what you place more importance than your
Creator. Where is your security? Where is your control? What can you not live without? Where, what, or who do you go to for rest,
hope, security, etc.?
Be intentional.
Travis
Monday, September 21, 2015
Weekly Challenge -Isaiah 44 Idols
Life Group Community,
Our discussion was based on the topic of how an idol is a lie. Isaiah was very descriptive about the deception of the idol maker and detailed on how the created is worshipping the created.
Since idol worshipping seems very old testament and part of other religions, we can often pass over these truths as irrelevant. So we spent time making a definition of an idol. This summary from Tim Keller covered all the points from our discussion:
“It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living. An idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought. It can be family and children, or career and making money, or achievement and critical acclaim, or saving “face” and social standing. It can be a romantic relationship, peer approval, competence and skill, secure and comfortable circumstances, your beauty or your brains, a great political or social cause, your morality and virtue, or even success in the Christian ministry.
My challenge to you this week is to spent time in solitude and stillness while asking God to help you identify the idols you have placed in your life. Then discuss your idols with your spouse and with your life group as we go through this together.
Be intentional.
Travis
Our discussion was based on the topic of how an idol is a lie. Isaiah was very descriptive about the deception of the idol maker and detailed on how the created is worshipping the created.
Since idol worshipping seems very old testament and part of other religions, we can often pass over these truths as irrelevant. So we spent time making a definition of an idol. This summary from Tim Keller covered all the points from our discussion:
“It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living. An idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought. It can be family and children, or career and making money, or achievement and critical acclaim, or saving “face” and social standing. It can be a romantic relationship, peer approval, competence and skill, secure and comfortable circumstances, your beauty or your brains, a great political or social cause, your morality and virtue, or even success in the Christian ministry.
My challenge to you this week is to spent time in solitude and stillness while asking God to help you identify the idols you have placed in your life. Then discuss your idols with your spouse and with your life group as we go through this together.
Be intentional.
Travis
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Weekly Challenge -Isaiah 43
Life Group family:
Those were comforting words from God to the Israelites, and us, in chapter 43. Words of protection, love, steadfastness, comfort, control, holiness, etc.
Those words were for a group in captivity (Israelites) back then, and are for groups in captivity today such as the 30 million people involved in human trafficking today. 80% of them are female. 50% of them are children. God can deliver them as he delivered the Israelites.
I enjoyed the discussion on the trial imagery that God and Isaiah brought in this chapter. We are His witnesses and must tell others about God. We can do this by the way we live, but that has to be combined with us telling people how God loves us and how we have been changed by living for Him.
We can also do this by how we live and act while being tested by the water and fire (as Isaiah described in verse 2). We should have hope, living for the eternal, and still finding ways to love and help others.
My challenge to you this week is to spend some quiet time and ask God to show you the worries (water/fire) which you need to give away to your sovereign Lord. Then share with your spouse and family.
Be intentional.
Travis
Those were comforting words from God to the Israelites, and us, in chapter 43. Words of protection, love, steadfastness, comfort, control, holiness, etc.
Those words were for a group in captivity (Israelites) back then, and are for groups in captivity today such as the 30 million people involved in human trafficking today. 80% of them are female. 50% of them are children. God can deliver them as he delivered the Israelites.
I enjoyed the discussion on the trial imagery that God and Isaiah brought in this chapter. We are His witnesses and must tell others about God. We can do this by the way we live, but that has to be combined with us telling people how God loves us and how we have been changed by living for Him.
We can also do this by how we live and act while being tested by the water and fire (as Isaiah described in verse 2). We should have hope, living for the eternal, and still finding ways to love and help others.
My challenge to you this week is to spend some quiet time and ask God to show you the worries (water/fire) which you need to give away to your sovereign Lord. Then share with your spouse and family.
Be intentional.
Travis
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Weekly Challenge -Isaiah 42
Life Group family:
We covered a lot of ground on Saturday with the timeline along with the study of Isaiah 42.
I enjoyed discussing how Isaiah was writing about God the Son coming as The Servant for Israel and for all believers. This was written 0ver 700 years before Jesus came as the Messiah.
He was chosen. He will bring justice and unity. He will not break, quit, or give up. He will not throw away the lowly and the weak. He will heal and free people.
750 years later, Philip was able to discuss this section of Isaiah with the eunuch to show him how Jesus is the Messiah. Another 2,000 years later, we get to sit in a room and discuss the same!
My challenge to you this week is to study the timeline and read Isaiah 43 to prepare for more great discussion time this Saturday.
Be intentional.
Travis
We covered a lot of ground on Saturday with the timeline along with the study of Isaiah 42.
I enjoyed discussing how Isaiah was writing about God the Son coming as The Servant for Israel and for all believers. This was written 0ver 700 years before Jesus came as the Messiah.
He was chosen. He will bring justice and unity. He will not break, quit, or give up. He will not throw away the lowly and the weak. He will heal and free people.
750 years later, Philip was able to discuss this section of Isaiah with the eunuch to show him how Jesus is the Messiah. Another 2,000 years later, we get to sit in a room and discuss the same!
My challenge to you this week is to study the timeline and read Isaiah 43 to prepare for more great discussion time this Saturday.
Be intentional.
Travis
Timeline:
|
Dates BC
|
Event
|
|
|
2000
|
Abraham
|
|
|
1900
|
Jacob changes name to
Israel
|
Had a divided
house. Sons of Leah and sons of Rachel
|
|
1750 - 1450
|
Israel nation
captivity in Egypt
|
|
|
1450
|
Israel entered the
Promised Land
|
|
|
1440
|
Land divided into 12
tribes
|
|
|
1050
|
Saul becomes first
King
|
From tribe of Benjamin
(Rachel)
|
|
1010
|
King David
|
From tribe of Judah
(Leah)
|
|
970
|
King Solomon
|
|
|
930
|
Israel divided
|
(10 tribes in North
-called Israel) and (2 tribes in South -called Judah)
|
|
740
|
Isaiah ministry begins
|
was
called by God ‘in the year that King Uzziah died’ (6:1)
|
|
722
|
Assyrian captivity
|
|
|
586
|
Babylonian captivity
|
|
|
538
|
Cyrus allows Jews to
return home
|
|
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