Spirit of Power, Love, and Self Discipline

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2 Timothy, anxiety, courage, fear, Paul, school schooting

In light of yet another of school shooting, I always seem to have an undercurrent of anxiety running through me as I send my daughter off to school each day. But each time I am tempted to turn the car around and keep her home with me, each time I reach for my phone to look up ‘how to home school’ in the search engine, I am reminded of the verse from 2 Timothy 1 (below). I am reminded that I and my family are not called to keep ourselves apart from the suffering in this world, but instead to be lights to the world in the midst of the pain we individually and collectively experience in this world. I finally had a moment to myself to read through this verse in context, and (true to Katie), it turned into a full fledged inductive bible study. I hope this can empower others who, like me, are reeling from the grief and loss of sense of safety that we are facing in our world today.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 NRSV
“For this reason, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my [Paul’s] hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self discipline.”

1. What is this ‘gift of God’ in v. 6?
2. How is it rekindled? How can we rekindle it in ourselves periodically? in each other? how often should we/do we need to rekindle it?
3. In what areas of our lives are we feeling cowardice and/or fear right now?
4. In those areas, how can we live in a spirit of power instead? of love? of self discipline? Specifically, what actions can we take?

Now Read 2 Timothy 1 v. 8-14

Paul’s experience:
1. What are the three parts to Paul’s calling (v. 11)? In your own words, describe what he is called to do.
2. What is he experiencing because of following his calling? (v. 8, 12)
3. How does he respond? (v. 12),
4. Where he derives his hope/strength to respond as he does in the face of suffering? (v. 8-10, 12)

Our opportunity:
1. What is our ‘holy calling’ mentioned in v. 9?
2. In V. 8, what does Paul invite us to join with him in? (name two)
3. Where should we derive our hope/strength? (v. 8-10, 12)
4. What do we rely on in the midst of suffering? (v. 8)
5. What power is he referring to in v. 8? (v. 9, 10, 12)
6. What did Jesus accomplish? (v. 10) How does this truth impact your life, and your day to day interactions with the world’s difficulties and pain? How could this truth impact other people’s lives who are experiencing fear, suffering and/or pain?
7. What are Paul’s mandates for us? (v. 8, 13, 14)
8. What is the “good treasure” he is referring to in v. 14? How should we guard it? Why does it need guarded?
9. How can we live out those mandates in our day to day lives? How can we live out these mandates in the midst of particularly difficult seasons of our lives (seasons marked by fear, struggles, suffering and/or pain?) Think of two concrete examples for day to day, and two for difficult seasons.

Devotional Notes on Luke 22:47-53

A Verse by Verse look at Luke 22:47-53 (Highlights from my study time)

While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, ⁴⁸ but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” ⁵⁰ And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs?⁵³ Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.” Luke 22:47-53

v. 49 “Lord, should we strike with the sword?”
Observations:

Jesus certainly didn’t need the defense of his disciples. He always had legions of angels at his disposal to defend him, if only he called on them. However this wouldn’t fulfill scripture.

Jesus’ followers had swords.They recognized danger, and their default was to respond with brute force/violence. This is at odds with all of the previous ministry of Jesus to this point, so it seems a little out of place that after 3 years, they would default to this. Why? A) from fear? Because to fight is one of the natural human responses to a perceived threat (Fight/Flight mentality?) B) earlier in Luke 35-38, Jesus talks to them about ‘Purse, bag and sword’… so maybe they took this message to heart in the wrong way. C) Jesus had just finished telling Peter He was going to deny Jesus, so Peter was extra-vigilant to go the extra mile to defend Jesus and prove he wasn’t going to run… only he missed the mark yet again.

Lightbulb Nugget of the Night:
Jesus seemed calm and collected in the face of being arrested, while the disciples seemed afraid and uncertain of what to do. Looking to how they each spent their time ahead of this situation…. Jesus’ inner struggle took place in prayer ahead of time, so that in the heat of the moment, he was at calm and at peace. Contrast this to the disciples, who were sleeping ahead of time. They had no preparation for what was to come. Then in the moment, they were filled with fear and uncertainty. They were unable to respond correctly or with wisdom.  This is a great lesson/application. In preparation for an expected (or unexpected) difficult situation, wrestle through any fears or doubts I have with God beforehand. Lots of prayer and listening to God, He will prepare me. Then, when the moment comes, I can act with wisdom and grace, in obedience to God. Proactively, not reactively. More able to be calm and at peace, and not respond out of fear, or hurt, or anger.

v. 50. “The slave of the high priest”
Observations:
John identifies the slave as named Malchus. Slave was “Doulos”, which is a personal slave. Malchus was the personal slave to the high priest. The name Malchus means “Counselor” or “King”. Peter was the one who cut off Malchus ear in defense of Jesus. Later on, it was a relative of that same Malchus who asked Peter if he was with Jesus… and Peter denied him.

v. 51 “Jesus said ‘No more of this!’ and he touched his ear and healed him.”
Observations:
Luke, the physician, is the one who gives an accounting of this healing.
This is the last miracle that Jesus performed before his death.

v. 52 “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit?”
Observations:
Luke 22:37, Isaiah 53:11-12 he was “numbered with the transgressors”

Other thoughts that need verification/further exploring:
Some possibility that a Jubilee Year fell within the time of Jesus’ ministry (Leviticus 25, Luke 4:14-28), the passage that Jesus read in Luke 4 passage was traditionally used to announce a Jubilee year. If it was a Jubilee year around then, Malchus may have been due to be freed, per tradition. I don’t know if they were still recognizing jubilee years in the time of Jesus or not. Also don’t know if Jesus was reading passage to announce the traditional jubilee, or He was announcing the ultimate fulfillment of what the Jubilee was meant to represent and foreshadow.

Future Devotional Topics

1. Compare and contrast Jesus’ actions/feelings to those of the disciples:

– in the Garden, ahead of the trials
– in the Garden, once events were in motion.

How did each of them spend their ‘prep time’?
How did that affect their actions in the heat of the moment?
What does that teach me about how I should spend my time, and how I deal with difficult circumstances.

2. Names of Jesus: “Son of Man; Son of God, etc”

3. Customary brotherly kiss in early Christian circles

4. Luke 22:35-38 Purse, Bag and Sword (and how does the disciples’ possible interpretations of this lesson influence their actions in the garden just a short time later in v. 47-53?)

They Knew Who He Was

“and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.” Mark 1:34

Concepts That Caught My Interest:
A – They “Knew Who He Was”
B – They were not allowed to share or announce that truth; they were compelled to keep the truth secret.

Questions I Had:
1) Who else recognized Him? Is this a good or bad thing? How did Jesus respond to being recognized? Did Jesus respond differently in different situations, or is there a consistent pattern?
2) Who else is given this mandate not to speak?
3) What are they recognizing?
4) How can I also recognize Jesus? Should I recognize him?

Just in Mark, this recognizing Jesus as ‘Son of Man’ or ‘who he was’ happens 13 times. Mostly, unclean spirits, or those experiencing or witnessing miracles. Two were God announcing from heaven. In nearly all instances, Jesus wants them to stay silent.

Mark 1:10-11; 1:24-25; 1:34; 1:43; 3:11-12; 5:7; 5:39-43; 7:36; 8:26; 9:2-8; 13;24; 14:62; 15:39

Jesus’ revealed identity:
“My son, the Beloved” “Holy one of God” “The Son of God” “Jesus, the Son of the Most High God”  “I am” “Surely this Man was God’s son”

In answer to #3, I believe there are two answers. One is Identity. This is especially true of the demons that Jesus is casting out. As spiritual beings not tied to mortal timeline or location, they had known Jesus previous to his incarnation in human image, and had known his true form as Lord. They may not have been on God’s side, but even bitter enemies can recognize their opponents. The second is Power. This is apparent in those people experiencing Jesus’ miracles, or those witnessing them. They see the power, and recognize the power. However, even when the power is undeniable, there are mixed results as to if they are able to identify true source of the power. Most were amazed, astonished, or simply and utterly confused.

In answer to why Jesus wanted them to stay silent about his true identity, there may be several reasons. Possibly, He doesn’t want the big crowds to continually follow hime. Also, having his identity announced may have somehow altered or sped up the timeline of events, or the shifted the outcome. To me, this seems unlikely, as the crowds found him regardless, and the altering of timeline theory makes seem that God is not in sole command of the timeline of events, which is untrue. Also, as early as Jesus’ baptism, God himself announced from the heavens his identity, of which there were several witnesses.

A second theory, laid out by the Geneva Study Bible “For it is not proper for demons to preach the Gospel.” (Acts 16:18) and Gill’s Exposition: “Jesus did not permit it. He had others to bear witness of him, and better testimony than theirs [the demons’], and lest his enemies should reproach him with an agreement and familiarity with them.”  This theory is consistent also with instances where God himself gave testimony on Jesus’ behalf.  Obviously, there was no command to be silent at those times. This theory does not speak to why Jesus forbade people experiencing miracles to also stay silent.

Misc. Sermon Notes circa 2007-2010 Part III

Retreat Session Questions:

1. Over the last year, when did you feel far from God? When did you feel like you were in-step, faithfully following him?

2. What are some things you have done, or could begin doing to seek the Bread of Life on a regular basis?

3. What changes have you experienced over the last year? Where are God’s fingerprints in those changes?

4. What do you hope to see the Lord change you in the next year? Are there some goals that the Lord may be leading you to set?

Reading the Psalms
by Tremper Longman III

Divided into 5 books, parallel to the Pentateuch. Each book ends in Doxology.

• Psalm 1-41 (Genesis)
• Psalm 42-72 (Exodus)
• Psalm 73-89 (Leviticus)
• Psalm 90-106 (Numbers)
• Psalm 107-150 (Deuteronomy)

Read them as you would poetry, and prayers to God. It taps into emotion. read each as its own entity. They may or may not be related to the one before or after.

6.10.2013
Guilt, Blame and Shame

How Jesus handled the knowledge that thousands of infants died because of his existance? (Herod’s proclamation that caused Mary, Joseph and Jesus to flee to Egypt)

How would we handle that?

How does Jesus’ example teach us how we should act when evil happens “Because” of us?

Small Group/Church Outreach to Your Local Community

Breathe Session, 2009
Love Revolution, Neighborhood Evolution
Andrew Oswalt

“Adopt a Neighborhood”

1. Pray – for a profile of a neighborhood, characteristics
2. Choosing – drive around take notes, pray
3. Committing – to God, to timeline (1-3 years, 36 projects)
4. Planning – first outreach. involve, empower community leaders
5. Present – plan to group
6. Dreaming

Followership – If you want to lead others to seek God, you first need to be a really really committed follower of Christ

What to expect:
3 months
– group – enthusiasm
– neighbors – indifference

6 months
– group –  speration between people who are part of the group and who fade away
– neighbors – start to notice, get curious

1 year
– group – core team of 7-8 people
– neighbors – comfort having you around

2 years
– group – finding calling as it relates to service and sharing God’s love. (Make it available, let God Sell them on it)
– neighbors – develop bonds

How to deal with roadblocks:
EXPECT roadblocks. talk openly about failures, speedbumps. Tell the group – these are rights of passage; anyone can do mountain top experiences. When the first failure happens, celebrate it, because you know you’re in for the long haul.

SO what are the details?
– don’t underestimate people’s uneasiness. Stick with it. Goal is 3 years for long term impact.
– embrace seasonal rhythm of projects/holidays.
– Getting people to show up: WHEN you schedule outreach is important. Saturday AM is notoriously bad for for Group and neighbors. Break down barriers that keep people from coming (i.e. have a consistent day/time. Different day/time is a barrier)
– Have faith in God.

Planning:
Couple of Leaders
– think of a way to include lots of people in a couple different ways so everyone who wants to can be involved. Gives people a chance to get on board.

Present to the group:
How to talk up the meeting:
If you consider yourself a part of this group, if this group means something to you, you need to be there for this meeting. because it’s really going to change the direction/fabric/face of our group.
– you need to have a lot of it worked out before presenting to the group. It should not be nebulous. They’re looking for vision and direction.
– this often can take a lot of work (1 yr for VCC staff)

Dreamlist
– example: Holy Spirit Hospital in Nottingham, England.
Dreams come out of the skill set of your group/ Put dreams on a dream list that fits the talents and gifts of group.

Misc. Sermon Notes circa 2007-2010 Part II

4.12.2009
R. Nathan
1 Corinthians 15:20-28

christ as first fruits. refers to first of barley harvest was presented in the temple to God. It was a promise of more to come in the future.

Jesus is the continental divide of history.

God’s  restoring/ renovating/recreating/renewing. When we’re involved in restoring, our work will not be in vain. 1 cor. 15:58

Jeff anderson
2 samuel 24
The cost of the worshipper is to become low.

11.2.2008
Vote like a christian
J. Rue
1 Peter 2:9-17/Romand 13

1. Know my primary citizenship is to God. (v.9)
   Establish a heavenly colony where God has placed you.
2. Know that I am a resident alien. (v. 11, Phil 3:20-21). AKA, we have an accent
3. Know that I carry personal responsibility for my actions. (v. 11-12)
4. Know that I must submit to governing authority even if I didn’t vote for it. (v. 13-14)
5. Know that I have freedom within the boundaries of morality. (v. 16)
6. Know that God is not my slave. I am His. (v. 16)
7. now that I owe respect to everyone. (v. 17)

11.15.2009
R. Nathan
Matthew 13:44-46

when you say no to self and yes to God, the Kingdom moves forward. 1st differentiation is how they come across the treasure. 1st stumbles upon it, the second goes looking.

If all your choices make perfect sense to everyone, no matter if they’re a believer or not, are you really following God? Because sometimes there are some choices that just don’t make sense to the world. Other people may disagree, but I”m doing it becase of King Jesus. Making choices that are not obvious because  you have King Jesus.

10.18.2009
J. Rue
Mark 1:9-11
Jesus was the begotten son of God, the one and only. We are adopted. But BOTH are referred to as beloved, dearly loved. Romans 1:7

Luke 5:17-26
The Friends did NOT fix the paralytic. They just brought him to God.

Jesus is not an insurance agent.

I’ve settled before, but I”m not turning back. You’re my strength in my weakness.

Good Samaritan:
It’s not a question of who’s in or who’s out. It’s who you are. The question is not who is MY neighbor, but are YOU a neighbor?

Misc. Sermon Notes circa 2007-2010 Part I

1 Timothy 3

• Honesty (not given to dishonest gain
• Good Repute
• Trustworthy

God is Love. He made us to love us, us to love him. We were built to love, we can’t help but love. It’s just a matter of where we direct our love.

A church being ‘impersonal’ is not a function of its size. Church must grow larger and smaller at the same time.

How a Christian Grows:
G – Giving of time, talent, money Lev. 27:30, Malachi 3:10 Mark 10:45 Acts 2:42-47, Eph 4:11-12
R – relationships Acts 2:42-47, 1 Cor 12:12 Eph 4:1-6, Heb 10:24-25
O – Outreach through evangelism and mission and social justice Amos 5:24, Matt 9:12-13, Luke 15:3-10, 2 Cor 5:14, 2 Pet 3:9
W – Worship and devotions, public and private, Psalm 29:2, John 4:1-26, 1 Cor. 7:35, Rom 12:1, James 5:16
S – Spiritual Empowerment Matt 10:1, Luke 9:1-3; 11:13, John 14:15-21, Acts 1:8, Hebrews 2:1-4

12.20.2009
Luke 1:26-38 Insoo Kim
Birth of  King
King and his Kingdom
King and his Mission
King and his people

To see with the eyes of Jesus, to feel what he feels, his actions flow out of a deep conviction and passion

Wha bothers you? What makes your heart ache? What brings tears to your eyes? WHat pisses you off? What pain have you experienced that God can use for His glory? What do you want me to do about it? (mission) Who do you want me to do it with (team) people are going to notice and ask why. Why? Because of Jesus. J. came to being healing, freedom justice. Isaiah 61:12

1.24.2010
Jonathan RUe
Spritiual discipline of solitude
– silence
– stillness
– submission

Lk 4:1, 6:4, Mt 26:36, Mt 14:22 Mt 14:13, Mk 1:35

1.31.10
J. Rue
1 John 4:1-12
testing word from God
3 false tests:
– test of pessimism: I’ll hate it
– test of optimism: I’ll love it
– test of method: God will speak in a particular way

3 true tests:
– test of “Does it sound like Jesus”. the more we get to know jesus, the more we recognize his voice v. 1-3
– Test of the bible v. 4-6
– test of community v. 7-12
1 Thess. 5:16, 22

6.7.2009
J. Rue
James 5:13-20
effectiveness of prayer – doesn’t always work? prayer is talking to God
God is good, even if he chooses not to answer ‘yes’. if you came to God just becayse of what he can do for you… if you came to God for WHO he IS. Prayer gets dangerous. With prayer, we’re never in control. It’s a relational thing. It’s relating to the person of God. Prayer heals sickness: answering prayers/healing is not hard for him. prayer heals sin. This COST him.

confessing sin removes obstacles to God. human interaction allows God to use us again. 1. repentance – turn around 2. Confession – to say something as it is. To agree with God about what he is saying in my life.
pray in faith  v.15
pray clean v. 16
pray earnestly v. 17

8.23.2009
R. Nathan
Genesis 2.15
work is a way to respond to Gods call
work is a way to love and serve our neighbors
pretty strong language for an entitlement society… avoid work, 2 thess 3:10 (1 thess 3:10?)

God made a decision to make you, because his creation was not complete without you. Because he thought the world needed you.

2 kings 12:4, 9, mark 12:41-42, Luke 21:1-4 Joash Box is what the poor widow put her two cents into

mercy wins out over judgement. community is a bunch of people, so it’s going to be messy. keep looking to Jesus for the ideal. We don’t outgrow God’s mercy. Never take eyes off him – keep your sights on God.

God is not just your facebook friend.

man and woman point to differentiation between Father, son and holy spirit. not above or below. equal, but different.

5.31.2009
J. Rue
James 5:7-12
many christians don’t fail, they just quit before they’re ‘ripe’.
Accept that God has called us to wait. as a christian, you are waiting. it’s the very definition.
accept the slow process of life. Just because you plant something, and it doesn’t appear immediately, doesn’t make you a bad farmer.
when you don’t get something you want, stand firm. integrity is nothing more than a million small choices.
stan firm in unfulfilled desires
stand firm in the face of others’ successes
stand firm in suffering.
faith is more than emotions. look ahead to the blessing of perserverance
trust only in God, not yourself.
2 Peter. God’s timeline is WAY different.

6.14.2009
Chris Meekins
Luke 6:27-36

followers of jesus are known for their love. go above and beyond. you miss the point when you just go ‘neutral’/self control. not enough to refrain from evil thougts/actions. need to go above and beyond. put yourself in a position where you have opportunities to love people outside your ‘bubble’.

Deeper Waters

Today’s verse: Luke 5:1-5:

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

Notes:

• Take God at His Word
• As your relationship with God developes, He’ll ask you to “go out into deeper waters”.
• When you step out into faith, sometimes things get bigger than you can handle. That’s ok. God dreams big. He will provide support from others to come help.

Blessings

Genesis 12:2-3 God’s promise to Abram
“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.^[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

How God has blessed ‘the peoples on earth” through Israel:
– Joseph, preparing and rationing food during the seven year famine
– Jesus, Savior of the world.
– I’m sure theres more examples I’m not thinking of…