Doing God's Work God's Way

Ryan Lowery
Nehemiah 5:1-19

According to the Bible, God values love above anything else. Love is essential to carry out God's work, but it can often be difficult and require sacrifice. Often, God allows difficult circumstances to bring up areas of character weakness where we have neglected the ethic of love. In order to be effective Christian workers, we need to follow Nehemiah's example of fighting to ensure that God's work is carried out with love as the guiding principle.

Solomon Sliding

Dennis McCallum
Ecclesiastes 2:1

Solomon fails in following God and keeping the covenant established with David. Solomon: 1) collected great wealth for himself, 2) built up a large army, and 3) married many foreign women and built altars to their gods. God tells Solomon he has failed and God will tear the kingdom from him. Solomon most likely wrote the book of Ecclesiastes during this time of failure and depression.

Setting Your Mind on the Things Above

Conrad Hilario
1 Timothy 6:6-10

Now that Paul has finished arguing against false teachers, he now instructs how the Colossians can grow spiritually in Christ. Paul urges them to remember their new identity in Christ and to put off their old self that includes sexual immorality, greed, and anger. He reminds the believers that their old way of living is done away with because of the cross. Being ?in Christ? enables them to live and experience their new identity.

Letters to the Churches Part 3

Scott Risley
Revelation 3:7-4:2

We look at the final two churches John addresses in this letter. Jesus opened a door of opportunity for the church in Philadelphia to play a role in His plan. On the other hand, Jesus patiently knocks on the door waiting to be let in by people who have shut him out. The people in the church in Laodicea are called out as being the worst of the seven churches. Their deeds were useless and their riches had zapped their love for God. God offers us all a way to become spiritually rich through His son who waits for us patiently.

Babylon The Great

Doug Patch
Revelation 18

John elaborates on Babylon, now as a second personality. Besides the harlot that was described in the previous chapter, Babylon is now described as The Great. Babylon now represents a drive within humanity to create a God-tight society, or a society focused on materialism. Materialism is described as dangerous because of its seductive affect on individuals and society, and it is run by Satan. Individuals will need to recognize how they relate to the material world (a list of probing questions is included), and then choose how to respond to this knowledge.

Babylon the Great

Gary DeLashmutt
Revelation 18:1-23

In one of John's visions of the great tribulation, he sees a woman with the title "Babylon the Great," which signifies the way that this spirit of deception works politically and economically. This manifests in three ways: 1) It is the ultimate expression of human empires that defy God's rulership; 2) its materialism corrupts every political and economic system; and 3) it seduces individuals by turning good things into idols that distract and enslave. All of us live under the influence of this entity, and Jesus alone is able to break the "spell" and reconcile people with God.

Jesus' Letter to the Church in Laodicea

Mike Sullivan
Revelation 3:14-22

Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea is a rebuke against their attitude towards wealth. Like this church, many of us have let our wealth cause spiritual blindness. Jesus instructs them to repent from their attitude towards wealth, invite Jesus to meet their needs, and invite Him back into their lives in a relational way.

Unshakeable Contentment

Ryan Lowery
Philippians 4:12-22

Paul expresses his gratitude to the Philippians for their generosity to support him financially. He expresses his ability to learn contentment in whatever the circumstances. Four principles are seen that have helped Paul be content: 1) being grateful for what he has; 2) remembering wealth is not a means to an end; 3) actively guarding the heart against greed; and 4) understanding generosity as a means to worship God.

Living in a Hostile World

Conrad Hilario
John 15:18-16:33

The world system, or kosmos, is critiqued and drawn out in the topic of materialism and hedonism. It is used as Satan's tool to oppose believers and distract people from their relationship with God, and we are taught how to escape its grasp and focus on how Jesus overcame it.