EBlast for Sunday, September 30, 2018

Made for Shalom!

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Romans 12:18 (printed below) and discuss the questions as a way to begin a conversation. 

If possible, to the best or your ability, live at peace with all people. (Romans 12:18 CEB)

Questions for Consideration:

1. What does Paul say in Romans 12:18 about making peace with everyone else?
2. What does it look like to you to live in peace with all people?
3. How do you think God views the idea of living in peace? (read Isaiah 2:1-5; Matthew 5:9; Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:1-17 for ideas)
4. How does your view of living in peace connect with God’s view?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  When did I last speak to someone about my faith? (Pages 123-126 in The Wesley Challenge)

EBlast for Sunday, September 23, 2018

Paul: His Final Years

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Acts 28:30,31; Galatians 2:20 and 2 Timothy 4:6-13 (printed below) and discuss the questions as a way to begin a conversation. 

Acts 28:30,31

For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.

Galatians 2:20

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

2 Timothy 4:6-13    

I’m already being poured out like a sacrifice to God, and the time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. At last the champion’s wreath that is awarded for righteousness is waiting for me. The Lord, who is the righteous judge, is going to give it to me on that day. He’s giving it not only to me but also to all those who have set their heart on waiting for his appearance. 

Do your best to come to me quickly. Demas has fallen in love with the present world and has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark, and bring him with you. He has been a big help to me in the ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring along the coat I left with Carpus in Troas. Also bring the scrolls and especially the parchments.

Questions for Consideration:

1. Luke ends the book of Acts rather abruptly. Why do you think he ended it without sharing what ultimately happens to Paul?
2. After reading through the book of Acts and listening to this sermon series, what do you think about Paul? Does he deserve his reputation as the first missionary of the Christian church? Was he effective in his ministry? Did he live his life with integrity?
3. What do you think Paul’s view was on death? Was death something that he feared? What do you think he wanted Timothy to know about death?
4. How are you prepared for death? Are you at a place in your life where you think you would step in to do something that might save others at the cost to your own life? How do we get to the place where we welcome transitioning from this world to being with Christ in eternity?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  Do I go to bed on time and get up on time? (Pages 67-70 in The Wesley Challenge)

EBlast for Sunday, September 16, 2018

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

Acts 19:1   While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples.  ² He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  ³ Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.”  ⁴ Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.”  ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  ⁶ When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—  ⁷ altogether there were about twelve of them. (Acts 19:1-7. NLT)

Usually, You come here to watch a video each week in preparation for Sundays Sermon. Today I thought I would go Old School, so here goes…

I love this passage from Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul had come into the city of Ephesus, one of the major seaports of the Roman Empire, and he found a group of people who are professed disciples of Christ yet have a very limited understanding of what that means. From reading the story we can see that at the heart of their lack of knowledge is the fact that they do not know who the Holy Spirit is, nor have they received the filling of the Holy Spirit. 

For several years I used to take a week-long prayer retreat to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia. This Catholic Monastery is Trappist, part of which means the monks remain in silence. Those of you who know me know that this was the hardest part of going to retreat there. Even though the monks are disciplined to strict silence, some of the monks break that silence to have times of ministry to people like me who come for retreat. On one of my visits I had signed up to have a session with one of the brothers and as we began our time he asked a question that messed with me for a while. He asked, “Are you a trinitarian?”  He knew I was a United Methodist Pastor and he was very knowledgeable about both Catholic and Protestant beliefs, so I was puzzled by his question. “Are not all orthodox Christians Trinitarian?” I asked. To which he explained that he had found over his years of counseling that most disciples, both Catholics, and Protestants, are only trinitarian in name. He said that most have no understanding of what it means to be triune because they have no understanding of the Holy Spirit.  

This weekend I hope to focus in on this little segment of Paul’s third missionary journey and share what it means to be trinitarian in our faith. Hope you can come and hear God’s word for us this Sunday!

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Acts 19:1-7 (printed above) and discuss the questions as a way to begin a conversation. 

Questions for Consideration:

1. As we consider this passage, ask: did these people understand what it meant to be a Disciple of Jesus? 
2. How deeply do you understand your faith? What do you understand about the Holy Spirit? 
3. What are ways to continue working to become truly triune in your faith?
4. Have you ever prayed to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit? 

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  Did the Bible live in me today? (from pages 35 through 39 in The Wesley Challenge)