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Southside Church of Christ, Lexington, KY
Episodes
Monday Oct 02, 2023
Monday Oct 02, 2023
Acts 16:11-15
11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Naeapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of the district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her house. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us. (NIV 84)
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONVERSION
Humility: Don Meyer was the head men's basketball coach at Lipscomb University for 25 years. When he retired in 2009, he was the winningest coach in college basketball history with a record of 923-324. One of his life principles was: "Always Take Notes."
Hungry: Louie Gigglio is a Christian pastor and founder of the Passion Movement. He wrote this about worship, "Worship is simply about value. Worship is our response to whatever we value the most in our lives."
Hospitality: John Stott, in his commentary on Acts, wrote this about the conversion of Lydia, "For once her heart was opened, her home was opened too."
Hungry: Louie Gigglio is a Christian pastor and founder of the Passion Movement. He wrote this about worship, "Worship is simply about value. Worship is our response to whatever we value the most in our lives."
Hospitality: John Stott, in his commentary on Acts, wrote this about the conversion of Lydia, "For once her heart was opened, her home was opened too."
THE CONCEPTS OF CONVERSION
- Paul gladly shares because conversion is intentional.
- God graciously opens because conversion is spiritual.
- Lydia genuinely responds because conversion is personal.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Take a few moments and share your conversion story with someone. Do you have a favorite conversion story? Share that story with someone.
- There is an important principle established in Scripture (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). The principle is this, "God gives grace to the humble, but He opposes the proud." How have you seen this principle in your life or in the narrative of Scripture?
- The word translated "speak" in verse 13 is not a word used for teaching or preaching, it is a more casual word that means to have a personal conversation. Who shared in this way with you about Jesus? Who is someone in your life that you could share with about Jesus?
- The mystery of conversion is how all three of the concepts of conversion come together as one in a beautiful way. Does knowing all three of these concepts help you to better understand conversion? How?
- When conversion happens in a person's life, fruit is produced. In the conversion of Lydia, the fruit of hospitality is immediately produced. What kind of fruit have you seen produced in your life or in another person's life due to conversion?
Sunday Sep 24, 2023
Sunday Sep 24, 2023
Acts 16:6-10
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (NIV 84)
ABOUT THE LESSON
Asking for Directions: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Jesus, Matthew 7:7-8
Both/And: In his commentary on Acts, John Stott wrote these verses teach that God's guidance is both negative and positive (some doors close and others open), both circumstantial and rational (situations happen and we think about them), both personal and corporate (sharing a vision in order to reach a common mind).
"The Macedonian Call" - it often takes a special call to break new ground. This is more than just a call to a different province, this is a call to a new continent. Paul and his companions will become the first missionaries on European soil.
Both/And: In his commentary on Acts, John Stott wrote these verses teach that God's guidance is both negative and positive (some doors close and others open), both circumstantial and rational (situations happen and we think about them), both personal and corporate (sharing a vision in order to reach a common mind).
"The Macedonian Call" - it often takes a special call to break new ground. This is more than just a call to a different province, this is a call to a new continent. Paul and his companions will become the first missionaries on European soil.
THREE PRINCIPLES WHEN YOU'RE UNSURE ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT
- A map is not included. Ask, seek, and knock are the action verbs of the disciple.
- We have a guide. Learn to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
- Keep your eyes on the prize. Submit to God's no because you trust God's yes.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Have you ever been unsure about "what's next" in your life? Have you ever asked God, "so, now what?" How did you seek the Lord's guidance and direction?
- Have you ever stopped and ask for directions? Does the principle of a map not being included in a life of faith encourage or discourage you? Why? How can you grow in the practice of asking, seeking, and knocking?
- Disciples of Jesus are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. How have you experienced the leading of the Spirit in your life?
- Can you think of an example from your life when it seemed like God was saying No? We can submit to God's no because we trust God's yes. How have you seen this principle in your life?
Sunday Sep 17, 2023
Sunday Sep 17, 2023
1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in number. (NIV 84)
ABOUT THE LESSON
"The Dechurching of America" - we are currently experiencing the largest and fastest religious shift in the history of our country, as about 40 million formerly regular Christian worshippers have decided they no longer desire to attend church at all. This accounts for around 16 percent of our adult population.
Definition of spiritual formation - the process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others (Invitation to a Journey: A Roadmap for Spiritual Formation, Robert Mullholand).
Agape - this is the highest form of love. It is the love modeled by Jesus to his disciples. It is a selfless, sacrificial, and serving love. In the KJV Bible, the word is translated as "charity" when it refers to one Christian showing it to another Christian.
WHY GIVE CHURCH A SECOND CHANCE?
- Because of the need for community: give people a second chance.
- Because of the life of conformity: give the process a second chance.
- Because of the outcome of charity: give the possibility a second chance.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What do you think about this movement in our country that has been called the "dechurching of America?" Have you experienced hurt or had negative experiences in the church? Have you had to give church a second chance?
- Humans are created by God with a need for community. How have you seen this to be true in your life? Discuss both the difficulty and the importance of community.
- What do you think about the above definition of spiritual formation? Discuss specifically the phrase "for the sake of others."
- Jesus says that we should love each other as He has loved us. It is the highest form of love. What are some examples of how you have experienced this kind of love through the church?
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