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DR. LUKE ON THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS, PART 2

28/6/2020

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DR. LUKE ON THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS, Part 1

21/6/2020

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James: "Listening to the challenges," Lesson 7

14/6/2020

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The Challenge of Money, Time, and Prayer: James 5

After listening to this week's message, our last one from the book of James, consider these questions for meditation.

MONEY


REFLECT:
  • How do you handle money? 
  • Do you consider yourself rich, or poor, or somewhere in the middle? 
  • What are the greatest dangers you face around money? 
  • What is God’s invitation to you and money? 
  • What might be a new habit you might practice with money?

EXAMEN: 
  • In quiet attention to God’s loving presence, reflect on the challenges of money. 
  • In gratitude, when have you been strengthened by generosity? 
  • How are you feeling about money? 
  • What is something about money that you can talk to God about? 
  • What is something about money you can look forward to? 
  • Seek God’s guidance, help, and understanding. Pray for generosity.

EXERCISE: 
  • Read and consider Wesley’s idea of handling money.  
  • Prayerfully ask God’s Holy Spirit to speak to you about how you are handling money.


TIME

REFLECT: 
  • What might be some things you are rushing right now?  
  • What areas of your life do you need to just be patient in?  
  • What are some tools that God is making or mending in your life?  
  • What tools have I got now that I didn't have days or years ago? 
  • How is time and experience making you more “real”? 
  • How might God be using time to invite you into something new? 
  • What do I need to say “yes” or “no” to?

EXAMEN: 
  • In quiet attention to God’s loving presence, reflect on challenges of time. 
  • In gratitude, when have you been strengthened by patience? 
  • How are you feeling about time? 
  • What is something about time that you can talk to God about? 
  • What is something about time you can look forward to? 
  • Seek God’s guidance, help, and understanding. Pray for patience.

EXERCISE: 
  • Taking time to write out your time priorities. 
  • Put them into your weekly calendar: 
  • God: prayer, Bible, meditation, fellowship, service, Sabbath. 
  • Spouse, children, friends, neighbours. 
  • Work, learn, rest, play.


PRAYER

REFLECT: 
  • How is your prayer life? 
  • What have been some helpful prayer resources for you? 
  • What kind of God do your prayers show you believe in? 
  • Who has brought you back to right relationship to God? 
  • How might God be inviting you to pray?

EXAMEN: 
  • In quiet attention to God’s loving presence, reflect on the challenges of prayer. 
  • In gratitude, when have you been strengthened by prayer? 
  • How are you feeling about prayer? 
  • What is something about prayer that you can talk to God about? 
  • What is something about prayer you can look forward to? 
  • Seek God’s guidance, help, and understanding. Pray.

EXERCISE: 
  • Spend time just sitting in your heavenly parent’s lap. 
  • Use the acronym “A.C.T.S.” for prayer: ​
    • Adore God in praise.  ​
    • Confess your sins and distractions to Him.  ​
    • Thank Him for all the truth, love, and goodness that you get to enjoy.  ​
    • Ask Him to Supply your needs.
  • Plan a prayer retreat – for a few hours, a day, or longer.  
  • Pray the Psalms.  
  • Use fasting (from food, or your phone, or TV, or whatever) to concentrate on prayer.

ALL QUESTIONS FROM: Prette, Dr. James A. Listening to the Challenges: A Devotional Commentary on the New Testament Letter of James. Kindle Edition. Used with permission.
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James: "Listening to the challenges," Lesson 6

7/6/2020

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The Challenge of Desires and Security: James 4:1-17


Part 6 of our series through the book of James. After listening to the sermon, take some time to reflect over the following questions:

DESIRES

REFLECT:
  • Who do you conflict with the most? 
  • How might God be jealous of your affections right now? 
  • When have you experienced judgment? 
  • When have you judged others? 
  • When has someone’s opinion let you down?

EXAMEN: 
  • In quiet attention to God’s loving presence, reflect on the challenges of desires. 
  • In gratitude, when have you been strengthened by grace and truth? 
  • How are you feeling about desires?
  • What is something about desires that you can talk to God about? 
  • What is something about desires you can look forward to? 
  • Seek God’s guidance, help, and understanding. Pray for grace and truth.

EXERCISE: 
  • Consider Jesus’s question: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51) 
  • Make a list of your desires.  Look at the list and consider: 
    1. How many of these desires are for things? 
    2. How many are for personal pleasure, power, or achievements? 
    3. How many are for a change of circumstances? 
    4. How many are for character development? 
  • Read Psalm 103, 145, and 37 Spend time praying for God’s Holy Spirit to guide you into desiring God’s priorities.

SECURITY

REFLECT: 
  • When has it felt like God has “let you down”? 
  • What do you have control over in your life? 
  • When has God lifted you up?
  • What is your confidence in? 
  • What does your life glorify? 
  • How might you need to “reset” your attitudes? 
  • What has disappeared from your life like a puff of smoke?

EXAMEN: 
  • In quiet attention to God’s loving presence, reflect on the challenges of security. 
  • In gratitude, when have you been strengthened by trust? 
  • How are you feeling about security? 
  • What is something about security that you can talk to God about? 
  • What is something about security you can look forward to? 
  • Seek God’s guidance, help, and understanding. Pray for trust.

EXERCISE: 
  • List the things that give you a sense of security. 
  • Imagine each one being in God’s strong hands 
  • Pray for each one and say, “Your will be done.”

ALL QUESTIONS FROM: Prette, Dr. James A.. Listening to the Challenges: A Devotional Commentary on the New Testament Letter of James. Kindle Edition. Used with permission.
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JAMES: “LISTENING TO THE CHALLENGES,” LESSON 5

1/6/2020

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THE CHALLENGE OF words and wisdom: JAMES 3:1-18

Part 5 of our series through the book of James. After listening to the sermon, take some time to reflect over the following questions:

WORDS

REFLECT:
  • Who are the trustworthy teachers you know? 
  • What are you listening to? 
  • What does your speech say about you? 
  • What “good words” are you giving your neighbours? 
  • When have you words gotten you into trouble? 
  • When have you experienced the spark of bad words causing a fire?

EXAMEN: 
  • In quiet attention to God’s loving presence, reflect on the challenge of words. 
  • In gratitude, when have you been strengthened by words? 
  • How are you feeling about words? 
  • What is something about words that you can talk to God about? 
  • What is something about words you can look forward to? 
  • Seek God’s guidance, help, and understanding. 
  • Pray about your words.

EXERCISE: 
  • Bring your Bible, a notebook and a pen to church.  
  • Make notes on the sermon. 
  • Intentionally say good words to the important people in your life.
  • Make note of the effects of good words said to people.

WISDOM

REFLECT: 
  • When have you encountered true wisdom? 
  • When have you experienced bitterness? 
  • When have you experienced strife? 
  • Have you made peace with God? 
  • In what circumstances is it hardest for you to be “wise”?

EXAMEN: 
  • In quiet attention to God’s loving presence, reflect on the challenges of wisdom. 
  • In gratitude, when have you been strengthened by wisdom? 
  • How are you feeling about wisdom? 
  • What is something about wisdom that you can talk to God about?
  • What is something about wisdom you can look forward to? 
  • Seek God’s guidance, help, and understanding. Pray for wisdom.

EXERCISE: 
  • Consider the eight characteristics of wisdom (James 3:17): Purity, Peace​​, Gentleness​, Reason, Mercy​, Goodness, Impartiality​   
Sincerity 
  • Think of an issue in your life where there is bitterness and strife.  
  • Imagine Jesus addressing this issue with each of these characteristics of wisdom. 
  • What differences does “wisdom” bring to that issue?  Repeat!

​ALL QUESTIONS FROM: Prette, Dr. James A.. Listening to the Challenges: A Devotional Commentary on the New Testament Letter of James. Kindle Edition. Used with permission.
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