Click on the link below to delve deeper into last weeks message with your LifeGroup on Matthew 4:1-11 as we discover the power and promise God gives so we can 'no' to the shortcut through temptation.
THEME
On the lips of a person lying in hospital in a coma, these words form. In the midst of personal tragedy or hardship, these words bring tears to eyes. In times of doubt or want or struggle, these words give strength. They are words for every season. Words so simple, brief and yet comprehensive. Words which radically make a difference. For in Jesus Christ we discover the most important truth in the world – our God is a father who invites us into the intimacy of his love and who promises to respond more abundantly than we could ever imagine.
As God promises: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3.
In this study we discover the radical prayer that transforms our lives and aligns our hearts with our Father in heaven.
THEME VERSE
“When you pray...your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this: Our Father in heaven...” Matthew 6:7ff
REMEMBER THIS WEEK
The radical simplicity of the Lord’s prayer is that it contains the rhythm of a blessed life. It starts with God, moves to our human needs and rises to God again. God is in this prayer. We are in this prayer. The past, the present and the future are in this prayer. The deepest things of life are wrapped up an find fulfilment in the presence of our heavenly Father.
THEME
Love has been on the lips of many people this past week with the celebration of Valentine’s Day. But just consider how we use the word “love” I love meat. I love Holdens. I love serving LifeWay. I love my wife. I love my kids. I love Jesus. The same word was used 6 times but we all know that each time something different and specific was meant. As his disciples, Jesus calls us to love in a radically new way; a way that has no regard to cost but is expansive and open to the outsider. It’s a love that is devoted to living the image of Jesus and the life of the Kingdom in every encounter and every relationship, every day. That’s the radical love we are going to explore in this study.
THEME VERSE
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48
REMEMBER THIS WEEK
The call to radical love is nothing more than being the person and community God has created you to be, just as God is the One God is supposed to be. God has so much confidence in you and will always call you to be more than you thought you could, returning hate with love, turning the other cheek, praying for those who stand against you. Through his love at work in you, Christ is redeeming, transforming, and drawing people into the life of his kingdom; a life in which they and you can truly flourish.
Like many old ruins, buried beneath dust and hidden in the Australian bush, integrity seems to be an abandoned relic of a bygone era. Whether it’s the telling of little white-lies, or embelishing facts to sell ourselves on our CV’s, whether it’s politicians using parliamentary privilige to make claims that don’t need to be substantiated (and which can ruin reputations), or being loose with travel claims, integrity is being buried in the dust of a world which is chasing after whatever it can get its hands on. Today Jesus draws a line in the dust and calls his church to live lives of radical integrity which not only reveal whose we are, but build and sustain communities in which all can find nurture, health, peace and blessing.
Go deeper with the Word as you study this important topic in a LifeGroup.
THEME
Have you heard the expression, 'shovel-ready jobs? It refers to those work projects that are ready to go and have an immediate impact, if funding is available. We are also told that the 'first 100 days' of a new Prime Minister or President are supposed to reveal the direction of the government and the impact it will have. They are supposed to be filled with decisive impact-full action.
As people of God who are eternally loved and incredibly blessed, today Jesus reminds us we are to have a Radical Impact in this world under the Spirit's power, transforming lives and communities locally in ways that have a ripple effect globally andi echo into eternity.
What do you associate with the word "radical?" The word "radical" often implies being way out on the edge and is used today to dismiss a group that makes us feel uncomfortable. So if this series "Radical Church" makes you feel a little bit uneasy, then that is understandable. But the word "radical" comes from a Latin term radix which means "root" and today Jesus is calling the Church back to its roots to re-discover her calling to be a world-changing, spirit-infused, culture-shaping, paradigm-shifting and radical movement of God in the world today. It begins with a radical faith.
302/351 253/308 To most people it just looks like random numbers. But to a car enthusiast, it's enough to get some animated discussions going. Which engine is more powerful, faster, sounds better! As a claimed and called disciple of Jesus, infused with his Spirit, you have more power at your disposal than you can ever imagine. Power to love, to heal, to teach, to bear the image and presence of God in whatever places, circumstances or institutions you find yourself. So today we look at being infused with power; a power that is life-creating and leads to a life that is flourishing.
It's experienced a great resurgence over recent years - the art of tea infusion. Infusion is designed to bring out the best of the flavours of the herb or tea that is being infused; flavours which can change depending on the solution and temperature that the tea is infused in. There have even been tea societies formed (just check out the T2 website) designed to create the ultimate tea communities! In this new year, God wants to give you a Life Infusion, one that will draw out the very best flavours in your life. It begins with being infused with the Spirit.
Talk seems to be so cheap these days. How many times have you wished that people would just say what they mean and mean what they say? It's what makes the angel's visit to Mary and her response to God's call to bear a miracle that would change the world, even more remarkable. It's a simple call - a call of faith, a call to trust, a call which takes God at his Word. It's a call that also dares us to take God at his Word and believe that the impossible is always possible with God.
Join a LifeGroup or study deeper the text for this week in your own family.