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Deadly Hypocrisy

Ryan Lowery

Acts 4:32-5:11

While the early church was extremely generous, Ananias and Sapphira were disciplined by God for holding back money. The real problem that the couple had was the spiritual posturing and deceptive practice known as hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a direct threat to the witness of the church because of how grossly it misrepresents God and because of how quickly in can spread. We can fight hypocrisy by striving to love others authentically and by being honest about failures.

Keywords

{"passage": "Acts 4:32-5:11","passageabreviated": "Acts 4:32-5:11","passagetiny": "Acts 4:32-5:11","teacher": "Ryan Lowery","teachingDate...

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The Mother of Harlots

Gary DeLashmutt

Revelation 17:1-6

One of John's visions concerns a woman with the title "Mother of Harlots," which describes the religious activities of this entity. Ultimately, the Mother of Harlots is the source of spiritual adultery within God's people. In the Old Testament this took the form of idolatry disguised by external formal worship of God, and in the present day this is a counterfeit and false form of Christianity. Those who feel aversive to Christianity may feel this way because of their exposure to false Christianity, and so the church has an obligation to fight spiritual deception through committed truth-based relationships.

Keywords

{"passage": "Revelation 17:1-6","passageabreviated": "Rev 17:1-6","passagetiny": "Rev 17:1-6","teacher": "Gary DeLashmutt","teachingDate"...

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Pentecost

Ryan Lowery

Acts 2:1-41

The first Christian community starts in Jerusalem with the disciples and crowds receiving the Holy Spirit. There are instances of speaking in tongues after the disciples receive the Holy Spirit. The Bible lays out very clear measures of speaking in tongues including that an interpreter must be present. We all say that we want to see a miracle but either we will be perplexed or create a cynical explanation to write it off. Peter stands up and rebukes the cynics of the crowd and gives glory to God who has revealed the second part of His plan which involves His Holy Spirit and of Jesus' fulfillment of the work on the cross.

Keywords

{"passage": "Acts 2:1-41","passageabreviated": "Acts 2:1-41","passagetiny": "Acts 2:1-41","teacher": "Ryan Lowery","teachingDate": "10/13...

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It all turns out to be true!

Dennis McCallum

John 20:1-31

Three days after Jesus' death on the cross, Mary Magdalene, John and Peter discover his tomb to be empty. Regarding the empty tomb, several theories have been posed to account for the event, but the most rational explanation that also explains the effects after the cross is that Jesus physically resurrected as he had predicted. Without this being true, Jesus' claims would be completely false, his followers would be liars and the Bible would be worthless. Since there is real evidence that his resurrection happened, then Jesus is true; he is the sole authoritative spokesman for God and God accepted his sacrifice as adequate. As a result, there is a basis for an afterlife and having a new life in Christ.

Keywords

{"passage": "John 20:1-31","passageabreviated": "John 20:1-31","passagetiny": "John 20:1-31","teacher": "Dennis McCallum","teachingDate":...

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Testing World Views

Jim Leffel

John 20:1-31

World views, or the belief systems people hold about the world and humanity, can be vastly diverse. As believers in Christ and seekers of truth, we are called to test world views and help walk others through this process to determine views that may be illogical. The belief system should be coherent, consistent, adequate, and fruitful or "livable." As we look at some of the main belief systems of our world today, we can analyze their truth statements through this lens and assess if they make rational sense.

Keywords

{"passage": "","passageabreviated": "","passagetiny": "","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "07/12/2013"}

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Keeping your Spiritual Edge

John Cleary

Romans 12:2

Many Christians today forget about an imperative spiritual truth littered across the pages of Scripture, that we are in a spiritual battle! In order to stay alert, effective, and engaged in this battle we must first recognize the reality of its existence and our call to fight. Because of this, we should not be surprised when we experience suffering, but rather, should prepare proactively. One way to do this is to develop a "combat field manual," a journal in which we record key verses and truths to keep ourselves on track in this mission.

Keywords

{"passage": "1 Peter 3:15-15","passageabreviated": "1 Pet 3:15-15","passagetiny": "1Pet 3:15-15","teacher": "John Cleary","teachingDate":...

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Has Science Buried God?

John Lennox

Romans 12:2

John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University explains several important points in the great debate against science and God. One essential reality is that there is no divide between science and God. One can reasonably believe in both, as science in fact points toward God. Science, based in logic and reasoning and the belief that it can be understood in a rational way, actually is born from a belief in a God who has created the world and its laws of nature. As we become confident in this reality, we can sharpen our minds to critique some of these misconceptions so prevalent in our culture.

Keywords

{"passage": "","passageabreviated": "","passagetiny": "","teacher": "John Lennox","teachingDate": "07/12/2013"}

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Unpacking the Message of Hope in 1 Peter (Part 1)

Gilbert Lennox

1 Peter 1:1-2

To truly unpack the messages of the Bible and grow in our understanding of and intimacy with God, we must yield certain tools as we approach the Word. First, we must understand the context of what we are reading. We must then consider what is the unique importance of the book before us. Furthermore, coming to God's Word with questions in our mind allows us to discover specific truths that we may otherwise glaze over. As we use these tools and others, we gain deeper understanding of God's truths, which allows us to begin discovering more about 1 Peter.

Keywords

{"passage": "1 Peter 1:1-2","passageabreviated": "1 Pet 1:1-2","passagetiny": "1Pet 1:1-2","teacher": "Gilbert Lennox","teachingDate": "0...

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The Real Jesus (Part 2)

Jenny Hale

Matthew 11:4-6

As a continuation of a previous workshop discussing who the historical person of Jesus was, this second discussion explores whether Jesus really did perform miracles. First, we must determine whether what we read about Jesus and his miracles in the Bible are truly what the original authors wrote. Second, we must ask if Jesus really did perform miracles, and if so, why. Finally, the discussion expands outward to reflect on the supernatural universe that God has created and the possibility of divine intervention into our physical world.

Keywords

{"passage": "Mark 1:21-31","passageabreviated": "Mark 1:21-31","passagetiny": "Mark 1:21-31","teacher": "Jenny Hale","teachingDate": "07/...

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