Monthly Archives: December 2021

Encouraging one another

Read Colossians 3: 15-17

Background: Paul was writing to the church in Colossae because there were false doctrines floating around about:

  1. The need to  convert people to Judaism before they could become Christians
  2. Worship of Angels
  3. Following astrological signs and teachings 

Paul was writing this letter to refocus the Christians on Jesus and Jesus as the Head of the Church. He also was reminding them that we are family in Christ and should encourage one another.

Paul was calling the Christians to live in peace, to bear with each other, to forgive each other and to encourage each other with singing hymns and reading scriptures together. 

On this Sunday, several of us either read scriptures, sang songs or shared encouraging thoughts with each other as follows:

Read Psalm 100

Remember God is faithful and we should tell others about it!

Take a moment to sing Silent Night to remember Jesus brings peace to our hearts.

Take a moment to encourage someone in your household by saying how grateful you are for them.

Read Genesis 12:1-3

Reflect on the 5 promises made to Abram here. God kept his promises through time. If we are in Jesus we will receive these promises too!

God promised to make Abram’s name Great, to bless Abram with offspring, to bless those that bless him and to curse those that curse him. All people would be blessed through Abram.

Read Psalm 1:1-6

Remaining in God makes us effective for others.

Some History: Clement from 90 AD wrote that we should think of Jesus like we think of God and to not think it is a small thing to have salvation.

Read Galatians 1:1-12

Remember, Paul became unstoppable after his interaction with Jesus. His goal was to live to please God, not men. 

Read 1 Cor 3:5-9

Paul regarded himself as a servant to others. What a great example!

Read Hebrews 10: 1-23

Remember, God is faithful to the end. He gave the final and ultimate sacrifice in order to have a relationship with us. 

Read Colossians 3:22-25

Remember to work like you are working for God and not for our human leaders. 

Jesus from the eyes of John

Why was the Gospel of John written?

The purpose of the Gospel of John is so that we can know Jesus and have life in his name, John 20:30-31.

Read John 1: 1-9

Jesus is the physical embodiment of God’s Word 

Jesus was with God from the beginning of creation

Jesus was the light who came into the world to reveal who God really is

If I wanted someone to know me personally, how would I go about it?

We would spend time together communicating

I would have them spend time with people that knew me very well

Connecting them to Facebook or letting them follow me on Instagram alone would not really allow someone to know me very well, right?

Is it easier to know Jesus now or when he was physically present?

Read John 1: 10-13

When Jesus came into the world, only some believed and recognized who he really was. 

And better yet, all we needed to do was to believe that we could receive the gift of becoming God’s child. Once believing we would act and follow Jesus.

Would I recognize Jesus if I saw him today and how would I recognize him?

I would know who Jesus was based on the compassion he had for people, the life he lived and the company he kept. 

The church today represents who Jesus is, we can see him through the actions of his true disciples

Read John 1: 14-18

How can we see and know God?

By spending time with Jesus we can see God.

Jesus came to bring truth and grace into the world. God allows us to see our need for Him. Jesus demonstrates he relied on God and by giving us grace and allowing us to see the truth of who we are, we have a chance to be closer to God. 

If you are living in darkness, can you understand who Jesus is?

We need Jesus in order to see our way out of darkness

Jesus brings truth into our lives so that we can face our sins. He brings us grace and gives us a chance to change.

How do I connect with Jesus in my life? Am I going to focus on the light Jesus brings or the darkness of the world?

Distractions during the Holiday can take us away from who Jesus is. We should focus on remembering Jesus being born and being able to have a relationship with him. Jesus’s light has overcome darkness. 

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