10-03-2021

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10-03-2021 Dr. E. Dale Locke (Loxatchee & Online), Rev. Jose Marrero (WPB), Rev. Efrain Silva (COH Español) Week 1: True For You? English PDF file for printing. Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español  1. Jesus said in Mark 12:30 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” What does it mean to love God “with your mind”?  How do we do that? Scripture Speaks of Absolute Truth2. Read what the authors of Scripture say in the passages below about their writings. Discuss with your group what these authors are claiming regarding how the Bible is different from other books. ·      Galatians 1:11-12 – I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. ·      1 Thessalonians 2:13 – And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. ·      John 8:31-32 – To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ·      2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Jesus says He Is Truth3. Read John 14:6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Notice the definite article “the.”  What is the implication of this when it comes to truth?  How do you feel about this idea? 4. Some things are a matter of opinion, but in other areas there really is only one truth. Why isn’t it narrowminded to say that 2+2 can only equal 4.  How would you define narrowmindedness?   Truth is Under Assault5. It’s not a new problem to struggle with knowing what’s the truth. Remember Pilate’s question of Jesus in John 18:38, “What is truth?”  Talk about some why it’s hard to know the truth in our culture, and how truth is currently under assault. 6. Tolerance is a good value. But tolerance doesn’t mean accepting every opinion as equally true.  How can Christians live out the good value of tolerance, without sacrificing truth?   7. Read Acts 17:1-15:      When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.     5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.     10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.     13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. Truth is “Reason-able”8. The people in this passage wondered whether they could trust these traveling preachers, which is understandable.  It’s important to have discernment regarding who is worthy of your trust.  Paul was glad to reason, explain, and give evidence to help them believe that Jesus is the Messiah.  What factors do you use to determine whether a message is trustworthy or not? Truth Transcends Our Emotions9. Some of Paul’s audience judged by their emotions rather than reason and evidence. This is still a problem today. When we let our emotions drive us, we tend to make poor decisions.  Why is that?   Truth isn’t Hidden10. The truth about Jesus is knowable.  And when you know it, it will set you free.  What are some things you could do to pursue spiritual truth?   11. Why wasn’t Paul offended when the Bereans checked the Scriptures to see if his message was true – in fact, Luke (the writer of Acts) called it “noble”?   12. What’s one of the most challenging aspects of Christian faith for you personally to believe?  How can you determine if those things are really true or not?   13. For the last week of this sermon series on Sunday, October 24, a panel of experts will answer questions about the Bible.  If you have a question you would like us to ask this panel, submit it at communityofhope.church/biblequestions Ready for your next step? – If you would like to take a next step in your faith journey, such as trusting your life to Christ or getting baptized, text the word “Next” to 561-264-6079 and follow the steps there, and we’ll contact you to help you do that. News and Announcements:·      New Here?  Let us know who you are by texting “connect” to 561-264-6079. ·      Partnership Gathering – Tuesday, October 5 at 7pm at our Loxahatchee Campus.  This is an opportunity to hear what’s going on behind the scenes at our church and to ask questions.   ·      Marriage Course – at the Loxahatchee Campus on Tuesdays from 7-8:30pm starting Oct. 12 led by Kenny & Michelle Steckley; or online on Mondays from 7-8:30pm starting Oct. 11 led by Jeremy & Cassandra Truelove.  A 7-session course to help married couples strengthen their relationship through practical video teaching and guided conversation as a couple. Enjoy some intentional time with your spouse over dessert with childcare provided (for the in-person groups). $25/couple course fee includes your books.  If you already have the books, let us know, and we’ll adjust the fee. Register at https://communityofhope.church/groups/ ·      Our Support Groups are always available for anyone to join. If you or someone you know needs support to get through a challenging season like grief, divorce, mental illness, recovery, go to our groups page to register: https://communityofhope.church/groups/  These groups are a great opportunity to connect someone you know to Jesus Christ. They are open to everyone, whether they’re believers or not.   ·      COH Has Job Openings!  Learn more at https://communityofhope.church/employment ·      Thank you for your financial support, which makes it possible for us to minister to you and to our community!  Consider setting up automated giving to help you be consistent even when you’re traveling. To give to Community of Hope go to https://communityofhope.church/give.

10-03-2021
Dr. E. Dale Locke (Loxatchee & Online), Rev. Jose Marrero (WPB), Rev. Efrain Silva (COH Español)
Week 1: True For You?
English PDF file for printing.
Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español

 

1. Jesus said in Mark 12:30 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

 

What does it mean to love God “with your mind”?  How do we do that?

 

Scripture Speaks of Absolute Truth

2. Read what the authors of Scripture say in the passages below about their writings. Discuss with your group what these authors are claiming regarding how the Bible is different from other books.

 

·      Galatians 1:11-12 – I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

 

·      1 Thessalonians 2:13 – And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

 

·      John 8:31-32 – To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

 

·      2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

Jesus says He Is Truth

3. Read John 14:6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

Notice the definite article “the.”  What is the implication of this when it comes to truth?  How do you feel about this idea?

 

4. Some things are a matter of opinion, but in other areas there really is only one truth. Why isn’t it narrowminded to say that 2+2 can only equal 4.  How would you define narrowmindedness? 

 

Truth is Under Assault

5. It’s not a new problem to struggle with knowing what’s the truth. Remember Pilate’s question of Jesus in John 18:38, “What is truth?”  Talk about some why it’s hard to know the truth in our culture, and how truth is currently under assault.

 

6. Tolerance is a good value. But tolerance doesn’t mean accepting every opinion as equally true.  How can Christians live out the good value of tolerance, without sacrificing truth? 

 

7. Read Acts 17:1-15:
     When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

     5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

     10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

     13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

 

Truth is “Reason-able”

8. The people in this passage wondered whether they could trust these traveling preachers, which is understandable.  It’s important to have discernment regarding who is worthy of your trust.  Paul was glad to reason, explain, and give evidence to help them believe that Jesus is the Messiah.  What factors do you use to determine whether a message is trustworthy or not?

 

Truth Transcends Our Emotions

9. Some of Paul’s audience judged by their emotions rather than reason and evidence. This is still a problem today. When we let our emotions drive us, we tend to make poor decisions.  Why is that? 

 

Truth isn’t Hidden

10. The truth about Jesus is knowable.  And when you know it, it will set you free.  What are some things you could do to pursue spiritual truth? 

 

11. Why wasn’t Paul offended when the Bereans checked the Scriptures to see if his message was true – in fact, Luke (the writer of Acts) called it “noble”? 

 

12. What’s one of the most challenging aspects of Christian faith for you personally to believe?  How can you determine if those things are really true or not? 

 

13. For the last week of this sermon series on Sunday, October 24, a panel of experts will answer questions about the Bible.  If you have a question you would like us to ask this panel, submit it at communityofhope.church/biblequestions

 

Ready for your next step? – If you would like to take a next step in your faith journey, such as trusting your life to Christ or getting baptized, text the word “Next” to 561-264-6079 and follow the steps there, and we’ll contact you to help you do that.

 

News and Announcements:

·      New Here?  Let us know who you are by texting “connect” to 561-264-6079.

 

·      Partnership Gathering – Tuesday, October 5 at 7pm at our Loxahatchee Campus.  This is an opportunity to hear what’s going on behind the scenes at our church and to ask questions. 

 

·      Marriage Course – at the Loxahatchee Campus on Tuesdays from 7-8:30pm starting Oct. 12 led by Kenny & Michelle Steckley; or online on Mondays from 7-8:30pm starting Oct. 11 led by Jeremy & Cassandra Truelove.  A 7-session course to help married couples strengthen their relationship through practical video teaching and guided conversation as a couple. Enjoy some intentional time with your spouse over dessert with childcare provided (for the in-person groups). $25/couple course fee includes your books.  If you already have the books, let us know, and we’ll adjust the fee. Register at https://communityofhope.church/groups/

 

·      Our Support Groups are always available for anyone to join. If you or someone you know needs support to get through a challenging season like grief, divorce, mental illness, recovery, go to our groups page to register: https://communityofhope.church/groups/  These groups are a great opportunity to connect someone you know to Jesus Christ. They are open to everyone, whether they’re believers or not. 

 

·      COH Has Job Openings!  Learn more at https://communityofhope.church/employment

 

·      Thank you for your financial support, which makes it possible for us to minister to you and to our community!  Consider setting up automated giving to help you be consistent even when you’re traveling. To give to Community of Hope go to https://communityofhope.church/give.

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