Growing in Wisdom

Luke 2:52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. 

If the King of the universe grew in wisdom and stature as a young man, then we think we as born again Christians should also do the same.

Beatitudes: Who Mourn

Mat 5:4 - Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

When we read Mat 5:4 we can think it only means that we will be comforted when we get to heaven, but Jesus says God will send The Comforter or the Holy Spirit when He leaves. The fact of the matter is the disciples were commanded to wait for the baptism of the holy spirit in Jerusalem.

Martyrs: Paul

In session we are looking at a Christian Martyr by the name of Paul. Paul was an Apostle of Jesus and was originally known as Saul of Tarsus, but it is important to note that he was not one of the original Twelve Apostles. According to writings in the New Testament Paul, who was originally called Saul, was dedicated to the persecution of the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem.

Different, Divided or United

As Christians we can be very different and still be united and effective in our faith, but most of the time we seem to be divided and somewhat crippled in our faith. The problem is we can easily become disconnected with the body of Christ even while attending church.

Beatitudes: Poor in Spirit

As we think more about being poor in spirit, one would think this is a bad thing. Most of the time when the bible mentions that someone is blessed it is associated with having an abundance of something, but here we see Jesus association being blessed with lacking in spirit.

Authority

1Cor_11:3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 

The Apostle Paul lays out the order of authority for the man and woman. Our focus here can easily tune in on being authoritative and ruling over the woman, as many have done over the centuries.

Godly Correction

A critical component of being a disciple of Jesus is understanding that being corrected is a part of learning. Many people attribute correction as punishment but that is not always the case. Godly correction can come in the various forms, ranging from being corrected about our understanding to punishment for our wrong actions.

Martyr: Stephen

Stephen is first mentioned in Acts of the Apostles as one of seven Christians appointed by the Apostles to distribute food and charitable aid to poorer members of the community in the early church.

Protection

Mat_1:19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 

Even when we think it is justified, it is never OK to publicly embarrass or humiliate our mate. In all respects Joseph did not know or understand that God was responsible for Mary’s conception and Joseph had the full right to be angry and expose Mary for what seemed to be adultery.

Martyrs: Peter

This podcast is about a Christian Martyr named Peter. According to Christian tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero Augustus Caesar. It is traditionally held that he was crucified upside down at his own request, since he saw himself unworthy to be crucified in the same way as Jesus.

Christ-Like Husband

Eph_5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 

This is a perfect verse to outline the clear expectation of a husband serving his family and spouse. Christ did not come to be served, but to serve. How often the role of the male is painted as the authoritarian and leader in the family.

Being a Disciple

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 

This verse tells us that the entire bible was given to us by God so we would learn about Him and if you are a Christian believer you should be learning about God.

Leaving All for You

Gen 2:24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 

This scripture is very clear that the husband is to leave his parents and to unite with his wife. His wife is now his main priority. The husband is to be the caregiver of his own family. Not to say he forsakes his parents, but that now he needs to provide for his wife and care for her needs.

Spiritual Understudy

John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Here we see Jesus telling His followers that they shouldn’t worry that He’s going away, because the Holy Spirit will come and be their rabbi. Christians can easily get so focused on learning the bible that they forget that it is a tool for connecting with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Home Church

1Cor_16:19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 

This scripture is an important passage in the New Testament. Although it’s nice that Aquila and Priscilla sent a warm greeting, let’s key in on the source of the warm greeting.

Testing by Fire

There needs to be some testing about what has been learned. After all, what would being a student be like without being testing. The kind of testing a student goes through as a disciple of Jesus is not about what they know, but about what they do and how they maintain their faith in times of testing and temptation.

We all go through testing and being tempted at one time or another, and we see in the bible that even Jesus was tempted by the devil.

Co-Workers

Rom_16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 

Once again we see the Apostle Paul mention Aquila and Priscilla in one of his letters. Aquila and Priscilla are always mentioned together in Paul’s letters, which suggest that they shared equally in the service to the Lord.

Subbing for Jesus

Matt 23:8 But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 

This verse is one of those teachings by Jesus that seems opposite to all the thinking we have about teachers. He says you are not be be called a teacher, yet we see in the letters from the Apostle Paul that teachers are a part of his plan for the church.

Created for Ministry

Act_18:26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

Priscilla and Aquila were Jewish Christians like many of the first believers, yet what we see here is their ministry as a couple at work.

Teacher from God

God sends believers to help other believers to learn and grow in the faith. As a teacher sent from God we should be careful to teach exactly what’s meant by God and not water down the message of God based on who’s listening right? This can easily be confused with teaching a message that has been developed specifically for an audience's level of understanding.