...INTRODUCTION Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” I go by this scripture every single second of the day, and I believe it relates to all three topics I’ve chosen: How can we be confident Jesus is returning?, If a person is a Christian, does it matter how they live their life?, and What can your local church do to better communicate God’s love to your community? We can’t do anything without Christ’s strength through us. Each of us needs strength to know God faithfully and know He is returning soon! We need strength to live our lives well and to prosper in God’s love. Church communities need strength to spread God’s word to communities all around. In saying this, I think it is completely natural to have questions about things you already know of, because there is always something you do not know about within a particular subject. TOPIC 1 We can be confident Jesus is returning because He has risen once before and promised (GAVE HIS WORD) He was coming again. My perspective on this matter has changed slightly due to a better understanding. I had not heard the complete resurrection story. Towns (2002) tells us that when the women came to the tomb on Easter morning they discovered Jesus’ body missing. His physical body was given life again- that is, His soul and body were re-united. This is something I had not thought of before in depth. I didn’t look at His soul and body being re-united, just that He ultimately rose again and forgave...
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...this in the space provided. Church #1 Name: Saddleback Community Church Church #1 Website: www.saddleback.com 1. Ministry is…praying for others. a. Does the church have a prayer ministry? What does it look like? Saddleback Community Church does have a prayer ministry that is fairly easy to get to. It is located under Care & Help and listed as Prayer Ministry. My only negative belief is that the main page has too much going on with to many other pages from it that it can be distracting and hard to find what you want if you are not sure where to look for it. Otherwise, they Prayer Ministry page itself is great as it is simple and easy to use. They have a simple message about the ministry, a number to call if you need help or to submit a request, and a Prayer request form on the page you can fill out and submit allowing for many different avenues to submit a request to them. 2. Ministry is…following Jesus’ example by practicing spiritual mentoring and multiplying. a. Does the church have a strategy for evangelism? After reviewing the website, you can tell that the ministries are built (including the training offered) around evangelism. However, there is no specific strategy layed out on the website about evangelism for the church. The closest I could find was a reference to Rick Warren’ s book “The Purpose Driven Life”. b. Does the church have a strategy for discipleship? Again, you can tell the small groups were created with discipleship in mind, however...
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...phrase because the Kingdom of God could be interpreted as more of a physical place on earth while the Reign of Heaven can be thought of as life after death as well. The people that Matthew was writing for were questioning how to follow Jesus without the temple or the land. With the phrase The Reign of Heaven, it can represent a place that is not physical and could resonate with the community. Also, in the Jewish community which is who Matthew was writing for, the work God is spoken about differently then it is now in the Christian community. While Reign of Heaven and Kingdom of God are very similar, for Matthew’s community the phrasing of Reign of Heaven makes the most sense. In The Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat, it shows that...
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...The Primary Passages that Form a Small Group Ministry 2 The Great Commandment: Matthew 22:33-40 3 The Great Commission: Matthew 28:16-20 3 The Great Example Acts 1-2 4 The Great Illustration: Ephesians 1 5 The Great Plan: Ephesians 4 5 Current Church and Group Structure 6 Bibliography 8 Introduction Small Groups may be considered as the environment most conducive to developing and maturing disciples in the faith. There are reasons why this statement is to be considered as valid, and Comiskey notes that in understanding of the Trinity, Trinitarian doctrine indicates that the emphasis in on “life, love and movement within the Godhead.” Thomas F. Torrance writes concerning the Trinity that this doctrine is “foundational to Christianity, defines who we worship and serve, while guiding the church to practice love, care and unity.” If one studies the Trinitarian nature of God, what they will find is a relational aspect unfounded in a singular view of self. If as Scripture states that “The Son loves the Father and the Father loves the Son” (Jn. 3:35-36; cf. 5:20), then it stands to reason that God loves those (humankind) he created; implying a reciprocal nature of love vis. from God to us, us to God, and us to others. If love is the main element in anything, then it must be contemplated that love is the bedrock for small group ministries. Included within the study are five passages which are primary to small group ministry which will be addressed...
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...Submitted to Dr. Rod Dempsey In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course Small Group Ministries DSMN 630-D01 By Erica Shelton March 30, 2014 Small groups are the proper environment to develop and grow disciples of Jesus. The purpose of a small group is to develop sacrificial, relational, transformed people who can continue the cycle of disciple development. Small groups must be intentional, individual and missional. There are five primary passages that can be used to form a small group ministry philosophy. Each of these passages have accompanying principles that we can apply to our small group ministries. Primary passages that form a small group ministry and the principles that are derived 1. The Great Commandment In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus was challenged by one of the Pharisees: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” We show our love for God through worship, giving, putting him first. We show our love for others by caring and giving to the ‘neighbors’ in our spheres of influence. A small group is the best place to pull people into a circle where they can love God and others together. 2. The Great Commission Matthew 28:19-20 is the most often...
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...many. It did not depend on a sacred text and was served by both female and male priests. Greek gods did not assert rules for human conduct. The Ancient Greeks imagined human shapes and personalities for the immortal deities and then honored them in rituals that both comforted individuals and supported existing social systems. Religion in Ancient Greece was about community. While an individual does not have to believe the same thing as the community, they do have to participate equally in the religious actions. Belief was not the important thing. But if you don’t participate with the community, that will anger everyone and it offends the gods and endangers the community. It is treason to not participate. Greek religion is about action, not belief. It’s about give and take. The practice of religion cannot be separated from social and political life. Many concepts of Greek religion could be seen to benefit more than just the religious aspects. * Sanctuaries * Two most necessary features (directly related to ritual): * A place of sacrifice * A boundary line marking the space within which sacred rituals could be performed * Most sanctuaries were used by all ranks and classes * Here people could do deeds and give gifts that show time to the deity. Worshippers wanted to honor the deity for the power the deity had and for the good things that deity provided. * Individuals went to sanctuaries to ask for divine help. ...
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...Parsons: Values and Meaning• Parsons sees religion helping individuals to cope with unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes. He identifies two other essential functions that religion performs in modern society. • It creates and legitimates society’s central values. This is done my sacralising them. In the USA, Protestantism has sacralised the core American values of individualism, meritocracy and self-discipline. This serves to promote consensus and social stability. • It is the primary source of meaning. It answers ultimate questions about the human condition e.g., why the good suffer and why some die young. Such events defy our sense of justice and make life appear meaningless, and this may undermine our commitment to society’s values. Religion provides answers to such questions, e.g. by explaining suffering as a test of faith that will be rewarded in heaven. By doing so, religion enables people to adjust to adverse events or circumstances and helps maintain stability Parsons: Values and Meaning• Parsons sees religion helping individuals to cope with unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes. He identifies two other essential functions that religion performs in modern society. • It creates and legitimates society’s central values. This is done my sacralising them. In the USA, Protestantism has sacralised the core American values of individualism, meritocracy and self-discipline. This serves to promote consensus and social stability. • It is the primary source...
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...Their Eyes Were Watching God, can come off as confusing to some readers, or it may trigger a certain thought process on trying to figure out what the title means. The title, Their Eyes Were Watching God, was only mention verbatim once throughout the entire novel. The title derives from a quote in the novel, “They seems to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God” (Hurston 187). The title, as well as the quote holds a significant meaning to the entire book. One thing to take from the title, is that even though the book is mainly about Janie, is does not say “her” but it says “their” eyes making it known that we as humans (all humans) are susceptible to God and His will. The title symbolizes the fact that we do not have absolute control over our lives and that we look to God for direction and answers. It is easy for us to forget how similar we all are in our vulnerability until we face a situation that is out of our control. Janie’s eyes were watching God because she knows that their lives are in His hands. Only He knows...
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...in the Catholic Church. Receiving Confirmation will allow me to be closer to God. I will be better able to participate in many events within my church community and in all become a more active member of the Church. I have done many services projects to help out with my family and community it has shown me how to become humble such as my saint. For one service project I went with my basketball team to serve the homeless and others in need of food at the place of hope seeing where I stand compared to those people really got me to think about how good of life I have and how thankful I should be and live life to the fullest in the foot steps of good because some people don’t have everything they wont people struggle but with the support of my family and god I can make it through life and conformation with ease....
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...I will tell you how similar and how different the Mayan religion is and one of the American religion. I will tell you what god’s or god they believed in. I will also tell you what they believed about their religion. I will also tell you some over thing about the Mayans and the Americans. Thats what im going to tell you about the American and the Mayan religion. The Mayan believed in the the Gods from their bible called the Popol Vuh one example of a God is the Sun God aka the God of Corn. The Mayan also did sacrifices to honor the Gods to keep the Mayan away from war, floods and over things to hurt the Mayan community which the sacrifices didn't help because all those things happened. They also did sacrifices to keep the sun rising because...
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...Mosque A mosque is a place where Muslims meet to worship God (Allah). The word 'mosque' is linked to an Arabic word meaning 'prostrate oneself' and it is a place where Muslims bow before God (prostrate means bow down). Mosques are generally rectangular in shape and the walls define the sacred area inside the building however, whilst some mosques are purpose built others can be found in converted houses. A basic feature of all mosques is a tower called the minaret. In Islamic countries the muezzin (caller) enters the minaret and calls the people to prayer. In Britain this is not allowed so some Islamic communities broadcast the call to prayer on a radio frequency which Muslims can pick up in their homes and places of work using a small receiver. The call to prayer goes like this: 'God is great, God is most Great, (x3) I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, (x3) I bear witness that Mohammed is the messenger of Allah (x2) Come to prayer, (x2) Come to your good, (x2) God is most great, (x2) I bear Witness that there is no God but Allah [IMAGE]Muslims pray five times a day and prayer times are fixed by the sun and change daily. Because people lead busy lives it is the role of the muezzin to make sure people know when the correct time for prayer is. Each time for prayer has a special name and each time is separated by two hours. These times are Fajr (before dawn and sunrise), Zuhr (after midday)...
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...People misunderstand Christianity because they encounter hypocritical Christians. A new convert in Christ can join a local church and may come across some members who may not act like Christians outside of the church. For example, they may come across a co-worker who never talks about God at work and whose actions are far from those of Christ, therefore they form an opinion about the church as a whole. Salvation begins as a relationship with God and it should be expressed in one’s relationships with others. When Salvation is received some people just treat it as “fire insurance” from hell, just doing enough to get by. Salvation should reflect the personal relationship you have with God. When people don’t make a true commitment to live a life of holiness then they give Christians a bad reputation. It is important as Christians to daily be refreshed by the Holy Spirit and being cleansed of all unrighteousness. Spend time in prayer with God so that we can be an effective witness for Christ. New believers are accepted for who they are, but they soon feel the pressure to hold the attitudes of others in church, to live the way others are living, and to prize the things that others value. We often hear that Christians may be the only Bible that people may read (our lifestyle). For the new believer when they join the church they are looking for examples (people who are souled out for Christ) to follow. If the majority of the church is double-minded (hypocritical), then as a result the...
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...with my friend, Stacey Brown, she told me some information about her religion that, to be honest, was very surprising. I also learned interesting information about the Jehovah’s Witnesses place of worship, which they call a Kingdom Hall, which I was unaware of before this paper. Jehovah’s Witnesses are essentially a group of organized Christians, who proclaim that Jehovah is a loving and just God, who is deserving of humanities love and also obedience. Most Jehovah’s Witnesses, including my friend, used to be Catholic or Protestant but have converted. The basis of every one of the teachings that the Jehovah’s preach and study is found in the Bible. She informed me that studying the Bible daily is very important to Jehovah’s Witness. One thing that they do insist is that they are awaiting fulfillment of many of the various prophecies. The reasoning behind Jehovah’s Witnesses going from door-to-door proclaiming their faith is that they are following the example that Jesus set for them when he journeyed from city to city preaching and declaring the good news of the kingdom of God. Contrary to what many may believe, they do not interpret every passage that is in the Bible as a literal record of events or stories of the past. They also do not tend to do any type of demonstrations or violence against anyone who disagrees with him or her. In this religion every person is to follow the example of Jesus and the apostle Paul, who preached in public places (Watch Tower Bible and Tract...
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...be accepted just like you are. Of course, the script writers would have people believe that these needs can be met in a bar; that is unlikely, for a variety of reasons. However, the fact that these needs must be met while being a part of a group is true. This activity of grouping to mutually meet needs creates what is called community—common unity. Community happens when we create an atmosphere where intimacy can develop and people can grow and thrive. That’s what our families are supposed to be like. That’s what our churches are supposed to be like. That’s what our Life Group classes are supposed to be like. Why? Because God created us, male and female, in His image and His image is one of unity-community. God presents Himself as a triune being. He is Father, Son and Spirit. He is One God. When He created a male human being He said “It’s not good for this man to be alone.” For the first time since beginning His creation He said it’s not good rather than it is good. Therefore, He created a woman to be with the man. Together God now said “It is good”. Together in union with each other we reflect the image of God. But God’s expression of community didn’t stop with human marriage. He...
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...in an outline making it easy to teach those who is in need of salvation, why we need salvation, how God provides salvation, how man can respond to salvation, and the result of man’s response to salvation. Romans Road is a pathway that we can walk towards our salvation. The first path states that “as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). “For all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). But “God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God had raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). When we submit ourselves to God and He forgives us for our sins, or relationship with man ends; because were no longer who we use to be. We’ve been reborn as a new creature in Christ; a newly adopted child that’s righteous in the eyes of God (Romans 5:1, 8:1 and 38-39. [1] The advantage of this method is that people who are non-believers are exposed to the word of God. They get an understanding of scripture instead of man’s logic; which will allow them to understand how God see us when it comes to sin. This method is effective for anyone who trusts the bible and knows it to...
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