God is Good

Do you ever see those t-shirts or bumper stickers that say “Life’s Good”. That is true, but the statement is incomplete, it should be “Life’s Good with God”. I want that t-shirt. Every moment we give Him is one filled with all of His goodness and blessing. Those are our best moments. The Apostle Peter said …
“3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV

We say that God is good, because what He does is good. This life and this world can be hard and full of trouble, what gives us hope is that fact that God brings His goodness into it. Not only is God good, He invites us to participate in His goodness. The more connected we are to Him, the more of His goodness we can share.
People all over this world, even in this community are in need of help, they are in need of God’s goodness. God has asked us to participate in showing them that goodness in every moment of life. Allow Him to lead you at home, at work, and anywhere else you might go. It is in those places we can share His amazing goodness with people who are in desperate need of some good news. God is good all the time!

Small Group Lesson: Kill Them With Kindness / Revenge

Small Group Lesson: Kill Them With Kindness / Revenge

The best practical joke you ever played on someone was …
Was there payback?

How would you define revenge and vengeance?

READ Romans 12:17-19
Has anyone ever really hurt you? If so, were you tempted to carry out some form of revenge?

Without the going into the specifics, if did you carry out revenge, what benefit did you find in it?

What negatives did you find?

Why is it hard not to pay evil with evil?

According to scripture, whose responsibility is it to handle vengeance?

What are the benefits of trusting God to handle vengeance? (Brainstorm a bit on this one. Think of all the ways of how God is superior and more qualified to handle our hurts, anger, and need for vengeance?)

How is it disrespectful and even blasphemous to carry out revenge? V.19

IDEA: When we carry out revenge it weakens our faith because we are trying to take God’s place in the business of vengeance. Revenge not only divides us from each other, it separates us from God. Not only that, we often don’t get it right when we carry it out; we either hurt the wrong people, or the justice we seek is unfair. However if you have been wronged it doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. In fact God expects us to do something about it; just not in the way the world would go about it.

READ Romans 12:20-21
IDEA: You have heard the term, “kill them with kindness”. Paul speaks of that strategy here in v.20. When we do kind things for people who hurt us, we obviously don’t want to hurt or kill them, but we want to kill the hate, bitterness, anger, and hard feelings that we have in the relationship.

Have you ever considered sincere kindness as a form of revenge?

How is kindness a more proactive and positive response when someone hurts us?

READ Ephesians 4:31-32 (preferable New Living Translation)
Jesus dying on the cross was the kindest act ever shown to us. Think of all the sin, hate, and vengeance that was piled on Him while He was on that cross. We hurt God, we sinned against Him and rather than respond with vengeance He responded with love, mercy, and kindness. What do we learn from this example?

Close in prayer…

Kill Them With Kindness

Last a week a man chased a robber out of his house with an ax. After running a few blocks he caught up with a man who he thought was the robber and brutally killed him. The problem was, it wasn’t even the right man, and the man that was killed had car trouble and was walking to a gas station for help. We live in a world that loves revenge, we see it movies, books, TV, and in the news. Revenge is in. Most revenge stories both in the Bible and in the 21st Century happen within families, marriages, friends and neighbors. When we participate in revenge, we destroy the relationships that matter most to us. Paul said in Romans 12 …

“17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” Romans 12:17-19 NIV

When we carry out revenge it weakens our faith because we are trying to take God’s place in the business of vengeance. Revenge not only divides us from each other, it separates us from God. Not only that, we often don’t even it get right when we carry it out; we either hurt the wrong people, or the justice we seek is unfair. However if you have been wronged it doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. In fact God expects us to do something about it; just not in the way the world would go about it. Let’s read a little bit more of Romans 12.

“20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:20-21 NIV

You have heard the term, “kill them with kindness”. Paul speaks of that strategy here in v.20. When we do kind things for people who hurt us, we obviously don’t want to hurt or kill them, but we want to kill the hate, bitterness, anger, and hard feelings that we have in the relationship. We kill anger with love and kindness. We kill bitterness and jealousy with mercy and humility. Through kindness and love we can save marriages, friendships, churches, businesses, schools, and nations. Here is a good definition of kindness, it is learning to treat others the way God has treated you.

There's An App For That: Gentleness

It is easy for me to be a jerk, to be rude, or to be selfish. If you are like me and struggle with those things, there is an app for that, it is called gentleness. You can’t find an app for gentleness on your I-phone or computer; you can’t consistently force yourself to be gentle either, not by will-power alone. The Apostle Paul said in Gal. 5:22-23 that gentleness is a fruit grown by the Holy Spirit in our lives. The definition of Gentleness is to have a mild and kind nature or manner; being moderate in force or degree so that the effects are not severe or harsh; not steep, not rising steeply.

I like the part about gentleness being not to rise steeply. As a runner I hate running up hills, especially steep hills (they are the devil). Steep hills wear me out when I have to run up them, however I don’t mind running up a gentle slope. Gentleness is all about steepness; it is about not burdening others with steep demands or selfish expectations. We make things too steep don’t we? We make it difficult for people to meet our expectations. What is the price of our love? What is the price of our mercy? What is the price of our service? We often set the price too high, so steep that it has become a burden to work with, to serve with, to worship with, or even live with us. In business we always say buy low, sell high. Make someone else pay the high price that we don’t want to pay. Do we do that in relationships, do we make the people around us pay a steep price for our selfishness; do we dump our negativity on them? Ask yourself what is the price of interacting with me? A lack of gentleness maybe great in dealing with the stock market, but it is not good in dealing with people; whether it is family, friends, coworkers, Christians, or even our enemy. To not be gentle is to be ungodly, it is sinful.

There is wisdom in gentleness. Listen to these Proverbs: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 NIV “Patient persistence pierces through indifference; gentle speech breaks down rigid defenses.” Proverbs 25:15 The MESSAGE

Gentleness is not a wimpy or weak thing, it is a powerful tool of the Spirit that allows us to connect and work with each other. Gentleness makes it a joy to be with us rather than a burden. Allow the Spirit to guide you this week into using one of the most underutilized fruit of Spirit, if you do, everyone you interact with will be blessed. - Vic

Small Group Lesson: Joy & Grace

Small Group Lesson: Joy & Grace


Why is it easier to give rather than to receive gifts?
How would you define words like “grace” & “unconditional love”?
Who have you had the most unconditional love relationship with? Explain.

READ 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17
According to v.16-17 what does God’s grace and love help us do?

When you are hopeful, encouraged, and strengthened; do you find it easier to be filled with joy? Explain.

READ 2 Timothy 1:6-12
In v.9-11 Paul describes unconditional love. According to these verses how did God demonstrate His unconditional love towards us?

How would you define conditional love?

What is the weakness of conditional love?
Why is it dangerous for relationships? For a marriage? For a church? For faith?

If grace allows us to be free of earning someone’s love; how does that help us be honest and real?

READ Hebrew 12:1-3
When Jesus was headed to the cross, the Hebrew writer said that Jesus had joy. How can anyone find joy in midst of such terrible circumstance?

Do you think Jesus found joy in sacrificing for God, or do you think He found joy in doing the will of God? Explain.

What can we learn from Jesus when it comes to finding joy in being connected to God?

The Apostle Paul said to the Roman church: “32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.” Romans 15:32-33 NIV. The true source of joy is found in our connection to God and to the people around us.

What barriers do you need to remove in order to have deeper and more fulfilling relationships with God’s people?

What needs to change in order for you to have a deeper and more authentic relationship with God?

Close in Prayer…

Joy & Grace

The life of Jesus demonstrated what joy is all about. Jesus had tremendous joy yet he encountered constant opposition. Joy is not free of opposition. We live in a world that values other people’s approval; therefore we often try to earn the approval of others. The flaw in that is that if my joy requires your approval, I probably will not be honest with you; instead I will do everything I can to make you like me, including putting on a false image and then tell lies to back it up. When we are not honest, we live in fear that we will be found out, that people will one day see the real us. We are afraid they will like what they see. We can’t have true joy if we can’t be honest; there is no joy in pretending to be something we are not. In his book What's So Amazing about Grace, Philip Yancey recounts this story about C.S. Lewis: “During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began thinking about the possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of return from death. The debate went on for some time until C.S. Lewis wandered into the room. "What's the rumpus about?" he asked, and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, "Oh, that's easy. It's grace." After some discussion, the others agreed.” The idea of God's love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist have an eight-fold path, the Hindu believe in Karma, & Islam have the code of law. Each of these offers a way to earn approval and salvation; only Christianity dares to make God's love unconditional. Conditional love is harmful to relationships. What if I don’t meet the expectations of my wife, and she decides to give me the silent treatment? The implication is: "If you do what I want you to, I will talk to you. Otherwise, I won't." That is always fun isn’t it? It’s really fun when both people give each other the silent treatment. Then the only way to communicate is through banging doors, loud sighs, and evil stares. Could you imagine if a preacher did that to a church? There would be the silent treatment every Sunday. Conditional love in the church kills joy. What if I only sang when songs I like are being led? What if I only give when projects I like are being done? What if I only serve when it is convenient and what I want? What if I only pray only when God gives me what I want? Conditional love destroys churches, it destroys faith, and it is a joy killer. That is why God’s grace allows us to have true joy. Grace allows us to be who we really are; in fact grace is only understood by those who are honest. When someone loves you for you, and you don’t have to pretend to be something you are not, that kind of honesty allows us to have joy. The world wanted Jesus to be Superman or an earthly king, and when He refused it rejected Him. In Hebrews 12 it says that Jesus had joy even when He knew He was headed toward the cross. The reason Jesus had joy was not the cross, but the relationship He had with His Father, because God accepted Jesus as he really was.
If you follow the path of Jesus, you cling to God, to a father who you don’t have to pretend to be something you are not; He loves you for who you are, and for what He created you to be. It is His loving grace that propels our joy. The more we connect with Him and the people He puts in our lives the more complete our joy will be.

Small Group Lesson on Joy

Small Group Lesson

There’s An APP for That … JOY / March 6, 2011

What things bring you the most joy in life?

Is joy simply a state of mind?

What is JOY?

READ Psalm 16:11
IDEA: In Psalm 16, David was saying that to be in the presence of God in every moment is to live a complete life, and in that completeness we find joy. The problem is that most of the time we don’t feel complete; we don’t feel connected to God.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being lowest, 10 being highest), rate how connected you feel that you are to God right now?

How does that affect the joy that you have right now?

READ Romans 15:13; 32. Galatians 5:22
Where does JOY come from?

What we find from scripture is that joy is not found in yourself, it comes from God. How does that compare to what we have traditionally believed is the source of joy?

IDEA: We can’t decide to have joy, but we can do things that result in joy in our lives. Joy is a fruit that is grown from relationships, both with God and with others.

READ Philippians 2:2 & 2 John 1:12
There is a term in the Bible that really has thrown me off over the years. Several times in the Bible the phrase “make my joy complete” or “to have joy complete”.

The idea of joy being complete is interesting, is there such a thing as incomplete joy?

IDEA: Like everything else, when something is left incomplete, it is just not satisfying. Finish the sentence “I am miserable when I have an incomplete … …”

READ John 3:27-30
In John 3, some of John the Baptist’s most loyal followers noticed that the people who once followed him were now following Jesus. They were bothered by their lack of loyalty; John addressed this issue in John 3:27-30. First John the Baptists is signifying to the people that the old way of doing things was coming to an end. Then he gave a wedding illustration. John was saying that he is like the friend (the best man) who organized the wedding making sure everything was ready. By bringing people to Jesus (by doing the will of God) it made John’s joy complete.

What needs to be removed in your life so that God can make your joy complete?

What steps can you take to be more obedient to God’s will?

Close in prayer…

Where does JOY come from?

Where does JOY come from?  Paul said to the Roman church: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV “so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed.” Romans 15:32 NIV

We learn from the scriptures that joy is not found within ourselves; it comes from God. Most of us have this weird view of joy, thinking that we can decide on it, or that we can find it in meditation or through some personal strength. Joy is not something that we can will into our minds; it is not a concept that I can just decide to start having. Joy is a fruit that is grown from God. That is why it is a fruit of the Spirit; it is the result of giving ourselves to God and to others.
We can’t decide to have joy, but we can do things that result in joy in our lives. Joy begins when we start the removal of the old life, the removal of selfishness and independence from God. Joy continues the more we give ourselves to Jesus. By following Him, by doing the will of God, our joy is made complete. Each moment with Him is a complete one filled with joy.