Can a person really hide from God? What are the ways in which people hide from God today? How does God respond when people reject His calling? How does the story of Jonah illustrate God's dealings with humanity as we sometimes stray and do our own thing? Do we really trust that what God wants for us is really what is best for us?
How did Jesus minister to people's needs? How did He know their needs? How did Jesus show respect to people he wanted to help? How can we show genuine care and concern for those we seek to help today? Is it appropriate to ask how we can help? Does God ever force His help on us? What do you do when plans to help or to minister get interrupted by the unexpected? Why is it so important for Christians to love one another? How did Dorcas exemplify this and what impact did her love for people have on her ministry? What are the different ways we can approach ministry?
How did Jesus show sympathy, compassion, mercy, empathy, pity, and genuine concern for people during the course of His earthly ministry? How can Christians do the same in the world we live in today? Is the God of the Old Testament less compassionate than the God of the New Testament? How can we understand God's compassion in acts of judgment? What does the Old Testament show us about God's reaction to human suffering? Does God ignore human suffering, or does it impact Him? Why is it important for Christians to learn to walk in the shoes of others?
Jesus mingled with people and genuinely desired their good. What message does this have for the church today? How can we genuinely desire the good of others? How does scripture contrast how Jesus cared about people compared to His disciples or prophets like Jonah? How did Jesus treat people who were sick and out-casted? Why did some healings Jesus did occur in more than one stage? What does the Bible teach about selfishness, loving others, and the needs of our neighbors? How does this compare with the deeds of many professed Christians throughout history?
This week we are joined by Dr. May-Ellen Colon and Dr. Gaspar Colon as we discuss Jesus on the topic of community outreach. What did Jesus have to say about community outreach? How did Jesus view the church's role in terms of reaching out to those in spiritual darkness? Who is our neighbor? What did He mean by the metaphors of light and salt? What roles do different members within the church play in reaching outsiders? How does the farming analogy illustrate these different roles? How do we prepare the soil, sow the seed, nurture the crop, and reap the harvest?
Have you ever been asked to do something by a friend or family member that you didn't want to do? Have you eve been asked to do something and, although you didn't want to do it, you couldn't say no? Have you ever said you were going to be somewhere and purposely didn't show up? This sermon is about doing God lip service. There are times when we say things we don't mean and honor God with words, but we don't follow through with action. What kind of service does God expect from His people? This sermon talks about sanctification, God's power to transform our lives, and how to avoid hypocrisy.
In what way were Adam and Eve given dominion? Is dominion always a bad thing? Was man designed to take advantage of and plunder the earth's resources? Or was humanity entrusted with the Creation to care for and look after it? How much of man's dominion was lost after the fall? Are there ways in which we can still exercise it today? Can the restoration of dominion be experienced now? In this lesson we talk about stewardship of the planet, animals, and all of the earth's resources as well as relationships with others and God.
This quarter we focus on the role of the church in the community. In what way was man created in the image of God? What was lost because of sin? How does the mission of Jesus seek to restore what was lost? What role does the church plan in the restoration process? How does Satan seek to prevent this? What promises did God make about restoration? What role does humanity play in the process? How does this tie-into what Jesus accomplished on the cross?
What is the significance of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection? Why did the veil in the temple rip? What did Jesus mean when He cried out "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?" What did it mean for Jesus to be separated from the Father? What similarities do we hold to Barabbas? Did the crucifixion really happen? How does secular history evidence this event? What does the resurrection mean for believers and why is it the basis of our faith? What did Jesus commission us to do in response to His salvation?
What were the last days of Jesus on earth like? How did His followers understand His message? Did Jesus have to go to the cross? What messages are there in the struggles of Jesus for us today? What can we learn from the betrayals of Judas and Peter? What was so significant about the Passover and the time of Jesus' death? How was the last supper similar to a marriage covenant? This week we explore the fulfillment of the prophecies surrounding the death of Jesus and what He accomplished on our behalf.
Why did Jesus have run-ins with the scribes and pharisees? Were the accusations against him true? Was Jesus a breaker of the Sabbath? Did He view the Sabbath as important? What was His message regarding the Sabbath and the legalistic regulations of the religious leaders? What message might this have for us today? Jesus invites us to take part in His rest. But what kind of rest was He talking about?
How influential was Jesus' sermon on the mount? What did these powerful words mean? What was the purpose behind the sermon and what did it mean for believers? What was so radical and different about the words of Jesus? Do they still apply to us today? How did Jesus establish the relationship between law and grace? Did Jesus use this sermon to replace the law? Did His sermon replace a system of legalism? Or was salvation always by grace? What did Jesus mean by exceeding the righteousness of the Pharisees and Scribes? This week we explore Jesus' sermon on the mount.