Manifesto of the Kingdom of God
The beatitudes Series
SERIES INTRODUCTION
What is often regarded as the greatest sermon of all time is The Sermon on the Mount. It’s so significant because just as political parties lay our their manifestos where they show their followers what they see as important and who they are looking out for - Jesus laid our His manifesto for The Kingdom to God. Jesus talks about how we should live our lives; how we should view ourselves and others; and how our place in the world relates to God and His Kingdom.
Jesus’ sermon starts and rests with something called the Beatitudes. This is a list the people who make up the Kingdom of God, the people who God regards as significant, as essential. This list seems backwards, it’s paradoxical and defies how culture views people - but it shows how all people, even the least and the lowly, are important to God and His Kingdom. You can read the Beatitudes by clicking here. We are going to be going through the Beatitudes for the next 8 weeks.
BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT, FOR THEY WILL RECEIVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Good news Series - Why Christianity is Good News for Everyone
On Sunday the 20th of June, James continued the Good News series. This time focusing on why Christianity was Good News for communities around the world.
He talked about how Christianity seeks to bring physical changes to communities and people in different types of need around the world. He used Luke 4:16-21 (NIV) as his main Scripture which says:
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
In Jesus ministry we see Him both teach people about God, but also practically support people with the needs they have. In Mark 2:1-12, He both heals a paralysed man allowing him to walk again, whilst forgiving him of his sins - healing him from any shame and guilt he may carry around.
Again in Mark 6:30-44, Jesus teaches 5000 - but when He sees they are hungry and without food, He feeds them - showing that Christianity brings spiritual as well as physical change.
James’ final point was that Christians should be aware of the needs members in their community have and try and meet those needs practically.
Here are some questions to go through:
1) Are you aware of the needs in the community, and if not, how can you find out?
2) Are we able and willing to meet some of these needs?
On Sunday the 13th of June James started a new series on how Christianity was Good News. The focus of this week was on how Christianity was Good News for individuals.
James spoke about how we often fall short of who we want to be and cited Romans 7:14-20 (MSG) which says:
“I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.
But I need something more! I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
He then spoke about Sanctification this is a theological word which means to “the process of being made free from sin” or “the process of being purified”. James spoke about how all Christians were able to connect with Jesus and take part in this process of being purified so that they can be set free from the things which hold them - things like addictions and character flaws.
Finally, James concluded by citing Romans 8:1-4 which says:
With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all.
Here are some questions for you to go through:
1) In what ways do you feel like you don’t live up to your own expectations?
2) How do you feel about the Holy Spirit strengthening you and empowering you to bring change to your messy situations?
3) What area of your life do you want the Holy Spirit to impact today? - if there are any, all you need to do is ask.
Back to the Basics of Faith Series
Spiritual Breathing Exercise - 6 May 2021
On the 6th of May Rich lead us in a time of Spiritual breathing. We learned about the Holy Spirit and how we can breath the Spirit in to receive forgiveness and new life.
Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is alive - interacting with us and all we do on a daily basis. The Spirit changes us, inspires us and forgives us when we allow Him.
Rich focused specifically on how the Spirit forgives us this week - showing that we can receive God’s forgiveness simply by breathing in the Spirit.
Here is the exercise Rich lead us in below if you want to try it for yourself:
Exhale: confess sin and receive forgiveness and repent – change of mind and a turn around.
Inhale: surrender control of your life
Here is a short prayer to say when you are finished this exercise:
Lord Jesus, I'm sorry I've thought, said and done things that are not in line with following you that have hurt you, others and myself. Thank you for forgiving me through Jesus' death on the cross, showing your love for me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit to strengthen me to live for you.
Amen.
On Sunday the 30th of May Tim spoke about how being a Christian involves turning and living life differently. Every person has done things which they shouldn’t have, and not done things which they should have. Jesus asks us to acknowledge these things, and turn away (or repent) from them and instead go in a new and better direction. Tim also spoke about how a living a life with Jesus allows us to renew or refresh our minds so that we can live life more like Him.
Here are the key Scriptures verse Tim used in his talk:
Matthew 4:17 (TPT): From that time on Jesus began to proclaim his message with these words: “Keep turning away from your sins and come back to God, for heaven’s kingdom realm is now accessible.”
Romans 12:2 (NIV): Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Look at the following verses and go through these questions:
1) What do you think Jesus means when he says turn away?
2) Why does Jesus begin his ministry by calling people to repent (turn away)?
3) Is there anything that you need to repent of so that you can turn around and face the direction that God has for your life?
Sunday the 23rd of May was Pentecost Sunday - this is the day when Christians celebrate the fact that the Holy Spirit came upon the early church and continues to do so today.
Acts 1:7-9 (MSG): He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”
The Bible begins with a story of God creating the world. In it, we can see that humans were the pinnacle of God’s creation. On the 16th of May, spoke about what it means to be made in God’s image and how when we start treating ourselves and others as image-bearers of God, we can make positive changes to our environments.
Here are some of the Scriptures James used in His talk:
Genesis 1:26 (NIV): Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Romans 12:1-2 (MSG): So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Here are the questions we discussed below:
1) What does it mean to you to be made in God's Image?
2)Knowing humans are created in God's image, how can we treat ourselves and others?
3) Do you think we can make positive changes if we live like we bear God's image? Why or why not?
On the 9th of May James spoke about how each and every one of us are known intimately by God, and how He is interested in every aspect of our lives.
Here is the Scripture James used in his talk:
Matthew 10:29-30 (MSG): What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.
Here are some questions to think about on the topic
1) Does the fact that each person is known by God change the way your view yourself or others? Why or why not?
2) God cares about every part of your life, the big and the small - how does this give more meaning to your day to day life?
3) How do you think you can draw God into your day to day life - even the boring bits?
Past Bible Studies
