Scripture Lesson for the Day: 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2, NLT

“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NLT)

As Christ’s ambassadors…

• We have a compelling motivation.

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15, NIV).

• We have a new point of view about people.

“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17, NLT).

“‘Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God’…So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:3, 7, NLT).

• We have a major role in helping others find peace with God.

“All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between us and himself, and God gave us the work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him” (2 Corinthians 5:18, NCV).

“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20, NLT).

• We have a sense of urgency.

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.’ Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 5:21-6:1-2, NLT).

“If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them” (2 Corinthians 5:13-15, NLT).

“And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should” (Ephesians 6:19-20, NLT).

Closing Challenge: Let’s answer the challenge to be Christ’s ambassadors in reaching people for Jesus! How can God use you to share the love of Jesus with someone else?

Scripture Lesson for the Day: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, NLT

What thoughts come to mind when the Bible describes the Church as the Body of Christ?

We are the Body of Christ therefore…

• We are different but work as one!

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part” (1 Corinthians 12:12-14, NLT).

How is a choir like the church?

• We do not practice lone ranger Christianity!

“Suppose a foot says, ‘I’m not a hand, so I’m not part of the body!’ Would that mean it’s no longer part of the body? Or suppose an ear says, ‘I’m not an eye, so I’m not a part of the body!’ Would that mean it’s no longer part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? So God put each and every part of the body together as he wanted it” (1 Corinthians 12:15-18, GW).

What are the dangers of practicing American “rugged individualism” in the church?

“There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others” (1 Corinthians 12:5-7, CEV).

Key Understanding: A spiritually healthy church is one whose members are actively serving others with their spiritual gifts for the common good.

• Superiority, inferiority and division are out of place in the church!

“In fact, we cannot get along without the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest. We take special care to dress up some parts of our bodies. We are modest about our personal parts, but we don’t have to be modest about other parts. God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. God’s purpose was that the body should not be divided but rather that all of its parts should feel the same concern for each other” (1 Corinthians 12:22-25, CEV).

What is the difference between a “platform person” and a “behind the scenes person” in the church?

DIVISION is a lethal disease in the church!

The Three strike rule in the church: “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them” (Titus 3:10, NIV).

“Brothers and sisters, I urge you to watch out for those people who create divisions and who make others fall away from the Christian faith by teaching doctrine that is not the same as you have learned. Stay away from them” (Romans 16:17, GW).

Closing Challenge: We are the Body of Christ…the Church. You are a part of that body if Jesus is your Savior. How can you maximize your spiritual gifts and Christian influence for the good of the church and the world?

Scripture Lesson for the Day: Romans 8:31-39, NIV

How confident do you feel in your relationship with Jesus Christ?

The answer can be found in how you respond to more questions…

• “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31b, GW)
• “Who can accuse the people God has chosen?” (Romans 8:33a, NCV)
• “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?” (Romans 8:35a, NLT)

We are more than Conquerors…

REASON #1: Because God is for Us!

“Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (Romans 8:34, NLT).

Has anyone ever stood up for you when everyone else seemed to be against you?

“He who gives me justice is near. Who will dare to bring charges against me now? Where are my accusers? Let them appear! See, the Sovereign LORD is on my side! Who will declare me guilty?” (Isaiah 50:8-9a, NLT)

Key Understanding: The verdict is in and you have been declared innocent by God Himself!

REASON #2: Because God loves us no matter what!

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:35-37, NIV).

Has there been something recently that has shaken your confidence that God truly loves you?

“Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful” (Romans 5:6-8, CEV).

REASON #3: God has won the war!

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, NLT).

What do verses 38-39 teach us when it comes to spiritual warfare?

“God stripped the spiritual rulers and powers of their authority. With the cross, he won the victory and showed the world that they were powerless” (Colossians 2:15, NCV).

What is the lesson that we learn from Acts 19:13-20 and the seven sons of Sceva?

Closing Challenge: Are living like you are more than a conqueror? Your response will reveal the confidence you have in your relationship with Jesus Christ. “The one who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties” (Romans 8:37, GW). Allow Christ to empower you to be more than a conqueror!

Scripture Lesson for the Day: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, NLT

Are you fully aware of whom we are as Christians in 2012?

We are…

• Brothers and sisters in God’s family!

“Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you” (1 Thessalonians 5:1, NLT).

How are you treating your siblings in God’s family?

• Children of the light and the day!

“For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night” (1 Thessalonians 5:5, NLT).

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9, NIV).

Key Understanding: We do not belong to the night and its darkness.

• Not clueless but in the know about the Day of the Lord!

“But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief… But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:4, 8, NLT).

What is the Day of the Lord?

“You know the times in which we are living. It’s time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers. The night is almost over, and the day is near. So we should get rid of the things that belong to the dark and take up the weapons that belong to the light. We should live decently, as people who live in the light of day. Wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, rivalry, and jealousy cannot be part of our lives. Instead, live like the Lord Jesus Christ did, and forget about satisfying the desires of your sinful nature” (Romans 13:11-14, GW).

Are you living your life with the light on?

• To encourage and build each other up!

“Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:10-11, NLT).

“When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you” (Ephesians 4:29, NCV).

Closing Challenge: “Once you lived in the dark, but now the Lord has filled you with light. Live as children who have light. Light produces everything that is good, that has God’s approval, and that is true. Determine which things please the Lord. Have nothing to do with the useless works that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are” (Ephesians 5:8-11, GW).

Scripture Lesson of the Day:
Luke 2:1-20, Titus 3:4-6, John 1:12-13, Isaiah 9:6-7a

What is Christmas?

Understanding the Christmas Narrative:

1. The Need

2. God’s Answer

3. Our Response

Closing Challenge: Is the Christmas Narrative just a fairy tale or a feel-good story? Is it just a day in which we get a reprieve from a dark and hurting world? Or is it the message of HOPE for each and every person, no matter what their situation? Is the Christmas story the message of HOPE for just the Christmas season or for each and every day? Allow the message of HOPE this Christmas to change how you live today, tomorrow, and every day! HOPE has come in the form of a baby!