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Participating in Christ's Suffering

Jim Leffel

Colossians 1:24-29

Participating in the suffering of Christ involves counting the cost of the pain of living in interdependent community, knowing the purpose of that pain and receiving the prize of following him, that is, joy. The experience of joy is directly related to the value of the object of joy, the incomparable Christ.

Keywords

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Growing with God

Jim Leffel

Colossians 1:9-12

Paul prays for the Colossians that as they grow in their knowledge of God, they will learn to honor God. As they honor God, they will bear fruit and they will grow even more in their knowledge of God. This cycle of knowing God and bearing fruit leads to experiencing God in deeper ways as we learn to trust in the life-changing power of his love.

Keywords

{"passage": "Colossians 1:9-12","passageabreviated": "Col 1:9-12","passagetiny": "Col 1:9-12","teacher": "Jim Leffel","teachingDate": "06...

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God's Good Work

Scott Risley

Philippians 1:3-11

Although Paul is in Rome under house arrest, chained to Roman guards, he is overjoyed at the good work God is doing in the lives of his friends in Philippi. He knows that the good work that God began in them at the moment of their justification, he will complete it until the day of their glorification, and even so, during their sanctification in the mean time. This is a work God does, not us by our fleshly effort. The question is whether we will cooperate with him in this ongoing work.

Keywords

{"passage": "Philippians 1:3-11","passageabreviated": "Phil 1:3-11","passagetiny": "Phil 1:3-11","teacher": "Scott Risley","teachingDate"...

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God's Good Work in Us

Conrad Hilario

Philippians 1:3-11

God's good work in us begins at the moment of salvation, continues throughout our walk with the Lord and is completed at our glorification when we meet Jesus face to face. It is a gradual process that doesn't look the same as or go at the same pace as everyone else. God wants to grow our ability to love others but also to transform our thinking to expand out knowledge and understanding. God does not dichotomize love and truth. Truth without love is nothing.

Keywords

{"passage": "Philippians 1:3-11","passageabreviated": "Phil 1:3-11","passagetiny": "Phil 1:3-11","teacher": "Conrad Hilario","teachingDat...

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Three Ways to Grow When You Can't Leave the House

James Rochford

Philippians 1:1-11

Paul, the greatest Christian leader in the history of the world, did not let being imprisoned in Rome make him become angry, bitter or depressed. Instead, he took it as an opportunity to grow in appreciation for people, to grow in his attitude toward God and to grow in his ability to pray.

Keywords

{"passage": "Philippians 1:1-11","passageabreviated": "Phil 1:1-11","passagetiny": "Phil 1:1-11","teacher": "James Rochford","teachingDat...

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If the Lord Wills

Mike Sullivan

James 4:13-17

Is James saying it is evil to plan for the future? No, James is not critiquing planning in general, but the over-confident "I will..." statements we often make. It is foolish and arrogant to make such statements for three reasons. We don't know the future; we won't live forever; and God exists. James recommends we learn the whole counsel of God and say "If God wills..." instead. The way to proceed is to learn God's values and perspective, receive the counsel of mature Christians and keep in step with the Spirit.

Keywords

{"passage": "James 4:13-17","passageabreviated": "Jas 4:13-17","passagetiny": "Jas 4:13-17","teacher": "Mike Sullivan","teachingDate": "1...

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Biblical Decision Making

Ryan Lowery

James 4:13-17

We learn from the book of James that God's wisdom is often different from ours, and often calls on us to be others-centered instead self-centered, our default perspective. This comes to bear as we make decisions, and James gives us insight into biblical decision making. A wise person will bring God into their decisions. In this passage in James, and in other passages in the Bible, we find practical guidance encouraging us to use prayer, scripture, mature counsel, and other elements to guide our decisions.

Keywords

{"passage": "James 4:13-17","passageabreviated": "Jas 4:13-17","passagetiny": "Jas 4:13-17","teacher": "Ryan Lowery","teachingDate": "09/...

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The Backward Wisdom of God (Part One)

Ryan Lowery

James 3:13-4:3

James says one of the qualities of a mature Christian is developing and acting out of wisdom--the ability to properly apply knowledge about God to everyday living. Wisdom produces the ability to live out the good life God intends for people, but often seems counter-intuitive to our common understanding (man's wisdom). If we trust in God's wisdom and not our own natural wisdom we will find peace, relational unity, and more benefits, while James says relying on our own wisdom will yield jealousy, selfish ambition, and other negative results. If we will trust Him, God is always ready to help us grow in His wisdom, even if we've failed in the past.

Keywords

{"passage": "James 3:13-4:3","passageabreviated": "Jas 3:13-4:3","passagetiny": "Jas 3:13-4:3","teacher": "Ryan Lowery","teachingDate": "...

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Don't Be a Troll

Ryan Lowery

James 3:1-12

James describes the power of our speech, for either evil or good in the lives of others, calling on all Christians, particularly those who teach the Bible, to prayerfully use their words to build up and encourage. He uses a variety of images to describe the need to control our speech, including fire and a ship's rudder, and the need for us to represent Christ and his love in our speech. Our culture badly needs encouraging, loving, constructive words, and Christians, under grace, can offer this.

Keywords

{"passage": "James 3:1-12","passageabreviated": "Jas 3:1-12","passagetiny": "Jas 3:1-12","teacher": "Ryan Lowery","teachingDate": "09/01/...

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