I was mulling over my thoughts about our vision for Newlife Church and I came up with some key concepts. We want the church to be diverse in culture, age and social level. We want all the gifts in operation. We want evangelism and growth, a strong teaching foundation, and a love and care for people that addresses the huge social problems of the city and gives hope to the hopeless.
Many of us as believers in Jesus Christ are not walking in our new Identity and are therefore are not fully embracing and walking in all of God’s authority, benefits, promises and ‘gifts’ that are available to us as “King Kids”; sons and daughters of the “Most High”.
On Sunday we looked together at the Feeding of the five thousand. Our desire was to look at this familiar passage with fresh eyes and consider how we can grow in our confidence that God is a God of supernatural provision.
Use the Questions and thoughts below to aid discussion in our groups from the teaching we received
Please note that is not about completing all the questions but stirring faith filled dialogue among the group.
Reading: Matthew 14:13–21 Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
We answer 12 common questions about the events leading up to Christ’s return, the day of judgement, and the age to come, with a focus on Matthew 24 & 25. We then consider what the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins really means, and how it challenges us.
John 3:16 is probably the best known verse in the Bible, but it has a hidden depth and richness that makes it (and the rest of the passage) well worth studying.
After feeding the 5000 and walking on water, Jesus was asked to provide more food. The answer he gave was very strange, and resulted in many people walking away from him.
Jesus highest teachings, given just to his disciples in John 14–17 come to a climax in his prayer at the end, and now we reach the very pinnacle of the prayer
John is very selective, but this is because he is very focused in the unique way he wants us to relate to Jesus as he suffers and dies on the cross, a way that we miss if we don’t follow his references
Light is a key theme in Scripture, and as we put together references from the whole Bible, we see a beautifully unified theme what brings hope, and direction for living.
If we can grasp the big picture of God’s plan for humanity, it will not only help us understand the Bible, but hugely empower and energize us for the Christian life.
When we see how God’s promises and prophecies to Israel fit with the New Testament and beyond, like Paul we will not be able to help bursting out in praises to God.
Have you ever been in a situation when it looks like something really bad could happen? We take an example of how to relate Old Testament stories to our own lives in a way that is faithful to the context, and also immensely encouraging!
We work through how we should read Old Testament passages so that they speak accurately into our situation./n-God says, “just hold on to me and I will never forsake you”
Circumcision: Meaning, Significance and Practical Insights
When we see how neatly the Old and New Testaments connect together on this issue, it brings such clarity, not only to understanding the Bible, but also our own identity.
This story of a new beginning for Israel has a compelling message for our own lives as we move forward into a new season, with precise New Covenant parallels to the Old Covenant symbols.
As we dive deeper into this account, we see more and more of the challenges, conceptual reversals and artistry in the narrative composition, with an exciting conclusion.
In two beautifully compact verses, Paul gives us a new “rule of life” for living under the New Covenant and lays a foundation to everything that follows about the gifts of the Spirit. —a perfect summary of what it means to be part of the new people of God.
On the surface these prophecies against other nations can seem like unrelenting destruction, but on closer inspection there is a surprising revelation of the true heart of God in love and mercy, which culminated in the sending of his own son to die for the sins of his enemies.
In Luke 11 & 18, Jesus gives us several strong motivations to pray, including an example, a parable and some very clear teaching that challenges our core beliefs about prayer.
