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September 12, 2010
"God's Plan Involves Power"
Background & Lesson: Ephesians 1:15-23

Motivation: Believer's Study Bible, p. 1676: 1:15-23 "These verses express a prayer of thanksgiving and a request for spiritual enlightenment concerning our salvation and Savior.  In vv. 22, 23 we are informed of the wonderful truth that Christ is ‘head over all things to the church, which is His body.'  This is a theme that will be more fully addressed as the remaining chapters unfold."  Compare this prayer of Paul's with those shared 3:14-19 and Colossians1:9-14.

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September 5, 2010
"God's Plan is Eternal"
Background & Lesson: Ephesians 1:1-14

Motivation: How do we praise God?  The first chapter of Ephesians is a marvelous doxology of praise; verses 3-14 are one unbroken sentence praising God for what He has given each believer.

The Life of Christ - Lesson 37
Time - 4/3/30 AD, 14 Nisan
The Last week - Wednesday, the Sixth Hour (12 a.m.)

Having been scourged, beaten repeatedly in the face and having had tufts of his beard ripped out, Jesus was given a heavy cross to carry up the northern ridge of Mt. Zion to Golgotha, "the place of the skull," an ascent of over 200 feet. He collapsed and the Roman soldiers forced Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross the rest of the way. Having endured the mocking of his enemies and the shunning of his friends, Jesus arrived at the place of crucifixion and was stripped and nailed to the cross like an animal. Then He was raised up for all to see His shame and suffering. Jerusalem being surrounded with the camps of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who had come for Passover, there was evidently a large crowd surrounding him. Below him He could see the Temple with the many tens of thousands of worshippers gathered there to begin the sacrifice of their Passover Lambs. Because of its location on the northern ridge of Mt. Zion, much of Jerusalem could have looked up and seen the cross. During the first interval after He was nailed to the cross and raised up, and before the darkness when His intense suffering for our sins began, he made three proclamations.

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August 29, 2010
"Relationships: The Improvement Factor"
Background:  2 Corinthians 10:1 - 13:13
Lesson:  2 Corinthians 10:1-3, 15-18; 12:14-21

Motivation: What is required to serve God?  Paul lists a reputation worth defending, a warfare worth engaging and a calling worth suffering.  Our ministry must be a spiritual ministry that requires spiritual warfare; spiritual weapons and a spiritual work ethic.

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August 22, 2010
"Relationships: The Long-Distance Factor"
Background:  2 Corinthians 7:5 - 9:15
Lesson:  2 Corinthians 8:1-9; 9:1-2, 7-8, 12-15

Motivation:  Conflict resolution is one of the difficult issues in marriage, business or any other relationship.  Paul shares ways to build strong relationships and the joy of solving problems.  In Chapters 8 & 9 we find the clearest theology of giving.

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August 15, 2010
"Relationships: The Reconciliation Factor"
Background:  2 Corinthians 5:11-7:4|
Lesson:  2 Corinthians 5:11-6:1; 7:2-4

Motivation: Christ appoints us as ambassadors for His kingdom.  As ambassadors we build strong relationships through a message of reconciliation.