Family Bible Study: Moving Forward in Faith
As living beings we are constantly transforming in ways that are obvious and less obvious. The Holy Spirit works in and through us transforming us and those around us.
We are being transformed to carry out God’s mission to love and bless the world around us. Our faith in God sustains us as we face decisions and changes in our lives, our families and our congregation. We move forward in faith, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to carry out God’s mission to bless our world.
We discuss these and other topics at our Bible Group 12 noon midweek at the church. Bring a sandwich. Bring a Bible. The next session starts in September.
We are prayerfully considering our next Bible Discussion series. Possible topics include the book of Hebrews, Lutherans and Free Will or the Nexus of the Ten Commandments and Our Confessions of Faith. What Bible and faith questions would you like to explore with us? Send a note to our Blue Church email BlueChCh@ptd.net
Holy Spirit + Church (people of God) + Pastor + Building (optional) = God’s Mission in Our World
Read Ephesians 4:7
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ‘s gift.”
Have you thought about your calling by the Holy Spirit to bring grace to others and with others?
What is God calling you to do in His world? How have you responded to the call?
Within our congregation we see members with a great diversity of gifts- God-given gifts. The strength of Blue Church comes from the contributions of these diverse gifts to carry out our church’s mission to “bring God’s love to the Lehigh Valley and beyond”. As we move forward in that mission, we may have the opportunity to add a greater variety of gifts by collaborating with other churches in our community to bring the hope and grace of our Lord into the lives of our neighbors.
A few months ago, we asked members about our spiritual gifts. Together they generated a long list of blessings that we have and that we can offer as well as some ministries we would like to expand. These gaps may be filled by answering a call to be one body and one Spirit with other churches in our community through the Lutheran 6261 Program. Each of us, as individuals and as churches were given gifts. We are called to use those gifts to the Glory of God at Blue Church and beyond.
We find so many pathways of faith in our community- UCC, Methodist, Episcopal, Moravian, Presbyterian, Reformed Church and our own Lutheran church. What brings us together is our unity as the body of Christ. We All are One in Mission, a hymn in the LBW (#576) reminds us: “We all are one in mission, we all are one in call, our varied gifts united by Christ the Lord of all...”. Our Council is discerning the possibility of becoming one in mission with some of our neighbor churches for projects or activities supported by a group of churches in our community in order that we may all share our blessings more abundantly.
As we move forward in faith, we ask that the Holy Spirit guides us into new partnerships and new faith experiences. The Council welcomes questions and your thoughts on this opportunity that God is presenting to us.
Read Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”
Blue Church is moving forward in faith- faith in God’s promise of grace, faith that the Holy Spirit is guiding our decisions, and a belief that we will again be transformed as a people of God living out our calling to love and bless the world.
We can move forward without fear and in full hope that God will provide for our needs. We can face changes and challenges with hope for the future. Hope gives us the patience to live through the challenges we face individually and collectively. It gives us the confidence and the courage to make needed changes. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. When we have this blessed assurance, there is nothing that we cannot face with faith and trust in God.
Faith is also a call to action. In Hebrews we find the re-telling of the actions of people of faith in the Old Testament. They answered the calls with faith in God’s promise, despite the odds. Blue Church is called to move forward in faith as we discern our future calling to serve our community.
In the Formula of Concord IV.10-12, Luther provides insights into a life of faith.
“Faith is a divine work in us that transforms us and begets us anew from God,…makes us entirely different people in heart, spirit, mind, and all our powers, and brings the Holy Spirit with it.
Faith is a vital, deliberate trust in God’s grace, so certain that it would die a thousand times for it. And such confidence and knowledge of divine grace makes us joyous, mettlesome, and merry toward God and all creatures.”
Where do you see the Holy Spirit transforming our life together as God’s people in Blue Church?
How is faith sustaining you and providing you with the assurance of God’s eternal love? Do you know someone with whom you can share that message?
Read Acts 1: 6-8
“It is not for you to know the time and the season…”
This verse is about one of the most difficult things for us to do–wait… Wait for it to happen in God’s time-not ours. We are prayerfully considering all of the options for our future ministry. We listen for God’s direction. We look for signs from those He has placed around us. We pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit about what ministries we can offer to engage others in worship and service to our community.
Waiting is an important part of our spiritual life. It is a time to grow, to heal, to renew and to explore. It is also a time when we receive guidance, spiritual insight and opportunities for new ministry. Spring is also a time of waiting as we approach a season of growth and renewal in the Easter resurrection season. We look around us and see new growth in our flower beds and in our own lives. But for now we must wait for the darkness of unknown to pass and the Light of the World to shine in with new opportunities .
New Beginnings: Peter- A Life Transformed Many Times Matt 16:16-20; 26:69-75; Acts 11 & 12
Peter’s journey in faith was a multi touch point with God and perhaps may even be seen as a “roller coaster ride”
Call to be a “fisher” of men ( Fishing meant bringing justice or wisdom (Luke 5)
His name change from Simon Peter to Cephas ( Peter or The Rock John 1:35-42)
His presence at the transfiguration (Luke 9:28)
His denial at Pilot’s court (Luke 22:54-64))
His fishing trip after the crucifixion (John 21)
His witness to Cornelius (Acts 1:8)
His release from prison chains (Acts 12)
His separation from the Jews (Acts 12)
His witnessing to Gentiles (1 Peter)
New Beginnings: Saul – A Life Transformed Instantly Acts 9:1-9
Paul was blind but with the help of the Holy Spirit he saw the light of salvation and became an apostle to the Gentiles bringing God’s blessings beyond the Jews
Pharisee Saul of Tarsus who persecuted the Christians becomes the Apostle Paul (Acts 9)
Paul is stoned by Jews and dragged out of the city as dead (Acts 14:19
Paul separates from Barnabas and goes to Antioch to teach Gentiles (Acts 15:22)
Paul & Silas are imprisoned but they pray and sing hymns until an earthquake occurs They escape (Acts 16:19-34)
Paul travels to Jerusalem, enters the temple, is beaten and arrested. He testifies to his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 21-22)
Paul defends himself to King Agrippa who finds him innocent ((Acts 25-26)
Paul leaves, is shipwrecked by a storm at Malta then sails to Rome (Acts 27-29)
New Beginnings: C.S. Lewis, 20 C Author
We read in the Bible numerous stories of lives transformed by interactions with God (Moses or Abraham) or Jesus (Peter) but God sends the Holy Spirit to us today through people around us. C.S. Lewis was raised Protestant but after the death of his mother he drifted to atheism. He had no purpose in life and was self-centered.
Then he met Mrs. Moore, a widow with a young daughter. He generously helped support her and as a result had a spiritual awakening. His awareness and faith grew as he associated with other Christians and he finally accepted God. His life now had a purpose. He became convinced “there are no ordinary people”.
By the 1940’s he felt called by God to write and explain the Christian faith. He set up a charitable fund from his book royalties, but took great care to not identify the amounts nor recipients and the ministries it funded.
Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters and The Problem of Pain among other books.
Lewis’ new beginning came as a result of “extra-ordinary” people around him and the work of the Holy Spirit through those people. They were friends, colleagues and even a landlord who changed the course of his life. There are no “ordinary people”.