Saturday, January 20, 2018

COP 2018 BIBLE STUDY & HOME CELL WEEK 3

THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST – 2018 BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE
WEEK 3 – SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 21, 2018.

TOPIC: REMAIN IN ME (GET CONNECTED)

Review of Previous Week’s Lesson (5 Minutes)
a. What did you learn last week?
b. How did you apply it to your life?

Main Text: John 15:1-10
Memory Verse: I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5

Introduction
The Old Testament uses the vineyard as a symbol to describe Israel, the people of God (Isa. 5:1-7; 27:2-6). God always expected fruitfulness from them as His treasured possession, but their failure to remain obedient to Him always caused Israel to be fruitless. In some cases, they produced wild fruits that displeased God and made Him angry. In this passage, however, Jesus describes himself as the True Vine and the disciples as the branches. To bear the right kind of fruit of a tree, the branches on which that fruit hangs must get connected to the tree. It is only when we get glued to Christ that we can produce His nature.

Questions for Discussion
1. Who is described in the passage as the True Vine? Verse 1
2. What is the source of fruitfulness of the branches? Verse 4
3. How do you understand the statement “Apart from Me, you can do nothing”? Verse 5
4. What will you do to ensure your life is fruitful to God?
5. In what ways can we get connected to Christ?

Conclusion
God, the Master Craftsman, created each one of us for good works (Eph. 2:10) which are godly. Since He created us, we can only truly know and accomplish His purpose for our lives on earth if we remain connected to Him. Jesus, who is God incarnate, therefore becomes the only source of our existence and meaning in life. People can toil for material possessions on earth but these things are meaningless if they do not glorify God. Jesus says, “Apart from Me you can do nothing”. This means that anything we can do is equal to NOTHING if we are not connected to Christ. We, therefore, have to make every effort to remain in Him so that our works will be fruitful.

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THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST – 2018 HOME CELL OUTLINE
WEEK 3 – SUNDAY EVENING, JANUARY 21, 2018.

TOPIC: DO NOT WORRY

Review of Previous Week’s Lesson (5 Minutes)
a. What did you learn last week?
b. How did you apply it to your life?

Main Text: Matthew 6:25-34
Memory Verse: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. – Philippians 4:6

Introduction
Worry is like slow poison and if not checked can lead to serious health challenges. It is the state of being troubled over an actual event or a potential one and may lead to stress, high blood pressure and depression. According to the World Health organization (WHO), worry leading to stress is one of the leading causes of death in the world today. Jesus took His time to list some of the things that we ought not to worry about in life. As Christians, we are blessed to have the Son of God who has full knowledge of the past, present and future; He is our Teacher and Instructor. Let us take note of Jesus’ teaching on worry in today’s passage.

Questions for Discussion
1. What does it mean to worry?
2. What does Jesus mean when He says we should not worry about life? Verse 25
3. How can we do away with worry and actually receive that which we ask from God? Verse 33
4. How different is Jesus’ statement that we should not worry about life from apathy and idleness?
5. Discuss briefly, with an example, how you have disobeyed this command from the Lord.

Conclusion
It is clear from today’s study that no matter how much we worry, we cannot add anything to our lives. Jesus expects us not to worry about life. This is because He is our source of life. The worries of life will destroy us if we do not deal with them. God’s sure guarantee for our daily provision is to first seek His Kingdom and righteousness. This is the surest way to do away with worry and receive our needs from the Lord. It needs to be understood that, Jesus is not advocating for a life of idleness and apathy. Rather, He expects us not to be excessively preoccupied with this life.

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READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR GUIDE

Week 3 (Sunday 21st to Saturday 27th January, 2018)      

  1. Sunday:          Genesis 46-47
  2. Monday:         Genesis 48-50
  3. Tuesday:        Exodus 1-4    
  4. Wednesday:   Exodus 5-7
  5. Thursday:      Exodus 8-10  
  6. Friday:           Exodus 11-13
  7. Saturday:       Exodus 14-16

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COP 2018 BIBLE STUDY & HOME CELL WEEK 2

THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST – 2018 BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE
WEEK 2 – SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 14, 2018.

WE CARE DAY
TOPIC: THE WEIGHTIER MATTERS

Review of Previous Lesson (5 Minutes)
a. What did you learn from the previous lesson?
b. How did you apply it to your life?

Main Text: Matthew 23:23
Memory Verse: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8

Introduction
This study brings out clearly the fact that we cannot serve God on our own terms. Faithfulness in service comes through knowing and doing His will. The Pharisees were so particular about tithing that they tithed on everything including spices (mint, anise and cumin); thus, they took pride in counting and tithing. On the other hand, matters of the law that Jesus described as weightier were of little concern to them. In today’s study, we shall examine what these weightier matters are and how we can attend to them just as we do to other matters.

Questions for Discussion
1. How did the Pharisees tithe and what had they neglected? Verse 23a
2. What was the problem with the approach of the Pharisees? Verse 23b
3. What advice did Jesus give the Pharisees on tithing? Verse 23
4. What are the weightier matters and why do people often neglect them?

Conclusion
Tithing on garden spices required a great deal of work but the Pharisees were ready to do it. Meanwhile, issues of justice, mercy and faith which were basic to the law had been neglected (Mic. 6:8). Jesus referred to these as weightier matters because they constitute the spirit of the law (Matt 22:35-40). Also, they touch on the purpose of the law – man’s responsibilities toward God and fellow humans. (Zec. 7:9; Ro 13:8). Faith is towards God while justice and mercy are our responsibilities to mankind (Gal 5: 14, 1 Tim. 1:5). Tithing is important, but it must be practised alongside justice, mercy and faith. Failure to do so makes religion pointless and the observance of rites and ceremonies meaningless (Hos. 6: 6, Prov. 21:3, Isa. 1:13-17). Christ expects us to pay attention to the weightier matters in our daily lives while still attending to other issues such as tithing.

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THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST – 2018 HOME CELL OUTLINE
WEEK 2 – SUNDAY EVENING, JANUARY 14, 2018.

TOPIC: TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE POOR AND VULNERABLE

Review of Previous Lesson (5 Minutes)
a. What did you learn from the previous lesson?
b. How did you apply it to your life?

Main Text: Mark 12:38-40
Memory Verse: Don’t take advantage of the poor just because you can; don’t take advantage of those who stand helpless in court. – Proverbs 22:22 (GNT)

Introduction
The way we treat our fellow humans in society is a measure of our love and reverence for God. This study highlights how we should relate with others, especially the weak and helpless. One of the major themes of the Bible is the manner in which people take advantage of the vulnerable. The Pharisees were guilty of this shameful act. They pretended to have interest in the welfare of widows. They convinced them to commit the management of their properties to them as trustees, only to defraud them. Are such practices prevalent in our society today? Do religious leaders twist scriptures to cheat the poor and vulnerable? In this study, we shall examine how people plunder the easily deceived, poor and needy under the cloak of religion.

Questions for Discussion
1. How did the Pharisees behave? Verse 38-39
2. What did the Pharisees do to the widow’s? Verse 40, Matt. 23:14
3. How do you understand the phrase “devouring widows’ houses”? Verse 40
4. In what ways do some religious leaders defraud the poor and needy of their possessions?
5. How can we refrain from taking advantage of others in the body of Christ?


Conclusion
The Pharisees offered long prayers to impress people of their extraordinary piety, and to win support for their religious duties. Jesus condemned this hypocrisy (Matt. 23:14). Defrauding the vulnerable under the guise of helping them through prayers, counselling or consultancy service is akin to “devouring widows’ houses”. Also, playing on the emotions of the poor and manipulating people to give is similar to the extortion practised by the Pharisees (Prov. 22:22). Religious leaders must avoid personal interest in dispensing services to the poor, vulnerable and helpless in society (Phil. 2:3-5; Jas. 3:15). Also, we must use the right methods, exercise great sensitivity and strike the right balance in raising funds to support church projects.

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READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR GUIDE

Week 2 (Sunday 14th to Saturday 20th January, 2018)     
  1. Sunday:          Genesis 26-28
  2. Monday:         Genesis 29-30
  3. Tuesday:        Genesis 31-33
  4. Wednesday:   Genesis 34-36
  5. Thursday:      Genesis 37-39
  6. Friday:           Genesis 40-42
  7. Saturday:       Genesis 43-45

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