We need to interact with other people. Isolation is a spiritually dangerous place to be. Consider Proverbs 18:1, “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.” Here is the heart of why people isolate themselves. They are seeking their own desires. That is, they are being self-centered and not trying to engage with other people, which God wants us to do to fulfill His purposes.
In this lesson we will focus on the king and his 1) Priorities, 2) Person, and 3) Promises as we study through Colossians 3:1-4. Each hearer should understand what Colossians 3:1-4 teaches and how it relates to focusing on Christ the King
What can we do to avoid judging people based on appearances? First, when we see a new person, go up and greet them—introduce yourself. Speak to them as you would any other person with whom you have a good relationship. Presume the best of others because love “hopes all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). If we love our neighbor, our initial attitude toward the potential relationship should be hopeful and optimistic.
A friend is someone that a person can talk to without having to worry about where the information shared is going. A friend will do things that you like to do because he enjoys your enjoying it. A friend will stick with you even when times are hard. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
When we do not listen to people and get to know them as they are, this creates barriers in relationships. Barriers happen when inauthentic and selfish behavior dominates the relationship. This creates a situation where one cannot get to know another because he cannot get past the protective shell of the ego. That shell may be many things, but it prevents authentic relationships.
This lesson will introduce the first five books of the Bible, the Law of Moses. Each person will become more familiar with the first five books of the Bible.
The only way for someone to reveal their true self to us, though, is to talk to them. God reveals Himself to us by talking to us. Paul wrote, “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:11-12). We cannot know the mind of another unless that mind is revealed to us through communication.
The Holy Spirit is a person because 1) is God 2) is a Unique Person, 3) has a Unique Role. Each listener should be able to describe the Holy Spirit by the scriptures. I want to educate each listener on what the Bible teaches regarding the Holy Spirit.
In order to have self-control in our lives we must realize 1) Humans are Out of Control, 2) God is in control, 3) We Can Regain Control with Jesus and the Spirit, and 4) The Purpose of Self-Control.. OBJECTIVE: God wants us to practice self-control in our lives so that we will not be dominated by our own sinful desires and so that we will fulfill His great purposes for our lives.
The single greatest obstacle that we face in our relationships is the image that we construct of other people. Most of the time we interact with that image instead of with the actual person. Why do we do this? It is easier. That image is a product of our own creation. It is what we see of ourselves in someone else. We know it very well. After all, we made it. But this is a selfish move because we are just interacting with an image of our own creation, not the other person.
We must oppose challengers to the King: 1) Law of Moses, 2) Religious Imagination, 3) Doctrines of Men. Each person will understand that there are challengers to the King that we must reject. Each person would be aware of false religions and their influences.
Love, when properly applied, governs our behavior for, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” One’s interactions would wholly benefit from a generous application. The trick is, of course, to take the list and apply it to every thought, word, and deed. Why do we not do this?
In this lesson we will look at the song “On Zion’s Glorious Summit” and think about the meaning of the lyrics. Each person should be able to understand the lyrics and how they relate to scripture.
The Holy Spirit 1) Has Divine Attributes 2) Has a Divine Relationship, 3) is Worshipped. Each listener should be able to describe the Holy Spirit by the scriptures to educate each listener on what the Bible teaches regarding the Holy Spirit.
Life is much better when we have other people to interact with. God said, “It is not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). God made humanity a social creature, but interacting with other people can be hard.
In this lesson, we will answer the question, What is the Church? We must understand God’s original design in the creation. When we understand this, we will understand what the church is in relationship to God’s great plan to restore unity between God and man, and between man and man that each member understand God’s desire for unity in the church as the restoration of His purposes in creation.
In this lesson we will look at the lives of some good men who opposed God and draw lessons to understand that while we may oppose God, that God is willing to work with us to bring us around to His point of view and that each would be encouraged knowing that God is continuing to work with us to be His people.
Godly mothers will care for and educate their children to ensure their emotional well-being. Mothers must pay attention to their children to help them grow. Luke 2:19 says that Mary, the mother of Jesus, “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” She focused on Jesus’ and adjusted her care for him appropriately.
In this lesson we will study the great faith of the centurion in Matthew chapter 8. Each person should understand how Jesus recognized the centurion's faith for being great and why.
In this lesson we will look at the various qualities of the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31, namely, her 1) Morals, 2) Industry, and 3) Relationships. Each hearer will be able to discuss the qualities of a virtuous woman from Proverbs 31.