HOME BIBLE STUDY

PRACTICING THE ART OF LIVING SUCCESSFULLY

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There is a story in the Bible about a fool. It is a disturbing story in that it is about one man’s success. What is even more disturbing about it is that he is not a lazy man, but is very willing to work long days as he looks forward to the day when he can retire and enjoy all the benefits of his hard work. This is not a man who puts his faith in winning the lottery. This is not a man whose hope is that maybe one of his rich relatives will leave him money in their will. No, this is a man who is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get down and do some hard work. Now I need to break away from our story to tell you of another person.
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I would like you to meet Prudence. She walks through the streets and market places. You can find her there beside you when your are working in the barn, or in the field, or at the carpenter’s shop and even in the office. Some have met her while sitting in the pub, others have encountered her while lying sick in a hospital bed or standing silently at the grave of a loved one. She alone knows the answers to life’s most puzzling questions. She alone knows you will have long life and who will die young. It is said that she carries long life in her right hand and wealth and honour in her left. it is also said that every path she points to leads only to peace. Who is Prudence - you tell me - if you have lived life at all you have met her. She stood with you at your baptism. She was with you at your confirmation. She stood beside you when you exchanged vows with your beloved. Her name is Prudence - she is the wisdom of God.
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She walks through the streets and in the market places, and is here this morning, pleading with people to turn from their foolish ways and find not only instruction on how to live life, but also find security for your soul in her.
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But let us return to our story that we began with. He was, as already noted, a hard worker, a man not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get busy. He lived for the day when he could take life easy, just eat, drink and be merry. He worked every waking hour. he never gave any thought to God. He never went to public worship, he was either to busy working or needed to rest so he could work.
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One night, as he went to bed, tired from the long day’s work in the heat and humidity, as he lay there, he began to make some plans. This year promiseda bountiful harvest. All his hard work would pay off. First, he would need to knock down his barns and build bigger ones. Then when all was stored away, he would take life easy, eat, drink and be merry. As he slept, God called him home. His death was sudden. He was, as the Bible says, "a fool’. He never gave any thought about God or eternity. I wonder who got to enjoy all of the things this hard working man had prepared for himself. He never ever thought about the future .... I think the word might be prudent.
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M. LUKE 12:13-21 >>>>>>>THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL
T. LUKE 16:1-19 >>>>>>>>GOD KNOWS THE HEART'S THOUGHTS
W. LUKE 16:19-31 >>>>>>>THE RICH MAN AND THE POOR MAN.
T. LUKE 17:11-19 >>>>>>>>ONLY ONE IN TEN ARE THANKFUL
F. LUKE 21:1-4 >>>>>>>>>A POOR WIDOW’S OFFERING
S. LUKE 18:1830 >>>>>>> CHOOSING WEALTH OVER WISDOM.

Home Bible Study

A HOME BIBLE STUDY

A SIMPLE, SUCCINCT, STRATEGIC PLAN FOR LIFE

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I am sure that most of us have been angry at some point in our lives? Maybe someone lied to you, or did something to you, or maybe it was something they didn’t do that caused you to "lose your cool." It might interest you to know that the Bible teaches us that it is alright to be angry. There are appropriate times to be angry. like when a drunk driver kills someone. However we are not to commit ‘sin’ in our anger and we are not to let the sun go down on our anger.

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It was the blazing anger of Wilbur Wilberforce against the slave trade and of Lord Shaftesbury against the deplorable conditions in which men, women, and especially children worked in during the nineteenth century. Such anger is appropriate and easily defended. However, selfish anger is always wrong. Being angry, bad-tempered and irritable for the sake of being so is a position not easily defended. Step one of the simple, succinct plan for life - get rid of anger. And do not misrepresent the truth - no lying. To do so allows the devil to enter into your life and bring pandemonium and chaos. Step 1 - banish anger.
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Also, do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay and do not steal from your employer. Work in such away that not only will you have money, but you will have enough so as to share with others. Step 2 - be kind and generous.
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When you speak to others, chose your words most carefully. Use only words that build other people up. The words we choose to use, can often cut others to the bone, leaving them scarred for life. Chose your words most carefully, so that they may not only sound graceful, but are full of grace to those to whom you speak them to. Remember, there are no ‘unused" words. Step 3 -Encourage.
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Remember that grudge you have been holding for such a long time. It only serves to make you bitter. It hurts you more that it does the person you are angry with. It only serves to make you bitter and full of wrath. Again the devil is having a field day. It is you who will be filled with the poison of malice and spitefulness. Step 4 - Banish all selfish anger, bitterness, malice and spitefulness from your life today. Do not give the devil even a foothold.
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Practice ‘strategic kindness’ to everyone you meet. Be specific when practicing kindness. Ask God to "tenderize" your heart. Pray that God empowers you with the Holy Spirit to practice forgiveness remembering that God has already forgiven you. Step 5 - be Christ’s minister of reconciliation, not destruction.
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Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Step 6 - as a Christian you are called to live a life of light and love - as an ambassador for Jesus Christ - not as an embarrassment.
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M. EPHESIANS 4: ..........................LIVING AS CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT
T. EPHESIANS 5:1-21 ....................LIVING LIFE AS MATURE CHRISTIANS
W. 2ND CORINTHIANS 5:11-21 ....LIVING AS MINISTERS & AMBASSADORS
T. ROMANS 12:1-16 ........................OFFERING OURSELVES TO GOD.
F. GALATIANS 5;16-26 .................LIVING BY THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT.
S. COLOSSIANS 3:1-17 ...................TWELVE STEPS TO HOLY LIVING.

HOME BIBLE STUDY

BREAKING BREAD BETWEEN BROTHERS & SISTERS

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The Sixth Chapter of the Gospel of John is the longest chapter in this Gospel, totaling seventy-one verses in all. The events this chapter covers probably happened in less than a twenty-four hour period. During this twenty four hour period, Jesus miraculously fed over five thousand people. He also spent time alone with God in prayer, and also walked on the waters of the Sea of Galilee. He also taught a lesson in the synagogue and his topic was "The Bread of Life."
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Within this twenty four hour period, the great crowds of people who came to hear , see and touch Jesus first determined that he was their new ‘king’ and were about to take him by force and crown him. Following his lesson on ‘The Bread of Life, many of these same people, who only minutes were willing to hail Jesus as King, would just as quickly reject him, for he was claiming to be the Bread of Heaven - which was a ludicrous claim and made him guilty of blasphemy.
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The Gospel according to John is a book about signs, wonders and miracles. There are seven miraculous signs which point to Jesus as the Messiah, (1) turning water into wine - ch.2:1-11, (2) healing of a nobleman’s son - ch. 4:46-54, (3) healing of a lame man- ch. 5:1-9, (4) feeding of five thousand - ch. 6:1-14, (5) Jesus walking on water - ch. 6:15-21, (6) healing of a blind man - ch. 9:1-11, and (7) raising Lazarus from the dead - ch.11:1-14. There is an 8th miraculous sign where Jesus produces a miraculous catch of fish, however this miracle occurs after his resurrection, and encompasses all of the 7 previous miracles, which in themselves make for an interesting Bible Study.
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Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel also begins what are known as the "Great I Am’s" where Jesus proclaimed Himself : (1) I am the Bread of Life - ch. 6:35, (2) I am the Light of the world - ch. 8:12, (3) I am the door (to eternity -ch. 10:9, (4) I am the Good Shepherd - ch.10:11, (5) I am resurrection and the life - ch. 11:25, (6) I am the way, the truth and the life - ch. 14:6, and (7) I am the true vine -ch.15:5.
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This week we are going to look at chapter six of John’s Gospel because it teaches us about how the people embraced Jesus because of his miracles, especially the feeding of the five thousand, where Jesus them began making cliams for himself as being the bread of heaven. That caused people to fall away. Just as soon as Jesus began making this absurd statement, the people began to grumble among themselves and ask themselves "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can he say "I came down from heaven? The ‘Jews’ is John’s Gospel is commonly used to describe the religious leaders who opposed Jesus at every opportunity. Many people are often uncomfortable with John’s use of the term ‘Jews, however John himself was Jewish, so he cannot be accused of being an anti-semite
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M. JOHN 6:1-15 -------------JESUS FEED FIVE THOUSAND PLUS PEOPLE
T. JOHN 6:16-24 -----------JESUS WALKS ON THE SEA OF GALILEE
W. JOHN 6:25-51 -----------JESUS CLAIMS THAT HE IS THE BREAD OF LIFE
T. JOHN 6: 52-59 ----------JESUS FACES OPPOSITION IN THE SYNAGOGUE
F. JOHN 6:60-71 -----------JESUS DISCIPLES EVEN BEGIN TO DESERT HIM.
S. JOHN 6:1-71 --------------A DAY IN THE LIFE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

HOME BIBLE STUDY

BREAKING BREAD BETWEEN BROTHERS & SISTERS

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Isaac born - Ishmael banished

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Of all the miracles recorded in the Gospels, there is only one miracle that is recorded in all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That miracle is the Feeding of the Five Thousand - which doesn’t count the women and the children who must have been there. Counting them, some estimate the number could be closer to ten thousand - which is, anyway you look at it - a lot of people.
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Then there is another miracle that only Matthew and Mark record and that is The Feeding of Four Thousand. Some think that both these miracles are the same, but on closer inspection they are very different, each serving a different purpose.
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The Feeding of the 5000 occurred at a place called Bethsaida, which is on the Sea of Galilee, and the word that is translated ‘basket’ means what we might consider a ‘lunch box’ as the orthodox Jew carried around such a basket so that they would always have ‘kosher’ or undefiled food to eat. In this story it is a young boy who has 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish. There were twelve basketsful of pieces of bread gathered up and the reason for the 12 baskets is simply that each disciple would have their own lunch box (basket) with them.
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Also the grass was green which means it was late spring when this happened and Jesus then had the people sit down in groups. This miracle shows us how Jesus saw the people’s need and met both their physical and spiritual hunger.
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The Feeding of the Four Thousand occurred at a place called Decapolis, which was on the other side of the lake known as the Sea of Galilee. This area was Gentile territory. The baskets used in this story were much bigger and there were only seven baskets of pieces of bread gathered up afterwards. Perhaps the reason for such a large crowd - remember only the men were counted - was that Jesus had been there before and healed the man Legion, who then went and told everyone about this man Jesus and how he healed him.
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In this feeding the grass is no longer green, as the people sat on the ground, indicating that it is late summer / early fall and the grass has withered and the ground hard and bare because of the heat and dryness of the past summer.
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The key to both miracles rests on the two different words that are translated into our word ‘basket’. In the 5000 Miracle Feeding the word used translates into the Jewish Lunch box type basket, and in the 4000 Miracle Feeding the word used means simply a ‘large wicker basket. According to William Barclay, these two different types of baskets show us how Jesus first went to the Jewish people and then later went to the Gentile people. In both instances, Jesus offered himself as the Bread of Life, showing compassion to both Jew and Gentile. Christ died for all people. We share in his one, sufficient, and perfect oblation.
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M. MARK 6:30-44 ..................THE FEEDING OF FIVE THOUSAND
T. MARK 8:1-13 .......................THE FEEDING OF FOUR THOUSAND
W. MATTHEW14:13-22 .........THE FEEDING OF FIVE THOUSAND
T. MATTHEW 15:29-39 ........THE FEEDING OF FOUR THOUSAND
F. LUKE9:10-17 .......................THE FEEDING OF FIVE THOUSAND
S. JOHN 6:1-13 .........................THE FEEDING OF FIVE THOUSAND

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