1/1 JOHN "Don't Miss the Point"

THIS WEEK'S PLAY LIST: YOUTUBE 

THIS WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS  Dec. 19 - 25,   Psalm 128-134

NEXT WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS  Jan. 1 - 7,  John 1:1-25

TEXT: John 1:1-25; John 20:30-31

IN A NUTSHELL: Much like today, the second century church believed they were on the brink of a new world.  The gods of Rome were fashionable, and the monotheistic teachings of Judaeo-Christianity were too narrow.  Also common to today, was a tolerance and openness to just about any religion except Christianity. It’s easy to see truths others need to accept and at the same time difficult to see truths we may be tempted to reject.

HIS LIGHT & LIFE:

  1.  What was the purpose of John writing his gospel?
  2. How many times are the words "light" and "life" used in this text? In John's gospel?
  3. What does it mean to "receive Jesus", "to believe in His name"?
  4. How did the world respond to Jesus?
  5. How did Jesus' "own" respond to Him?

HIS LIGHT IN MY LIFE:

  1.  How familiar are you with the story of Jesus?  Would you call yourself "Jesus' own"?  
  2. Looking at your lifestyle and worldview do you seem to love Jesus, His light and life or do you love the idea of "being saved" and excused from consequences?
  • Objectives - To demonstrate man’s tendency to look at surface issues while missing the deep, eternal points in life.  What does it mean to miss the point? The Life & the Light? To provide a framework for reading and studying the Gospel of John this year.    
  • Outcomes - For the worshipper to become willing to ask himself/herself: Have I missed the “light and life”?  Is it only the Jews (“his own”) that have rejected Him? For the worshipper to commit to reading the Bible reading plan.

BULLETIN BLANKS

#1 John begins and ends with “testimonies”
#2 Those in the world were created by Him, but they didn’t recognize Him.
#3 Those most familiar with God would not accept Jesus
#4 Not everyone is a child of God… only those who receive him, believe in His name.

10 Signs you may be a Secular Believer ("Playing Christian")

·         10 signs you are a secular believer!

  1.  You make major decisions without first seeking God's will. 
  2. You care more about what others think than what God thinks about you. 
  3. You tend to be led by money not by the Holy Spirit.
  4. You attend church services primarily for friendship. 
  5. You tend to dress, spend money, eat and live like pop culture. 
  6. You want God to be part of your life, not the center of it. 
  7. Your lifestyle is more selfish than selfless, more comfortable than committed, more self-seeking than God seeking. 
  8. Your life has little to no impact on others for the gospel. 
  9. You cannot identify anyone close to you that is closer to God at least in part because of your influence. 
  10.  You do not give serious consideration to how God views the way you spend your money.

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