CCF Weekly Services Podcast

Peter and John were used by God to heal a man who was born lame. This wasn't done by their power, but in the name of Jesus. This wasn't something they anticipated doing, but something they remained available to do as God called them. This wasn't something they did. It was something God did for the same reasons He always performs miracles. To glorify His Word to those who wouldn't hear it otherwise.

1. The miraculous life begins with prayer, understanding God's Word, and fellowship with His people.

2. Acting in Jesus' name is to properly speak and behave as if He were there.

3. God always acts in accordance with His Word. If you need a miracle, you'll get one.

Matthew 24 is one of the main chapters in scripture that discuss prophecy at length. With a complete understanding of the chapter, proper handling and application of its points elsewhere are provided.

1. The Context of Matthew 24 is a direct question about the Signs of Jesus' Return.

2. The Setting of Matthew 24 is the future.

3. The Signs of Matthew 24 are false teachers, natural disasters, and global conflict.

The ability to number your days produces a heart of wisdom. In regard to the future, this means understanding where you're going in life is much more important than what feels right to us in the present. A Godly perspective on the future consequences and rewards will motivate and inform every form of Godly living.

1. People who don't learn from their mistakes remain children perpetually.

2. You're going to have to spend more time in the future than the present.

3. God doesn't remove immediate consequences because He isn't a bad parent.

Our past shapes who we are and will continue to be. It is the perspective we have regarding our salvation by remembering the faithfulness of God. It is how we inform our relationships in the present. And it allows us to have a clear head about the future through a proper perspective of our past.

1. The past is our perspective regarding the cross and Empty Tomb.

2. The past informs our relationships through examples of faithfulness and love.

3. God can help us reconcile the hurt we've experienced in the past through remembering His promises.

The present in where our relationship with God and our fellow man are taking place. If we don't make the most of what God has given us today, there will be no yesterday worth remembering or tomorrow worth looking forward to.

1. God has given us today. He hasn't promised us a tomorrow.

2. Joy, Thankfulness, and Love are all opportunities given to us in the present.

3. Jesus is always willing to meet us where we are.

The closing words of Revelation continue the trend we've seen since the beginning of the book. With a quotation of the Old Testament, we're reminded to have high standards for what we hear from God and even higher levels of accountability for what we say about God. False teachers don't fear accountability. True followers of Jesus will consider the challenge of testing everything they hear as worth the effort if it means they know they're really hearing from their Lord.

1. False teachers don't fear accountability from God.
2. True prophets will always affirm what God's already revealed about Himself.
3. Deeper fellowship with Jesus is worth the effort of having high standards for prophecy.

Jesus' balance of character is an example He calls and equips us all to follow. This can be demonstrated through our attitudes as well as our finances. The key is to always remain available and in God's Word. Even a simple prayer for someone can be more of a witness than we realize.

1. What God does lasts forever. This is especially true in the church.
2. Our investments prove where our priorities are.
3. The abiding Christian life begins with a simple prayer. God, use me where you see fit.

The focus of prophecy is Jesus. The purpose of prophecy is revealing who Jesus is. The intention of prophecy is further appreciation of all that we have in Jesus.

1. The purpose of prophecy is to reveal who Jesus is.
2. The Bible is a self-interpreting book. Incomplete knowledge results in incomplete understanding.
3. Prophecy is the most practical aspect of personal bible study.

The early church gave us a model for how God intends to work through every generation. Teach God's Word. Remember the non-negotiables of what we believe. Remind each other of those fundamentals. And speak to God as often as you to do one another.

1. Faithfulness is long term obedience in the same direction.
2. Church is a gathering of like-minded people for the purpose of remembering and reminding one another of God's promises and purpose for us until their fulfillment.
3. God's word needs to inform our relationship with God or we will inevitably deceive ourselves into something less.

With the restoration of God and man finally complete, a series of fulfilled promises are drawn attention to representing our eternal relationship with God. In the River of Life, we see the Holy Spirit. In the Tree of Life, we see our fellowship with the Father. And in the jobs we will have to do, we will serve the Son.

1. The Tree of Life represents the fellowship with the Father we lost in Eden.
2. The River of Life represents the Fellowship with the Holy Spirit we can even enjoy today.
3. Eternal Life is knowing the Son face to face.