“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”  1 Timothy 6:3-10 GENERAL PRINCIPLES1. This passage puts forward two systems of thought: • “the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.3) • “unhealthy craving” (v.4) which leads to controversies and quarrellings (mere speculation)“I call piety that reverence joined with love of God which the knowledge of his benefits induces. For until men recognize they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his Fatherly care, that he is the Author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him-they will never yield willing service.”  John Calvin, The Institutes of Christian Religion, I-2-12. Godliness with contentment is great gain…(“fills your life with wonderful things) vs. ruin and destruction”…(ruinous living) “For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”  Proverbs 1:32-33“Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”  Proverbs 8:34-363. Happy living is a result of proper desires yoked under the Lordship of Christ. Destructive living is a result of living with ungoverned desires.Those whose lives led to ruin and destruction had “unhealthy cravings” (v.4), materialistic desires that defined them (v.9), and a “craving”/insatiable yearning for money which caused them to wander from the faith and be pierced with many sorrows.Therefore: we must constantly renew our minds, plead for the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, and seek for continual renewal before the Lord.4. Everyday is a battle in a world that in many cases is bitterly opposed to the standards of the Father and his kingdom.“Every day of our lives, as we get closer to our deaths, we head away from the treasures we accumulate on Earth. But if we store up our riches in Heaven, every day brings us closer to them. That’s why Jesus wants us to let go of much of our stuff and walk with arms wide open toward eternity. Think of treasures as having mass and, therefore, gravity. Gravity holds things in orbit around that mass. The larger the mass we accumulate-the more treasures we store up on Earth–the greater its gravitational pull on us. But consider this: the more we invest in eternal and therefore the less power they have to hold us in their orbit.”  Randy Alcorn, Giving is the Good Life, p.55APPLICATION1. The bullseye/core/heart of living the good life is to behold the wonder and goodness of Jesus. “Helping broken people treasure Jesus.”2. The worldly system, unchecked, can pull our emotions into the abyss of ruin and destruction.“Attempting to experience the abundant life Jesus spoke of while burying ourselves in material abundance isn’... Speaker: Buster Brown

“As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”  Timothy 1:3-16 The theme of 1 Timothy is that the gospel of grace leads to practical, visible change in the lives of those who believe (stewards). The gospel, in contrast to false teaching (speculation), will always lead to an observable lifestyle characterized by love which comes from a pure heart, clear conscience, and sincere faith (v.5). STEWARDS• They are grounded in Scripture.“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:2-3 • They embrace life-giving, enhancing, healthy doctrine.“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”  2 Timothy 1:13“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.”  Proverbs 3:1-2• They have a life that constantly desires the reality of verse 5. SPECULATORS (those who are idle, yet question everything) • They swerve and wander from the truth.“‘There is no such thing as truth’ they teach even the little ones. ‘Truth is bondage. Believe what seems right to you. There are as many truths as there are individuals. Follow your feelings. Do as you please. Get in touch with yourself. Do what feels comfortable.’ Those who speak in this way prepare the jails of the 21st century. They do the work of tyrants.”  Michael Novak, The Templeton Prize Address as published in “First Things,” 9/1994, p.21“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers”  Psalm 1:1• They are known for vain discussions which misuse the Law of God, making it a point of boasting, thus using the Law to underscore their goodness, instead of receiving it as that which convicts of sin. (Romans 3:20)• Their speculative approach to truth produces “shipwrecks” (vv.19-20). “holding fai... Speaker: Buster Brown

“Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness,’ and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’ So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.”  1 Corinthians 3:16-231. The foundational truth: maturity in the stewardship of life (Christian living) occurs as we rejoice in the mercy and power of the cross. (Chapters 1:23-25, 2:2-5, 3:1-9)“To assume the gospel is the first step to losing the gospel. An assumed gospel leaves the message of the gospel unspoken and implicit. Assuming the gospel is a lazy forgetfulness that we are in a battle. Don’t let the fact that you attend a good church or are involved in a good Christian organization lull you into thinking you don’t have to worry about the gospel. The battle against assuming the gospel is ongoing and lifelong.”  J. Mack Stiles, Marks of the Messenger, p. 40-412. The hyper-caffeinated jolt to the believer’s system. (v.10-12) There is only one foundation, Jesus Christ and him crucified, but there are two types of builders and two types of building materials. Therefore we should resolutely and intentionally build on the foundation of Christ. 3. Be very careful…• Carefulness and a sober warning (v.16-17)“The ways of destroying the church are many and colorful. Raw factionalism will do it. Frank heresy will do it. Taking your eyes off the cross and letting other, more peripheral matters dominate the agenda will do it-admittedly, more slowly than frank heresy, but just as effectively on the long-haul…entertaining people to death, but never fostering the beauty of holiness or the centrality of self-crucifying love will build an assembly of religious people, but it will destroy the church of the living God. Gossip, prayerlessness, bitterness, sustained biblical illiteracy, self-promotion, materialism-all of these things and many more can destroy a church.”  D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry, pp. 83-84“...for, in my classes (at Northwestern University), so called ‘good students’ abounded. My best guess is that they didn’t get it (the meaning of literature), because they don’t feel the need to elevate their lives above worldly success and material comfort.”  Jeffrey Epstein, article in “First Things,” 3/2022• True wisdom. “He who is perceived as a fool because he is wise in Christ (v.18) is one who renounces his own understanding, allows himself to be directed by the Lord, as if with his eyes shut-who distrusting himself, leans wholly on the Lord, places his whole wisdom in him, and yields himself up to God in obedience. It is necessary that the wisdom of the world should in this way vanish in order that the will of God may have authority over us, and that we be emptied of our own understanding that we may be filled with the wisdom of God.”  John Calvin, Commentary on 1 Corinthians, p. 144-145 • How faith in Jesus answers the “Five Tyrannies” of Life. (v.21-23) QUESTIONS:1. Why is this statement by Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living”, dependent upon your life’s mirror?2. Why does 1 Corinthians 3:10-12 serve as a hyper-caffeinated jolt to your body?3. What do people mean when they say, “that is my truth” or “that is your truth”? Why is that an unclear and false statement?4. Why did the professor of literature say about his students... Speaker: Buster Brown

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”  1 Corinthians 3:10-15The attitude/mindset of the believer who builds on the one foundation of Christ with gold, silver and costly stones, says:1. I affirm that the way of the Lord is good.“But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.”  1 Corinthians 2:7“The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.”  Proverbs 14:11 “I call piety that reverence joined with love of God which the knowledge of his benefits induces. For until men recognize they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his Fatherly care, that he is the Author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him-they will never yield willing service.”  John Calvin, The Institutes of Christian Religion, I-2-12. I grow in maturity as I continually rejoice in the cross-work of Christ and apply that reality to all of life.3. I realize that life is brief and the Day is coming (v.13).4. I know that “Only God gives the growth” (v.7)...”No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is (only) Jesus Christ” (v.11).5. I am very careful regarding how one builds on this foundation. (1 Corinthians 6:19, Romans 14:7-9)“Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”  Luke 8:18“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”  Hebrews 3:12 “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”  1 Corinthians 10:12 6. There is a glorious reward for faithfulness (v.14, Revelation 14:13)The loss suffered is not the loss of salvation, but the loss of a reward. “As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin, and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity: so will he have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come; and may be ever prepared to say, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.” Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch. 3, Article 3 Q: What hope does everlasting life hold for us?A: It reminds us that this present fallen world is not all there is; soon we will live with and enjoy God forever in the new city, in the new heaven and the new earth, where we will be fully and forever freed from all sin and will inhabit renewed, resurrection bodies in a renewed, restored creation.” New City Catechism, Question 52QUESTIONS:1. What can we do to continually press into the wonder and glory of the cross, so that we grow in joyful maturity?2. How often do you think about your death? Do most of your contemporaries live as if life will never come to an end?3. What is “Edgar Allen Poe/Herman Melville/Vincent Van Gogh Syndrome”?4. What does Scripture mean in Revelation 14:13 which says, “Our works will follow us” (2 Corinthians 5:10)?5. How does this passage build anticipation and sobriety in living? Speaker: Buster Brown

“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.”  1 Corinthians 3:1-8The problem with the church at Corinth was not that they failed to progress in the knowledge of Christ, but that they failed to comprehend the glorious nature of the gospel of Christ for the totality of their lives. A certain group of Christians in Corinth (“infants in Christ”) were not treasuring Jesus.“You touch upon justification by faith, the first and keenest subject of controversy between us…wherever the knowledge of it is taken away, the glory of Christ is extinguished, religion abolished, the Church destroyed, and the hope of salvation utterly overthrown.”  John Calvin’s reply to Cardinal James Sadoleto (1539) In 1 Corinthians, we are introduced to three categories of people:1. The “natural person” (2:14), the person who has no spiritual life and does not recognize the forgiveness of sins by the cross and the nature of the gospel.2. The “spiritual person” (2:12-15), or “mature person” (2:6), those who recognize the supremacy and glory of Christ, and are living in such a way that they can receive biblical truth.3. Believers who are “fleshly” or “infants in Christ.” (3:1)General Principles1. Our victory and ultimate salvation is assured in Christ, but there is an ongoing battle and our sanctification regarding growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18).2. Milk, not solid food, was required because of pride and jealousy. These “infants in Christ” had not applied and embraced the centrality of the cross and were not enthralled by the grace that comes by knowing Jesus.3. We can slip back into “infant” thinking from the point of maturity.  “The fundamental contrast in Paul’s mind is not between two quite different diets which he has to offer, but between the true food of the gospel with which he has fed them (whether milk or meat) and the synthetic substitute which the Corinthians had preferred…therefore, they do not need a change of diet, but a change of perspective.”  David E. Garland, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament“Maturation will disclose itself in a growing ability to take in more and more Christian truth (3:2). It will also show itself in a large-hearted attitude that avoids quarreling and jealousy, and refuses to sink into narrow factionalism. If some who have the capitalistic spirit are slow to display this rise in maturity, the kindest interpretation is that they are “worldly”. In these matters, they are acting like 'mere men' instead of like Christian men and women empowered by the Spirit of God.”  D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry, pp. 74-75APPLICATION1. Progress in understanding, grappling with, applying the gospel and walking in the stewardship of life is a by-product of a life centered on the glory and goodness of Christ. “The gospel signifies good, merry, glad and joyful tidings, that make a man’s heart glad and make him sing, dance and leap for joy.”  William Tyndale (1494-1536)2. To live well we must think well and, therefore, we must labor to continuously understand the gospel and all its ramificatio... Speaker: Buster Brown

“In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.”  Psalm 71:1-6 “O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt. But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.”  Psalm 71:12-21 1. The Cry for Help in the midst of difficulties, as the discipline of remembering the faithfulness of God is brought to mind. (vv.1-6,10-13)2. The Energized Cycle: • Hope continually as the goodness of the Lord is praised yet more and more. (v.14)Q: What does the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us?A: "...to draw near to God with confidence of his fatherly goodness, and our interest therein; with reverence, and all other childlike dispositions…” Westminster Larger Catechism, Q:189• To tell of God’s righteous acts and his mercies “for their number is past my knowledge”. (v.15)• To go out in the power of God. (v.16) OUTCOMES1. Having a love for the coming generations. (v.18)“Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.”  Psalm 22:30-312. Living with expectation of God’s reviving power. (vv.20-21)BUT GOD!“The life of a Christian is a perpetual warfare. For whoever who gives himself to the service of God will have no truce from Satan at any time, but will be harassed with incessant disquietude.”  John Calvin, Commentary on 2 Corinthians QUESTIONS:1. What do we mean when we say that life is filled with “battles and blessings”? How has our cultural context promoted the view that we should live in a pain-free, worry-free environment? 2. What does it mean to say, “We live in a fallen, less than perfect world and should anticipate problems this side of Heaven?”3. What did the Westminster Assembly mean when they said “We draw near to God with confidence in his fatherly goodness and our INTERESTS THEREIN”?4. How does the Energy Cycle get us outside of ourselves and give us a desire to bless the coming generations?5. How does God bring renewal to us? (v.20-21) “We need to see something of a pattern of piety for the church and for the individual Christian (in the Psalms). The pattern is this: the real and inescapable problems of life in this fallen world should lead us to prayer. Prayer should lead us to remembering and meditation on the promises of God, both those fulfilled in the past and those we trust will be fulfilled in the future. Remembering the promises of God will help us to praise him... Speaker: Buster Brown

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts 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 understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ.”  1 Corinthians 2:6-16In this passage, the apostle Paul compares and contrasts the wisdom that comes from God through his revelation, and applied by the Holy Spirit and with the wisdom of this age.The Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit1. A secret and hidden wisdom which God decreed before the ages for our glory. (v.7)“The idea of mystery indicates a secret that man cannot penetrate but which God reveals. God’s wisdom is hidden in that it has only been disclosed at the turning of the ages, in the decisive appearance of Jesus Christ…This glory awaits men in the age to come (1 Corinthians 15:43) but it also can be experienced in the present as people live out the power of the indwelling Spirit of God. (2 Corinthians 3:18)”  Curtis Vaughn and Thomas D.Lea, 1 Corinthians (Bible Study Commentary), p.352. The deep things of God are revealed to us through the Holy Spirit. (v.10)3. This wisdom is received (not discovered) by the empowering, illuminating work of the Holy Spirit to understand things freely given to us by God. (v.12)4. This revelation comes in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Holy Spirit. (v.13)5. Because of this instruction from the Holy Spirit we have the mind of Christ. (v.16) The Wisdom of This Age1. The rulers of this age and its wisdom are doomed to pass away. (v.6)2. None of the rulers of this age understood the glory that was found in Christ. (v.8)3. The natural man (the man without the Holy Spirit) does not accept the things of God because they are folly to him. (v.14) General Principles1. The Holy Spirit is the One who searches out the deep things of God in order to communicate them to God’s people. (vv.10-11)“All saving knowledge of God comes from the Spirit, enlightening the mind as IT reflects on holy Scripture…the Bible without the Spirit of God is but a lantern without a light.”  Charles Spurgeon2. The truth is revealed by the Holy Spirit and humbly received by the people of God. (vv.10,12)3. The Holy Spirit brings enlightenment as we submit to revelation so that the believer is empowered for Christian living and service. (vv.13-16)4. In understanding spiritual truth there are infants in Christ (3:1) and the mature.  APPLICATION STATEMENTS1. We sit UNDER the authority of the Bible, and have our lives shaped by revelation (Scripture).2. We are primarily oriented toward the truth (with experiences that follow) versus oriented toward experiences, which often holds to Scripture with a lack of resolute ... Speaker: Buster Brown

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”  1 Corinthians 1:18-31In his letters to the church at Corinth, Paul rejoices in the power of the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:17-18, 24; 2:4-5; 2 Corinthians 4:7; 12:9). This power is the result of understanding and applying the glory of the work of Jesus on the cross for our sins. This passage underscores the centrality of the wonder of Christ and him crucified. The church of the risen and reigning Christ must always be centered on the reality of the cross.“I fear that the cross, without ever being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy, by relatively peripheral insights that take on far too much weight. Whenever the periphery (not relating to the main, or most important, part) is in danger of displacing the center, we are not far removed from idolatry.”  D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry“They all have individual interests, of course, but the bond remains mere Christianity. What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in a state of mind I call 'Christianity And'. You know - Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian coloring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing.”  CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, XXV.By the cross I come into a saving relationship with the Living God. (1 Corinthians 1:18, 30)By the cross I see clearly (through humility) and am changed as I boast in the reality of Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:20 and following)“Over against ‘wonder-seeking Jew’ and the ‘wisdom-seeking Greek’ there is a third category, namely, Christian believers. We preach Christ crucified (v.23). Notice the contrast implied in the three verbs: Jews make 'demands' and Greeks are seeking 'wisdom'. What then is the characteristic of Christian preachers? It is neither demanding nor searching but proclaiming the gospel of Christ crucified.”  John Stott, Basic Christian Leadership “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”  CS Lewis “What we suffer from toda... Speaker: Buster Brown

"Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.' But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, 'What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.' And they said to one another, 'Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.' So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, 'Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?' And he said to them, 'I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.' Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, 'What is this that you have done!' For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, 'What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?' For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, 'Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.' Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the Lord, 'O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.' So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."  Jonah 1:1-17Openhearted Love and Closefisted Hate (1-3)Sleepy Hypocrisy and Wide-eyed Fear (4-16)Shocking Mercy and A Sign (17) The Sign of Jonah: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”  Matthew 12:39-40“Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own.”  Jonathan SwiftBig Idea: If you will see who you really are, you’ll be able to open your heart to others and to open your hands to whatever the Lord wills.QUESTIONS:1. What are some ways you see the Jonah in you from this passage? 2. Discuss a recent time you’ve resisted the Lord. Talk and meditate on the mercy He showed you in that.3. What is one way you can open your heart towards others this week, especially toward people or groups of people you haven’t loved well?4. What is one way you can open your hands to whatever God wills for you this week? Speaker: Leland Brown

"Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, 'I follow Paul,' or 'I follow Apollos,' or 'I follow Cephas,' or 'I follow Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."  1 Corinthians 1:1-17 Speaker: Buster Brown