Pursue Wisdom

God has created us to join Him in the work He is doing in this world. We can only do that if we make the most of the opportunities that are given to us. In this episode you will hear members of Bethlehem’s Worship Team read the events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus from Luke. Then Pastor Jenny Steele shares some thoughts about being willing to accept God’s call on your life.

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

We live in a pluralistic society. Because of immigration, global travel, and the internet we are aware of the variety of different religions, philosophies, and thoughts that influence the lives of people. There are some superficial similarities between different religions that make people say that they all teach the same thing and therefore are lead to God. The reality is quite different. Each of these religions make exclusive claims about truth, God, and life after death, therefore they can’t all be true.

Text: Colossians 2:6-23

Big Idea: in a world full of options keep following Jesus, the one true way to God.

Challenge: Focus on Jesus this week: (1) Attend Good Friday Service (2) Attend Easter Sunday Worship service.

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

Hell is a difficult Christian doctrine, yet Jesus taught about judgement and punishment, so it is something that Christians need to believe and understand. At the foundation of the doctrine of Hell is not a God who is vindictive and desires to see people suffer, but a compassionate God who offers people a pardon, a way of escape, from the destruction that is the future of the entire universe.

Text: Matthew 25:31-46

Big Idea: Hell is the result of not wanting Jesus to be King

Challenge: Do these two things: (1) Pray for people who need Jesus (2) Reaffirm your loyalty to Jesus.

What Happens When You Die?

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

Death is something we all face. Not only do we face the death of those we love, but eventually we will face our own death and we want to be able to do so with hope. The hope we discover in the Bible is not just about life after death, it is also about life after life after death. The Christian hope is about Jesus bringing justice and restoration to His creation and the resurrection of His faithful followers to enjoy an eternity with Him.

Text: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Big Idea: We are to live our lives right now in anticipation of spending eternity with Jesus.

Challenge: Do something that pleases Jesus. What do you need to stop doing? What is something you need to start doing? Who is someone you need to love?

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

Christians from every faith tradition believe that baptism is important. Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 taught that baptism is crucial to disciple making and therefore if we are going to be disciples of Jesus we need to be baptize. Even if we don’t understand the reason for baptism, simply being baptized out of obedience to Jesus is good enough. But baptism is a gift God has given us to give us confidence in our relationship with Him. Understanding this purpose is a great benefit as we follow Jesus.

Text: Acts 2:36-42

Big Idea: Baptism provides us with an opportunity to declare that we are all in with Jesus

Challenge: Ask God what you should do about baptism

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

One of the fundamental beliefs in Christianity is that God is good. Most of the time, when we are experiencing the good things of life, this is easy to believe, but it becomes harder to accept when we consider the reality of evil. We imagine that if we were loving and good and all-powerful we wouldn’t let bad things happen. This leads us to the conclusion that God is not good, all-powerful, or even real. This question is a crucial one to answer.

Text: Job 38:1-7

Big Idea: God addresses the problem of evil through Jesus and His faithful people.

Challenge: Resist evil by doing good.

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

We are created in the image of God. One of the implications of that reality is that our standard for right and wrong comes from God and His character. To find out about God’s character we need to turn to the Bible, which is God’s revelation to His people. The Bible is essential in forming our morality to help us become the people God created us to be.

Text: Romans 2:13-16

Big Idea: The Bible shapes the beliefs and behaviors of God’s people as we influence the world.

Challenge: Read Ephesians 5:1-21 and (1) Confess sin (2) Think of a way to show love.

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

Too often our culture makes us believe that science and faith are at odds with one another, and therefore we need to choose between them as we pursue what is true. The reality is that science and faith are not in conflict, rather, they should be viewed as tools we use to arrive at an accurate and true view of our world.

Text: Psalm 19

Big Idea: Science and religion are tools that we use to gain a better understanding of God and the world we live in.

Challenge: Read through Psalm 19 each day this week and ask God to reveal Himself to you through nature and the Bible. Himself to you through nature and the Bible.

Everyone has questions. Some questions we can find the answer with a quick search on Google. Other questions are more intimidating. Questions that surround our faith can be scary because we worry about what the answer might be and whether or not those answer will affect our faith. What ends up happening is that we ignore the question, but that question still lingers in the back of our mind.

In Asking for a Friend we want to look at a few of these questions and see if there is a way to provide an answer to them that will not only strengthen our faith, but also help us see the world through a more Christian perspective.

In the first sermon we answer the question, “Can I Trust the Bible?” This is the foundational question that must be answered before looking at any of the other answers. As Christians we want our beliefs to be rooted in Scripture, and if we can’t trust what the Bible has to say then it will be impossible to have a Christian answer to the questions that we have.

Text: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Big Idea: We can trust the Bible to give us the truth we need to live as God’s people.

Challenge: Study Philippians with me at www.paulsponderings.com

Money is necessary for life. It is what we use to get the food, clothes, shelter, transportation, and everything else that we need for life.

Because of its prevalence in our lives most of us have done something dumb with our money. It is easy to do.

The reality is most Americans are lost financially. We have too much debt and too many obligations which lead to experiencing significant financial pressure each month. We need help when it comes to money.

The Bible says too much about money for us to be lost financially. God cares about how we use our money, which means that money is a spiritual issue.

Once we know the way home, we need decide that we will take the right path. People who are wise do what they know is right. People who are foolish choose to do their own thing, even though the right way was taught to them. We want to be wise.

For us to take the way of wisdom we need to make 4 decisions. These four decisions will lead us back home and allow us to be good stewards of God’s money.

Text: Proverbs 28:26

Big Idea: To be a good steward of God’s money we need to make the decision to be different than the world.

Challenge: Take the first step to becoming a good steward by tracking your spending and creating a budget.