Have you ever heard of a church mortgage burning? A Chicago publication named Quinn Chapel AME as Chicago’s oldest black church. In the spring of 2024, the 180-year old church celebrated paying their mortgage with a mortgage burning ceremony. The previous year the church had air conditioning for the first time in the building’s 131-year history.

Black churches seek to serve their communities and it takes the generosity of others to provide resources and space to serve. A local newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin told the story of another black church seeking to pay off its mortgage. The church had served the community for over 100 years and never owned their building.

God’s abundant grace moves us toward a generous lifestyle.”

Every year, churches close their doors for a variety of reasons. Finances are often a contributing factor. Generosity towards the local church is a topic that continues to need to be addressed. In our study we’ll see how God’s abundant grace moves us toward a generous lifestyle.

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MORE. That might be the best description of the human condition. It seems that no matter what we have, we still have a craving for more.

Have you given a toddler Cheerios? You set one Cheerio on the tray and a small hand reaches out to grab it, shove it into a mouth, and immediately ask for more. You get tired of placing one on the plate at a time so you set a small handful of cheerios on the tray only to watch as the toddler grabs as many as will fit into a toddler-sized hand at a time and shoves a whole fist into the mouth and immediately asks for more.

Toddlers provide good illustrations of the human mind and heart. The child is focused on more and not satisfied with enough.

We are often like toddlers. We grab what is in front of us and immediately ask for more. It may be jewelry, shoes, or other material items, but our adult reactions can be similar to those of a toddler. Before we even take full possession of something, we are already asking for more.

MORE. That might be the best description of the human condition. It seems that no matter what we have, we still have a craving for more.”

What’s the solution to this discontent?

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Scripture unfolds the “secret” of contentment, independent of circumstances and solely dependent on the person of Jesus Christ.

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During the 2024 Olympics, America celebrated winning over 120 medals. While some athletes were bold and others were boastful, McLaughlin-Lavrone is one athlete that took to the national stage displaying humility and her love for Christ.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is a world-class athlete and gold medal Olympian. She has broken her own records multiple times and by most standards, has a lot to boast about. After beating her world record the World Athletics Championship 2022, she credited God for her achievements. She was quoted as responding to her achievements with, “Praise. His. Name.” She also acknowledged the role that prayer played in her preparation and quoted Scripture on social media.

She not only credits God with her athletic accomplishes, but she also shares God’s influence in her personal life. During her engagement, she spoke of the importance her fiancés faith in God played in their relationship.

Regardless of how good you are at a task, humility is required. It is critical. Our study in Philippians 2 will show us why.

Regardless of how good you are at a task, humility is required.”

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You can tell a lot about people when you visit their home. When the mantle is lined with sports trophies and the walls are adorned with ribbons, you can tell the person is into sports. Walls covered with framed pictures of kids point to a person for whom family takes precedence.

What in our homes points to a love for Jesus? A lot of people might have a Bible on a bookshelf or a piece of artwork depicting Jesus, but those external things don’t necessarily point to a love for Jesus. But when we live for Jesus, that makes all
the difference.

Have you ever played the game Jenga? Think of godliness as the one Jenga piece apart from which the whole structure falls. Without godliness, the structure of our lives as believers falls apart.”

The Bible points us to a quality that is a critical piece of our spiritual lives: godliness. Have you ever played the game Jenga? Think of godliness as the one Jenga piece apart from which the whole structure falls. Without godliness, the structure of our lives as believers falls apart. Our study passage will point our attention toward this crucial characteristic of godliness.

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You may have heard the phrase, “The proof is in the pudding.” Dictionary.com explains that this phrase can mean that you judge something by your experience with it and that your experiences can tell you about something’s real value or truth.

Every year during awards season actors, singers, athletes, and famous personalities get up before thousands in live audiences and millions on TV to receive recognition for their achievements. Many of them open thank you speeches with, “I want to thank God for this opportunity” or “I thank God for the gift he gave me.”

Regretfully, when you look at some of their lives, there is little evidence of Christlike character. Simply saying that they love God, does not mean that they possess godly character. For many, “The proof is not in the pudding.”

Character reveals the truth about who we really are.”

Character reveals the truth about who we really are.

An ancient letter written to some believers in Christ affirms that what is needed for a character makeover is available to those who believe. While it takes some effort on our part to experience deep change, it brings lasting benefits.

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We all know what it’s like to quit something—whether it’s a hobby that doesn’t hold our interest anymore, a job that’s become too much, or even a relationship that’s lost its spark. But what about our faith? Can someone who has truly given their life to Jesus just walk away? And what happens if we mess up—does that mean we’ve lost our salvation? These are tough questions, but they’re important ones. And the Bible gives us the tools to understand what perseverance in our faith really looks like.

We all know what it’s like to quit something—whether it’s a hobby that doesn’t hold our interest anymore, a job that’s become too much, or even a relationship that’s lost its spark. But what about our faith? Can someone who has truly given their life to Jesus just walk away? And what happens if we mess up—does that mean we’ve lost our salvation? These are tough questions, but they’re important ones. And the Bible gives us the tools to understand what perseverance in our faith really looks like.”

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When I was just a young one, maybe six years old, my Sunday School teacher did something that stuck with me for life. She took off her wedding ring, placed it in my little hands, and told me, “Hold onto this ring as tight as you can.” Then, she wrapped her bigger hands around mine and asked, “Now, do you think anyone can take this ring from us?” Of course, I said, “No way!”

My teacher wanted me to understand something powerful about our salvation. Just like that ring, God holds us so tight in His hands that nothing—no one—can snatch us away. It’s not about how strong we hold on, but how strong He holds onto us. Salvation is a gift from God, and He is the one who keeps it safe, not us.

We all have moments when life gets tough, and we might start doubting, wondering if our grip on faith is slipping.”

Now, we all have moments when life gets tough, and we might start doubting, wondering if our grip on faith is slipping. we will Not so. Let’s discover how God sustains us, even in our weaknesses and doubts.

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Many schools today have debate teams. They are so popular that a movie was made about them called The Great Debaters. The purpose of a debate team is to help students with their communication and research skills. These clubs exist from grade school all the way up to the collegiate level. The students learn to use critical thinking skills while developing sound and logical arguments. Students exhibit leadership skills. The debaters expand their minds by carefully researching a subject. They spend countless hours studying to be an expert on the topic they will be arguing. They must learn the pros and cons of the topic. They use critical thinking skills in order to predict what their opponent might say. A good debater is prepared and very confident. No matter what the opposing debater might say, they will boldly stand their ground.

Stephen was a man who was very confident in his relationship with the Lord. Although he would be persecuted for his faith. He did not falter nor give in to those intending to hurt him. He had what we call “bold” faith.”

In today’s lesson, Stephen was a man who was very confident in his relationship with the Lord. Although he would be persecuted for his faith. He did not falter nor give in to those intending to hurt him. He had what we call “bold” faith.

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Social media has changed its users’ lives in unprecedented ways. We have what they call, “Influencers”. The influencers are essentially content creators who share information that affects the behaviors, attitudes, and choices of their audience. Major companies have hired them to promote their brand. For instance, if an influencer were to wear a certain clothing brand, their followers would be influenced to buy that same brand. Many of our youth and young adults visit this platform hoping to be an influencer because they can be someone they admire. They seek validation and acceptance. These influencers can drive a person to think differently. We all have seen our youth with their eyes glued to a screen, watching videos of people that they are being influenced by. These influencers sometimes have more control over a young person than their own parents. Many have put their faith in the person they see on those platforms.

As Christians, we have an influencer who is 100% right 100% of the time. Following Him will give us peace, contentment, and joy.”

As Christians, we have an influencer who is 100% right 100% of the time. Following Him will give us peace, contentment, and joy. In a world of brokenness, let us lead others to the solution. How will they hear if we keep silent?

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Many corporations do team-building exercises. It is the process of building a cohesive group that works productively together. The intended outcome is to create a strong team by forming connections and bonds. Many benefits can be derived from this. They include employee collaboration, planning expertise, motivation, trust, and increased communication. One of the most popular trust activities is the trust fall. It involves having team members fall backward into the arms of other team members. The purpose is to build trust between team members, which is an essential part of effective teams. It’s incredible that a person would fall backward with their arms crossed, completely trusting in people that they have limited knowledge of. They do this because of the other exercises that have led up to that point. They have learned how to build trust with each other.
As Christians, we do this every day. We don’t know what tomorrow may bring, or what the next minutes will bring. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart. In the words of my late father-in-law, “ALL means ALL.” We trust him to lead us in the right direction.

Many corporations do team-building exercises. It is the process of building a cohesive group that works productively together. The intended outcome is to create a strong team by forming connections and bonds. Many benefits can be derived from this. They include employee collaboration, planning expertise, motivation, trust, and increased communication. One of the most popular trust activities is the trust fall. It involves having team members fall backward into the arms of other team members.”

In today’s lesson on David, we will discover what it looks like to trust God in the most difficult situations of life.

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