TVCC Students,
Wow! The holidays were a whirlwind and it seems like we barely blinked and now its almost February. We sure hope that you are having a wonderful new year and that you are enjoying sweet time with your Savior. With the crazy weather and some sicknesses in our house, I am a little behind on these LifePoints. Since both last week and this week flow together really well, I thought I would just give you the key points in one post =). These past two weeks Sonny has been teaching from John 13. It has been so convicting for me to be reminded of our Lord's humility as He walked this earth. Here are the main points from the past two weeks...
John 13
~13:1: Jesus was ready to do what He had ultimately come for. Him loving us "to the end" is a phrase that means that He loved us fully and completely. He came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45) and give His life so that we might be brought back to the Father. His whole life was a life of service to the Father and others.
Q: If someone was to look at your life entirely would they say that about you? Is your life modeled after the life of Jesus? Are you continually putting aside your interests and submitting yourself to the Father while serving others so that Jesus might be glorified?
~13:2: The devil entered Judas. Though Judas was not a believer we need to realize that ungodly influences are present everywhere and constantly vying for control of our lives. If we are not in continual communion with Jesus, we will be swayed by the world and become ineffective for the kingdom of God. Remember that our adversary prowls around, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Q: Are you having consistent intentional time with the Lord (through prayer, reading the Word and fellowship) where you are seeking to be led by Him and not by the world or are you letting the world influence the course of your life?
~13:3-5: Jesus was able to serve others because He knew the Father, He knew where He had come from and where He was going. We cannot serve others if we do not know these things. Only when we realize how great the Lord is and what He has done for us (and what He has in store for us in eternity) can we truly serve others with purity and selflessness as Jesus did. We must have our identity completely in the Lord before we will have the heart to serve as Jesus did.
Q: Do you realize the grace that has been given to you through the death and resurrection of Christ on your behalf? Do you realize the magnitude of the Cross- that Christ endured the wrath of God on your behalf? Do you realize that this life is short and it is just a bleep in eternity where we are called to serve others and bring glory to the Lord? Let these things motivate you to love as you have been loved (Ephesians 5:2)?
~13:6-10: Peter's heart was not in the right place. He knew that if Jesus, the King of Glory, was washing his feet, he would be called to do the same. In this weak moment, Peter was giving into the flesh, not wanting to live the life of service that Jesus was demonstrating. After Jesus rebukes him, Peter's heart is brought back and he again affirms that he will follow Jesus where ever that leads. Jesus reminds them that though we are "clean" in Him, we will at times need to come to Him to be cleansed from the filth of the world.
Q: When was the last time that you had a moment like Peter where you didn't want to serve as Jesus was calling you? How quick were you to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit? What changes would be helpful to help you respond differently next time?
Q: How often are you coming to Jesus to be "cleansed" from the filth of the world? Are you spending time in His presence daily?
~13:11-16: Jesus calls those claiming to be His disciples to do as He has done. We are called to live as servants as Christ served us. Colossians 3:12-14 gives us a description as to how we are to live. As Christ forgave and loved us, so should we forgive and love others.
Q: In what ways can your love for others grow? Who is one person that you are having trouble forgiving and/or loving? We encourage you to pray for that person and ask the Lord to give you His heart for them.
~13:17: We are blessed not just if we hear the Word but if we DO the Word. James 1:22 also calls us to be doers of the Word of God.
Q: In what areas of your life are you just a "hearer" and not a "doer?" What steps are you going to take this week to become a "doer?"
~13:31-33: Jesus knows that He is about to be led to the Cross and then be glorified. Again, Jesus knowing the glory that was coming to Him at the resurrection was able to endure the Cross. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that knowing the joy set before Him, Christ endured the shame of the Cross. We are called to be like Jesus in this. Knowing the brevity of this life and the joy coming to us in eternity, we are called to serve as our Lord did.
Q: What are some things that keep your mind set on things of earth and not heavenly things? What changes can you make in your life to have a more eternal mindset this week?
~John 13:34-35: The world will know that our love for Jesus is genuine when we love others as we have been loved. We cannot say this enough (and Jesus said it a lot too) that your love for others speaks loudly of your love for Christ. If you cannot love others, people will not see Christ in you.
***Romans 12:9-21 is a great depiction of what our love for others should look like. Our love for others should...
1. Not be hypocritical. (it should be genuine... don't confess love for people then speak poorly about them later)
2. Hate what is evil in them (gently bring conviction to fellow believers when sin in seen in them... letting them remain in sin is not love).
3. Love what is good in them (praise others for the good seen in them)
4. Put their needs above ours.
5. Not be lazy (diligently be looking for ways to love others).
6. Hope for the best.
7. Be patient during hard times (don't be quick to get out of a friendship when it gets hard... hang in there... love endures).
8. Be prayerful.
9. Be giving.
10. Extend even to our enemies.
11. Rejoice when God blesses.
12. Weep when God takes away.
13. Be impartial (love both the rich in this world and the poor).
14. Not be arrogant.
15. Not be revengeful.
16. Be peaceable (do your best to make peace with others).
17. Not be overcome with evil.
18. Be unto the Lord (trust God to make all wrongs right).
Q: In what ways are you falling short of the above list? Who have you failed to show Christ-like love to this week? We encourage you to confess that to the Lord and to that person.
Dear students,
We are thankful to be able to worship with you every Wednesday and to continue to see so many of you growing in your love for te Lord. It is so refreshing to see the Lord growing and changing you. We pray that you will spend intentional time with the Lord this week and that you will make the changes that He calls you to make through the power of the Spirit. We love you and are praying for you today and this week.
With hope,
Sonny and Casi
