Knowing God: Who is God? (Chris)

Last week, we explored how "knowing God" is the primary reason we exist.  God made us to be in a relationship with God.  This raises the question, "Who is God?"  We can't have a deep and intimate connection with someone we don't know.  In this lesson, we will explore the majesty and mystery of God in the Holy Trinity.  Understanding the Trinity is much more than obscure theology -- it is essential knowledge for our life of faith.  Knowing who God is enables us to get closer to God and to be blessed by God in all aspects of life. (Based on Chapters 4-6 of Knowing God).

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Knowing God: Known by Our Unchanging God (Randy)

In this lesson, Known by Our Unchanging God, we will explore what it means to know God and be known by God, and how we can draw comfort from the fact that the God who loves us the God of all time, the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow. The lesson draws from chapters 3 and 7 of J.I. Packer's book, Knowing God.

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Knowing God: Introduction (Chris)

We introduce a new series: Knowing God, based on a book of the same title by renowned theologian J.I. Packer.  Why is it important to study God, and what characterizes people who know God?  Most of all, how to we make our faith living and active?  Discipleship is not knowing about God, it is having a purposeful and personal relationship with God.

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My Utmost for His Highest: Living Theology -- Ripple Effects (Chris)

This Sunday, Chris will conclude our series based My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  We will consider the way God works wonderfully in all of our lives.  Having been saved by Christ, the purpose of our time on earth is to grow closer to God through Christ and the Holy Spirit.  As we do so, God is able to use us for His purposes in ways that we never fully understand or appreciate.  The ripple effects of His Love then change the world.

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My Utmost for His Highest: Living Toward Sanctification (Chris)

This lesson is based on the October 20th passage from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers: What is the purpose of our lives?  Our Salvation has been won by Christ.  We are promised eternal life with Almighty God.  What about here and now?  Is life just a waiting room where we bide our time until paradise arrives?  Not according to Scripture and not based on the life of Jesus.  Sanctification is our purpose: growing closer to God and becoming more like Christ.  It is what we are asking for when we pray, "Thy will be done."  Sanctification is striving, active, living faith.  This lesson considers how to pursue it as true disciples.

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My Utmost for His Highest: What Do You Want? (Randy)

What do you want? We spend a lot of our time and mental energy trying to answer that question. Our wants and needs vary widely, but in the end, we typically want something for ourselves.  God offers a different answer to that question, and when we embrace his answer, he blesses us with far more than we ever thought we wanted. Join us as we wrestle with this timeless question and how our faith informs the answer.

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My Utmost for His Highest: Temptation and Deliverance (Chris)

Temptation is a constant in life.  We are lured in ways large and small away from the light and love of God and towards sin and darkness.  Even Jesus was tempted.  Oswald Chambers asks a provocative question: "Is there good in temptation?"  He also contrasts our typical, worldly temptation with the more advanced versions overcome by Christ.  This lesson explores how we should address temptation in our discipleship and how it can serve as a gauge of progress in our spiritual journeys.

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