This Sunday we’ll be reading Titus 3:1-8.

Paul is making his point in reverse in this section. He begins with the results, and works his way backwards through the causes. We should live this way, because of how we used to be and what God has done for us. Working our way from the front to the back of his instructions, we realize he is describing our intended lifestyle as a response to God’s grace.

Paul’s instructions have to do with how we react to and treat other people. Who does he begin with? How easy or difficult is it for you to show grace in that area?

As you think over your life before Christ, are there times you’d like to forget, and really hope God has forgotten? Does that have any effect on how you perceive and behave towards others?

What are the benefits Paul describes that we receive from being in relationship with God through Christ? It’s pretty clear that we didn’t deserve those benefits. When I think of what I brought to the table in this relationship with God, I realize the only thing I brought were my sins which Jesus paid for. So then…who are the people that I think are less deserving of grace than I am? Who am I quick to judge…whether president or pauper…who do I reserve the right to criticize and disrespect, and what could I possibly use as a justification for that considering how God has treated me?

V8 doesn’t sound like Paul is making suggestions – he seems pretty adamant. In his view, this is what being a Christian looks like. Not that we live this way in order TO be saved…but this is what God’s redemption of us is intended to look like. I feel like I have a long way to go, but that sure is the person I want to be.

Maybe we can move that direction together?

God’s grace is my obsession.  I’ll admit it. 21 years ago I brushed against the abyss of His grace and I’ve never recovered from that contact. Some people are geeks about sci-fi, some are geeks about movies and TV shows…I’m a grace geek. I can ruin any conversation in nano-seconds if it goes anywhere near the topic of God’s grace, because I can’t seem to shut up about it.

That’s why I really love Paul’s writings because he was apparently a grace geek too.  We’re going to be reading Titus 2:11-15 this Sunday, and we’re going to be looking at how God’s grace is relevant to the core of our Christian walk. Some people have said “you can’t always talk about grace Rob, sometimes you have to talk about obedience.” – as though you could ever truly have one without the other. I insist, as Paul seems to in Titus, that we can’t really talk about obedience if we’re NOT talking about grace.

V11 serves as a heading to the passage. What does Paul says grace does in our lives…and what ways does grace have a practical, even observable outlet in our everyday experiences?

How do you think grace teaches us anything?  What hope does grace inspire in you?

I’m really looking forward to Sunday! Surf-N-Grill 2012 commences right after 2nd service…be there or be….somewhere else, I guess.   Oh yeah, and small group leaders guides are here: leaders guide 5-20-12 (I changed the title of the teaching).

Doctrine has been a hot topic since the church began. Doctrine  is often misunderstood as simply a set of beliefs; but doctrine, in it’s truest sense, is far more than that. Doctrine in the church is a set of beliefs, but it is also the teaching of life principles that are intended to shape the way we as Christians live in this world. We may want to say “I’m not interested in doctrine, I just want to love Jesus.” – but that is a doctrine, and it will affect the way a person lives.

That’s why doctrine is actually very important.  Not simply as an exercise of the intellect, but as a guide for the choices we must make on a daily basis.  The apostle Paul felt doctrine was important, and urges Christians to follow sound doctrine in the passage we’ll be reading this Sunday: Titus 2:1-10.

When Paul starts describing what he considers to be sound doctrine he doesn’t set out a series of theological propositions, what does he speak about?  What does that tell us about the nature of a truly healthy belief system?

A lot of this passage presents pictures of women in roles that are hugely debated in our present society. We sometimes think that Paul is defining roles for women and men in this passage, but we have to be careful in reading it that way, because his mention of slaves being submissive in the next few verses, read that way, could lead us to believe Paul was also endorsing the evil of slavery. Rather than reading this as Paul defining roles, we should read this as Paul applying the principles of the gospel to the cultural framework he was presenting it in.  It’s really sort of cool – cultures change and evolve and the truths of the gospel can apply within them, affecting change from within.

In our present culture, what do Paul’s words about family and employment mean to us? How does a healthy belief system get worked out in our modern society?

Stuff to chew on.  See you Sunday!  (Home group leaders – Here is the study guide for this teaching: leaders guide 5-13-12 )

It’s not a bad idea…but it’s one that needs to be carried out with great caution, as the events that happened in South Florida several weeks back drove home.  Two people, completely misunderstanding each other in a toxic atmosphere of mistrust resulted in one innocent, unarmed teen’s death.

A community watch can be a good thing, if those undertaking the watch carefully follow the guidlines and keep the primary goal in mind…that of the safety of the community.  If it becomes some vigilante group, or a team of busybodies, then it actually subverts it’s intended purpose.

In similar fashion, Paul intends that the church community watch out for threats to the health of their fellowship. Instead of watching out for burglars, we have to be careful about doctrines, behaviors and attitudes that can negatively effect the well-being of the group. But we have to do so cautiously, so as not to end up working against ourselves by forgetting that redemption and relationship are the goals.

We’re going to be reading Titus 1:10-16 this week, and Paul provides some guidelines about what we need to be careful of as a community concerning doctrine, practice and motive.

What does Paul warn us about mostly in this section? What sort of myths and commands of people can serve to be divisive in the church today?

Some people freak out at Paul’s statement about Cretans in v12. It seems pretty harsh. But if you factor in the history of that statement (you can find it HERE), does it help you see why Paul may have been using that quote?

Hope to see you Sunday!

As I write this, on my desk is the opened letter from some fraudulent group called St. Matthews Church. I’m not going to post their link for fear someone might actually click it. Anyway, these “caring” ministers sent me a paper prayer rug with a creepy face of Jesus printed on it. According to the incredibly long instructions printed on several different sheets of paper, if I kneel on this rug and pray for something…or make a wish, I guess….and then send this rug back (with a check, of course), my wish will come true. This, of course, is all done with a great flourish of Scriptures and Jesus’ name is invoked multiple times…well heck, Creepy Jesus is even on the rug!

It’s all a great source of a laugh until I start thinking about the people who actually get duped by these deceivers and I’m reminded of how dangerous church really is.

It’s vitally important for the church to live out in real life the things we believe about God, and it has to start with the leadership of the church.  Hence Paul’s instruction to Titus in our passage.

Hopefully in your experience with the church, there have been leaders whom you respected. What traits did they have that caused you to respect them? How do those traits compare with Paul’s quality control list in our passage?

When you’ve been aware of church leaders being caught in scandals, how has it affected you? If you re-read v7, Paul uses a job description to describe a church leader. How can what he compares leaders to help remind leaders of their purpose and place, and encourage the church community to see leaders in the proper context? (too confusing?…yeah, maybe….just think about it for a while).

That’s going to be our topic – hope you can join in.

Well Kats and Kitties, we’re on to our next study! This Sunday we’ll be starting a seven week (just shy of two and a half years) study in the book of Titus.  Titus was a really funny TV show back in the 90′s…but that’s a different thing.

The Titus we’ll be looking at is the one in the New Testament. It’s a short little book written by Paul to a young protege he left in Crete to get things in order with the churches. It was probably written sometime between Paul’s house arrest and his final arrest in Rome, so it’s just near the end of his ministry.

The larger theme of this book will be about how we put the stuff we claim to believe (the gospel, the hope of the coming kingdom of God) into practice.  In this short letter Paul makes the strongest correlation between what we believe and how we live.

We’ll cover the first four verses of chapter one this Sunday.  It is Paul’s introduction and greeting – though even by ancient standards, it’s pretty long.  It’s one serious run-on sentence. We get the distinct impression that Paul is less concerned about grammatical structuring than he is trying to get a point across even in his “hello”.  As you read it, consider how Paul describes himself.  What is the first thing he identifies as a characteristic of his life (v1)?  The word he uses in the Greek is “doulos” – and here’s the lexicon entry for that word. Is there any hint of self-importance in that title?

The question that lingers is…who are WE in God’s plan? Paul saw his place, is ours any different? What does this look like when lived out in real life?

Paul new more than just his status though.  If you read the passage in the Message (it reads much more clearly there), what did Paul’s overall purpose in life seem to be?  If you were asked to sum it up in one word, what word would you choose?

Just a warning: If we’re people who want to build our own kingdom, prioritize comfort and feel we deserve to always be happy….Titus will wreck us. If, however, we are weary of empty and shallow pursuits in church and life in general…Titus will drink like cold, clear water on a hot summer day.  It all depends on our end-goal I suppose.

Hopefully we’ll see you Sunday!

Don’t forget the sunrise service! Try to be there early because we want to start on time, just as the sun is breaking the horizon’s line.  Then join us for our Easter service at our normal meeting times of 9 and 11 am.  This Sunday we’ll be reading 1 Cor 15:1-4.  What is the gospel, the good news?  Paul lays it out, and reveals in a few short sentences the monumental implications of such news.  What does he say the good news is?  What does this news tell us about God, His agenda and ultimate goal? Do you consider that good news?

Resurrection is about redemption.  Jesus rising from the dead shows us what God’s got in mind…and man, is it GOOD!  So get up, get stoked…HE’S ALIVE!!!

See yer’ Sunday!

If you’ve been hanging out with Eastgate for the last 2.5 years, this Sunday you need to pat yourself on the back because you have journeyed through the entire gospel of Luke, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.  This Sunday we’ll be reading our final installation, ch 24:36-53 , and examining it to see how it relates to our lives.

We have read through Jesus’ birth and ministry in Galilee, right up to his betrayal, arrest and crucifixion.  It was a compelling, challenging story. We have read how three days after his death, Jesus’ body was missing and a couple of glowy guys said he had risen from the dead.  We read how Jesus himself ambushed a couple of travelers on the road to Emmaus and  gradually revealed himself to them. It’s been an amazing ride…and yet, with all of those stories surrounding us, we could STILL be left wondering what it all has to do with us, right here and now in 21st Century America.

That’s where the final section of Luke’s story becomes crucial.  In this wrap-up, we actually see a transition take place for Jesus’ followers.  Jesus shows up and they’re startled, yet he comes announcing something that is entirely opposite of their reaction.  That’s typical.

But then something changes.  What happens?  All before the events of Acts 2 the disciples take on a different demeanor. What do you think changes for them?

Jesus is with them, but differently than he was before.  Then Jesus is gone from them again – yet this doesn’t discourage the disciples, just the opposite.  Christ’s presence, activity and absence all seem to have a profound effect on them.  Do you think those same aspects of the resurrected Christ have the same impact on us?  How would you describe this at work in our own lives?

Hope to see you on Sunday!

Our study this Sunday will be in Luke 24:13-35 and we’ll meet some fellow travelers on a disappointing road.

As you read the passage, what do you notice about seeing and not seeing, visible and invisible?  When Jesus started walking with the travelers, what characterized their attitudes?  What does that tell us about where Jesus meets us in our life?

V 21 reveals what hope had been dashed for these travelers.  How did their expectations play a role in their present disappointment?

The obvious lesson that emerges in this section is Jesus’ skillful presentation of the Word that provides the travelers with a fresh vision.  How does that apply to our own lives right now?

What does v35 say caused the travelers to know the stranger was Jesus?  When they see it’s him, they suddenly can’t see him anymore, but they are filled with new hope and activity.  Why do you think that is?

This is one of my favorite stories in the gospels.  This, like no other account, is directly relating to our every day experience as followers of Christ 2,000 years after his death and resurrection.  Try on the character of the travelers and see how the story relates to you.  You may find yourself being ambushed by grace!

Hope to see you Sunday!

Have you ever encountered anything that you just can’t explain.  Something that just shocks you not only because it’s so unexpected but because it leaves you so confused?  Sometimes it can be ordinary things but because they seem so out of place, it just takes a minute to try and process what’s going on.  I remember a few Christmases back, when my daughter Janelle and her husband were just engaged. He lived in Jacksonville and she was living at home with us in PCB.  He had decided to surprise her by visiting without letting her know she was coming.  She was on the phone with him, each of them pining away for each other.  Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Janelle went to answer it, still on the phone.  When the door opened, there stood her finance.  She was so confused and shocked, she almost closed the door on him – his appearance was completely unexpected and difficult to process.

Imagine that shock a billion times over, and we can start to get a picture of what the followers of Christ were going through when they found an empty tomb one Sunday morning.

We’re going to be reading Luke 24:1-12 this Sunday (only three more teachings in Luke to go!).

This is Luke’s lead up to the actual appearances of Jesus in the resurrection. Luke gives us more perspectives and details than any of the gospels, as a good documentary maker would do. Here, several women go to finish up the job of perfuming Jesus’ corpse only to find the tomb empty and the corpse missing.  This was not at all expected.  Nor were the angelic glow-dudes who start talking about Jesus not being dead anymore…and things move from unexpected to downright insane.  Nevertheless, they put together what Jesus said before and suddenly, what used to be familiar territory starts shifting and changing around them.  They go to tell the other disciples who understandably dismiss this all as nonsense.

The whole story is delightful to me! I really love how the various gospel accounts don’t match up very well either.  To me, that authenticates this whole scene…full of confusion and conflicting details. Everyone’s in shock trying to figure out what is happening.  The only consistent thing in all of the accounts is the subject at the center of this disarray.  The tomb is empty and Jesus is gone.

There’s a message in that empty tomb.  The fact that Jesus wasn’t able to be confined to that man-made hole tells us something…but what?

The empty tomb was all they had to go on at first. No one SAW Jesus rise from the dead, just a couple florescent fellows  said he did.  What does that tell us about what it will take to accept this message?

Of all the disciples, Peter (and John according to John’s gospel) went to check this story out for themselves. Even though the claim the women made was completely absurd and flew in the face of every certainty life experience could provide.  A willingness to check it out for himself tells us something about Peter…what does that tell us about the impetus for this journey of faith? What do you think is more important, clinical facts, or  possibilities?

This is great stuff to explore – looking forward to examining it with you this Sunday!