BGEA

Monday, May 19, 2014

Colossians Lesson 6 The Lordship of Jesus

Ladies we are so glad you hung in there to the end. At this count we have 35 members registered for next year and will continue to enroll until August 1.  If there are not 60, we will see what national will do. Pray about your commitment to CBS and continue to encourage your friends to come. Our Ice Cream Social/Registration will be Thursday July 17. Mark your calendars. Bookmarks will be available on Sharing Night.
As I looked at the different churches represented in our evening class, I wondered how many of you would be willing to encourage your pastors to invite our Servants Team to come and share with your ladies classes the about the aspects of Community Bible Study. Would you raise your hand if you would be willing to meet with your pastor or ask permission to put a message in the bulletin?
No matter how many ladies  we have registered; we will have a Bible Study next year.  I checked out the Engage Series last year when I attended TD Conference in CO. We were all given a copy of Revelation. It is published by CBS and available thru Amazon.com. However, on the CBS national website I can get them for 25% less when ordered in set of 10 or more. I ordered Daniel on Amazon. It is abbreviated study with a maximum of 21 questions per week, some weeks less than 16 questions. The commentary is only four pages. With less homework and shorter class sessions we could maybe interest those who are overwhelmed with the homework. We ask that you pray with us for God’s will for our Gastonia Evening class.
Jesus is Our LORD, Center our class in Him.

How many of you can hula hoop?   I can hula hoop for approximately 5 seconds. Back in the day, I could keep one around my waist for maybe 5 min.  This photo is an illustration of a woman trying to do too much. Yesterday I was in MARTHA Mode trying to keep a regular routine of Deep Water Aerobics and UVB treatment while trying to accommodate my family obligations to ready dad’s house for sale, getting estimates from contractors, buying paint at Lowe’s, emailing my two younger sisters to get their consensus. Commiserate with a friend, passing on prayer chain, getting my hair cut, picking up my grandson, organizing lunch and dinner with my sister Lynn who is stayed with me Tues and Wed., letting the pets in and out. OVERLOAD.

Raise your hand if you can identify! Think about it and count on your hand 5 things you did yesterday. Turn to your neighbor and take two minutes to share. Give them a high five or a hug!

I wanted a graph to demonstrate what all the hula hoops meant. Finally I just borrowed one. As I worked on my own graph, I didn’t even include sleeping or eating or bathroom time.

It was difficult for me to prioritize my time, all I knew was God had to be first; then husband, children, and grandchildren. But health and exercise has to be a main concern or you won’t have strength for anyone. And what about maintaining the household, paying bills, cleaning and cooking? Then there is Girls Night Out and CBS.
Sometimes we just have to say “no” to hobbies or activities that do not glorify the LORD.

Yesterday Jesus was not glorified with my frustrations to the expectations of others!
Ladies we have to keep the main thing the main thing.

John 12: 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Colossians 3: 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Center yourself in Jesus, the Lord you serve. PRAYER

Colossians Lesson 6 The Lordship of Jesus

We are daughters of The King. Paul reminds us we represent our LORD in every earthly relationship and in every word we speak. All are to be centered in Jesus. In every one of our earthly relationships we serve our King, the Lord Jesus.
·        Spiritual Submission
·        Mutual Respect
·        Self Sacrificing Love

18   Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Earlier in my Christian life, SUBMISSION was not my favorite word. In your youth did you ever wrestle a friend or sibling and been made to holler, “Uncle?” Why do we find it so difficult to admit our faults and weaknesses to others? Why do we resist submitting to our husbands or leaders or pastors? Your lesson handled the message of submission in a logical way.
When we realize that Jesus was submissive to His Father will, it has a new meaning.
Philippians 2  Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, made himself nothing, taking the human form of a servant, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on the cross.
Although fully equal to His Father in every way, Jesus willingly submitted to the Father’s plans and purposes in becoming the Savior of the world. So must a wife gladly, willingly, submit to the spiritual headship of her husband. God has established this chain of command for order in the home. But both partners are under Christ as equals.
Jesus is your LORD, Center yourself in Him.

Ruth Bell Graham “It is a foolish woman (and may I add husband who expects their mate) to be that which only Jesus Christ Himself can be: always ready to forgive, totally understanding, unendingly patient, invariably tender and loving, unfailing in every area, anticipating every need, and making more than adequate provision. Such expectations put a marriage under an impossible strain.”

In a television interview with widows of the 911 tragedy one woman described her anger with women who complain about their husbands. The other widows nodded in agreement. “Nothing would make me happier than to walk in the master bathroom and find the toilet seat up.”

Ladies pray that God will give you a widows’ heart. A heart that looks for something to praise instead of something to blame. Maybe your husband is not perfect, but I’m sure he is a good man. Focus on the positive not the negative.
We must center ourselves in Jesus so our identity is in Him, not in another.
Philippians 4:8 tells us whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
·        Mutual Respect
There are no men here tonight so I will not elaborate on this section.
19Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.
As the Father loved His Son (John 10:17), so the husband is to love his wife “just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).
Ephesians 5 33 … let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self -Amp
As I listened to the radio broadcast of a Marriage Conference at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, the speaker talked to single women. The Bible talks of the husband being the spiritual leader of the home. If you cannot respect the man you are dating, if you cannot follow him in spiritual matters, do not marry him. Because once he is your husband, without qualifications of his morality, the Bible commands you to respect him. In this role the husband has a great responsibility and will be accountable to God for the spiritual health of his family. Pray wisely before seeking a mate.
However, you are serving the Lord. Center yourself in Jesus;

Self-Sacrificing Love
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
Even as head of the household, mother can help her husband with parenting issue. I don’t know how many saw the episode of the father/coach kicking his 6 year old son down a skate boarding ramp in Florida. Parenting tries our patience. Coaching your own son doubly so. Ideally a mother’s love for her child is a protective covering.
 Greater still is the self-sacrificing love of a grandparent. Seriously when my friend told me how much more love you were capable of with a grandchild, I could not understand that greater love until I had my first grandson.  But the greatest love is your heavenly Father loves you so much he sent His only son to die in your place. Make Him the center of your life.
Tender Names God has for His Children
o   A People Holy to myself- Deuteronomy 28:9
o   My Beloved Isaiah 6:1
o   Chosen - John 15:16
o   Saint - Romans 8:27
o   My People- Roman 9:25
o   Daughter-2 Corinthians 6:18
o   Masterpiece- Ephesians 2:10 
o   A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,  a people for his own possession 1 Peter 2:9
o   Child of God- 1 John 3:1
o   The Bride- Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready
o    My treasured possession- Exodus 19:5
Finally, here is a message to your son and daughters: A teenager was grumbling because her parents would not let her see a certain movie. They told her “That is not who you are!”  As she complained to her neighbor who was making chocolate covered cherries, Robin asked if Natalie wanted a taste.
Natalie said “I thought you were making them for someone special!”
Robin replied, “I am, you!” But when Robin offered them on a dirty stained paper plate, the young girl was shocked and said, “Don’t you have anything else to put them on?”
 “Oh yes, I have special dishes set apart from all the others.” As Robin retrieved a special plate edged in gold she said, “These are valuable and so special I keep them in my China Cabinet. I protect them from harm so they are available for me to use to serve others.”
“Your parents see you as being valuable, beautiful and worth protecting like this china plate.”
As Natalie ate her candy off the china plate, now she understood why her parents were so overprotective. Robin Gunn Spoken For
Make sure you sons and daughters know they are God’s treasured possessions, set apart, sanctified for His special use.
2 Timothy 2:21 Living Bible (TLB)” If you stay away from sin you will be like one of these dishes made of purest gold—the very best in the house—so that Christ himself can use you for his highest purposes.”
Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Hebrews 12 17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account,
Choosing to submit one to another, to love with sacrificial love, and to obey those in authority over us, just as Jesus did, conforms us to the image of Christ. Choosing to work at our tasks wholeheartedly, knowing that we are working for the Lord, lifts up Jesus and pleases God. This gives noble purpose to ordinary tasks.

 Center yourself in Jesus; you are serving the Lord

SLIDE 15 One of my favorite verses in this lesson; one I need on my wall and car visor. Maybe in my phone case!!!
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Ladies, I confess this is my greatest need. I ask for your prayers in this area of my life: at home, as the teacher of CBS, working in the church, driving, in the mall, with Tech support on the phone! Forgive me, Lord Jesus, with telephone support for insurance companies and Medicare. Can I get an AMEN!
Are you willing to make Jesus your Lord and center of your life?
PRAY Lord season my words so my speech is always gracious, expressing love to others as you daughter. As Lord of our lives, lead us through the days with our focus on you, seeking your will. In Jesus blessed name.

 Ladies we are so glad you hung in there to the end. At this count we have 35 members registered for next year and will continue to enroll until August 1.  If there are not 60, we will see what national will do. Pray about your commitment to CBS and continue to encourage your friends to come. Our Ice Cream Social/Registration will be Thursday July 17. Mark your calendars. Bookmarks will be available on Sharing Night.
As I looked at the different churches represented in our evening class, I wondered how many of you would be willing to encourage your pastors to invite our Servants Team to come and share with your ladies classes the about the aspects of Community Bible Study. Would you raise your hand if you would be willing to meet with your pastor or ask permission to put a message in the bulletin?
No matter how many ladies  we have registered; we will have a Bible Study next year.  I checked out the Engage Series last year when I attended TD Conference in CO. We were all given a copy of Revelation. It is published by CBS and available thru Amazon.com. However, on the CBS national website I can get them for 25% less when ordered in set of 10 or more. I ordered Daniel on Amazon. It is abbreviated study with a maximum of 21 questions per week, some weeks less than 16 questions. The commentary is only four pages. With less homework and shorter class sessions we could maybe interest those who are overwhelmed with the homework. We ask that you pray with us for God’s will for our Gastonia Evening class.
Jesus is Our LORD, Center our class in Him.

How many of you can hula hoop?   I can hula hoop for approximately 5 seconds. Back in the day, I could keep one around my waist for maybe 5 min.  This photo is an illustration of a woman trying to do too much. Yesterday I was in MARTHA Mode trying to keep a regular routine of Deep Water Aerobics and UVB treatment while trying to accommodate my family obligations to ready dad’s house for sale, getting estimates from contractors, buying paint at Lowe’s, emailing my two younger sisters to get their consensus. Commiserate with a friend, passing on prayer chain, getting my hair cut, picking up my grandson, organizing lunch and dinner with my sister Lynn who is stayed with me Tues and Wed., letting the pets in and out. OVERLOAD.

Raise your hand if you can identify! Think about it and count on your hand 5 things you did yesterday. Turn to your neighbor and take two minutes to share. Give them a high five or a hug!

I wanted a graph to demonstrate what all the hula hoops meant. Finally I just borrowed one. As I worked on my own graph, I didn’t even include sleeping or eating or bathroom time.

It was difficult for me to prioritize my time, all I knew was God had to be first; then husband, children, and grandchildren. But health and exercise has to be a main concern or you won’t have strength for anyone. And what about maintaining the household, paying bills, cleaning and cooking? Then there is Girls Night Out and CBS.
Sometimes we just have to say “no” to hobbies or activities that do not glorify the LORD.

Yesterday Jesus was not glorified with my frustrations to the expectations of others!
Ladies we have to keep the main thing the main thing.

John 12: 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Colossians 3: 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Center yourself in Jesus, the Lord you serve. PRAYER

Colossians Lesson 6 The Lordship of Jesus

We are daughters of The King. Paul reminds us we represent our LORD in every earthly relationship and in every word we speak. All are to be centered in Jesus. In every one of our earthly relationships we serve our King, the Lord Jesus.
·        Spiritual Submission
·        Mutual Respect
·        Self Sacrificing Love

18   Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Earlier in my Christian life, SUBMISSION was not my favorite word. In your youth did you ever wrestle a friend or sibling and been made to holler, “Uncle?” Why do we find it so difficult to admit our faults and weaknesses to others? Why do we resist submitting to our husbands or leaders or pastors? Your lesson handled the message of submission in a logical way.
When we realize that Jesus was submissive to His Father will, it has a new meaning.
Philippians 2  Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, made himself nothing, taking the human form of a servant, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on the cross.
Although fully equal to His Father in every way, Jesus willingly submitted to the Father’s plans and purposes in becoming the Savior of the world. So must a wife gladly, willingly, submit to the spiritual headship of her husband. God has established this chain of command for order in the home. But both partners are under Christ as equals.
Jesus is your LORD, Center yourself in Him.

Ruth Bell Graham “It is a foolish woman (and may I add husband who expects their mate) to be that which only Jesus Christ Himself can be: always ready to forgive, totally understanding, unendingly patient, invariably tender and loving, unfailing in every area, anticipating every need, and making more than adequate provision. Such expectations put a marriage under an impossible strain.”

In a television interview with widows of the 911 tragedy one woman described her anger with women who complain about their husbands. The other widows nodded in agreement. “Nothing would make me happier than to walk in the master bathroom and find the toilet seat up.”

Ladies pray that God will give you a widows’ heart. A heart that looks for something to praise instead of something to blame. Maybe your husband is not perfect, but I’m sure he is a good man. Focus on the positive not the negative.
We must center ourselves in Jesus so our identity is in Him, not in another.
Philippians 4:8 tells us whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
·        Mutual Respect
There are no men here tonight so I will not elaborate on this section.
19Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.
As the Father loved His Son (John 10:17), so the husband is to love his wife “just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).
Ephesians 5 33 … let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self -Amp
As I listened to the radio broadcast of a Marriage Conference at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, the speaker talked to single women. The Bible talks of the husband being the spiritual leader of the home. If you cannot respect the man you are dating, if you cannot follow him in spiritual matters, do not marry him. Because once he is your husband, without qualifications of his morality, the Bible commands you to respect him. In this role the husband has a great responsibility and will be accountable to God for the spiritual health of his family. Pray wisely before seeking a mate.
However, you are serving the Lord. Center yourself in Jesus;

Self-Sacrificing Love
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
Even as head of the household, mother can help her husband with parenting issue. I don’t know how many saw the episode of the father/coach kicking his 6 year old son down a skate boarding ramp in Florida. Parenting tries our patience. Coaching your own son doubly so. Ideally a mother’s love for her child is a protective covering.
 Greater still is the self-sacrificing love of a grandparent. Seriously when my friend told me how much more love you were capable of with a grandchild, I could not understand that greater love until I had my first grandson.  But the greatest love is your heavenly Father loves you so much he sent His only son to die in your place. Make Him the center of your life.
Tender Names God has for His Children
o   A People Holy to myself- Deuteronomy 28:9
o   My Beloved Isaiah 6:1
o   Chosen - John 15:16
o   Saint - Romans 8:27
o   My People- Roman 9:25
o   Daughter-2 Corinthians 6:18
o   Masterpiece- Ephesians 2:10 
o   A chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,  a people for his own possession 1 Peter 2:9
o   Child of God- 1 John 3:1
o   The Bride- Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready
o    My treasured possession- Exodus 19:5
Finally, here is a message to your son and daughters: A teenager was grumbling because her parents would not let her see a certain movie. They told her “That is not who you are!”  As she complained to her neighbor who was making chocolate covered cherries, Robin asked if Natalie wanted a taste.
Natalie said “I thought you were making them for someone special!”
Robin replied, “I am, you!” But when Robin offered them on a dirty stained paper plate, the young girl was shocked and said, “Don’t you have anything else to put them on?”
 “Oh yes, I have special dishes set apart from all the others.” As Robin retrieved a special plate edged in gold she said, “These are valuable and so special I keep them in my China Cabinet. I protect them from harm so they are available for me to use to serve others.”
“Your parents see you as being valuable, beautiful and worth protecting like this china plate.”
As Natalie ate her candy off the china plate, now she understood why her parents were so overprotective. Robin Gunn Spoken For
Make sure you sons and daughters know they are God’s treasured possessions, set apart, sanctified for His special use.
2 Timothy 2:21 Living Bible (TLB)” If you stay away from sin you will be like one of these dishes made of purest gold—the very best in the house—so that Christ himself can use you for his highest purposes.”
Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Hebrews 12 17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account,
Choosing to submit one to another, to love with sacrificial love, and to obey those in authority over us, just as Jesus did, conforms us to the image of Christ. Choosing to work at our tasks wholeheartedly, knowing that we are working for the Lord, lifts up Jesus and pleases God. This gives noble purpose to ordinary tasks.

 Center yourself in Jesus; you are serving the Lord

One of my favorite verses in this lesson; one I need on my wall and car visor. Maybe in my phone case!!!
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Ladies, I confess this is my greatest need. I ask for your prayers in this area of my life: at home, as the teacher of CBS, working in the church, driving, in the mall, with Tech support on the phone! Forgive me, Lord Jesus, with telephone support for insurance companies and Medicare. Can I get an AMEN!
Are you willing to make Jesus your Lord and center of your life?
PRAY Lord season my words so my speech is always gracious, expressing love to others as you daughter. As Lord of our lives, lead us through the days with our focus on you, seeking your will. In Jesus blessed name.