A STUDY GUIDE

MAY-JULY 2015

NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN CHURCH...WHERE REAL LIFE CHANGE HAPPENS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 A Note From Jay

4 Background Commentary

8 Special Focus Article: The Kingdom of God

12 Week 1 Study

14 Week 2 Study

16 Week 3 Study

18 Week 4 Study

20 Week 5 Study

22 Special Focus Article: The Faith of our Fathers

26 Week 6 Study

28 Week 7 Study

30 Week 8 Study

32 Week 9 Study

34 Memory Verses

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A Note From JayA few months ago our third child was born. Our house is now filled with

a 7 year old, a 4 year old and a 5 month old. Chaos is a good word for

what our life is like on a day-to-day basis…and it’s AWESOME! Every day

is an adventure. You never know what is going to show up in the middle

of the living room floor.

While Carrie and I absolutely love this phase of life we’re in, imagine what

life would be like if, 10 years from now our kids were still the same age?

Imagine changing diapers for 10 years straight? Something would be

terribly wrong, wouldn’t it? In fact, we’d probably make the news!

In the Christian world, however, there are thousands if not millions of

people who begin a relationship with Christ and then never grow up.

The church house is filled with such people and no one seems to notice.

What follows in this booklet is one small attempt to reverse this trend.

Our vision as a church is become a place where Real Life Change

happens. We begin to experience Real Life Change when we develop

a Real Understanding of God and His Word to us. To help us all develop

such an understanding, this booklet was created as a supplement to the

Sunday sermons. It is built around 4 core exercises:

1) BACKGROUND INFORMATION. The beginning of each

booklet contains commentary that will dig deeper into the back story

behind the passages we will be studying together.

2) STUDY QUESTIONS. While these questions are primarily

designed to be used in a Life Group setting, they also work for individuals

who aren’t involved in a group yet.

3) SCRIPTURES TO MEMORIZE. There is no discipline more vital

to spiritual growth than memorizing God’s word. Each week you will find

one or two verses that coordinate with the Sunday sermon that you are

encouraged to sink deep into your heart.

4) ACTION STEPS. Knowledge of the Bible is great but Real Life

Change must lead to action. As the Book of James says “…faith apart

from works is dead.” (James 2:26b). Each week you will find one or two

small, easy to accomplish, action steps based on that week’s study.

I hope that you find these booklets helpful and encouraging. I am

praying that they will be a catalyst for growth in your life. I am so

passionate about helping others experience Real Life Change and my

prayer is that this resource will be a part of that change.

If you have any questions or want to talk a staff member or an elder, feel

free to call our office at 770-425-2525. God bless and I hope that in 2015

you truly experience Real Life Change!

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The Sermon on the Mount occurs in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7, and is to be found nowhere else in the four Gospels, the nearest equivalent being what has become known as the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6:17-49. Comparing these two passages of the Gospels, both in what they have in common and in how they differ, is a fascinating exercise which provides an excellent example of the inner structure of the New Testament and of how the four gospels we now have relate to one another.

It is generally accepted that the Gospel of Mark is the earliest one which we possess, and that Matthew’s Gospel draws heavily on Mark, incorporating most of it while at the same time changing it and adding to it in numerous ways. These adaptations throw light on how and why Matthew’s gospel was composed, and how it reflects the Christian community from which it emerged, providing the reader with a window through which we can catch glimpses of the lives and daily concerns of that particular early body of

Christian disciples.

The Gospel of Luke also seems to draw heavily on Mark for its own purposes, and this results in interesting passages in Matthew and Luke which are substantially similar, yet also differing, in their debt to Mark. In addition, Luke and Matthew contain other more or less common passages which are not to be found in Mark, and these are generally presumed to go back to another earlier document which we no longer possess, referred to by scholars as ‘Q’, the capital letter of the German word Quelle, or source.

Comparing Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount with Luke’s Sermon on the Plain leads to the conclusion that they both derive from the same conjectured source Q, which provided a collection of separate sayings and summaries of Jesus’ teaching. These sayings of the Lord had been remembered from different situations during his ministry and had been handed on by word of mouth before being put down in writing for the sake of new disciples. Such reported and written sayings

THE SERMONON THE MOUNT

BACKGROUND COMMENTARY

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originating with Jesus can be seen as a collection of bricks from which Luke and Matthew selected particular ones and often chiselled them into shape, using them to construct buildings with a purpose and a theological structure to fit their own conditions and to address

their own concerns

For one thing, the fact that one version of a particular group of sayings of Jesus is known as the Sermon on the Mount and the other as the Sermon on the Plain is not to be seen as referring to two distinct historical sermons

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment...”

Philippians 1:9

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delivered by Jesus, but to be making different theological points.

In Luke the coming down of Jesus from the hill where he had been praying to a level place to address his disciples conveys the condescension of God in coming down to humanity and addressing it with the approachableness of Jesus, which is typical of Luke’s gospel. By contrast, in Matthew the ascent of Jesus to a hillside to address his early followers is taken to ring a bell in the minds of many of the gospel’s early readers, and to recall how on an earlier famous occasion in the history of Israel a mountain was the setting for the people of God to assemble and receive from their leader the revealed law of God.

In fact, this suggestion of Jesus being presented to Matthew’s readers as a new Moses fits in very well with the overall view of Matthew’s gospel which is accepted today, as being an editorial construction out of the sayings of Jesus which was aimed at reflecting and addressing the special needs of a particular early Christian community which may have been located at Antioch in Syria and which included many adult converts from Judaism. In Matthew, as contrasted with the other three gospels, there are many indications of Jewish-Christian preoccupations, including regular references to the fulfilling of Old Testament prophecies, disputes about Jewish regulations concerning the observance

of the Sabbath and ritual cleanliness, and references to pharisaic observances and scribal interpretations of the Mosaic law. It has even been suggested that Matthew’s community of Christians had been ‘excommunicated’ from Judaism by the rabbis after the fall of Jerusalem to Roman troops, and was seeking to defend itself as well as to establish its identity as the new, true Israel.

The role of the sermonThese results of modern biblical scholarship provide a remarkably rich theological context in which we can understand and appreciate the role and the teaching contents of the Sermon on the Mount.

The sermon can be understood within the new covenant which God was setting up with the new Israel as the opening address of Jesus inaugurating the kingdom of God. As the leader of God’s new people he was spelling out the message of the dramatic miracles and healings which he had been performing earlier in Matthew’s gospel, that the kingly power of God was now beginning to be made manifest in the activities and teaching of Jesus. As Matthew summarized it, ‘Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people’ (Mt. 4:23). The sermon which closed this opening section of Jesus’ gospel ministry in Matthew shows us Jesus now

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Matthew 5:20

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describing and explaining what life would be like for his followers in the kingdom, as it would describe and confirm to subsequent generations of new Christians, beginning with the Matthaean community, what being a disciple of Jesus would now regularly involve for them.

Viewing the Sermon on the Mount thus as a preview of Christian living within the kingdom of God helps us to uncover its inner structure and thus to recognize the whole discourse as being carefully fashioned from previous sayings of Jesus to provide a detailed exposition of his key statement which forms, as it were, the text of the sermon: ‘I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5:20). The sermon is an unpacking of what the true relationship of Christians to God must entail, as contrasted with the ways in which their opponents, the scribes and Pharisees, are portrayed as behaving.

We can further recognize the purpose of the sermon in the early Christian community by viewing it within the nature of the gospel of Matthew in which it occurs. Theologian C. H. Dodd sees a practical purpose for the sermon in identifying it as an instance of that early Christian

practical teaching, or didache, which Dodd suggested regularly complemented Christian preaching or proclamation of the gospel. In this way the sermon falls into the type of document to which Acts 2:42 refers in describing how the early Christian converts “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” In fact, the sermon itself concludes with the observation (Mt. 7:28) that “the crowds were astounded at his teaching (didache)” – a term which is evidently intended to be echoed at the end of Matthew’s gospel (28:20) in the final charge of the risen Jesus to his apostles to go and ‘teach’ all nations ‘to obey everything that I have commanded you.’

Whatever its ecclesial provenance, from its content and inner structure Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount is evidently aimed at presenting an authoritative portrait of Christian discipleship. From what we have seen, the Sermon on the Mount is intended to identify the ways in which the followers of Jesus should behave in living a life of acceptance of God’s gracious invitation to enter the kingdom of heaven.

An excerpt from www.thinkingfaith.orgOriginally written by Jack Mahoney SJ, Emeritus Professor of Moral and Social Theology in the University of London

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What is the Kingdom of God?

In Mark 1:15, Jesus proclaims, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Of course this statement leads to an obvious question: What is the kingdom of God? What is it that, according to Jesus, has drawn near?

The kingdom of God has been equated with all sorts of things in the last two millennia. Some have claimed that it is heaven, and that Jesus was saying, in so many words, “Now you can go to heaven when you die.” Others have understood “the kingdom of God” as referring to the Church. From their perspective, Jesus announced the beginning of the age of the Church. Still others have seen the kingdom of God as a world infused by divine justice. They have taken Jesus’ announcement as a call to social action. In recent times, “spiritually” inclined people have reduced the kingdom of God to inner awareness of one’s divinity. Like the ancient Gnostics, they understand the good news of the kingdom to mean “You are divine.”

None of these renditions of the kingdom of God hits a historical home run, although the first three are in the ballpark, at least. But all of them fail to take seriously both what Jesus actually says about the kingdom of God, and what his fellow Jews, especially the Old Testament prophets, had been saying about the kingdom for centuries.

Before we analyze Jesus’ use of the phrase “the kingdom of God,” we need to pay close attention to his use of the word “kingdom.” When we try to understand Jesus’ message of the kingdom, we easily get tripped up by a language gap. In everyday English, “kingdom” means a place where a king reigns. The Kingdom of Jordan, for example, is the place where King Abdullah II rules. But when Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God, he did not think in terms of locality, but authority.

In the New Testament Gospels, Jesus uses the Greek phrase “he basileia tou theou, “the kingdom of God.” The word basileia could sometimes refer to a locale over which a king

“the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

Matthew 4:16

SPECIAL FOCUS ARTICLE: THE KINGDOM OF GOD

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ruled, but its primary meaning in the first-century was “reign, rule, authority, sovereignty.” (The same was true of the Aramaic term, malku, the word probably spoken by Jesus.) We see this meaning clearly in one of Jesus’ parables. He speaks of a nobleman who “went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return” (Luke 19:12, NIV; the NRSV reads “to get royal power for himself”). The Greek of this verse reads, literally, “he went to a distant country to receive a basileia for himself.” He didn’t go to get a new region over which to rule, but rather to get new and greater authority over the place he already lived.

We see this same meaning of “kingdom” in the Hebrew Scriptures. In Psalm 145, for example, we read:

All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,

and all your faithful shall bless you.They shall speak of the glory of your

kingdom,and tell of your power.

(Ps 145:10-11)

Here God’s kingdom is parallel, not to the place over which God reigns, but to his divine power. God’s faithful praise his sovereignty here, not the place over which God is sovereign.

So when Jesus proclaims that the kingdom of God has come near, he doesn’t mean that a place is approaching, but that God’s own royal authority and power have come on the scene. So, we could paraphrase Mark 1:15, which summarizes Jesus’ preaching, as follows: “God’s reign is at hand. God’s power is being unleashed. Turn your life around and put your trust in this good news.”

Of course Jesus’ announcement of God’s reign didn’t come in a vacuum. It was both consistent with and a fulfillment of a central theme in the Hebrew prophets.

In his proclamation of the reign of God, Jesus echoes the language and hopes of the Hebrew prophets. I have known this for over 20 years, but it was strongly impressed upon me three years ago as I

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was writing my book, Jesus Revealed. In preparation for this project, I re-read the Hebrew prophets, beginning with Isaiah and ending with Malachi. Time and again, I ran into the language of God’s kingdom as the Lord promised that, someday, he would return to rule over his people.Consider, for example, the following passage from Zephaniah, who prophesied in the latter half of the seventh century B.C.:

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;shout, O Israel! . . .

The LORD has taken away the judgments against you,

he has turned away your enemies.The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;

a warrior who gives victory;he will rejoice over you with gladness,

he will renew you in his love; . . .I will deal with all your oppressors

at that time.And I will save the lameand gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praiseand renown in all the earth.

At that time I will bring you home,at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praisedamong all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunesbefore your eyes, says the LORD.

(Zeph 3:14-20, emphasis added)

According to this prophecy, at the right time the LORD himself will be the “king of Israel.” In this role, he will give victory to his people, removing their oppressors, gathering their scattered exiles, and restoring their fortunes.

Consider one other passage from the Hebrew prophets, this one from Isaiah:

How beautiful upon the mountainsare the feet of the messenger who

announces peace,who brings good news,

who announces salvation,who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,together they sing for joy;for in plain sight they see

the return of the LORD to Zion.Break forth together into singing,

you ruins of Jerusalem;for the LORD has comforted his people,

he has redeemed Jerusalem.The LORD has bared his holy armbefore the eyes of all the nations;

and all the ends of the earth shall seethe salvation of our God.

(Isaiah 52:7-10, emphasis added)

In this prophecy, God’s reign includes peace, the return of the LORD to Jerusalem, joyful singing, comfort and redemption for Judah, and the impact of God’s salvation upon the whole earth. The announcement of God’s reign will be, indeed, “good news.”

Now, with Zephaniah’s and Isaiah’s prophecies ringing in your ears, listen again to Mark’s summary of Jesus’ message: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). The prophetic echoes are unmistakable. But there are differences too. Whereas the prophets looked ahead to an undetermined time in the future when God would return to rule over his people, Jesus says, “The time is now. The reign of God has now come near. So turn your life around and live in light of this truth.”

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NOTES

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1. Which Christian holiday do you prefer more - Christmas or Easter? Why? Why are those days so “big” in the church world?

2. How would you answer this question - “In your opinion, what was the purpose of Jesus’ life and ministry?”

Read Matthew 4:12-25

3. This passage details the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. What are some of the things that Jesus does at the beginning of His ministry? List them.

4. Verse 17 gives an overview of Jesus’ message to the people. What was that message? What is the “Kingdom of Heaven”?

WEEK 1:LIFE UPSIDE DOWN

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Read Matthew 5:1-12

5. What is the setting for this sermon Jesus delivers? Do you think there is anything symbolic about Jesus going up on a mountain to teach? Any Old Testament parallels? What?

6. What is most striking to you about the list of character traits Jesus says brings blessing? How does this list of traits differ from the character traits that typically bring blessing in our world?

7. Reading through the list of the “beatitudes”, which one best describes you right now? Which one is the biggest stretch for you?

Read Matthew 5:17-20 8. What is the purpose of Jesus’ statement in verse 17?

What is He trying to communicate?

9. What does He mean in verse 20 that “your righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees”? How’s your righteousness?

10. What sorts of things need to change in your life right now so that you can be “blessed” like in Matt. 5:1-12?

Action Steps1. Read through the whole Sermon on the Mount

(Matthew 5-7) every day this week. Don’t try to interpret or take notes or figure anything out. Just read it once a day, every day. Let God’s Word dwell in you richly this week.

2. Hike to the top of Kennesaw mountain. When you get to the top, read Matthew 5:14-16. Spend some time reflecting on the words in this passage. Are you shining your light brightly? Are you hiding your light under a basket? Spend time praying for yourself as well as for our community. Pray and ask God to help you be a light for Him in the world.

Memory Verse: Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16

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1. What is your biggest pet peeve? What are some of the other little things that make you mad?

2. Have you ever let your anger get the best of you? What happened? What caused you to get so angry?

Read Matthew 5:21-26

3. In verse 21 Jesus begins by saying “You have heard it said...” and then in verse 22 He continues by saying “But I say...”. What is He doing by teaching this way? What’s the goal?

4. Why do you think Jesus begins by talking about anger? Why not something more “spiritual”?

WEEK 2:ANGER UPSIDE DOWN

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5. How is Jesus’ teaching on dealing with anger, especially in verses 23-24, so different than how people normally handle their anger?

6. Why does Jesus teach people to “leave their gift at the altar” in the middle of worship and go and reconcile with those they are angry with? What does this communicate about the value Jesus places on reconciliation?

Read James 1:19-20 and Ephesians 4:26-27

7. Why is it important not to “let the sun go down on your anger”? How does hanging on to anger give the devil a foothold?

8. Is all anger bad? How can you know when your anger is OK and when it’s sinful?

9. Are their any brothers or sisters you need to be reconciled to before you go to church on Sunday? What are you going to do about that?

10. Have you allowed the Devil to have a foothold in anyway through anger? What do you need to do about that?

Action Steps1. Depending on how you answered question 9, this

action step should be a no-brainer. If you are holding on to anger against someone or there is someone you need to try and reconcile with...Go do it! At least try. Not everyone will want to be reconciled. That’s not your fault, BUT you have to try!

2. Do you find that you are easily angered? Are there a lot of little things that just “set you off”? It’s time to relax and go do something that will help you unwind. Much of our anger comes from stress, so go out and do something that will alleviate that stress. Play golf. Go fishing. Take a walk. Visit the beach. Whatever it is for you. You can even tell people what you’re doing is biblical!!

Memory Verse: James 1:19-20

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

James 1:19-20

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1. When you look at the world around us do you think we’re becoming more sexualized as a culture or less focused on sex? Why did you answer the way you did? Give specific examples.

2. Why do you think that there is an increasing preoccupation with sex and nudity in our culture? How did this happen?

Read Matthew 5:27-30

3. What is the connection between adultery and lust? Why does Jesus equate the two as the same? Isn’t lust just internal??

4. Obviously verses 29 and 30 are hyperbole. Jesus isn’t really commanding us to cut off hands or gouge out eyes. What’s his purpose?

WEEK 3:LUST UPSIDE DOWN

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5. God created sexual desire and hard wired humans to be attracted to one another. What’s the difference between God given attraction that’s healthy and sinful lust? Where are the lines? Are there any?

Read Proverbs 7

6. What are some of your initial observations about this chapter? What stands out to you the most? Any surprises?

7. Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, had a lot of personal experience with his subject matter in Proverbs 7. What does he say is the end result of giving in to the adulterous woman? (See verses 22-27) Do you agree with Solomon’s assessment? Why or why not?

8. What is the solution to avoiding the sin of lust? How do we handle this struggle?

9. How would you counsel a friend if he or she came to you and said they were struggling with internet pornography?

Action Steps1. If you or someone you love is struggling with lust, and

internet pornography in particular, please pick up a copy of the “Porn Free Family Plan” in the church foyer. Take the time necessary this week to implement the steps in that plan. If you don’t feel tech-savy enough to implement the steps yourself, send an e-mail to pornfree311@gmail.com. We have a team of folks who will come help you set everything up. You will remain 100% private and no one will but you and the team will ever know.

2. Go to the website www.xxxchurch.com. Don’t worry...It’s OK to go there. Triple X Church is actually a ministry for people who are struggling with lust and internet porn in particular. Even if you don’t struggle in this area, take some time to pray for those that are. There’s a lot more people who are having a hard time than you might realize!

Memory Verse: 1 Peter 2:11

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”

1 Peter 2:11

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1. Is there a difference between vengeance and justice? If so, what is the difference?

2. Are there ever times when it’s OK to seek vengeance? In what situations do you find yourself wanting vengeance, even if you don’t actually seek it out?

Read Matthew 5:38-48

3. Jesus’ opening quote (eye for an eye) is taken from Deuteronomy 19:15-21. What was the original intent of this law? Is the penalty designed to be carried out by individuals or by courts? Does it matter?

4. Some have said that if we were to literally enact the concepts in verses 39-42 we would be aiding in the advance of lawlessness and evil. Do you agree? Does Jesus intend for us to literally turn the other cheek? What’s His meaning?

WEEK 4:VENGEANCE UPSIDE DOWN

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5. Historically, many have taught that Jesus’ teaching in this passage means that Christians must be pacifists. Do you agree? Why or why not?

6. How do verses 43-47 shed light on verses 38-42? What does it mean to “love your enemies”?

7. Verse 48 is a tricky one. Is Jesus saying that we must literally be perfect or we don’t make the cut? What does He mean here?

8. Verse 48 is a great summary statement to help us understand the difficult verses we just read. In comparison to God, how are we evil? How does God repay us for that evil? What’s the lesson?

9. Make it personal...Are you someone who typically seeks justice or vengeance? Do you need to make some changes in light of what Jesus says?

10. God has forgiven all of us our many sins and He loves us in spite of our evil. He calls us to act the same towards others. Is there anyone you need to act differently towards? What do you need to do?

Action Steps1. If there is an “enemy” in your life you need to show

love towards consider finding a way to show them a little love this week. Suggestions include sending them a “praying for you” card in the mail; inviting them out for a cup of coffee; spending some focused time praying for them. Remember, loving your enemy doesn’t mean you have to be best friends with them but there are ways to show you care without saying their behavior is OK.

2. Consider writing a letter to someone in prison or going to visit someone who is incarcerated. (If you can’t think of anyone to write to e-mail Jay at jay.rice@nwcc.net. He’s got a few names for you!) Sometimes a kind word can help these folks realize there’s a difference between justice and vengeance!

Memory Verse: Matthew 5:44

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Matthew 5:44

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1. Have you ever been to a church that was a little more “showy”...at least from our laid back, non-denominational perspective? Where did you go? What was it like?

2. Most religions outside of Christianity have a lot of rituals and public displays adherents must perform. Think of the 5 daily prayers in Islam, for example. Why are those types of behavior so common and so attractive to people? Would Christianity benefit from these types of rituals? Why or why not? What’s the danger?

Read Matthew 6:1-18

3. Verse 1 gives the theme or big picture lesson for this section. What is that theme? Why does Jesus tell us not to operate like other religions do when it comes to our religious rituals?

4. When Jesus talks about giving to the needy (vs. 2-4) he uses the phrase “do not let

WEEK 5:RELIGION UPSIDE DOWN

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your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” What does that mean? How should this concept apply when it comes to giving in church? Do you see some people not abiding by this command? How so?

5. In verses 5-6 Jesus seems to tell us not to pray in public...Not even in church, our equivalent of the Jewish synagogue! Is that what He is saying? What does He mean?

6. How do you think the Lord’s Prayer would have contrasted with the typical prayers religious leaders prayed in Jesus’ day? How does it contrast with the prayers people pray today?

7. Re-read verse 8. In light of what Jesus says here, why even bother with prayer then? What is the purpose of prayer? What good does prayer do if God already knows what our needs are?

8. Have you ever fasted? What was that experience like? How could fasting lead to pride?

9. Have you ever found yourself wrestling with pride in regards to your faith? In other words, have you ever felt like you deserved a pat on the back for your service or your holiness or something like that? What was going on?

10. How can we ensure that we’re not doing our “acts of righteousness” in a prideful way or in a way that will lead to religious pride?

Action Step1. This is going to sound really weird for some but

consider creating a “prayer closet” somewhere in your house. I have seen very simple ones that consisted of a folding chair, literally in a closet, up to whole rooms in basements dedicated to prayer. The purpose of the prayer closet is not to go overboard on setting up a supposedly “holy” place but it’s to carve out a designated, private place where you can focus on prayer. If your house is anything like mine, privacy and quiet is at a premium and it’s really hard to pray without those things!

Memory Verse: Matthew 6:1

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:1

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There’s been a lot of rustle in the press lately--and in many Christian publications--about the faith of the Founding Fathers and the status of the United States as a “Christian nation.” Home schooling texts abound with references to our religious heritage, and entire organizations are dedicated to returning America to its spiritual roots. On the other side, secularists cry “foul” and parade their own list of notables among our country’s patriarchs. They rally around the cry of “separation of church and state.” Which side is right? Oddly both, after a fashion.

Historical proof-texts can be raised on both sides. Certainly there were godless men among the early leadership of our nation, though some of those cited as examples of Founding Fathers turn out to be insignificant players. For example, Thomas Paine and Ethan Allen may have been hostile to evangelical Christianity, but they were firebrands of the Revolution, not intellectual architects of the Constitution. Paine didn’t arrive in this country until 1774 and only stayed

a short time.

As for others--George Washington, Samuel Adams, James Madison, John Witherspoon, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Adams, Patrick Henry, and even Thomas Jefferson--their personal correspondence, biographies, and public statements are replete with quotations showing that these thinkers had political philosophies deeply influenced by Christianity.

The Constitutional ConventionIt’s not necessary to dig through the diaries, however, to determine which faith was the Founder’s guiding light. There’s an easier way to settle the issue.

The phrase “Founding Fathers” is a proper noun. It refers to a specific group of men, the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention. There were other important players not in attendance, like Jefferson, whose thinking deeply influenced the shaping of our nation. These 55 Founding Fathers, though, made up the core.

“The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

Matthew 4:16

SPECIAL FOCUS ARTICLE: THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

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The denominational affiliations of these men were a matter of public record. Among the delegates were 28 Episcopalians, 8 Presbyterians, 7 Congregationalists, 2 Lutherans, 2 Dutch Reformed, 2 Methodists, 2 Roman Catholics, 1 unknown, and only 3 deists--Williamson, Wilson, and Franklin--this at a time when church membership entailed a sworn public confession of biblical faith. [John Eidsmoe, Christianity and the Constitution, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), p. 43.]

This is a revealing tally. It shows that the members of the Constitutional Convention, the most influential group of men shaping the political foundations of our nation, were almost all Christians, 51 of 55--a full 93%.

Benjamin FranklinEven Franklin the deist is equivocal. He was raised in a Puritan family and later adopted then abandoned deism. Though not an orthodox Christian, it was 81-year-old Franklin’s emotional call to humble prayer on June 28, 1787, that was the

turning point for a hopelessly stalled Convention. James Madison recorded the event in his collection of notes and debates from the Federal Convention. Franklin’s appeal contained no less than four direct references to Scripture:

And have we forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, sir, a long time and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings that ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this and I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.

[Benjamin Franklin, quoted by James Madison in Notes on Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (Athens: Ohio University Press, 1966, 1985), p. 209.]

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Three of the four cornerstones of the Constitution--Franklin, Washington, and Madison--were firmly rooted in Christianity.

When you study the documents of the Revolutionary period, a precise picture comes into focus. Here it is:

• Virtuallyallthoseinvolvedinthefounding enterprise were God-fearing men in the Christian sense; most were Calvinistic Protestants.

• TheFoundersweredeeplyinfluenced by a biblical view of man and government. With a sober understanding of the fallenness of man, they devised a system of limited authority and checks and balances.

• TheFoundersunderstoodthatfearofGod, moral leadership, and a righteous citizenry were necessary for their great experiment to succeed.

• Therefore,theystructuredapoliticalclimate that was encouraging to Christianity and accommodating to religion, rather than hostile to it.

• ProtestantChristianitywastheprevailing religious view for the first 150 years of our history.However...

• TheFatherssoughttosetupajustsociety, not a Christian theocracy.

• Theyspecificallyprohibitedtheestablishment of Christianity--or any other faith--as the religion of our nation.

A Two-Sided CoinWe can safely draw two conclusions from these facts, which serve to inform our understanding of the relationship between religion and government in the United States.

First, Christianity was the prevailing moral and intellectual influence shaping the nation from its outset. The Christian influence pervaded all aspects of life, from education to politics. Therefore, the present concept of a rigid wall of separation hardly seems historically justified.

Virtually every one of the Founders saw a vital link between civil religion and civil government. George Washington’s admonitions in his Farewell Speech, September 19, 1796, were characteristic of the general sentiment:

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports....And let us indulge with caution the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles. [The Annals of America, (Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1976), vol. 3, p. 612.]

Second, the Founders stopped short of giving their Christian religion a position of legal privilege. In the tradition of the early church, believers were to be salt and light. The First Amendment insured the liberty needed for Christianity to be a preserving influence and a moral beacon, but it also insured Christianity would

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never be the law of the land.

The sad fact of the matter is that cultural authority was not stolen from us; we surrendered it through neglect. Os Guinness pointed out that Christians have not been out-thought. Rather, they have not been around when the thinking was being done.

Choosing cultural monasticism rather than hard-thinking advocacy, Christians abandoned the public square to the secularists. When the disciples of Jesus Christ retreated, the disciples of Dewey, Marx, Darwin, Freud, Nietzsche, Skinner, and a host of others replaced them.

Success for the Christian cannot be measured in numbers or political muscle, but only in faithfulness. Our most important weapon is not our voting power, but the power of the truth freely spoken and freely heard.

By Greg KouklFounder and President of Stand to Reasonwww.str.org

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1. What was the best 4th of July you ever had when you were a kid (if you can remember)? If you can’t think of one from your childhood, what would make for the best 4th of July for you now?

2. Do you ever struggle with the connection between church and patriotism in our country? If so, why? If not, why not? How do you think people from other countries view the link between God and Country in the US?

Read 1 Corinthians 7:21-24

3. What is a “bondservant”? Do you find it odd that Paul is, in essence, telling slaves NOT to fight for their freedom? What do you think that means?

4. Think about our political, social, and religious freedoms in this land. Do they

WEEK 6:FREEDOM UPSIDE DOWN

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make a difference to your spiritual freedom and your relationship with Christ? Why or why not?

5. It seems that Christian beliefs and values are becoming rarer and less valued in our society. According to 1 Corinthians 7:21–24, what should be reflected in us no matter what society we live within?

Read John 8:31-36

6. What kind of freedom is Jesus talking about in this passage? How is this different than political freedom?

7. In what ways do (and should) religious freedom and freedom from sin intersect with political freedom and the desire to have political freedom?

Read 1 Peter 2:13-17 and Galatians 5:1, 13-15

8. How do you feel about the passage you just read in 1 Peter 2? Do you agree with what Peter says? Explain.

9. When does our allegiance to the state and our allegiance to God come into conflict? Is there ever a time or a reason to “disobey” what Peter says in this passage? Explain.

10. How could we use our freedom as an “opportunity for the flesh”, as Galatians 5 talks about? Give some examples.

11. What is the purpose of God giving us freedom? (Both 1 Peter 2 and Galatians hint at it) What are we supposed to do with that freedom?

Action Steps1. Celebrate the freedom we are blessed to have in

this country and in Christ by doing what 1 Peter and Galatians say. Use that freedom to love and serve others. Get together with some friends and do a service project. Go clean up a park. Go sit with some veterans at the nursing home and talk with them. Get involved with the Atlanta Dream Center downtown and help those who are less fortunate than you. Use that freedom God gave you in a constructive way!

Memory Verse: 1 Peter 2:16

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

1 Peter 2:16

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1. What is the #1 worry you have in your life right now? Why is that particular thing #1? How often do you find yourself worrying about this?

2. When it comes to worry in general, rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10—1 being “I don’t worry at all” and 10 “I worry all the time”. Where do you land? Do you feel like you worry more or less than others?

Read Matthew 6:25-34

3. What do you think were the top worries or concerns for the people in Jesus’ original audience? What sorts of examples of worry does Jesus focus on?

4. Go through Matthew 6:25-34. How often and in how many ways does Jesus tell them not to worry? List each one specifically. Underline or highlight them in your Bible.

WEEK 7:WORRY UPSIDE DOWN

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5. Go through the passage again looking for the reasons behind the command to not worry. How many reasons does Jesus give?

6. How do the examples of the birds and flowers help us to not worry?

7. Look at verse 27 again. Does Jesus statement here help you not worry? Why or why not?

8. How often do find a reference to the care of our Heavenly Father/God? In what way is this the biggest reason to not worry?

9. Spend a little time analyzing your worry. Why do you think you worry? What are the root causes?

10. If trusting your Heavenly Father is the key antidote to worry, how are you doing at that?

11. What is the central promise of our Heavenly Father when it comes to the needs of your life? How can you apply that promise to your worry?

Action Steps1. Focus in on memorizing this week’s memory verse.

One way to do this is to write it out, by hand, several times. There is a scientific connection between hand writing and memory. Write the verse on a card and stick it up someplace where you will see it all week. When you start to worry about something this week, pull out that card and read it again or recite the verse to yourself over and over again. Let the scripture permeate your life this week.

2. Think back to that #1 worry you identified in your life right now. Get out a pad or paper or a notebook and write this worry at the top of the page. Then number your paper from 1 to 20 or so. List out all the reasons you can think of for WHY you worry about this item. Think through, as best you can, exactly what you are worried about. What are you afraid will happen? After you make your list, systematically pray over this list and give each item over to the Lord.

Memory Verse: Matthew 6:33-34

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Matthew 6:33-34

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1. In a recent survey, the top 3 responses young people gave when asked what their perception of Christianity was were: Anti-Homosexual, Judgmental, Hypocritical. Would you agree with those perceptions? Explain

2. Perhaps the most quoted bible verse in the world today is “Judge not, lest you be judged.” How do you think most people define judgmentalism? Do you think this is an accurate definition? Explain.

Read Matthew 7:1-6

3. The Greek meaning of the word, “judge” in Matthew 7:1 means “to discriminate or to make a difference”. In other words, to offer criticism that is unfair or unjustified. How does this definition of “judge” help to explain what Jesus meant when He said not to judge?

WEEK 8:JUDGMENT UPSIDE DOWN

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4. Is there a difference in confronting sin and condemning a sinner? What is the difference?

5. Is it wrong to judge sin? When? Is judging sin a loving thing to do? Why or why not?

6. What is the difference between judging behavior and judging motives? How does this difference have impact on Matthew 7:1-6?

7. Re-read verses 3-4. What “Why?” and “How?” questions does Jesus ask? How does the illustration Jesus used help us to understand what being judgmental really means?

8. What does Jesus call a person who does not self-judge in verse 5?

9. How does Jesus instructs His followers to judge sin in verse 5? How will obeying step 1 (examining your own life) affect how you do step 2 (helping your brother)?

10. Are you a judgmental person? What sins or behaviors are you most apt to judge in other people?

11. Most people end up on one end of the judgment spectrum or the other. Either they judge everything or they judge nothing. What is the danger with being on the poles? Where are you at?

Action Steps1. Have you ever harshly judged someone? Did you do

it to their face or in public? Did you simply judge their behavior or did you turn that into a judgment of their motives? If you answered yes to these questions, go and make amends this week. Apologize for going too far and for judging the heart and not the action. You can do this without condoning the behavior!

2. Consider going down and volunteering for either MUST ministries or The Atlanta Dream Center. Spend some time interacting with people that are easy to judge. Contact Tim and Savannah Conger or the church office for more information.

Memory Verse: Matthew 7:3

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

Matthew 7:3

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1. Have you ever tried to get into an exclusive club or organization, like a fraternity or a country club? What happened?

2. Do you think that Christianity is an exclusive club or is it open to everyone? Explain your answer.

Read Matthew 7:13-23

3. What does Jesus mean that the gate is narrow? Is he talking about Christianity as an exclusive club? What does He mean?

4. Why do you think that road to destruction is wide and easy? Wouldn’t it have made more sense for God to flip things around and make Christianity the easy road? Why didn’t He?

WEEK 9:CITIZENSHIP UPSIDE DOWN

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5. How does Jesus say we can spot a false prophet (see vs. 16)? What are some examples of false prophets today?

6. What fruit should we expect to see from someone who is following Jesus? How’s your fruit??

7. Do verses 21-23 scare you? Why?

8. Does this passage of scripture mean that we are saved by our “works”? If not, what does it mean?

9. What is the connection between faith and action? It there is someone who claims the name of Christ but doesn’t show any visible fruit, what does that mean?

10. Read Matthew 7:24-27. The key to understanding this passage is the phrase “who hears the words of mine and DOES THEM”. How are you doing? What are you building your life on? Sand or Rock? Do you need to make any changes in your life this week to start building on a better foundation?

Action Steps1. Spend some time studying the fruits of the spirit in

Galatians 5. Consider buying the book The Fruitful Life by Jerry Bridges. It’s a great read and a good study on the kind of fruit Christians should be producing and gives some practical steps on how to cultivate that fruit.

2. Do something hard but rewarding. An example might be take a long hard hike that leads to some place beautiful. Or build something difficult that will be worth it in the end. Any sort of complex project will do. As you are working on this project, think about the reward at the end. Use that as motivation to overcome the obstacles or challenges leading to the reward. As your are involved in the project, think about Matthew 7:13-14 over and over again. Reflect on the difficulties of living a Christian life but also the rewards of living this kind of life.

Memory Verse: Matthew 7:21

Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 7:21

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MATTHEW 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill

cannot be hidden. 15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

SCRIPTUREVERSES

I HAVE STORED UP

-PSALM 119:11

YOUR WORD IN MY HEART

THAT I MIGHT NOT

SIN AGAINST YOU.

Weekly Verses to Memorize.

1.

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JAMES 1:19-20

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let

every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

1 PETER 2:11

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and

exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”

MATTHEW 5:44

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and

pray for those who persecute you,”

MATTHEW 6:1

“Beware of practicing your righteousness

before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”

1 Peter 2:16

“Live as people who are free, not using

your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

Matthew 6:33-34

“But seek first the kingdom of God and

his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Matthew 7:3

“Why do you see the speck that is in your

brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

MATTHEW 7:21

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’

will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

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NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN CHURCHW H E R E R E A L L I F E C H A N G E H A P P E N S