Group Bible Study picks up where we left off this past December with chapters 23 and 24 in the book of Acts. We hope you’ll join us for a lively discussion and close read of this text this Sunday, February 7th at 1:00pm.
The apostle Paul was no stranger to conflict. These chapters in Acts find him still in prison and still making the case for his innocence. Did he become despondent? Did he start to question if Christ was with him? No! In fact amid all of this, Paul continues to preach to anyone who will listen about faith in Christ Jesus. For years Paul was held in prison without a fair trial, but he never lost hope and he never resorted to any unjust measures to secure his freedom. The Roman governor visited Paul often because he hoped to get a bribe in exchange for Paul’s release, but to no avail.
Paul’s unflinching faith kept him safe from feeling beaten down by the system or resorting to compromising his morality. His faith sustained him during this time and gave him the knowledge that all he was going through was for the glory of God. Paul gives us a shining example of how to keep going in the face of what look like insurmountable obstacles. Our dominion and our victory can never be taken from us in Spirit. These spiritual attributes give us an eternal wellspring of strength and freedom to accomplish the tasks God has set before us.
Just as Paul demonstrated this, we can demonstrate it too. When a feeling of discouragement enters our thought, we don’t need to let it imprison us. Jesus says in John 10:9 “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Christ is the door of our thought, and when we realize this fact, we gain power over the discouraging suggestions that would keep us hostage in our own mind. Thoughts like “this is never going to end” or ” I’ll never accomplish my goal” can be shown the door, and they will vanish as quickly as they appeared. When we replace these negative thoughts with the truth about man, that we can do all things through Christ, this dominion will be reflected in our lives.
We would love to see you Sunday as we dig deeper into these important subjects!
Remote Attendence
To join our Bible Study Google hangout, make sure you have a Google+ account, and add Third Church to one of your Google+ circles. Once you have done this, send your name, email, and Google+ account to ThirdChurchOffice@juno.com with the subject line “Bible Study Hangout″ and we’ll send you further instructions on how to join. If you have any issues getting set up, we’re here to help! Call us at (212) 838-1870 or email ThirdChurchOffice@juno.com.
To join Bible Study on the conference phone, use the dial in number and access code below:
Dial-in Number: 1-310-372-7549
Access Code: 607611