The GT Weekend! Sketched V Week 1

February 2, 2019 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

1) Saul was thrown off by the thought that forgiveness was prayed for on his behalf. Suppose this was you. How would you respond? Angry and defensive? Thoughtful and curious? It’s easy for believers to hurry through the gospel story that “Jesus died to save us from our sin.” Forgiveness is an incredible gift. Without shame and condemnation, but for the purpose of reflection, think and pray through some sinful struggles you’ve had. What does it mean that forgiveness has been extended to you? Are you willing to forgive yourself?

2) Self-righteousness was Saul’s forte. He had created himself, trusted no other, and depended on no one to give him anything he had not earned. I don’t know about you, but this girl can relate! I like trusting myself, it’s safer that way. I like thinking I made myself who I am. Thinking I am fully self-reliant and independent fills my heart with something that can indeed feel good for a while, but in the end, is bitter poison. It’s pride. Where does pride most often rear its head in your life? What would it mean to recognize that you have no power to make yourself more righteous? Even if you are a believer.

3) Stacy’s Journey Study yesterday put us in the shoes of several different people, all who realized that, just like Saul, their own hearts had relied on their own strength instead of the Spirit of God’s. Where have you trusted your strength and your path? A good indicator of this is stress, chaos, anxiety, and absence of peace. Take a moment to identify those areas clearly in your mind and on paper, the spend some time reading through Philippians or Galatians out loud and let the truth and freedom of the Lord bring you abundance!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Ephesians 4:31-32 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander
be put away from you, along with all malice.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
as God in Christ forgave you.

Prayer Journal
Father, Your abundant love is beautiful and overwhelming in its endlessness. I give mental assent and gratefulness for your forgiveness driven by this love, but forgiveness is something I struggle to extend to myself.

Sometimes, my sin is so apparent and my drops in shame at how my sin causes another hurt or leads them away from You instead of toward You. Other times, I feel “pretty good”, as if I don’t sin. Keep my heart humble, help me listen to Your whispers of love and forgiveness. Remind that Your forgiveness is complete and eternal, just like Your love!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Sketched V Day 3 Saul, The Persecutor

January 30, 2019 by Sara Bailey Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 5:33-8:3
Acts 26:1-23
Psalm 110

Sketched V, Day 3

Somehow the prisoners had escaped!
Not only had they escaped, but they had literally returned to doing exactly what I had imprisoned them for in the first place: preaching in the name of Jesus.
Even now the guards were returning to the Temple to bring them back before the Council. What level of geniuses are we dealing with? Obviously, they are not in their right minds to disregard the commands of this authority.
We are the Council.
We are the teachers of the Law.
We decide if you are in good standing before God.

The more I thought about their disrespect of our authority, the angrier I became.
A few of the members of the Council laughed about a recent happening in the marketplace as we waited, and I caught the eye of the man facing me.
I’m not completely sure what my facial expression communicated, but the smile on the other man’s face dimmed and their conversation dropped several decibels. Maybe idiots aren’t only outside this group.
Scandalous disrespect for the Torah and our traditional laws is no laughing matter.

When the guards arrived with the prisoners in tow, I stared at the leader.
If I caught his eye, maybe I could convey a similar message to him as I had to my compatriot. I intensified my gaze and straightened my spine.

The high priest questioned them as to why they had disobeyed their previous orders to stop teaching in the name of Jesus and the leader had the gall to promptly reply that they were obeying God rather than man.
We are the authorities God put in place.
We are the teachers of the Law.
We are the ones who know the texts and are required to implement them.
Who is this man that implies he has heard from God and we have not?
Disgusting arrogance!

By now my temperature was rising and my hands were clenched tightly in my lap. I willed the leader to look my direction, but he continued to boldly meet the eyes of the high priest. It was a mercy he did not look my way. If looks could kill…

Suddenly Gamaliel stood and directed the guards to take the men outside. Once the doors were closed, Gamaliel addressed the group and suggested the men be released. He reasoned that in previous uprisings of this sort, incidents faded away once the leaders were gone. He instructed us to remain out of the scenario just in case they truly were speaking for the Lord.

Gamaliel is a well-respected, wise man, but my anger burned at his plan. These followers had already proven disregard for our authority, and I did not foresee that changing if we simply let them go. Thankfully, someone echoed my thoughts and agreement arose to flog the prisoners before releasing them. I barely controlled myself. Flogging? I scoffed under my breath, these traitors deserved nothing less than death.

Some time later, I found myself once again sitting among Council members as another follower stood before us. Stephen was his name. Accusations against him had been raised and we’d called him before us. The high priest asked him for the truth and suddenly I found myself listening to a history lesson. How degrading to have such a lesson from one so inferior. He covered the gambit from Abraham to Joseph to Moses to King Solomon.

My patience waning quickly, I hoped my distaste was clearly communicated each time I ignored his words and smoothed my robes, my every action mocking him with disdain. Every muscle tensed and my heart began to race as he closed his argument by saying, “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it.”

The atmosphere in the room shifted.
Necks went red and white knuckles appeared.

Stephen continued as he stared to heaven, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

The first man stood up and growled low. He broke the floodgates and a wave of men drove Stephen to the city gates. I hurried along with them, grateful my thoughts paralleled those around me. Death was coming quickly for this heretic!
Once we cleared the city gates, the men began shedding the robes and entrusting them to me. If this enabled them to more accurately select their stones and aim well, I would gratefully take care of their robes. I would be a unifying player in the destruction of this uprising.

As the stones flew, meeting their mark. Stephen cried out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” He fell to his knees and cried once more, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” The thud of stones hitting soft flesh and others colliding mid-air lasted only minutes. As the rage lessened and the evidence of the stoning’s success was apparent, the men gradually returned to me and gathered their robes. They dusted them off, pulling them back on as though this was any normal day’s work.

As the last robe was retrieved and I found myself standing alone at the city gates, Stephen’s last words reverberated in my mind. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
This sin?
Against us?
He asked God for forgiveness.

Forgiveness for me?

I shuddered at the thought, at all the thoughts that began swirling much too close to the surface, bringing a heaviness aching in my chest.
Hatred for Stephen and all followers like him silenced the thoughts.
Determined, I turned my steps back to the Temple.
Stephen would not be the last to learn their proper place at my hands.
Forgiveness? No.

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched V Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Sketched V!

Incorruptible Day 15 Surprised By Hope

November 23, 2018 by Sarah Young Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Peter 3:1-7
1 Peter 4:1-12
1 John 4:7-21
1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Incorruptible, Day 15

“I hate you!” your overly emotional daughter rages, slamming her bedroom door in your face.

Spiritual swords clash, unheard, but very real, and very loud.

“I think my husband is cheating on me,” your friend confides, tears of confusion and disbelief falling into her untouched cup of coffee.

Flaming arrows are flying, unseen, but aimed directly at our hearts.

In Ephesians 6, Paul clearly tells us we are at war.

EVERY day is full of epic battles.

Satan hands us his weaponry:
Anger, fear, frustration, bitterness, and self-righteousness.
He wants us to attack each other instead of fight against him!

With our enemy in sight, Paul urges us to choose God’s armor, complete with belt, breastplate, helmet, shield, shoes, and sword. I personally envision a powerful Roman soldier dressed for battle, protected head to toe, armed and ready against any foe.

Considering how to “stand firm” against the enemy, another word from Paul in Colossians encourages Believers to also prepare in a very different way.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12-14)

I picture a woman applying her makeup and carefully selecting her outfit.
She is ordinary, like you and me.
She doesn’t look like a Roman soldier, but she’s just as ready for battle as she cares for her children, interacts with her husband, runs errands, completes tasks at the office, or practices with the worship team.

In God’s kingdom,
everything is turned around and upside down
from the world’s perspective.

As soldiers in God’s army, we are to be characterized by LOVE.
When a disgruntled co-worker complains, again, love responds with kindness, flashing a GENUINE smile or, even better, complimenting him.
When a rude driver cuts you off, love shows self-control refraining from cursing or flashing a finger.
When your mother-in-law comments negatively about your parenting style, love gently changes the subject, maybe asking the recipe for her delicious apple pie.
When your child wakes up in the middle of the night, scared and screaming, love rocks him back to sleep, joyful you have a baby to hold in your arms.
When a homeless man holds up a cardboard sign, love refuses to make judgments about his situation, but offers him a bag of snacks and hygiene items instead.
When your cousin shares she is transitioning genders, love rejects condemnation, instead inviting her to coffee patiently listening to her story.

Love shares YOUR story of how God’s redemption is transforming your life.
Love ask if you could pray for someone.

The enemy would have us do battle according to our worldly, fleshly desires.
Our words. Our judgments. Our standards. (1 Peter 4:3)

God’s Word, however, is consistent, straight forward, and VERY simple.
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)

Love.
No “when it’s convenient, comfortable, or easy” clauses.
No exceptions.
No excuses.

Just as God has loved YOU, love others. (1 John 3:16-18)
Just as God has forgiven YOU, forgive others. (Matthew 6:14-15)
In the same way God has given you second and third and 435th chances, do to others.

Love.
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S THE HARDEST TO DO SO.

Jesus taught that others would recognize His disciples by our LOVE. (John 13:35)
A deep, genuine love REFLECTING God’s own love. (1 John 4:7-12)
JUST as God loves us, SO we are to love others.

Love for these…
Hormonal child.
Unfaithful spouse.
Annoying co-worker.
Impatient drivers.
Frustrating family members.
Unfair boss.
Obnoxious neighbor.
Persons of a different sexual orientation.
Persons with a different faith.
Those from a different country.

We have ALL experienced the love of God without regard to race, gender, ethnicity, economic status, age, or any other earthly label.

“…but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8)
We are called to live out this SAME love.
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
(1 John 4:11)

God love is inconvenient, uncomfortable and EXTREMELY costly.

During His final days on earth, Jesus was arrested, mocked, beaten, and crucified. In the most brutal death possible at the time, He was stretched across rugged timber, hands and feet nailed to the cross.
He died in love that we might live for love.
With this love, love others. (Ephesians 3:14-21)

Love.
With a new battle plan that doesn’t use the enemy’s weapons.
Instead, plan sneak attacks of forgiveness, ambush with kindness, overwhelm even our enemies with compassion, grace, and mercy.

Peter’s letter calls us to bravely link arms with those around us, joining forces, allowing LOVE to bind us together, making us strong for battle.

The world is surprised when we live out love. (1 Peter 4:4)
They notice.
The gospel is preached when we lovingly speak gracefully and truthfully of the extravagant love Jesus generously gives us!

The war is real.
The end of all things is near.
And so Peter calls us to arms, urging us to “maintain constant love for one another.”
Constant.
Because the battle never wains.

Love.
Because it’s the only weapon that has already won the war.

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
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Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper! And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey! Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Incorruptible Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Incorruptible

Roads Day 10 The Gospel + Something = Nothing

September 21, 2018 by Audra Watson 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 1:7-8
Galatians 1:6-10
Romans 10:9-10
Psalm 73:23-28

Roads, Day 10

Many have said people can believe in the biblical view of God,
while still ascribing to the Catholic faith.

In preparing for this Journey Study, I set out to examine this claim for myself.
A difficult task, I might add.

I began with the Twelve Articles of Catholic Faith, which are central to the Catholic faith. These mirror the Apostle’s Creed, a summary statement of apostolic beliefs.

The 12 Articles
A triune God who created the universe.
Jesus as Divine Savior; He is fully God.
Jesus was born of a virgin, conceived through the Holy Spirit, proving He is fully human and fully God.
He was crucified under the word of Pontius Pilot, a Roman governor of Judea. He died and was buried.
Jesus then descended into Hell and rose from the dead three days later.
Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven, mediating for us.

Jesus will return to earth to judge the living and the dead.
They believe in the Holy Spirit.
They believe in the catholic Church (meaning one global church) and communion of Saints.
The forgiveness of sins.
The resurrection of the body.
And finally, in everlasting life.

While these 12 are core doctrine for Catholic and Christian beliefs,
the difference lies in definitions.

Forgiveness of Sin
According to Catholic doctrine, Christ’s death “afforded grace for the forgiveness of sin.”
But it wasn’t actually “enough”, we still need to “work” to be “good enough” for that forgiveness to be extended to us.
Catholicism says “original sin” is removed only through baptism, which is a bit like the “Door to Forgiveness” being opened for you. To walk through it, however, you must participate in the “Sacrament of Penance.” This mainly happens through Confession with a Catholic priest. The priest is said to be the mediator between God and humankind, able to extend God’s forgiveness to us on His behalf.

To a Catholic, Christ’s work on the cross was insufficient to forgive sin without these works of baptism and confession to a priest on our part.

Christian doctrine also holds to Baptism and Confession,
but with different definitions.

Ephesians 1:7-8 makes it clear:
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace, that He richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

Through His blood.
By His grace.
Nothing more, nothing less.
We don’t need to work for forgiveness,
it’s freely given through Christ’s complete sacrifice.

Our Catholic friends are constantly working to cover up the bad things they’ve done through penance, instead of walking into the guaranteed forgiveness the cross and shed blood of Christ brings.

With constant work comes a constant question,
“Am I good enough for forgiveness?”

Eternal Life
Death, for a Catholic, continues to beg the question, “Am I good enough?’.
At death, if their soul is deemed holy by God, they go to Heaven.
If the soul is evil, they go directly to hell.
If the soul is neither holy nor wicked, they go to purgatory until the soul is cleansed of any sin (through others praying to Mary on their behalf) before going to Heaven.

In the Catholic faith, Mary is the mediator between us and Jesus, as we pray to her, and she prays to Jesus for us.

However, Scripture teaches two precious truths:
There is only one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ! 1 Timothy 2:5
We are given access, through Christ’s precious blood, to boldly and directly enter His throne room of grace. (Hebrews 4:16)

When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, he tore the veil in the temple.
That veil separated the Holy of Holies, where the presence of God resided, from the rest of the temple. Only a priest could enter the Holy of Holies to intercede for forgiveness on the peoples’ behalf. If the priest entered in with sin in his life, he would be struck dead.

But Jesus, who is the only sinless one,
came to earth to make God accessible to us through Himself.

Jesus came to take the place of the priests as mediator.
He is our perfect mediator because He is the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
Mary was a great woman, but being human means that we are sinful.
She was never intended to be the mediator between us and Jesus.

The Gospel
The gospel says Jesus’ shed blood and resurrection plus our acceptance equals salvation. Romans 10:9-10

But Catholicism says the gospel plus work equals potential salvation.

For all of the good, solid doctrine Christianity shares with Catholicism,
when we start adding things to the gospel, it’s no longer the gospel.

Good Enough?
If we’re honest, it’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves.
It’s one I’ve been asking myself a lot lately.

Good enough to go to Heaven?
Good enough to bypass purgatory?
Good enough for God’s forgiveness?

If we’re honest, it’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves.
It’s one I’ve been asking myself a lot lately.

In truth, Sisters, we can trust that neither are we good enough, nor do we need to be!
Because our God is more than good enough.
It’s not by baptism that our “original sin” is removed.
It’s not by attending mass without missing.
It’s not by confessing sins to a priest, or any other requirement.
Salvation is found, and forgiveness atoned for, by confessing with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Romans 10:9)

Our eternity is secure.
Nothing can ever snatch us from His hand once we’ve crossed the line of salvation for ourselves. (John 10:28)
The full gospel, nothing more, nothing less, is solid enough to hold our souls for eternity.
Jesus + Nothing = Everything!
Have you trusted Him?!

Ready for more? Dig Deeper!
Join us for every Journey Study by signing up!
Looking for yesterday’s Journey Study?
Share your thoughts from today’s Study!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper! And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey! Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Roads Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Roads!

Roads Day 7 Quest For Truth: Digging Deeper

September 18, 2018 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Quest For Truth!

The Questions

1) What would Jesus not give the Pharisees and Sadducees to prove He was God?

2) What did Jesus mean about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?

3) What is the significance of the exchange between Jesus and His disciples about who they say that He is?

Matthew 16:1-6

The Pharisees and Sadducees approached, and tested him, asking him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He replied, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.
5 The disciples reached the other shore, and they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7 They were discussing among themselves, “We didn’t bring any bread.”
8 Aware of this, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread? 9 Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you collected? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many large baskets you collected? 11 Why is it you don’t understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,’ it wasn’t about bread?”12 Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the leaven in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Original Intent

1) What would Jesus not give the Pharisees and Sadducees to prove He was God?
Seemingly, a visible sign could have once and for all removed any false accusations that Jesus was fully God. But Jesus knew it wouldn’t because human beings without the Holy Spirit, will always choose to believe what they want to believe. He pointed out that these religiously righteous follow the signs they want to follow, like weather markers. Jesus knew the heart of these leaders, and they wanted nothing to do with following God in their hearts. Jesus spent His entire ministry giving “sign after sign” that He was God. He healed the sick, brought sight to the blind, mended the lame, and even forgave sin. (Mark 2:5-11) Yet, the self-righteous still refused to accept truth because it would radically shift their entire lives. Even the most incredible “sign” of all, Jesus’ resurrection after 3 days of being dead (likened to Jonah in this passage who was in the belly of the sea creature for 3 days), would not be enough to turn hard-hearted skeptics with no sincere desire to know truth to accept truth. Signs weren’t the problem, their hearts were.

2) What did Jesus mean about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?
To get the full understanding here, we travel back to when the Israelites were being freed from slavery under the heavy hand of the Egyptians. Their exit would be quick, at a moment’s notice, and they had to be ready to leave. Of course, having no groceries along the way, they needed to quickly prepare bread for the journey, which meant not using yeast because it took so long to rise. The Israelites were commanded to remove all yeast as they hastily prepared to leave when the Lord said Go! Over time, yeast became a byword for evil or wickedness. Paul uses the same phrasing in Galatians, “This persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little leaven (or yeast) leavens the whole batch of dough.” Just as a small amount of yeast spreads quickly throughout the dough, so do distortions of truth. Jesus was warning His disciples to be on guard against evil teaching from the Pharisees and Sadducees, who, though they had the appearance of righteousness, they denied the Holy Spirit room to work in their lives. Both Jesus and Paul warn to “avoid these people” and their insidious deceptions. (2 Timothy 3:5)

3) What is the significance of the exchange between Jesus and His disciples about who they say that He is?
Jesus and His disciples have crossed the sea of Galilee in this passage, and are walking together on their way to Caesarea Philippi, an ancient Roman city located at the base of Mt. Hermon. It’s a beautiful spot, lush and green as it was the chief source of water for the Jordan River. It’s also the historic location of idol worship for the then-current mythological Greek god “Pan” and, going farther back, to King Jeroboam, who led the entire Northern Kingdom of Israel into idolatry as they worshipped Baal here. The significance of the location wouldn’t have been lost on the disciples as Jesus posed His question, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”. The competing voices for worship were loud. The disciples gave several names the crowds were throwing around for who this Jesus really was, the spirit of John The Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or other prophets. All were important people, all carried the weight of respect with the people, but none of these were God. None deserved total life worship and surrender. Jesus presses in as He turns the question to them as individuals and Peter responds based on everything he has witnessed in his time with Jesus, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (verse 16)

Everyday Application

1) What would Jesus not give the Pharisees and Sadducees to prove He was God?
People will always excuse away evidence, even if it’s right in front of them and seemingly undeniable, in order to hold on to what they want to believe. That’s why being “free” to “choose our truth” is so dangerous. While it appears welcoming to all beliefs and safe from any judgment, having no “real truth” leaves us, and our lives, empty and meaningless, like waves tossed to and fro that are neither here nor there. Even Christians are susceptible to this precarious way of thinking. How often have you held to what you thought was a biblical perspective only to find out through careful study and conversation with another trusted Believer, that you were wrongly interpreting Scripture? We must be studying God’s Word for truth, aligning our lives with it, and constantly asking the Holy Spirit to convict us where our beliefs are out of line with His perfect truth! Check your heart as you seek truth; are you willing to sacrifice your beliefs if you discover truth?

2) What did Jesus mean about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?
False doctrine and belief systems run rampant in our society. Even pastors claiming to be true and biblical have distorted the truth. We must always be on our guard, constantly comparing what we are taking in from leaders and teachers and friends to the truth of the Bible. It’s not enough to trust “someone else’s” study, we must know our Bible for ourselves! Paul says it like this, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him!” (Galatians 1:8) The people in Berea, who listened to the teaching of Paul and Silas, didn’t simply take their word for it. They poured over the Scripture to see if what they’d heard was true. (Acts 17:10-12) We would be wise to follow their example of faithfulness to truth! Despite how appealing it may seem to have the freedom to “believe whatever you want”, truth matters.

3) What is the significance of the exchange between Jesus and His disciples about who they say that He is?
In yesterday’s Journey Study, Sara likens the Unitarian view of Jesus not being God, to Him being on an “all-star” team of super prophets. Jesus intentionally allowed the question of His true identity to sit with His disciples as they sorted through what others said versus what they had witnessed day in and day out. Owning that truth was a turning point for Simon Peter, as it is for each one of us that call Jesus Lord. Has there been a day, a moment, when you stood surrounded by other voices, other religions, other deceptions, and it became clear to you that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Son of the Living God? I pray so! If you ever find yourself in a conversation and feel the Spirit tugging you to turn it to spiritual matters, follow Jesus’ own example and ask, “who do you say Jesus is?”. It’s a great, open-ended, non-threatening way to give the other person a chance to talk and share freely. Listen closely, build the relationship, and when it’s the right time, don’t shy away from sharing who Jesus is to you!

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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