Calvary Chapel River Oaks

Paul continues his defense of his ministry, and urges us to remain grounded in the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He shows us that a holy God, desires a holy church. 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-17 We will also see how self-boasting is designed to disguise who false prophets an...

We will see Paul’s defense of his ministry, and he calls for the church to see that it’s God’s commendation that matters, not men’s or one’s self-boasting. We will read verses 1-2 and then skip to verse 7 seeing as how we focused on 3-6 in our last study.

In our last study, we saw the emotional reaction from king Ahasuerus to Queen Vashti and his counsel from the leaders close to him to dispose the queen and raise up a new one. All of this was done in human emotion and even manipulation to keep the king from embarrassment and keeping the other women in the kingdom in check. While these decisions were done in the flesh, we see how God uses all thing...

We will see that balance in our understanding of God’s word both in knowledge and application specifically regarding spiritual warfare. I am intentionally skipping verses 1-2 and will go back to those verses along with the rest of this chapter in the next study.

There are some who will find themselves in need not because of their sin or because of their lack of faith, but simply because their circumstances are what they are, and sometimes, He keeps us in the same circles to be a witness to those around us. As we have taught many times, God doesn’t always change our circumstances but will always provide for us and go with us through whatever circumstances...

We will meet Haman, whose hatred for Mortdecai, turns into an all-out assault on all the Jewish people. God will always intervene on behalf of His people even though many times, they turned their back on Him.

We are called to holiness, and we will see what repentance vs. remorse looks like. And finally we will see Paul’s heart as the church has responded to his correction in a godly way and are stronger for it.

Did our hearts not burn within us? This is an experience that comes right before a revelation. The excitement that builds when they announce you as the winner of an award or competition, the conversation or events leading up to a marriage proposal or even opening up presents on Christmas or birthdays. For a new believer, this is truly an eye opening event. These two disciples walked with Jesus and...

Who was King Ahasuerus? He was better known by the name Xerxes. It appears that he inherited the vast Persian Empire from his father, Darius. Darius was the king who ruled along with Cyrus after the Persians conquered Babylon. Now it is important to understand that the name Darius is translated “Lord” so it could be a title rather than a name and this sometimes gets confusing when reading historic...

As ambassadors, Paul is pleading with the church to not take it lightly. We are all workers or laborers in the kingdom of God, and recognizing the fullness of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we should not receive this grace in vain.

In this study we will see that while we are in this earthly tent, it is no longer our home, and when it is destroyed, we have an eternal home that awaits us.

Amos has two more visions. One of the basket of fruit on chapter 8 and a second vision of the Lord standing at the altar in chapter 9. Both of these visions reveal the final judgment coming upon Israel.

Paul is showing us here that in the liberties we have, we walk in this ministry given to us by the Lord, renouncing the hidden things of shame, and not mishandling the word of truth that we are entrusted with.

The New Covenant is not written on stone tablets but on our hearts. And for those who believe, the veil of blindness has been taken away and we now have access directly to God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Amos is given visions of the coming destruction and then we will see the response from the priest in Bethel who reports directly to King Jeroboam.

Where is your faith?

Paul is shifting gears and we will see his heart as he talks about his travels and knowing how some in the Corinthian church are upset with him, he defends his calling as an apostle letting them know that they themselves are a testimonial of His calling.

Amos continues to call them out for turning away from God and looking to other nations for their security.

We will see one particular area in the body of Christ that is still an issue today. Specifically, this is the balance between church discipline and restoration.

We will see Paul speaks about the will of God and how sometimes we desire to go or come, but things don’t always work out the way we intend. Even in the simple plans, we have to come and say “Your will be done”.

In 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 we will see Paul talking about being comforted during times of suffering.

We will see Paul closing this first letter to the Corinthian church. He is speaking directly to specific needs of the church in Jerusalem as well as to specific individuals who are all working together to further the gospel.

His word is always true and with our eternal hope confirmed, we now will see more of what this means in actuality. Currently we are walking by faith not seeing the fullness of our eternal position. Because of Jesus it is already accomplished, we just have to wait to see the fullness of what that means when we see Jesus face to face.

Paul continues this same theme of our hope and resurrection as we continue our study.

I wanted to take this Sunday being the eve of the new year to talk about how we interact with God in prayer, in study and in overall relationship. In our church culture today there has been such a focus on blessings from God, but did you know that we can bless God as well? This is seen in scripture and in some older worship hymns and songs but not really talked about in church circles. So, this mo...