The Bride Church

Key Points When following Jesus, we need to be encouraged and empowered; The Holy Spirit is our source. Zerubbabel needed the Word of the Lord to be reminded of His promise. Jesus explained to His disciples that they would be discouraged by His absence but encouraged and empowered by the Father’s promise to send the Holy Spirit. If we are going to edify others, we need to be built up by the Holy S...

Key Points Our words can build up or tear down. God wants us to speak love to build up those in the Body of Christ. Isaiah was repentant for his and his people’s unclean lips. God purified him with a burning coal, atoned for the sin, and sent him. Born-again believers need to refrain and repent from perverse (rotten) talk and speak grace as it fits the occasion. Speaking the truth in love includes...

Key Points Breaking the fast does not mean the spiritual battle is over. You will face difficult situations, but you have your Dad with you. Moses sent spies to check out the land of Canaan. The promises of God often come with opposition. God gave the spies a preview of the goodness of the land they were promised with an abundance of fruit. When you zoom in and focus on the problems and bad things...

Key Points God asks us to walk worthy of our calling.  Worthy relates to a balancing of the scales. When our practical life application matches our spiritual position, we are walking in worthiness.  Not denying the needs of others and moving towards them regardless of our fears allows God to move in His power. God’s shares His heart with us through instruction and the gift of righteousness. Discus...

Key Points Fasting for your own abundance and feeding others is God’s idea of fasting. Fasting in God’s eyes is life changing, not only for you but for those in your sphere of influence. God lists several promises in this passage that are available to those who apply God’s chosen fast. Blessings come when God’s Word is both heard and applied. Discussion Questions 1. List the promises found in Isai...

Key Points God points out the wrong way to fast. God points out that He doesn't hear or reward certain attitudes of the fast. God desires transformation from fasting and prayer. Justice, mercy, and good deeds are God's heart for the fast. Discussion Questions 1. How did your first week of the fast go? 2. Have you increase your prayer life? 3. Have you experiences any of the rewards/benefits of the...

Key Points God has placed eternity in our hearts; therefore, we have an unquenchable need without Jesus. God is unchangeable but desires to change us. To want more and hope for better is as natural as breathing. To fast or to remove something good and replace it with something better is a discipline that can lead to transformation. The prophet Isaiah is directed to not hold back but to shout with...

A Son was given from the Father from a heart of mercy and redemption. The Creator became one of His creations to redeem mankind. He would carry the weight of the world and become an Everlasting Father. He would bring Peace and Counsel. Discussion Questions 1. From the names and attributes listed in Isaiah 9:6, which do you most relate to? Why? 2. Can you begin to fully believe in one of these to m...

It's not about me. It's about my need for a Savior. We need His help. We need His direction. It is His desire that none should perish, but all should have eternal life. He offers us His treasure so that we can take His light into a dark world. He is with us.

Key Points Zachariah’s prophesy points to a light that will shine into darkness. Jesus is the light of the world and brings clarity, showing us our need for a savior. God is sovereign over the darkness. His light and presence is a promise that brings peace. Turn on the light! Discussion Questions Take some time to discuss the passage from Isaiah. What traditions have been passed down from your par...

When rooted together, the Church is built up and held together in unity. God desires us to no longer be children but to mature. Maturing into Christlikeness is God’s heart for His people. Loving one another in truth and deed adds to the sanctification process. Test yourself to see if you are growing up (maturing) into Christlikeness.  God’s plantings have opportunities to grow into oaks of righteo...

We are baptized into the Body of Christ The Body has many members, and we are not only members of Christ’s Body but members of one another. We are rooted together for growth, love, correction, holiness, and evangelism. Isolation from the Body is simply not Christianity. Body life takes devotion. 1. How does being a part of a Home Group connect you to the Body? 2. Explain how Christlikeness occurs...

Once rooted, we are to walk it out in life, allowing the fruit to be nourishing. Being established in the faith will produce fruit. There are many reasons to be thankful when remembering what Jesus has accomplished. Abounding in giving thanks keeps us rooted. When one stops giving thanks, they will be discontent and critical. Giving God thanks is a battery charger for your soul. 1. Read the passag...

Christians are fruit-bearers. Fruitless Christians are not in the Vine. God sends us what we need to grow and produce. He is patient with the nonbearing tree but a time comes when it will be cut down.  Dead branches, nonbearing branches and fruit producing branches are pruned by the Vine Dresser. This is not punishment, but a means to grow more fruit. Spiritual fruit is not that same as ministry s...

Jesus is the root. Roots go down first, then the fruit. Abide simply means to remain. We are incapable of producing Godly fruit without being rooted in Christ. Jesus loves us just as much as the Father loves Him. 1. Are you remaining in Jesus under trials? 2. Discuss your experience of the process of producing fruit. 3. Is growing in Christ a priority in your life? 4. Of the nine fruit in Galatian...

God desires to gives us all we need to grow into the likeness of Christ We do not grow when we walk, stand, or sit in the ways of the world. We need to be open and teachable and have a thirst for the Word. Our roots dive deep next to the water of the Word. Without the Word it is impossible to discern truth. Meditating on the Word daily by speaking verses back to yourself can be lifegiving.  God de...

Paul prays that we would comprehend this: • The Father wants to share all He has with us… • • His power • • His strength • • His Spirit • • His Son • • His love Even though we are rooted and filled with His fullness, He desires to uproot anything that He has not planted. Some of us have stumps from our past that need to be removed. These stumps are giving place to the devil and at times producing...

Jesus commissions His disciples to share the Gospel with the world. Signs will follow the proclamation of the Gospel. We are not called to follow the signs. Some signs that follow those who shrink back from sharing are: • Fear of rejection, fear of saying the wrong words, fear of failure. • Forgetting that Jesus has commissioned us and given us power.  Forgetting that someone told you. Forgetting...

Everyone needs a Paul, Barnabas, and a Timothy in their life. God did not intend for us to live out this Christian walk alone. Coming to faith in Jesus is all you need. Coming to church on Sunday and receiving the word is good. But when you can get around the one anothers in The Body and share in koinonia afterwards or during the week, it is much more satisfying. As those who are united with Chris...

As prophesized in Isaiah 53:9, Jesus would be buried in a man’s tomb. Joseph “took courage” and asked for Jesus’s body and personally exercised his faith to ask Pilate. As believers, we need to take courage and not shrink back in fear when asked to do something for Jesus. Three of Jesus’s female disciples came early in the morning to anoint His body. They realized they would need help to roll away...

Jesus’s charges were all truths, but man put him to death for the charges non the less. He was the Son of God, King of the Jews, and He would tear down and rebuild the temple. Jesus died as a sinless man. He wasn’t able to carry His own cross, but He enables us to carry ours. He denied the wine mixed with myrrh, a form of narcotic. He wasn’t going to sleep on the cross. He committed to remain cons...

Peter follows behind Jesus as He is led away. He warms himself by a fire while Jesus is tried. Jesus is given over to Pilate to be condemned to death. Peter denies Jesus three times. Peter is left in tears of regret and shame. Hebrews 10 speaks of the Old Covenant of animal sacrifice and that it can never fully take away sin. Jesus’s sacrifice was more than forgiveness; it canceled the payment.  J...

Jesus experienced deep distress and sorrow while praying in the garden. Jesus asked the Father to take the cup away. Jesus submitted to the Father's will. The disciples failed to stay awake and pray and did not keep their promise to go to the cross with Him. The disciples failed to keep their promise to not deny Him. All of us fall short but God uses our failures to produce a dependence on Him. Ou...

The Passover celebrated God delivering them from the bondage of slavery. Jesus made a new covenant with us and became the Passover Lamb for us. God is sovereign. Even when it seemed like evil had won, God was in control. We constantly need to be reminded about what He did for us. When was a time in your life that you thought evil had won? Has there ever been a time in your life where you originall...

Our devotion springs from believing in His worth. Mary valued the treasure; Judas valued the treasury. Our devotion sends out an aroma and leaves an impression on the world. Mary was always at the feet of Jesus. 1. How is your devotion to Jesus expressed? 2. Have you ever been judged about your worship? 3. Where are your time, talents, and treasure spent? 4. What happens at the feet of Jesus?