Thrive: Deeper

The church at Corinth had recently been struggling with divisions and quarrels which Paul had dealt with in his first letter. Now in this second letter, Paul felt the need to articulate a defense of his apostleship and his message. Some in the church had apparently taken his meekness among them to be a sign of moral weakness or lack of authority. Paul argued that he was of equal stature and import...

Love is the greatest gift of all. After Paul has said that the Corinthian church should eagerly desire the greater gifts, he then tells them what the greatest gift of all is. LOVE Paul says that Love should be the priority over ALL other aspects of life in the Spirit. BUT still the greatest of these is LOVE. So whilst the church had struggles around many issues internally – worship, prophecy, tong...

1 Corinthians 8-12 We cover an enormous amount of territory through these chapters as Paul unpacks so many of the issues facing the early Corinthian church, but with very relevant lessons for us today! • Eating food sacrificed for other gods. • Freedom and Rights - Christian freedom grows as Christian understanding grows • Old Testament Lessons – Idolatry • Honoring Others in Worship • The Lords S...

1 Corinthians 1 – 7 Corinth was a vey strategic city – center for trade as a port city. Paul spent 18 months living in Corinth as a missionary, getting to know people (networking), and so many people came to know Jesus and hear about Jesus. They formed a church community. You can read more about this initial ministry of Paul’s to Corinth in Acts 18. Paul moved on of course to start churches in oth...

Judah has reached the end of the road. The final 4 kings turned away from the exclusive worship of God that Josiah had practiced. In a series of attacks, Jerusalem is captured and totally destroyed and the people taken into captivity in Babylon. God’s Prophets in the last days of the Southern Kingdom – Judah. Habakkuk – prophesied the Babylonian invasion soon after Josiah’s death as judgement from...

Hezekiah When there was finally a Godly King in Judah – Hezekiah – they find themselves facing the greatest threat the nation had ever known – the attack of Assyria. Without adequate resources to defend Jerusalem, Hezekiah casts himself in faith upon the Lord and receives not only the promise of victory through God’s prophet Isaiah, but also experiences God’s victory through the Lord’s interventio...

Jehu – Israel (Northern Kingdom) - Anointed as King by Elisha in secret and given the task to destroy the house of Ahab. Jehu is the only king of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) to have been anointed Carried out God’s requirement and prophesy to eliminate Ahab’s complete family line including Jezebel. Jehu eliminated Baal worship from Israel, but he continued to allow the worshipping of the Golden C...

2 Kings 2 - 2 Kings 8 As we head into 2 Kings, we see Jehoshaphat become King of Judah (the southern Kingdom) and the writer states he ‘did what was right in the eyes of the Lord’ We’ll here more about Jehoshaphat as we move forward, but we can find out some key aspects to Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 17-20. • Jehoshaphat was a King with a passionate personal commitment to God. • Jehoshaphat was co...

1 Kings 16 leading into 17 – we see the House of Omri take reign of Israel (the northern Kingdom) and his son Ahab. During Ahab’s 22 year reign he consolidated his fathers achievements and expanded Israel’s influence. Secular historians would tend to speak highly of the accomplishments of Ahab. But the Bible has a different perspective. It was the worst of times for the northern Kingdom – Israel....

In this episode of Thrive Deeper we continue our study through the Kings of Israel and Judah. We find the story of Asa in 1 Kings 15, starting in verse 9. We can also find more detail around his reign in 2 Chronicles 14. According to these accounts, the land of Judah experiences peace for 10 years under the reign of Asa. During this time, Asa eradicates anything pagan or idolatrous in the land and...

Books of 1 and 2 Kings are shaped around 4 significant events: 967BC David's son Solomon united Israel and began to build the temple 931BC nation split in two. 10 nations formed a new kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam (considered a rebel), and Judah was the other kingdom under the Davidic King Rehoboam. 722 The nation of Israel (10 northern tribes) were attacked and destroyed by the Assyrians and v...

As we move into these last 5 chapters of Romans, the Theology that Paul has presented in Romans Chapter 1- 11, is what informs the actions we see Paul speak to now in Chapters 12-16. This is where Paul demonstrates that Doctrine is not separate from practical Christianity. Rather it is the force behind it. In light of what God has done, here is how we should live. Chapter 12:1-2 – Personal sacrifi...

Romans Chapters 9-11 In this episode Matt and Stu will discuss: The Gospel and the Intersection between Responsibility (Human) & Sovereignty God (9:1-5) Gospel has always been based on election. (9:6-13) Gospel has always been based on Justice and Mercy (9:14-18) Gospel has always been based on God’s Sovereignty. (9: 19-29) The Pursuit of Righteousness based on merit. (9:30 – 10:4) As we move...

Life in the Spirit makes us able to understand and endure suffering in our current context. Paul’s analysis of the present suffering and our future glory makes it clear that these cannot be compared to each other. All of creation is awaiting and anticipating this coming glory. We also groan and wait with perseverance for the coming glory. God’s help through the Spirit is available to us now. God’s...

In this episode Matt takes us through the first part of Chapter 8 – vs 1-17. Paul’s letter to the Romans can be divided into three major parts: a presentation of the gospel (chapters 1-8), the place of Israel in God’s plan (chapters 9-11) and exhortations for Christian living (chapters 12-15). Chapter 8 comes near the end of Paul’s explanation of the gospel. It is the climax, and the truths that P...

We continue in the book of Romans working through Chapters 4-6. We cover: • The grace we receive because of God’s just faithfulness • Adams sin and how it resulted in us all being guilty before God • How the law showed (and shows) us the nature of sin more clearly • The difference between Adam and Jesus • God’s grace • How we can be set free from the hold of sin Romans 5:18-19 The result of one ma...

The book of Romans is the longest of the Apostle Paul's letters and is regarded by many people as his greatest. Romans contains Paul’s most complete explanation of the doctrine of justification by faith in Jesus Christ rather than by the law of Moses. Romans was most likely written while he was in Corinth on his third missionary journey, in A.D. 57 In this episode we cover: The Gospel as the Revel...

This week, Matt takes a look at 1st Kings as we close out the reign of David and he hands on the throne of Israel to Solomon his son. In this episode we cover a lot of ground but focus on: Solomon building the temple . . . and also his palace. Through this time, David’s son Solomon, leads Israel to greatness and to a period of peace and prosperity. But, because he didn't obey God and got drawn awa...

This week, Matt takes a look at 2nd Samuel as we pick up again our journey through the books of 1 & 2 Samuel. In this episode we cover a lot of ground but focus on: David's lament over the death of Saul, his crowning as King and then his triumphs as he takes back Jerusalem and reigns over all Israel. This is where the new dynasty begins and (in Chapter 7) we see the Davidic covenant, where God...

You can follow THRIVE online on: Our home on the internet: www. ThriveToday.tv

The Complete C S Lewis Signature Classics (7 Volume Set) – ThriveToday Offer ONLY AVAILABLE TO SHIP WITHIN AUSTRALIA A beautiful compilation of inspirational writings, featuring seven classic works in one box set. The box set includes: ‘Mere Christianity’ ‘The Screwtape Letters’ ‘Surprised by Joy’ ‘The Four Loves’ ‘The Problem of Pain’ ‘The Great Divorce’ ‘Miracles’ Remember we cannot keep making...

1st Samuel Chapters 15 - 22: We see Israel's first king Saul slowly decend into a dark madness, while similtaneously we see a young annointed shepherd slowly start his journey to the throne. In chapter 15 the Lord eejects Saul and Samuel executes King Agag. Chapter 16 Samuel anoints David as the next king. 1st Samuel chapter 17 has to be one of the most famous chapters in the Old Testament: David...

We continue through 1st Samuel: Chapter 8: Israel Requests a King & Samuel Warns against a Kingdom. Chapter 9: Saul Meets Samuel. Chapter 10: Samuel Anoints Saul as King, Samuel’s Signs Are Fulfilled & Saul Is Acclaimed King. Chapter 11: Saul Defeats the Ammonites. Chapter 12: Samuel’s Farewell Address. Chapter 13: Continued War with Philistia, Saul’s Disobedience and Samuel’s Rebuke &...

The book of 1st Samuel! Samuel the priest prophet and final judge - roughly 1100BC -1000BC The books of 1st and 2nd Samuel are not chronological. Themes of Samuel: 1} Davidic Covenant - Anointed king 2} God is in control 3} Power of the Holy Spirit 4} Sin & Consequences Also watch out for contrasts and comparisons of people and tribes.... As usual we recommend The Bible Project's short video o...

RUTH! A great overview by The Bible Project https://youtu.be/0h1eoBeR4Jk The 8th book of the Old Testament, during the time of the Judges. 1300 to 1200 BC Ruth is a "Moabitess" - what does that mean? Moab and Ammon were born to Lot and Lot's elder and younger daughters, respectively, in the aftermath of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible refers to both the Moabites and Ammonites as L...