Why do you think Jesus asked him that question? What do you think he meant by it?
Work Session (Focus Healing for the Invalid)
The Healing at the Pool
5 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] [b] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Closing
Our LAME RACE!!
Finally, we will sing Jesus Loves Me to close out our Bible Study! 🙂
1 So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. 2 Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God. 3 You’ve had a taste of God. 4 Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. 5 Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. 6 The Scriptures provide precedent: Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it. 7 To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him, The stone the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone. 8 For the untrusting it’s . . . a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way. They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted. 9 But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you – 10 from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. 1 Peter 2:1-10 The Message Bible
Shared hunger and shared prayers will lead to the glory of God and fullness of His presence.
Church experience should be a place we DON’T hide our hunger
Cultural behavior is not behavior of the kingdom
Southern decorum should die when in the presence of our brothers and sisters
Love sickness is the atmosphere of the kingdom of Heaven
Even God labors in pain to commune with us
He groans in pain to receive our love and our communication as the CHURCH
Nations will mature in God’s presence when we give up our false control and false proper behavior
Our church should not be subdued because we will only mature in our desperate search of the glory as a BODY
God invites us to be desperate for HIS GLORY because we think we are David when we are actually David’s wife
David’s wife’s false maturity led to her to barrenness
The Body of Christ is not called to BARRENNESS. We should give ourselves over to the lovesickness for God and for Jesus! Resetting our church culture—Watch the video below. I love Emma Stark!
Many times, I have believed that 2021 is the year of DELIVERANCE. Last year, I feel that it was the year of God’s FAVOR. This year I believe it’s the year of Elohim’s teshuah.
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Judges 15:18 HEB: עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את translation great deliverance by the hand
In December 2020, I answered the call of my God and my Savior. My commitment and my covenant with my Lord led to the DELIVERANCE of my family. All my children are saved. All my children have been delivered. All my children are serving Him in their own lives. Jehovah granted deliverance and salvation to my household because I made a decision to FOLLOW Him to be obedient. I answered His call.
How many times has He called me? How many times did I not answer? My pride always stood in my way because God opposes the PROUD. In 2015, the Lord HUMBLED me and ended my prideful ways. With that change in my heart and my mind, I was able to answer His call.
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Now that it has six months since I have answered Jesus as he called my name, I see Him CLEARLY as He delivers others. Last night, I watched as one of my youth group members experienced miraculous, amazing moments when God showed up and did what He does: sent His POWER and His GLORY to His her.
1 Chronicles 29:11“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.”
My 17 year old daughter who the Lord delivered in December has befriended a young woman in ninth grade at her school. Both these young ladies have similar stories: they suffer from mental illness. Neither of the girls has found effective treatment with the medications that they take. As a parent of daughters who have been afflicted with depression and anxiety as young teens, I know the heartbreak of watching my babies suffer. I have seen how bleak and hopeless they are. Without God and His help in conjunction with treatment, my daughters were unable to find peace, comfort, or happiness. So I found myself feeling empathy and compassion for Sophia’s new friend, yet I am cautious.
I never want to make things worse or hurt the ones that I interact with, so I have prayed for Jenna (named changed for her protection), knowing that God knows all her issues and can easily deal with them all. I wanted to support Jenna and give her time to acclimate to our family and to our church. To my enthusiastic surprise, Jenna has stuck it out with us as a family and church family. I have continued to see the Father deliver, protect, and save this young woman. I cannot wait to see what else The Lord has in store for this young lady. She became a NEW BELIEVER on 5/26/21. Praise the Lord and pass the deliverance!! Thank you, Lord.
This past Wednesday night to the outsider it may have looked like an ordinary evening inside our Youth room. Some of us were resting on the couches while others of us were sitting at the tables reading and learning about coming to know our Jesus with the ZEAL of little children. We were missing a few of our regulars due to work and other school year end activities.
However, what we really had was a gathering of CHAMPIONS!! We are small in number, yet mighty in Spirit and in GRACE. Inside that room, there sat a young person who had just returned from meeting with a counselor to deal with the trauma of sexual abuse in his or her life. Another one of our little family members has struggled with suicidal thoughts and anxiety for years.
I looked to my right to find a youth member with fear and with questions about why cancer has struck yet another one of his or her family members. In front of me, I notice a group member who has rebuilt his or her life after her biological father died and her biological mother abandoned him or her. One of our classmate’s father has chosen anyone or anything other than his own child for twenty years. My students have struggled personally or have family members who have struggled with abuse, disease, mental health issues, addictions, poverty, grief, and indecision. The amount of courage it must take to even get up and face such hardships as a youth or young adult is unfathomable. Is it courage or FAITH?
I believe the Father gives us our measure of Faith that gives us the courage to continue to learn and to grow in Him. That very night, I saw the Father restoring us through the love and the gift of His Son, Jesus. We came to Him with our concerns, our needs, and our questions, seeking and looking for His answers.
As I talked with and prayed for one my Youth members, our pastor prayed and ministered to two others. In those moments, Elohim moved in our midst, saving, delivering, and restoring.
Our pastor prayed with a newcomer who accepted Christ as her Savior, and another student and I prayed for answers and healing about her family’s health issues. We spoke about Job, and God allowing him to be tested. I mentioned how Elohim RESTORED Job and DOUBLED his reward. God asked Job to pray for his three friends who had misrepresented God during Job’s trials. God asked Job to accept their sacrifices and to offer forgiveness to his friends. After Job was obedient to Elohim’s requests, Job received his reward.
The Holy Spirit visited us in our little Upper Room. Ironically, our room is in the upstairs portion of our church; in that Upper Room, we met Jesus, and we experienced restoration. Through the BLOOD, we realized our restoration: Jesus’s blood brought us to our Father who poured out the Holy Spirit upon us. Our journey as believers and members of the Body of Christ has just begun. We will continue to seek Him and to learn and to grow. My prayer is that the reality of HEAVEN will be HERE on earth as well as inside our hearts. Praise His Name in thanksgiving and in appreciation for all He is doing in the lives of our young people.
Amen and AMEN!
Acts 1:12-8:3New American Standard Bible
The Upper Room
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the [a]mountain called [b]Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a [c]Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went up to the upstairs room where they were staying, that is, Peter, John, [d]James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, [e]James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the[f]son of [g]James. 14 All these were continually devoting themselves with one [h]mind to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
15 [i]At this time Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (a group of about 120 [j]people was there together), and said, 16 “[k]Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the residents of Jerusalem; as a result that field was called Hakeldama in their own language, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms:
‘May his residence be made desolate, And may there be none living in it’;
21 Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out [m]among us— 22 beginning [n]with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” 23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all people, show which one of these two You have chosen 25 to [o]occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they [p]drew lots for them, and the lot fell [q]to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.
The Day of Pentecost
2 When the day of Pentecost [r]had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, [s]distributing themselves, and a tongue[t]rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different [u]tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.
5 Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own [v]language. 7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, “[w]Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own [x]language [y]to which we were born? 9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and [z]Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya around Cyrene, and [aa]visitors from Rome, both Jews and [ab]proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own[ac]tongues of the mighty deeds of God.” 12 And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others were jeering and saying, “They are full of [ad]sweet wine!”
Peter’s Sermon
14 But Peter, taking his stand with the other eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, [ae]know this, and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you assume, since it is only the [af]third hour of the day; 16 but this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all [ag]mankind; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy, And your young men will see visions, And your old men will [ah]have dreams; 18 And even on My male and female [ai]servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days, And they will prophesy. 19 And I will [aj]display wonders in the sky above And signs on the earth below, Blood, fire, and [ak]vapor of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. 21 And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a Man [al]attested to you by God with [am]miracles and wonders and [an]signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of [ao]godless men and put Him to death. 24 [ap]But God raised Him from the dead, putting an end to the [aq]agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held [ar]in its power. 25 For David says of Him,
‘I saw the Lord continually before me, Because He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue was overjoyed; Moreover my flesh also will live in hope; 27 For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, Nor will You [as]allow Your [at]Holy One to [au]undergo decay. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’
29 “[av]Brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is [aw]with us to this day. 30 So because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one[ax]of his descendants on his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the [ay]Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh [az]suffer decay. 32 It is this Jesus whom God raised up, [ba]a fact to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore, [bb]since He has been exalted [bc]at the right hand of God, and has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into [bd]heaven, but he himself says:
‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and [be]Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were [bf]pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “[bg]Brothers, what are we to do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on urging them, saying, “[bh]Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand [bi]souls. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to [bj]prayer.
43 [bk]Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and [bl]signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all the believers [bm]were together and had all things in common; 45 and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread [bn]from house to house, they were taking their [bo]meals together with gladness and [bp]sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to [bq]their number day by day those who were being saved.
I’ve heard “do as I say and not as I do” so MANY times through out my childhood, and I must admit that I have said it myself. However, I have high hopes that my girls (all four of them) will learn from my mistakes, and that they will WAIT on the Lord.
Psalms 27:14 – Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
There were so many times in my younger mind that I felt such obsession to HURRY!! I believed that I had to accomplish ALL my goals by 30, live ALL my dreams, and do ALL the things. My twenties were fraught with wrong decisions and sad endings. Then, by my 30th birthday, I had to face the one variable that was the same in all my strife: RUSHING. Waiting did not exist to me. By that age, I found myself sick, tired, and weak in spirit. What had I done to myself? What all had I ruined? Why had I self sabotaged so many times, especially in my relationships? Now that I am in my 40s and analyzing my failures through the eyes of the Spirit, I see that the crux of my entire problem presented itself in my failure to WAIT.
Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
I remember once after my first divorce a conversation a dear aunt of mine had with her son, which is my cousin:
“Mama, I am sad that Jennifer and Mark aren’t married anymore. I don’t understand what happened. How can I keep from ending up like her?”
“Son, you WAIT on the Lord. Whenever you choose a mate or deal with a problem, WAIT on Him to help you make those decisions.”
My 25 year-old-self was devastated at this conversation, especially since I was sitting at the very same table with them, and my mistake was so raw at that time. I allowed that conversation to separate me from Christ because I felt such horrible shame and loss. I was such a naïve young woman and a very immature Christian. Now, I remember that conversation and comprehend it so differently. My aunt discerned the answer that she gave to my young cousin. The Holy Spirit helped her discern her answer; I see it plainly today.
I should have WAITED on Him. I should has sought the answers in prayer, in fasting, and in focusing on the word. It seemed that I chose every other option that the ones that I should have. The song Graves into Gardens has always spoke to my heart since the first time I listened to it.
I searched the world But it couldn’t fill me Man’s empty praise And treasures that fade Are never enough
Then You came along And put me back together And every desire Is now satisfied Here in Your love
The world as well as my inability to look beyond it with my spiritual eyes led me astray. I was a lost boat in a swift, harsh current. The waves crashed and carried me haphazardly toward the wreck that my life had become at 30. I was twice divorced, raising two girls alone and working two jobs as a high school teacher and college instructor. The loss of the family for my girls will forever change their lives and damaged their little hearts and minds. What I felt was right for me in unrenewed mind devastated my daughters. Not only did my bad decisions damage my daughters, but they also upended and devastated my husbands’ lives and extended family’s lives. I faced my failure and vowed to never remarry again. I believed if I have a committed, married life again that could protect myself and my children from destruction (or so I thought).
By the age of 36, I had spent ten years hating men and sticking to my ridiculous vow. That decade should have provided me with the time to WAIT on the Lord and to learn from my mistakes. However, I still had lessons to learn, and just like parents will do, God taught me the hard way since I couldn’t look to Him due to my hard headedness and my hard heart.
By 2016, I began that year with the prayer to God that I wanted a family, a husband, and another baby. I would have to be willing to give my heart, my time, and my trust to someone else if I really wanted to remarry. The questions of who to marry and when to marry are life altering questions and with life altering answers. I realize that my own daughters who are 14, 16, 19, and 20 will soon be faced with the same situation that I was in 2016. Ultimately, I asked God first: Who do you want me to marry? When will I know it’s the right time? I asked the Lord these questions on December 5, 2015, and on December 9, 2016, Chris called me for the first time, and on December 10, 2016, we went on our first date to Roddy Baptist Church the very church we grew up in and first met each other. We were married and had Liam in 2016. That year obviously was a great year of God’s FAVOR in my life.
My daddy and my paternal grandmother died in December 2016, yet I still consider that the year of God’s FAVOR because He acknowledged my heart and gave me the desires of it. He also provided comfort and peace beyond understanding.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
In that peace and comfort, I had a loving, supportive husband who put up with my moodiness and my devastation. He stood beside me and was so patient with me as I grieved. His patience and understanding helped me see more of the promises of my Father. Even now, there are so many times that Chris has the most simplistic and realistic perception of our life and circumstances; this calm, peacefulness is exactly how I need to see our life and our conflicts. I tend to over complicate things, and he just knows exactly how to get to the heart of the matter. I’ve learned so much through our trials and our triumphs, and I am a very blessed woman. I know my children see my humanity and my weaknesses. I hope that they are able to learn from my mistakes and lean always on the understanding of the Father as they learn to wait on Him.
Father,
I ask that you teach my daughters to see people and to see situations as You see them. Continue to mold us into Your image. Bless and keep us, Lord.
In my study time on 4/13/21, the Lord put Isaiah 43:1-7 on my heart. It is the most profound passage I believe I have ever encountered. Also, this prophecy from Isaiah really speaks to how much the Father and the Son love you. This passage will be coming from The Message Bible.
Isaiah 43:7 (Message Bible)
1 But now, God’s Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
2 When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end –
3Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
4 That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.
5 “So don’t be afraid: I’m with you. I’ll round up all your scattered children, pull them in from east and west.
6 I’ll send orders north and south: ‘Send them back. Return my sons from distant lands, my daughters from faraway places.
7 I want them back, every last one who bears my name, every man, woman, and child Whom I created for my glory, yes, personally formed and made each one.'”
In all my life, I do not think I’ve read such wonderfulness. This prophecy by Isaiah describes the love of the Father and Jesus, which describes the lengths He would go to save us: his children. This LOVE is never more apparent than when the Father sends His ONLY Son to die for us at Mt. Calvary. This is the week after the Resurrection. So many things are happening with the disciples and with Jesus’ return to Earth before He ascended to the Father. Here is where we pick things up in The Risen (the movie we will watch).
Work Session
The verse Risen is based upon:
The Centurion said, “This was the Son of God: this man was righteous,” (Luke 26:47) NIV
(When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: “This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!” Luke 23:24 Message Bible)
Curvaceous Chick's Coop 