"Mining for Gold"
TEXT: James 1:22; Rev. 1:8; Mal. 3
TRUTHS:
1. The Kingdom of God steers us towards living in a way that exemplifies selflessness, humility, and service to others. In a culture that seemingly screams at individuals to focus on self, we need to remember the wisdom the Word of God reveals to us regarding the transformation of our lives.
2. We are blessed people. We can access, download, read, and/or listen to some of the most edifying biblical messages that have been preached in the past few hundred years. And the opposite is equally true—we have the opportunity to access heretical and destructive teaching. The issue is nuanced and should be navigated with caution and wisdom, but we remain grateful for the life-changing truth that we have access to. With that being said, it would be wise to include “older” resources as we consume content. As we feed our souls, we will find that there is precious “treasure” to be found in what the generations before us have left the present and coming generations of the Church.
3. The NT reveals that God’s children are a “kingdom of priests.” Priests dealt with the sin of people before God, and we are called to do the same. In the name of Jesus, through the power of the gospel, we are called to be kingdom of people who are characterized by repentance. We pray in repentance for our own personal sin, our collective corporate sin, and to cover the sins of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The wages of sin are death, and prayer is how we ask God to bring new life to what is dead and dying.
4. Often when the Bible mentions attaining gold and silver, it is talking about knowing and trusting in God’s plan and His ways. “Gold and silver” are deposited into our souls as we trust God’s Word and act on it.
5. Knowledge and the memorization of spiritual truth/verses is not the highest goal of a follower of Jesus. While it is obvious that every believer needs to be a lifelong and serious student of true doctrine, the highest goal of a believer is to hear the voice of God and lead a life characterized by repentance.
6. How do Christians acquire, or “mine”, the gold and silver that the Scriptures mention? How do we receive those important and rich deposits that are meant to feed our souls? The Lord calls us to: (1) hear/read God’s Word, (2) act on God’s Word, (3) seek a transformed mind, (4) live a life of repentance, and (5) joyously serve others.
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. Why would serving and focusing on others lead to personal life transformation? Put words to what may be happening in someone's heart and mind as they are transformed through their personal service to others.
2. Why is it wise to include 'older' resources as we consume spiritual-related content? What should/can doing this help us discern?
3. How should we be praying for the sins of others? How do we attempt to do such a thing without being judgmental?
4. Why does the Bible make it clear that "knowledge" is not the highest goal of God's children? What are the consequences of behaving as if it is?
5. How do followers of Jesus seek to transform their minds? This seems to be a serious and constant struggle in the church today, what should we remember as we seek to have our minds renewed?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray as you feel led concerning the following areas:
- Renewed minds
- That repentance would bring about new-found joy, vitality, and life in our church
- That we would be focused on acquiring the "gold and silver" mentioned in the Bible
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