Introduction

• Proverbs 17:22 – A joyful heart is good medicine.

The power of the mind

• Hebrews 12:2 – Jesus endured because of the joy that was before Him.
• Job 1:20-22; 3:11; 27:1-6; 28:12, 23-28 – Job was miserable but his mind was still sound.
• Acts 27:33-38 – Paul took time to give thanks for the small things.
• Philippians 4:6
• Acts 16

You see what you’re looking for … so we should deliberately choose what to focus on.

• Philippians 4:8
• Acts 9:1
• I Corinthians 1:4; 4:14; 11:2; 16:24 – Even with all their problems, Paul was thankful for them.
• What if I start looking for reasons to be happy or things to be thankful for?
• What if I’m looking for opportunities to encourage others?

Why is Genesis so important?

• Acts 17:23-28 – God gave us evidence so we would seek Him.
• Hebrews 11:3
• Colossians 1:16-17
• Psalms 33:6-9
• Romans 1:18-25
• Genesis establishes God’s presence and His power.
• If you don’t believe God created the world, you cannot defend anything in the Bible!

A denial of the literal Genesis account is a denial of Jesus.

• John 5:45-47
• Exodus 20:11
• John 1:1

Repeating theme in Genesis is:

Man’s total dependence on God.

Genesis 1

Genesis 1:1

• God’s omniscience and omnipotence is established.
• God’s authority is evident.

Genesis 1:2

• “Spirit of God” (H7307 – ruah)
  • Same word as Genesis 8:1; Exodus 15:8
  • “Deep” usually refers to the ocean, but there were no defined oceans yet.

Genesis 1:3

• God spoke and it happened – Psalms 33:9
  • Display God’s total control of all the elements, energy, time, and space.

Genesis 1:4-5 – Day 1

• God created light.
• What is light?
  • Light is a particle and a wave.
  • Light is energy.
• God created energy, quantum mechanics, and physics (a way to control the elements)
• God is organizing his creation in a very specific order.
• God established the period of time to define day and night.
  • God called the light good.
  • Who was writing Genesis?
  • Evening and morning?

Genesis 1:6-8 – Day 2

• God separated the waters.
• There was water on the earth and water in the air.
• Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide.
  • Pressure, temperature, gravity
• Science tries to explain creation and chaos.
• God created it with complete control and order.

Genesis 1:9-13 – Day 3

• God gathered the water which caused…
• Dry land to appear.
• Then God created life …
  • Vegetation started to sprout
    • According to their kind (H4327 – min)

Genesis 1:14-19 – Day 4

• God made the sun, moon, and stars to govern the seasons.
• God made the earth on an axis with tilt, rotation, and spin.
• Do planets help dictate the seasons on earth?
• Why did God create the Sun on Day 1 and not Day 4?

Genesis 1:20-23 – Day 5

• Birds and fish

Genesis 1:24-26 – Day 6

• Animals and everything that crawls on the ground
• Man in our image

Genesis 1:27-31

• God made everything necessary for life to begin and to continue.
• If each day took millions of years, then life would not have survived.
• God’s people understood this to be one week (Exodus 20:9-11).

[Note: Jady was kind enough to pass along his PowerPoint slides, which contain more information than is in this outline. You can download them by clicking the link to the PowerPoint file in the “Resource files” list above. Thanks, Jady! -MRW]

Introduction

• Psalms 19:14

What is meditation?

• Psalms 77:6
• Psalms 77:12
• Isaiah 33:18; Psalms 73:16
• Contemplate
• Dwell on
• Consider

What does the Bible teach us?

• Genesis 24:63 – He was deliberate in going to a place to meditate.
• Joshua 1:8 – Meditation on God’s law would bring success.
• Job 15:4
• Psalms 1:2 – Meditating on God’s word shows we delight in it.
• Psalms 4:4
• Psalms 19:4
• Psalms 27:4 – Meditation should be a priority.
• Psalms 49:3
• Psalms 63:6
• Psalms 77:6, 12, 2
• Psalms 119
• Psalms 143:5
• Psalms 145:5
• Psalms 104:34 – This whole psalm was a meditation to God. All the psalms are meditations.

Summary

Who

• You
  • Young, old, or depends on the day
  • Book smart or practical
  • Lover of routine or … squirrel!
  • Just you
    • There is time for others for study and edification, but we need time alone with God.
    • Moses spoke to God 1-on-1, THEN he came and others saw the glory of God in his face (Exodus 34:29-35).
• God
  • Listening to God’s words
  • Thinking about God’s thoughts
  • Speaking to God

What

• All the ways God has made himself known – print, people, planet
• All the ways your walk interacts with God
  • Good times and bad
  • Joys and sorrows
  • Easy times and hard times
  • In strength and in weakness

When

• Deuteronomy 6:6-9
• At the beginning of the day
• In the night watches
• All throughout the day
• Luke 1:29; 2:19, 51
  • In the middle of a conversation
  • When God does and declares wonderful, and maybe even perplexing things

Where

• Everywhere
  • Noisy or quiet
  • Alone or in a crowd
  • On your bed
  • On the road
  • In the city
  • In a desolate place
    • By the “sea” – Matthew 13:1
    • On the “mountain” – Matthew 15:29
  • A secluded place – Mark 1:39
    • Corner of a coffee shop, or McDonald’s, a park, library, your closet, porch, or portable isolation (headphones)
  • On a mower or tractor
  • In your car
    • Instant meditation – turn off the radio!

How

• But I can’t focus!
  • Maybe that’s okay
  • Find purpose
    • For others
    • For yourself
• Techniques
  • Start with meditating on meditating
  • Find silence
    • Whatever silence is most important to you – auditory, visual, mental, physical
  • Visual reminders – cards, marker/chalkboard
  • Phone reminders
  • Buddy system – one or a group
• Tips from friends
  • From David: Imagine yourself as the person being spoken to in scripture.
  • Lessons from Andy Cantrell
    • Hearing from God: Meditation
    • The Value of Meditation
• Tips from Jady
  • Start in the morning
  • Immerse in the text
  • Ask questions
  • Before leaving study, identify what you are going to think about.
    • Make it small and focused, memorable
  • Walk. At the right speed.
  • Stare
  • Stop doing

Why

• Deuteronomy 6:1-3, 12, 20-21, 25
  • For yourself
  • For your family
  • That it may be well with you
  • That you may prosper and multiple in your promised land
• Deuteronomy 8:2, 11, 14, 18, 19-20
  • That you may remember
  • Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God
  • Then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God
  • But you shall remember the LORD your God
  • It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD … you shall perish

Introduction to the book of Acts

• The writer is Luke, the author is the Holy Spirit.
• The book seems to have been written from Rome.
• Luke was a Greek physician who travelled with Paul. I Timothy 4:11
• The beginning of the book of Acts takes place about 30 AD. The book was written about 63 AD and records history of the first 30 years of the church.
• The book is extremely accurate, mentioning many people and places by name.
• Acts is in a way a sequel to the gospels.
• John 14:26; 15:16, 26; 16:13
• Matthew 28:18-20 – The great commission to the apostles.
• Mark 16:15-16
• Luke 24:46-53 – These promises were made to the apostles.
• Holy Spirit baptism was a promise to the apostles, not a command. The Holy Spirit would be received in Jerusalem soon (“not many days”). The Holy Spirit would allow the apostles to work miracles and bear witness of Jesus.
• Mark 16:20
• “Witness”
  • Martyr?
  • A witness gives testimony of something they know or have seen.
• Why is God’s message still alive today?

Barnabas

• First introduced in Acts 4:36.
• Isaiah 40:31

Events involving Barnabas

• Acts 9:26-30 – Barnabas was willing to associate with Paul immediately after his conversion when others would not.
  • I Corinthians 15:58
  • John 14:27
  • Barnabas was willing to take the risk on Paul.
• Acts 11:19-26 – Barnabas was sent to encourage the Christians in Antioch.
  • Romans 15:5
  • Barnabas spent a year there with Paul building up the church.
  • Acts 11:24 – Barnabas continued to add to the number of Christians.
• Acts 15:36-41 – Barnabas wanted to give John Mark another chance.
  • II Corinthians 13:11
  • II Timothy 4:11 – Paul did eventually want to work with John Mark again.
• Galatians 2:11-14 – Barnabas was drawn away in Peter’s hypocrisy.
  • Philippians 1:10
  • Galatians 3:28
  • Romans 14:19