• Christian graces, continued:
  • Brotherly kindness - Proverbs 31:26
  • Love - what should we love?
    • God - Matthew 22:37
    • Our spouse - Ephesians 5:25
    • Our brethren - Galatians 5:13
    • Our children - Titus 2:3-5
    • Our parents - Ephesians 6:1-2
    • Not the world - I John 2:15
    • Wisdom: Proverbs 4:6
    • Truth - Proverbs 23:23
    • Enemies: Matthew 5:44
    • Not money: I Timothy 6:10
• Prayer
  • What prayer is
  • How often to pray - Luke 18:1-8
  • Example of those who prayed
    • Abraham - Genesis 12:7-8
    • Jacob - Genesis 32:9-12
    • Moses - Exodus 32:11-13
    • Jesus - Matthew 14:23
    • Paul - Ephesians 3:14-21
    • Peter - Acts 9:40
    • Cornelius - Acts 10:1-2
  • Who should we pray for?
    • Elders
    • Enemies - Matthew 5:44
    • Civil authorities - I timothy 2:1-3
    • Those who preach the gospel - Acts 12:5
    • The church - James 5:16
  • What should we pray for?
    • Food/necessities - Matthew 6:11
    • Spiritual strength in others - Ephesians 3:14-19
    • Forgiveness of sins - Matthew 6:12
    • Deliverance from temptation - Matthew 6:13
    • To ease suffering - James 5:13
    • Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding - James 1:5-7
    • Unity
    • Peace - I Timothy 2:1-2
    • Laborers in God’s harvest - Matthew 9:38
  • To whom are we to pray?
    • God - John 16:23
  • To whom do we not pray?
    • Anyone else (Mary, angels, dead saints, etc.)!
    • We can pray to Jesus: Acts 7:59

• God authorized singing.
  • Matthew 26:30
• Arguments and questions
  • Instruments are just aids, like pitch pipes or song books.
    • Instruments are an addition, not just an aid.
      • When God authorizes an action, then any non-sinful methods or aids that fall under the umbrella of completing that action are also authorized.
  • The Greek word psallo includes instruments.
    • No, it doesn’t, and it never did.
      • Psallo only meant “sing” in the New Testament.
  • What is the history of instrumental music in worship?
    • In the beginning, there was none.
    • AD 670 - first organ in a Roman Catholic church
    • Late 1200s - organs became generally accepted
    • 1500s - organs were found in nearly ever important Roman Catholic church
    • Late 1500s - instruments absent from “reformed” churches
    • Who changed?

The person of the Holy Spirit

• The Bible does not contradict itself (I Corinthians 14:33. This implies that not all the perspectives on the Holy Spirit that men come up with are going to be true.
• Person: a conscious being that possesses individuality and identity.
• Individual: a distinct and undivided being.
• Being: a living and existing thing.
• The oneness doctrine: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all different manifestations of the same being.
  • Isaiah 9:6 is often used as a prooftext for this belief.
• Passages that show the Holy Spirit executes judment: Acts 5
• In John 16:13-14, Jesus uses masculine personal pronouns to refer to the Holy Spirit, which indicates that the Holy Spirit is an individual person.
• The Holy Spirit is a distinct person from Father and the Son (Luke 3:22.
• Actions in which the Holy Spirit is shown to have fellowship with Christ and the Father: Ephesians 4
• The Holy Spirit is deity (Acts 5:1-4.

• Why we fly
  • To reach our Savior
    • Christianity is all about Christ; Christ is all about excellence (Colossians 3:1).
    • We lose our lives (Matthew 16:24-25).
  • To reach our potential
    • We should not settle for anything less than our best (Philippians 3:12-16).
    • Our “best”so far isn’t enough (Romans 3:23).
    • Jesus saves us to change us (Romans 12:1).
    • God helps diligent motivated seekers find His path (Hebrews 11:6).
• Why we fear
  • Too challenging.
    • God’s big blessings require a big effort (I Timothy 4:10).
    • What we should fear is losing our birthright because we were not brave enough to claim it (Hebrews 4:1-3).
  • Too different
    • Getting comfortable in our successes is a reason for change, not inertia (Deuteronomy 32:11).
    • God pushes us to excel, but He is there to catch us when we falter.
• Jesus says, “Come”
  • It’s possible: Jesus wouldn’t ask something of us we could not deliver (Matthew 14:28-29).
  • It’s taxing: Jesus will put you to work if you come to Him (Mark 1:17).
  • It’s costly: He calls it “a pearl of great price” with reason (Matthew 13:45-46).
  • It’s rewarding: The rest He provides (Matthew 11:28) is worth the effort.
• Jesus will save
  • We rob ourselves of “walk on water” moments because we doubt His power to see us through (Matthew 14:30-31).
  • Jesus will pick us up so we can try again (Philippians 1:6).
• Jesus can calm the sea
  • Jesus may remove our problem, or he may just empower us to deal with it (Philippians 1:12-14).
  • Either way, no storm can separate us from Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).
  • He will shake our house for us today if we ask.