True or False

How do we steer clear of falsehood?

• The source of truth is God; the source of falsehood is the devil.
• Paul writes this first letter to Timothy to encourage him and teach him in the pastoral care of the churches.
• Timothy is young but Paul has invested in him and he believes that he will do a great job leading the church. 
• Pauls is taking the opportunity to write to Timothy because he doesn't know when he will be back in Ephesus where Timothy was.
• 1 Timothy 1 v 1-11
• Paul warns Timothy of the dangers of false teachers and the damage they can do.
• A lot of the issues hung on Gnosticism and old Jewish practices.
• Gnosticism is the where people believe they can have salvation just by good deeds and their possessions.
• Here are some of the things the false teachers were teaching or the issues that were going on...

1. Teaching of false doctrine.
2. Teaching Jewish myths.
3. Wanting to be teachers of the Old Testament.
4. Building up endless far-fetched stories based on genealogies.
5. Being argumentative.
6. Using words that mean nothing.
7. Not knowing what they were talking about.
8. Being conceited.
9. Teaching of Gnosticism.
10. Using their religious leadership positions for financial gain.

• A lot of the issues still exist today in the Church.
• Paul told Timothy to go back to basics and make the love of God the root of all they do in the church and then out of this will come the correct preaching of the Gospel.
• The false teaches were causing many problems because the teaching practices didn't just start over night it was a process where these things were slowing seeping in.
• Matthew 7 v 15-20 - "¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."
• We need to ask God for Wisdom to see where things are slipping early on so we don't just notice in our own lives but in the church as well. So that it doesn't get to the stage of disaster before anything is done.
• We can tell whether someone has integrity and does what they say because of the fruit they produce.
• The best thing we can do is keep a constant check on ourselves and MOT ourselves regularly.
• We need to allow God to regularly refresh and clean us out.
• Do we need to learn what we are talking about?
• Are we too argumentative?
• If we have the truth of God inside of us because of the love of God then what will come out is the truth and love. But if this truth is corrupted by sin then what comes out will be corrupted and false.
• What are our motives?
• What is coming out of our mouths?

Are We Ready?

Are we actively waiting?

• Are we ready for Jesus coming back? How are we waiting for Him?
• One of the questions people ask a lot all over the world whether Christian or not is - When is Jesus coming? Either because they want proof for Christianity and want to hold the Church accountable for a date and time. Or because as Christians are we wanting to know or leaders using it as a reason to spur people to do what God has called them to.
• Revelation 22 v 7-21
• Jesus wants to remind us of the truth that He is coming back and He is the beginning and the end.
• Are we ready for Jesus to come back now?
• Some people may describe waiting for Jesus to come back as a watching the skies exercise but all they do is watch the sky or look out for the signs. Revelation tells us we should be on the lookout and alert.
• Some people may totally choose to ignore it and just get on with the ground and grassroots stuff and yet forget to look around.
• God wanting us to be a waiting actively by doing His will for our lives and keeping alert and ready for the day because, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." (Acts 1 v 7). 
• I believe it’s like a surfer who is waiting for the perfect wave he is looking in the distance for the wave but he is also concentrating on where he is the water so he doesn't drift or if there is a danger he will see it. 
• God wants us to be prepared but not forget about what He has called us to do.
• Matthew 25 v 1-13 - "¹ “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. ¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ ¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.' ¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." 
• The five wise virgins had prepared themselves for the bride groom coming but the foolish hadn't.
• Which one are you?
• God wants us to continue to do the work he has called us to.
• Let’s ask God for an increased desire for Him as we long for Him to come.
• The whole big picture and how Jesus finishes is the Grace of God.
• The grace of God should be at the heart of all we do.
• How are you waiting?

Life To The Full

Do we live life to the full?

• Do we make the most of the life God has given us?
• This image of life John writes is quite extraordinary because river which carries the water of life is flowing from God's throne.
• God has and is the source of all life.
• Revelation 22 v 1-6
• This passage raps things up, the angel has finished telling of all that is too come.
• But the angel finishes with good news that we who have been marked by the seal of God will live with Him forever and drink from the River of Life.
• John 4 v 7-15 - "⁷ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” ⁸ (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 

 ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  

¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”  

¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  

¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”"

• Jesus told the woman of the living water that is available from Father God.
• The living water creates a quench for more. It is addictive and satisfying.
• Sometimes we feel dry and a washed out and need refreshing. God wants us to be refreshed by the living water.
• So we can do His purpose for our lives and so others will see it and want some.
• The Holy Spirit refreshes us when we invite Him to and he fills us up so much that we overflow and others round us get some of the filling.
• To live a full and exciting life we need the living water to refresh us.
• John 10 v 10 - "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
• God wants us to live a life which is full of life.
• Living life to the full is attractive and Missional because people are attracted to the exciting adventure we are on and when we live life to the full we love where we are and beheaven where we are.
• Do you live life to the full?

Brand NEW

How NEW are we?

• When was the last time you were renewed and refreshed by God?
• God's wants to renew us regularly so we don't become stale, so we that we can continue to grow.
• Revelation 21 v 1-27
• God gives John the picture of how the New Jerusalem will come down from heaven.
• This magnificent city is made to perfection and the highest standard.
• God wants to regularly renew us to a high standard because he created us for a purpose and He wants us to succeed and fulfil it.
• The city has specific measurements and design specifications because wants it to be perfect.
• God created us with specific measurements and design specification but we messed up. But God wants to continually renew us back to be holy in His sight.
• 1 Peter 2 v 9-10 - "⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
• We are chosen by God to be His leaders, His ambassadors and the head not the tail.
• To be His priest and do a great job for Him we need to be renewed by God regularly.
• Where are we a leader? When can we be a leader?
• I remembered every school day what school I went because I wore the uniform.
• God wants us to remember that we are repping Him wearing the armour and uniform he gives us.
• I know we don't wear a 'Christian Uniform' but we should be easily identifiable as Christian's.
• If we live our lives out of a love for what God loves and chase after the fathers heart then he will bless us, not because we said, "Hey God, this is what I'm doing please bless it." But because we said, "Hey God, what is your will for my life?" 
• When we follow the will of God for our lives it automatically carries blessing.
• Deuteronomy 28 v 12-14 - "¹² The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ¹³ The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. ¹⁴ Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them."
• God isn't calling us just to follow a set of rules but to follow His hearts desires.
• God wants us to be generous with the blessings He gives us.
• What has God blessed you with?
• To do all this we need God to renew us regularly, otherwise how will we stay close to His hearts and His will.
• How can God renew you today?