Calvary Christian Fellowship

Amazing Faith Made Simple

CCFH — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:14:11 +0000

Have you ever wanted amazing faith? In this lesson we will discover the simplicity of amazing faith as taught by Jesus.

Luke 7:1-10 (ESV)

7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. ²Now a centurion had a servant^[a] who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. ³When the centurion^[b] heard about Jesus,he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.⁴And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, ⁵for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” ⁶And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. ⁷Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.⁸For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ⁹When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” ¹⁰And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Luke 17:7-10 (ESV)

⁷“Will any one of you who has a servant^[a] plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? ⁸Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly,^[b] and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? ⁹Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? ¹⁰So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants;^[c]we have only done what was our duty.’”

The Canaanite Woman

Matthew 15:25-28 (ESV)

²⁵But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”²⁷She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.^[a]

Bitachon

Generally translated as trust, bitachon is a powerful sense of optimism and confidence based not on reason or experience, but on emunah. You know that “G‑d is good and He’s the only one in charge,” and therefore you have no fears or frets.

I. Amazing faith starts with humility.

II. Amazing faith is proven by our actions

III. Amazing faith recognizes divine authority and sovereignty.

Mishpatim | משפטים | “Judgments “

CCFH — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:44:26 +0000

Listen to the Saturday morning bible discussion at 10:30am. We are examining the book of Exodus chapters 21-24.

Exodus 21:1 | The Law concerning Employment
Exodus 21:12 | The Law concerning Violence
Exodus 21:28 | Laws concerning Property
Exodus 22:1 | Laws of Restitution
Exodus 22:16 | Social and Religious Laws
Exodus 23:1 | Justice for All
Exodus 23:10 | Sabbatical Year and Sabbath
Exodus 23:14 | The Annual Festivals
Exodus 23:20 | The Conquest of Canaan Promised
Exodus 24:1 | The Blood of the Covenant
Exodus 24:9 | On the Mountain with God

And the Land Rested

Susy Medeski — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:52:16 +0000

Did you know the seventh day isn’t the only Sabbath YHWH gave His people? There is a Sabbath rest for the land too. It is not to be planted, pruned or harvested. It is to be allowed to grow “of its own accord.” (Lev. 25:5) Why would YHWH give the land a rest? Farmers can attest to the necessity of allowing the land time to replenish, but can you imagine the planning and work required to live without one harvest? There weren’t provisions to rotate crops, a common practice of modern farming in YHWH’s command. People would need to harvest a triple portion in the sixth year until to provide until the eighth year harvest. Would the people plant larger crops in the sixth year? According to the scriptures, they didn’t plant more, YHWH blessed the sixth year so abundantly the people could gather for three years in one harvest…WOW! The Lord doesn’t give us restrictions He doesn’t make a way for us to get through. The land’s Sabbath rest is a beautiful picture of YHWH’s provisions. But with every blessing there is a warning. Leviticus 26:35 says “As long as it lies desolate it shall rest—for the time it did not rest on your sabbaths when you dwelt in it.” This is part of the covenant between YHWH and His people. Did Israel keep this command? 2 Chronicles 36:20-21 says –

“And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.”

Lesson of the day: YHWH means what He says. Lord, help me to obey.

Anxious for Nothing?

CCFH — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:28:24 +0000

Trusting God, the cure for anxiety

Over 19 million people in the United States suffers from anxiety. We are one of the most medicated cultures in the world. Eighty present of Americans state that they believe in God. Something is obviously wrong with this picture. Wealth and prosperity has left many empty, medication both legal and illegal have dulled the sensuous. Matthew 6:25-34 states to be anxious for nothing. How is it possible to not be anxious? What is Jesus talking about? Discover how ones anxiety is resolved with a deepening faith in the Creator and loyalty to His word.

Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^[a]²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Statistics On Anxiety

One in every eight Americans age 18-54 suffers from an anxiety disorder. This totals over 19 million people.
Research conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health has shown that anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem among American women and are second only to alcohol and drug abuse among men.
Women suffer from anxiety and stress almost twice as much as men.
Anxiety sufferers see an average of five doctors before being successfully diagnosed.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in America, surpassing even depression in numbers.
People with anxiety disorders are 6 times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders in the US.

The Seventh Day

Susy Medeski — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:38:59 +0000

The Sabbath is the final act of the creation week. Am I the only one who wondered why YHWH rested on the seventh day? He didn’t need to rest. It can be argued and supported that He did it as an example to man who would need a day of rest each week, but I don’t think that tells the whole story about the Sabbath, so I decided to dig a little deeper. I understand the idea of holiness; something set apart for YHWH. There are temples (churches), sacrifices, implements, and a nation called holy, but until now I never realized there is time which is called holy too. YHWH set parameters with the Sabbath. His children are not to work, and some specifics are given, but they aren’t extensive. Orthodox Jews have an extensive list which defines work and has been passed down through the generations. YHWH also called the Sabbath a “holy convocation” which means “a calling together.” The Sabbath is also called a “sign” and a “covenant.” There is a great deal to learn about the Sabbath, and I will continue to study; however, in summary, I have learned it is holy, a time of rest, a time to gather with other believers, a covenant between YHWH and His children and to be observed on the seventh day of the week. That’s not easy in 21^st century America. There are even different interpretations about how and when to observe the Sabbath today. Observing the biblical Sabbath brings persecution from others because it’s not the accepted cultural norm. However, Paul exhorts us in Colossians 2:16 which says –

“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths”

Lord, thank you for the rest. I pray that my family will observe the Sabbath as an expression of our love for You.