Join Us In Ministry

Online Community

Login
Password
Forgot Password?
Request New Login

The Church Beyond the Walls : Encounters with Jesus

Article Pic

THE CHURCH BEYOND THE WALLS
Encounters with Jesus

Over the next four weeks, we will be looking at how God's power manifests itself in some unusual places, outside the church walls. We won't be coming up with formulas or a list of principles to apply. God likes to surprise us, and just when you think you have Him figured out, He does something completely new. We'll be exploring Jesus' interactions with some unlikely people and try to get a bigger picture of a Big Picture God. In each of these stories, we will look at what blocks God's power, what releases God's power, what is irrelevant or doesn't matter at all, and perhaps most important, what drew these men and women, many of whom normally wouldn't be participating or welcome in a traditional religious assembly, to Jesus. We will also get a glimpse into the heart of a Pharisee. Join us as we attempt to sharpen our picture of the Creator of the Universe and Lover of our souls.

Each week, we will add new content to the sermon notes while retaining the previous week's information. Check back every week for the updated notes!

 

Week One: The Woman at the Well

Listen to the message given by Elder David Runge on January 24th, 2010. 

The Church Beyond the Walls : Encounters with Jesus
Week One - The Woman at the Well
John 4

 

God's power to save is manifested outside the walls of the temple to outcasts in Sychar, Samaria. Jesus ignores cultural prohibitions and taboos and initiates a conversation with a Samaritan woman, alone, and at the wrong time of day. Disciples are concerned about food, but Jesus tells them the fields are ripe for harvest and doesn't want them to miss what God is about to do, and it's not going to happen where they expect. This woman, one of the gospels' most effective evangelists, with messed up theology, somehow leads a whole village to Christ, not by eloquently expounding on the law and the prophets, but by telling about Jesus and raising the question "Could this be the Christ?" which leads them to seek Jesus out for themselves.

 

Week Two: Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Listen to the message given by Elder David Runge on January 31st, 2010.

The Church Beyond the Walls : Encounters with Jesus
Week Two - Jesus Heals a Paralytic
Matthew 9:1-8
Spring / Summer 29AD

 

Jesus returns to Capernaum, his hometown. He heals a paralytic brought by his friends and demonstrates his authority to forgive sins. Why was this man paralyzed? What does "The Lord's power was present to heal" mean (Luke5:17)? Why were the crowds drawn to Jesus? Why this miracle? Jesus encounters the religious teachers. How might these events relate to the call of Matthew later in this chapter? What prevented Jesus from doing similar miracles in Nazareth (Matt. 13:58).

 

Week Three: The Prodigal Son

Listen to the message given by Elder David Runge on February 7th, 2010.

The Church Beyond the Walls : Encounters with Jesus
Week Three - The Prodigal Son
Luke 15

 

Parable Points of the Kingdom of Heaven:

1. God lets us go. (Luke 15:12)

2. We have to get honest with ourselves. (Luke 15:17-19)

3. God welcomes us with open arms. (Luke 15:20-22)

4. God covers our shame. (Luke 15:22-24)

 

In what ways is my life a living parable, dramatizing the truths of the Kingdom of Heaven?
(Ephesians 3:8-12)

 

Week Four: The Woman Caught In Adultery

Listen to the message delivered by Elder David Runge on February 14, 2010. 

The Church Beyond the Walls : Encounters with Jesus
Week Four - The Woman Caught In Adultery
John 7-8:11
Fall 30 AD

 

It was six months before Jesus' crucifixion, and conflict between him and the Jewish leaders was escalating. They were actively seeking to kill him, so Jesus had to go to the Feast of Tabernacles in secret. The Jewish leaders set a trap, involuntarily recruiting a woman of poor reputation. Their trap revolved around a simple question. Would Jesus uphold the law, as Moses required, and condemn a woman to death, or would he refuse to condemn her and show himself as a lawbreaker and an enemy to the Jewish religion? Jesus' response was profound and turned the tables back on those who sought to trap him. More than that, it demonstrated Jesus' authority to forgive sin as the event approached which made that possible.

 

Results of an Encounter with Jesus:

1. You will be left blind and hardened. (Wk 4-Luke 8:12, Matt. 23:1-33, John 8:48-52)

2. You will be left restored and softened. (Wk 4-Luke 8:15, Luke 19:1-9)

3. You will be left dejected and sad. (Wk 4-Luke 8:14, Matt. 19:16-22)

 

Take Aways


What Blocks God's Power?

1. Making assumptions about where God works. (Wk 1-John 4:35).

2. Being too focused on physical necessities to notice what God is doing around you. (Wk 1-John 4:31)

3. A sense of familiarity and routine. (Wk 2-Matt. 13:58) (Wk 4-John 7:1-5)

4. Focusing on benefits rather than relationship. (Wk 3-Luke 15:29)

 

What Releases God's Power?

1. A sense of expectancy, looking around to see what God is doing. Often the most shunned are the most open. (Wk 1-John 4:5-6) (Wk 2-Luke 5:17-19)

2. Simply sharing what you have of or know about Jesus, as little as it may be with a sense of awe and humility. (Wk 1-John 4:28-30)

3. Faith. Seeking Jesus in spite of the obstacles. (Wk 2-Luke 5:18-19)

4. Awe. Jesus reputation had preceded Him, and their sense of expectancy and awe was a big part of the Lord's power to heal being available. (Wk 2-Matt. 9:8, Luke 5:17)

 

What is Irrelevant?

1. God can use us in spite of messed up theology. (Wk 1-John 4:20)

2. God can use us in spite of our messed up lives. (Wk 1-John 4:17-18)

3. God's power is not limited by circumstances for those who press through to seek Him in faith. (Wk 2-Luke 5:19)

4. God's power is not limited by opposition; in fact, it actually can grow stronger. (Wk 2-Luke 5:17, Matt. 9:3-7)

 

What Attracts People to Jesus?

1. He knows everything about me and yet does not condemn me. (Wk 1-John 4:29) (Wk 4-John 8:10-11)

2. He forgives sin. (Wk 2-Matt. 9:2-7) (Wk 4-John 8:10-11)

3. He heals. (Wk 2-Matt. 9:6-7)

4. He covers my shame. (Wk 3-Luke 15:21-25) (Wk 4-John 8:10-11)

5. He celebrates me and wants to be in relationship. (Wk 3-Luke 15:7)

 

Pharisaical Attitudes (P.A.s):

1. Religious taboos should not be crossed for ministry. (Wk 1-John 4:27)

2. Place a higher priority on doctrine than on God's work. (Wk 2-Matt. 9:3)

3. Place a higher priority on doing everything right than on showing mercy. (Wk 2-Matt. 9:13)

4. Obtain sense of value and worth by comparison. (Wk 2-Luke 18:11)

5. Obtain sense of value and worth from recognition from others. (Wk 2-Matt. 6:1-4)

6. Can open the door to evil and abuse. (Wk 4-John 8:3-6, Ezek. 34)

 

In what ways is my life a living parable, dramatizing the truths of the Kingdom of Heaven? (Ephesians 3:8-12)

How can I maintain an expectancy that God wants to "break in" at any time? (John 5:17)

 

Resources

  • http://www.fischtank.com/ft/ - Subscribe free to a daily devotional by John Fischer, previously a writer for Purpose Driven Life devotionals.  John has a special heart and sensitivity for God's movement in unexpected places.

 

 

 

 



Printer Friendly Format