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Playing An Active Role in Listening


 

ICEA – “Church at Study”

STUDENTS…YOU PLAY A GREAT ROLE in the development of the body of Christ. Every Sunday, you have the ability to develop the art of listening! What a wonderful opportunity! As you listen and watch your instructor, you can hear things that are not stated verbally. You can also see things that, if you look carefully, can only be brought in focus by the Spirit of God.

In Mark 4:23-25, Christ promises a blessing to every individual who will hone their listening skills. He stated, 23 “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! 24 And be sure to pay attention to what you hear. The more you do this, the more you will understand—and even more, besides. 25 To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them.” This is such a powerful truth that cannot be explained with much detail here, but you should know that just simple listening can bring us to a level of maturity that we cannot attain otherwise. With what intensity we listen and focus (or measure we mete), that intensity will return to us in very real and rich blessings!

Listen more and be blessed! (James 1:19)

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For Discussion: What Does a Meat Market in Biblical Times Look Like?


The scribes and Pharisees…love the…markets.
(Matt. 23:1-7)

A scripture this week found in the International Sunday School Curriculum speaks of the “market” or marketplace. The Bible markets were filled with daily activities. Here are some things that were done there:

  • Religious leaders loved to gather there
  • Selling of animals, foods, and spices
  • Bartering and trading
  • People often looked for work
  • Trials and hearings were held there
  • Legal transactions were made
  • Religious and political debates occurred there

Please click on the text below to VIEW and read more about marketplaces during Bible times.

http://bibleresources.americanbible.org/resource/at-the-market

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketplace

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#114 – A-Z Bible Teachers’ Checklist.


These “checklists” will be posted from
the PCAF – ICEA staff on an ongoing basis
to help Christian educators with
tips, ideas, and instructions. 

Order: The Key to Good
Study and Delivery

He pondered, searched out and
arranged many proverbs. (Eccl. 12:9)

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What to Do:

  • Your well-planned study and delivery (or lack thereof) usually makes the difference between being an effective teacher and one who lacks ability (II Tim. 2:14-15).
  • First, you must come away with some logical order from the results of your study, and then transfer the results of that order into your delivery (Eccl. 12:9-10). If it’s not clear in your head, chances are good, it won’t be clear to the students.
  • “Random talks” and unsystematic teaching usually show a teacher’s lack of preparing and studying scriptures in an orderly way.
  • Students who study want to hear lessons presented by the teacher in an orderly, logical, and understandable way (Acts 17:11-12).

 

 

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Fighting Our Enemies!


ICEA – “Church At Study”

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places

 

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Would you like to offer a seminar, training, group discussion, or panel discussion on spiritual warfare? Use our template to just fill in presenters’ names; everything else has been supplied with this simple handout.

 

Here are the topics:

Presenter #1 – Fighting to be Faithful
Presenter #2 – Fighting in Stressful Times
Presenter #3 – Fighting in Senior Years
Presenter #4 – Fighting the Enemy of Fear
Presenter #5 – Fighting for Our Children
Presenter #6 – Fighting the Enemy of Our Past
Presenter #7 – Fighting as a Man
Presenter #8 – Fighting as a Woman
Presenter #9 – Fighting and Knowing Your Enemy

CLICK BELOW FOR HANDOUT:

Fighting Our Enemies (blank form)

 

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Fear, Anxiety, Death, and an Open Grave!


And the angel of the Lord suddenly stood
before them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them; and they were terribly frightened.

Luke 2:9 (NASB)

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ICEA – “Church at Study”

Luke 2:9 is part of an account of foretelling our Lord’s birth. It explains the fearful nature of men who came in contact with the supernatural and the unknown. Two other Bible translations state: “fear came on them” and; “they were filled with great fear”. A third translation seems to stand out: stating they were simply “terrified”. Likewise, as humans, we often can be fearful of coming in contact with the supernatural. We are earthy…but we also have the capacity to be influenced by spirit, because God has given us a spirit (Job 32:8). God is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24). Angels are spirits (Heb. 1:13-14) and demons are spirits, also. There are spirit powers in realms around us. These “messengers” (whether good or bad) have the ability to influence our thinking. When coming in contact with satanic powers, the struggle in our spirits and minds can be so intense! The Bible compares the struggle to…wrestling…not with flesh, but wrestling with spiritual foes. We read where Jesus wrestled with satanic power, as He was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. We also see Jesus… (Heb. 2.9) who was made “a little lower than the angels” for the suffering of death…that He by the grace of God should experience death for every man. He not only experienced death, but (vs 14) destroyed him that had the power over death, that is the devil. And this is GOOD NEWS, because in time past (vs 15), many under the law were terrified at the thought and consequences of death but He has come and given us an understanding that death has no sting and the grave has no victory over those whose lives are preserved in Christ Jesus! So, we don’t have to live daily lives of fear. He was born, died, and rose from the grave to save us from the consequences of sin and adverse spiritual powers! Praise God that we live a life through the Spirit — springing up to eternal life!

The popular gospel artist, Cece Winans sung “but there is still a war that rages….” So…while we wait for eternal life, there are two main areas our Lord wants to preserve during every struggle: our hearts and our minds (Phil. 4:6-7). These are two main areas mankind’s enemy often attempts to attack and defeat with terror. God doesn’t want us terrified by our adversary because there is One who ever lives and we can live victorious lives through Him!

 

 

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