Churches in Irvine, CA - Pacific Church of Irvine
Loving God, Loving People
THURSDAY, MAY 3, 7:00-9:00 pmCome join us as we pray for our country, community, church, family and our lives!
You can drop in any time between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m., and stay as long as you like!
We’ll be in the Youth Room / MPR.
Life Unscrewed–part 4
It’s all too easy to have parts of life get “screwed up.” It’s even harder to get them unscrewed! We’ve looked at (1) how we bring stress upon ourselves and others (part 1), (2) how we “screw up” male-female relationships (part 2), and (3) how we screw up work (part 3).
This week we’ll look at how we get our money screwed up. What drives us in bad directions regarding money? What things are “alive” in the human heart that lead us to screw up money?
Read Exodus 20:17
1. When you think of the word, “coveting,” what comes to mind?
2. How would you define “coveting”?
3. “Coveting” is to long for, desire intently, or lust after something that is not yours to have.
4. What areas are specifically mentioned of which we are not to covet?
5. Why would God include this command in the Ten Commandments? What does coveting lead to?
6. How is coveting related to how you use money?
Read Ecclesiasts 4:8
1. List all the factors you see in this man’s dilemma.
2. On a scale of 0-100, how would you describe this man’s commitment to his work?
3. What did he believe would make him happy or content?
4. What his belief correct? What did he realize?
5. What do the following verses say about contentment?
6. How does discontentment relate to your finances? What does your heart hope will happen when you spend money?
7. What would help you be more content?
8. How’s your contentment quotient? Talk to God about it.
Read 1 Timothy 6:6-19
1. What factors does Paul list that help us be more content? (1 Timothy 6:6-8)
2. What dangers does Paul warn us about when we “want to get rich?” (6:9)
3. List two root drivers in the human heart Paul warns us about in 6:10?
* How would you describe “love of money?”
* How would you describe “eager for money?”
4. What dangers does Paul see with these drivers?
5. Paul does not condemn rich people. He warns those with the drive to get rich. Read 6:17-19. List the instructions Paul gives to rich people.
6. What new drivers is God trying to plant in the human heart? (6:17-19)
7. What is your takeaway from today’s verses?
Read Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
Solomon is a young man, testing different approaches to life (2:1-3).
1. What things did Solomon do with his money in 2:4-9?
2. He makes a “summary statement” in 2:10. What strikes you about this verse?
3. Time passed; the dust settled. He had a chance to look back at what he had done. What began to dawn on Solomon? (2:11)
4. What had been his driver during those years? What was his real hopes with regard to money?
5. Yesterday we looked at 1 Timothy 6:17-19. Read this again.
* What was missing from Solomon’s approach in Ecclesiastes? What things from Paul would have helped Solomon?
6. Do you use money or what money can buy to meet needs only God can meet?
7. Talk to God about your real hopes regarding money.
We’ve look at drivers of the heart that move us to “screw up” our finances: coveting, discontentment, love of money, and trying to meet internal needs with external resources.
Today, we’ll look at what can be done to “disable” those drivers?
1. Read the following verses and list the bible’s approach to turning our coveting, discontented, money-loving, idol-making hearts into hearts more like Jesus:
2. What are your takeaways from today, or this week?
3. Take a few minutes to pray about your takeaway.
What is God trying to do in your life? Lots! But one of those is to build a servant’s heart in you. That is a daunting task because we are deeply and naturally self-centered!
Read Matt. 20:20-28
1. Why reasons contributed to the disciples’ indignation?
2. How did the rulers/leaders of the day approach their work? (v. 25).
3. Jesus offers up a completely new and opposite approach to life and leadership! What is it? (vv. 26-27)
4. Jesus is talking about voluntary servanthood, and voluntary “slavery.” How does this approach to life strike you?
5. What rewards does He promise when we adopt a servant-approach to life?
6. If anyone had a right to “claim my rights,” it was Jesus. How does Jesus illustrate what He just taught? (v. 28)
7. Where is God stretching you to adopt a servant approach?
___ Family
___ Work
___ Church
___ Community
Read John 13:1-17
1. The setting is the Last Supper. He knows that later that night He will be arrested, tortured and die the next day as a common criminal on a cross. If you knew this was your last night what would you be doing?
2. What did Jesus do on His last night?
3. How does that strike you?
4. What do you think He wanted to communicate to the disciples?
5. Jesus washed all twelve of the disciples’ feet, including Judas Iscariot’s. Did Jesus know Judas would betray Him that very night?
6. How hard would it have been for you to wash the feet of Judas? What would you have had to overcome in order to do it?
7. What points does Jesus want to drive home? (vv. 12-17)
8. What attitudes or actions do you need to add to your “bag of serving?”
Learning to be a servant has a positive effect on your life. You begin to see God using your life. You sense a new meaning to your life. You begin to become the light of the world where you live. But serving also comes with a cost.
Read 2 Corinthians 4:4-12
1. Paul describes the world we live in using the metaphor of darkness and blindness (vv. 4, 6) and light and knowledge (vv. 4, 6). What are some ways you see “darkness” and “blindness” in everyday life?
2. With such a context, how did Paul and his missionary team see themselves? What were their roles? (v. 5)
3. List four trials Paul experienced and his response to each trial. (vv. 8-9)
a.
b.
c.
d.
4. To which of these trials do you most relate? What strikes you about Paul’s response to the trial you chose?
5. In vv. 10-12 Paul uses an analogy of “life” and “death” to illustrate how our sovereign God uses trials to impact a world filled with darkness and blindness. Is Paul using “life” and “death” to describe physical life and death or is he talking about another kind of life and death?
6. In our daily lives, “death” occurs in some of the following ways:
___ When we don’t get what we want
___ When someone misunderstands us
___ When we are falsely accused
___ When we are unjustly criticized
___ When what we do goes unrecognized
___ When someone else gets or takes credit for something we did
How does “death” show up in your life, either in the examples above or in another way?
7. Thankfully, our experiences of “death” are not in vain. They are “pregnant with purpose!” What ways does Paul see “the life of Jesus” being shown in vv. 10-12. Look for three ways.
8. No trial is endured that is not “pregnant with purpose!” What do you want to remember today?
Sometimes serving costs us finances or time. But today, we’ll look at the steepest cost–when others treat us like a servant! Humility may the toughest virtue to implant in the human heart. It sooooo goes “against the grain.”
Read Luke 17:7-10
1. Jesus asks a series of rhetorical questions to His disciples in story form. In these questions he puts the disciples (and you) in the seat of the master who owns a servant.
This story, at first glance, is like “nails on a chalkboard.” What are some ways the mentality of the master rubs you the wrong way?
2. What strikes you about:
v. 7-
v. 8-
v.9-
3. In v. 9, Jesus hits upon a familiar theme–we demand recognition! We expect gratitude. Someone “ought” to acknowledge what we did. Is that how Jesus sees the mentality of a servant?
4. One reason this story rubs us the wrong way is we believe we deserve better treatment. How does Jesus address this issue head on in v. 10?
5. As you try to live with this mentality of a servant in your daily life, you will see just how committed to self you are! Ugly self will pop up over and over and over again. What should you do when you realize that old ugly self has raised its ugly head? (see 1 John 1:9)
6. If we saw Jesus as The Master in this story, and ourselves as the servant, how would this change your view of service?
We have talked about serving, the cost of serving, and the mentality of a servant. Today we’ll look at some of the rewards of serving.
Read Matt. 25:31-46
1. In the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, two groups of people appear at the Final Judgment. What had the sheep done? (vv. 35-36)
2. What was the attitude or mentality of the sheep? (vv. 37-39)
3. What was God’s (the king) response? (v. 40)
4. What had the goats done? (vv. 42-43)
5. What was the response of the goats? (v. 44)
6. What was God’s response to the goats? (v. 45)
7. What rewards are promised for the sheep? (vv. 34, 46)
8. What consequences are promised for the goats? (vv. 41, 46)
9. What strikes you about the mentality of the goats?
10. How can you be a better sheep?
New jobs can be exciting, but eventually every job seems to devolve into some sort of treadmill. We want a job that “has” meaning. What is it we think gives our job “meaning?” Does meaningful work come from the job itself, or is “meaning” something we infuse into our job?
Read Genesis 1:1-2:4
1. God was busy at work! List some of the work He did.
2. How does it strike you that God works?
3. What does that say about the value of your work?
4. How many times does the writer say of God’s work, “and it was good” or “very good”?
5. What does that say about the quality of work you do?
6. God gave man and woman work to do. What was it? (Gen. 1:26-30)
7. How would you like to approach your work differently this week?
1. We look for work that is “satisfying.” We assume there is a job out there that will be one that is enjoyable, satisfying and fulfilling. How true are these statements for you?
Read Genesis 3:18-20
2. What should we expect when we go to work?
3. Why would a loving God curse our world like this?
4. What should happen when we are in the work world? For what will you be calling out to God?
___ Patience with problems
___ Patience with people
___ Satisfaction versus frustration
___ Strength versus weakness
___ Diligence versus laziness
___ Wisdom versus confusion
___ Other: ________________________________________
5. What would happen to human nature if work were perfect and fulfilling all by itself?
6. God has arranged the world (the curse) in such a way that is redemptive! We will have plenty of “opportunities” (troubles) in which to turn to Him! Which of the following is true for you?
___ Trust God
___ Seek Him
___ Realize our deepest needs can only be met in Him
___ Live for Him, not ourselves
___ Trust Him to change our pathetic attitudes about work and/or people
___ Other:__________________________________
7. Turn to God right now. Tell him what strikes you from our study, and what you’d like to do today.
God has to change our hearts! It is a mammoth undertaking. “We compulsively pursue our own vision and insist on our own way. We not only want to do what we want, how and when we want, but we also want our desires to have priority over everyone else’s…. We are competing in a contest we are sure to lose, but one we take on nevertheless.” – Ralph Mattson
God uses our work, whether it’s in the home or out of the home to assault the grand problems in the quote, above.
Read Nehemiah 2:17-20
1. What reasons does Nehemiah give for rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem?
Read Nehemiah 3:1-5
2. What strikes you about their work on the wall?
Read Nehemiah 4:4-6;-9-15
3. Nehemiah led and motivated the people. List how he did so.
Read Nehemiah 6:1-16
4. How did Nehemiah deal with this crisis? Look for at least six things.
5. What would you like to take from Nehemiah’s example?
It’s easy to have a “hierarchal” view of work- “Some work is more important than others.” From the bible’s perspective that is NOT true. God calls each person to work–that gives every work significance.
1. Paul addresses the problem of “idleness” (verses 6, 11). What might be some of the causes of idleness?
2. Paul is quite blunt about how to handle this problem. What does he say to do?
3. How is his teaching actually the loving thing to do?
4. Besides supporting yourself and paying your bills, what other reasons are there to work in this passage?
5. At times, Paul made his income through being a tent-maker. At other times, he gave himself to missionary work through the generosity of brothers and sisters. How does Paul describe his own work ethic in this pasage?
6. The authors of Why Work? write, The bible never indicates that our jobs should be ‘fun’ or make us ‘happy.’ Fulfillment is more correctly understood in the sense of service, taking pleasure in the contribution that our work is making to the community.”
How would your life change if you defined your vocation in terms of service rather than in terms of self-fulfillment/
Scripture gives us lots of pictures of work.
Read Colossians 3:22-25
1. In the New Testament world, slavery was a reality, a way of life. When a slave became a Christian what should he/she do?
• What attitude should he have toward his master (or boss)?
• How hard should we work?
• For whom is the slave working?
• What rewards are there for his work?
• What can I expect if I do wrong at work?
Read Col. 4:1
2. What does Paul say is my responsibility toward those who work under me?
3. Read each verse and write next to it how it relates to your work, your attitude toward work or your work ethic:
4. What strikes you from these verses?
5. As a result of this week’s study, what is the BIGGEST thing you’d like to change about you at work?
Life Unscrewed Devotions–part 2DAY 1
We continue in our series, “Life Unscrewed.” It’s very easy to “screw up” my life. It’s a lot harder to get it “unscrewed.” Last week we looked at how we bring stress upon ourselves.
This week we look at male-female relationships.
For millennia, in cultures around the world, women have been undervalued. One way our secular culture has tried to overcome this problem is by minimizing the differences between men and women in the hopes of creating equality of value. But to do that we lose important understanding in relating to the opposite sex. (The bible sees women as men’s equal in value before God).
Read Genesis 1:26-27
1. What attributes do men and women share together?
2. What do these verses imply about the value of women?
3. Verse 27 says, “…male and female he created them.”
How do you think man and woman are different?
A. Physically-
B. Sexually-
C. Emotionally-
D. Personally-
When I was a kid I remember comedians had a field day with “understanding the opposite sex”! The biggest joke was about the man trying to figure out his wife. Down in flames he goes, and the crowd roars in laughter. Why the hilarity? Because folks realize that understanding the opposite sex is a lot more complex than you ever imagined!
Tune in for Day 2!!!
DAY 2
Today, we look at “a woman’s world…”
After the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God pronounced curses on Satan, woman and man.
Read Genesis 3:14-19
You may wonder, “Why in the world would God curse man and woman?” The answer is simpler than you might suspect. Now that man and woman had a sin nature, it would be impossible for them to respond to God in humility and obedience, willingly. Man and woman would only come to God when they realized they could not make life “work” like they wanted. In other words, man and woman needed to lived in a world where pain was inescapable.
Read Genesis 3:16.
1. What is the first pain women will experience?
2. Do you think God means this is limited to “labor and delivery?”
3. What is the second “pain,” – associated with a husband?
4. Note: The Hebrew word for “desire” means “the desire to control.” What battle will every wife fight internally?
5. The last part of the verse says that every wife will attempt to control her husband. According to the end of this verse will her plan work?
6. A woman’s “world” means she will experience her deepest pain and aggravation in relationships, and particular, her closest relationships. What insight does that give you into the women in your life? (daughter, wife, mother, in-law, sisters at church)
DAY 3
Today, we look at a man’s world.
Yesterday we looked at how the curse affected a woman’s world. Today, we look at how the curse affects a man’s world.
Read Genesis 3:17-19
1. In a woman’s “world,” her deepest pains are going to be relational. Where will a man feel his deepest pain?
2. Do you think this is just “bad news” for farmers, or is this affected in every man’s work?
3. Have you ever weeded a garden or flower bed? What can you expect 1-2 weeks later in the flower bed you weeded? Is there EVER a time when you won’t have to weed the garden or field?
4. When you plant flowers, vegetables or a crop what do you “expect” would come out of the ground? Gen. 3:18 says there are some other things that will pop out of the ground, as well! What are they?
5. What does 3:19 say to you about a man’s day?
6. A woman will experience her deepest pains relationally. Her tender spots will be things like rejection, insecurity, easily hurt, feeling unloved, etc.
A man will experience his “pain” in what he does, his work, chores, fixing things, etc. His “pain” will be experienced as things like:
___ Failure
___ Futility
___ Frustration
How does this strike you about a man’s world?
DAY 4
Today, we’ll look at a “woman’s world”
Today we’ll look at verses that relate to being a wife. THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS TO GIVE INSIGHTS INTO THE HEART AND SOUL OF A WOMAN…
Read Ephesians 5:22-33
1. How do verses 22-24 relate to Genesis 3:16?
2. Does God commanding a wife to submit to her husband “mean,” or is there “method to the madness?”
3. What are some of the benefits of submitting, whether it’s in a marriage, or as children to parents, workers to bosses, or soldiers to officers?
Read Ephesians 5:28-29
4. Paul illustrates how a man is to love his wife. What is his illustration?
5. Paul uses two verbs in verse 29. Put in your own words what you think he means?
* “Nourish” -
* “Cherish” -
Read 1 Peter 3:7
6. A man is to “understand” a woman or live with a “understanding” the make-up of a woman, that she is easily hurt. What does a man need to remember when relating to a woman?
7. We saw in DAY 2 that women experience their greatest pain in relationships. What strikes you about today’s verses?
DAY 5
Today, we’ll look at a “man’s world”
Today we’ll look at verses that relate to being a husband. THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS TO GIVE INSIGHTS INTO THE HEART AND SOUL OF A MAN…
Read Ephesians 5:22-33
1. What need does a man have that is specifically pointed out in verse 33?
2. How does verse 33 relate to Genesis 3:17-19?
3. What would the effect of being respected have on a man who daily deals with a sense of failure, futility and frustration?
Read 1 Peter 3:1-6
4. When a man tries to lead, whether in his home, work, church or community he will experience failure, futility and frustration. A woman has a unique opportunity to make his leadership easier. Peter mentions two qualities.
* Gentle spirit–this quality means “encourager.” She has the ability to be encouraging while helping the “team” move forward.
* Quiet spirit–this quality means, “calm in a crisis.” She has the ability to still help the man be responsible and believe he can lead even when the ship hit an iceberg.
5. What strikes you about these two qualities?
6. As you relate to the males in your life, whether they be husband, son, father, boss, neighbor, pastor, or friend what do you want to remember or do from today’s verses?
Holy Week
Welcome to Holy Week. This is the week we commemorate Jesus’ last week on earth before His crucifixion.
During Holy Week, Jesus was hard pressed by the Jewish religious authorities, under surveillance, and under a death warrant. Amazingly, He was a man who experienced inward peace while surrounded by outside “stressors.” How did He do that? We not only succumb to OUTSIDE stressors, but we add stress to our lives through our own INSIDE stressors!
DAY 1
1. What areas of your life are stressful for you?
___ Marriage
___ Kids
___ Your boss
___ Co-worker(s)
___ Employee(s)
___ Budget not working
___ Need more income
___ Personal battles
___ In-laws
___ Health
___ Growing sense of emptiness
___ Other:________________________________________
2. Most of these are OUTSIDE stressors. But stress is really driven by INSIDE stressors.
Stress involves (1) an “ISSUE” and (2) an “IDENTITY.” The ISSUE is what we normally think of: “How am I going to get my son’s grades up in school?” The IDENTITY is how the issue will REFLECT on me.
When we feel stress we THINK it’s because of the ISSUE. Not true! It’s because of IDENTITY. Somewhere, somehow, deep in the recesses of our heart we have set our IDENTITY on something “human” (faulty)! The culprit is usually, “How will this reflect on ME? What will someone else think of me? How will I think of me?”
Most people ignore IDENTITY because they don’t want to admit that self-centeredness is in play in the ISSUE. Instead they want to believe that they feel stress because they CARE so much about the ISSUE.
What strikes you about this?
Read Luke 19:28-44
3. Jesus needed transportation into Jerusalem in order to fulfill a messianic prophecy. Zechariah 9:9-10). He did not “own” a donkey, let alone one that had never been ridden.
How stressed out did He seem to be over this dilemma? Why?
DAY 2
Read Luke 19:35-44
1. Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we call, Palm Sunday. The adoring crowds of regular people cheered Him in. Why were they cheering? (vv. 37-38)
2. How was the assessment of the crowd toward Jesus? Were they cheering for the right things?
3. A smaller group grumbled and mumbled, harped and carped, huffed and puffed (v.39). They had been looking for ways to kill Him for about two years. What did they say during His triumphal entry?
4. When you receive criticism, what happens to you?
• Inwardly?
• Outwardly?
5. How did Jesus respond to this criticism?
What strikes you about His response? Did He seem to be under “stress?”
6. In just a few days He would be enduring a painful death for these very people. How do you do when you are criticized when something large is pending?
DAY 3
Read Luke 19:41-44
1. In contrast to the Pharisees who are critical, stressed out, on edge, Jesus offers up a different life that they could have had. What was it? (v. 42)
2. “What would bring you peace” is how He put it. What did He think would have brought the people peace?
3. What kept them from having this peace?
v. 42–
v. 44–
4. When we REFUSE to respond to God and His offers for peace, we NATURALLY experience the fruits of our desire for independence and autonomy. When our refusals last a long time, grave consequences will come our way. When grave consequences come our way, it’s “easy” to blame God. However, what do these verses (vv. 41-44) indicate as the true nature of things?
5. As Jesus viewed the spectacle in front of Him, what was His response? (v.41)
6. Why do you think He wept?
DAY 4
Read Luke 20:1-8
1. What was Jesus doing the next day, after “Palm Sunday?”
2. Who interrupts Him?
3. How is He interrupted?
4. When you get interrupted, what are your normal responses?
5. These Jewish leaders had a bounty out on His head. They MEANT Him harm. When they first approached Jesus in 20:1, how would you have responded?
6. When someone means you harm and they criticize you, what happens to your stress level?
7. How did Jesus respond?
8. Why did He respond as He did?
DAY 5
Friday is Good Friday, the day Jesus willingly died on a cross for you and me.
Read Luke 23:26-49
1. In v. 27 why were the women mourning and wailing?
2. Instead, Jesus sees a bigger problem. What did Jesus mean in vv. 28-30?
3. Why was Jesus able to forgive the very people who were crucifying Him? (v. 34)
4. How did each of the following groups of people treat Jesus?
* Rulers (v. 35)–
* Soldiers (v. 36)–
* Criminals (v. 39)–
5. What strikes you about Jesus in vv. 40-43?
6. All week we have been looking at “stressors” in Jesus’ life. All His “stressors” were OUTSIDE; none were INSIDE stressors! Why? (Read vv. 44-46)
7. Do you have some “committing” into the Father’s hands to do?
