Skip to main content
All Posts By

Brandon Martel

Brandon Martel
In ANC Blog

Staff Profiles: Who is Ian Davidson?

One of our staff members here at ANC is Ian Davidson. Ian has lived in Sudbury for most of his life. He has been attending All Nations for 22 years and joined the board of Elders about two and a half years ago. Ian’s love for ANC started when a friend invited him to a Sunday service. He attended once and never left. Ian then became good friends with Jeremy and Eileen Mahood. The people, the sense of family and the quality of the pastoral services kept him at the church. Ian is an elder and also serves as the ANC executive director. He belongs to the human resource and finance committee and acts as a volunteer in his responsibilities. Ian has always been motivated to make a difference in the world where it is possible. He says, “Serving the Lord makes service to others very rewarding.” Outside of work, Ian loves to spend time with his family. He has been married to his high-school sweetheart for 39 years. Ian and his wife have two boys and three grandchildren. He is from a family of 5 kids, and his grandfather was a devoted Christian and lay baptist pastor. Ian knew from an early age that God put him on earth to be a peacemaker, Shepherd, and, ultimately, a police officer.

Ian’s favourite scripture is Psalm 23; he says it has so much meaning and relevance. “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” – Psalm 23

Brandon Martel
In ANC Blog

What’s with all the different translations of the Bible?

For a faith with such a simple message of salvation, our selection of Bibles is quite complex! If you’ve ever struggled to know which Bible to read from, then you’re in the right place. In this article, we will give you a detailed explanation of the world of Bible translation and of individual Bibles. If you’d like, bookmark this post for future reference!

When looking at how translating the Bible got started, we go all the way back to the beginning. The Bible was originally written in a combination of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. This meant that only those who learned those languages had any access to the Bible, leading to a major disparity between the educated and the uneducated. Around 382 AD the Pope commissioned his secretary, Jerome, to produce a new translation in Latin. Jerome set about the task with reported trepidation, but also with great seriousness. The remark, attributed to him, that ‘ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ’ reveals something of his passion. The resulting translation, produced in the Latin of the people, is known to us as the Vulgate.

As the years went on, different groups of people have translated the Bible into their own languages and have also translated them differently. One of the reasons we see different versions of the Bible is because of the number of manuscripts available. There are over 5,800 Greek New Testament manuscripts known to date, along with over 10,000 Hebrew Old Testament manuscripts and over 19,000 copies in Syriac, Coptic, Latin, and Aramaic languages. Most Bible translations are done with teams of scholars in various languages who can ensure that the content is properly translated.

Once the manuscripts have been assembled, this team of scholars begin to determine what translation philosophy they will use. There are 3 main philosophies: formal equivalence, functional equivalence, and paraphrased.

Literal translations are often the closest English form of the Hebrew or Greek word. In this process, translators painstakingly review every single word to ensure they are as accurate as possible, called formal equivalence. This form of translation is extremely helpful for academic study. However, the biggest drawback to word-for-word translations is that modern readers might misunderstand figures of speech, literary devices, and cultural references.
English Standard Version (ESV): To achieve the greatest possible accuracy in an English translation of the original Hebrew & Greek texts, the translators of this readable, modern Bible version attempted to write, as much as possible, a “word for word” rendering of the text while modernizing archaic language and correcting certain errors in key portions of text.
New King James Version (NKJV): Commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, 130 respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay Christians worked for seven years to create a completely new, modern translation of Scripture, yet one that would retain the purity and stylistic beauty of the original King James. With unyielding faithfulness to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts, the translation applies the most recent research in archaeology, linguistics, and textual studies.

Need more context? Looking for an easier read? Dynamic translations place a higher emphasis on summing up the biblical authors’ thoughts while still respecting the text. These thought-for-thought translations balance accuracy with approachability, perfect for light reading or a devotion. After all, the Bible is for the common fellow. The drawback though is that every tweak in the name of understandability is a step toward someone else’s textual interpretation. But if you want to draw your own conclusions about every matter, stick with the ‘literal’ category.
New International Version (NIV): Striving for faithfulness to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible, scholars from five English speaking countries labored to make this contemporary version of the Scriptures readable in style and international in scope. Begun in 1965, published in 1978, and revised in 1983 and 2011, the NIV, has become one of the most popular English Bible translations. The translators’ goal was to produce a work of clarity and literary quality that would be well-suited to private and public reading, memorization, teaching, and preaching. This is the version used by All Nations Church.
New Living Translation (NLT): The New Living Translation is an authoritative Bible translation rendered faithfully into today’s English from the ancient texts by 90 leading Bible scholars. The NLT’s scholarship and clarity breathe life into even the most difficult-to-understand Bible passages—but even more powerful are stories of how people’s lives are changing as the words speak directly to their hearts.

In your mind, paraphrased translations might already have a bad reputation; we would argue that there is a time and place for every type of Bible out there. Paraphrased Bibles focus on getting the general idea across with clear language, useful for those new to the Faith or new to reading. Sometimes, a paraphrase is nice because it’s an interpretation; you can use it to gain a fresh perspective on a passage you’re reading. Typically, Bible paraphrases aren’t necessarily meant to stand alone, so keep that in mind.
The Message (MSG): This translation is a unique Bible-reading experience, a paraphrase by author Eugene Peterson of the traditional Bible text. With no formal language, The Message reads like a letter from an old friend. Because it’s easier to understand, you can better connect what you’re reading with what it means for your everyday life. The Message is not meant to replace your current version of choice. Rather, it is designed as a reading Bible that can give you a fresh perspective on a familiar phrase or passage.

Brandon Martel
In ANC Blog

Spiritual Practices for you and your Family

Are you and your family connecting with God outside of church? As a family unit and as individuals on their own time? Are you checking the church box and calling it good? Are you, as parents or guardians expecting someone else to spiritually guide your children? Are you aware that your kids and youths’ Spiritual Practices are mostly taught by them watching you?

As Christians, we talk about being a steward, what it means and how when God gives us a gift, it comes with a responsibility. Children are the biggest gift that God can give, meaning the biggest responsibility that He can ask you to take on. As a steward of your kids, your job is to raise them up, to teach them how to know and connect with God.

Start children off in the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not run from it. Proverbs 22:6

Here are 5 Spiritual Practices that you can model and invite your children to participate in, together as a family.

1. Pray Together
As adults we try to have good prayer lives and incorporate prayer into our everyday but that is a skill or a Spiritual Practice that at one time, we knew nothing about and had to be taught. How you model prayer at home will have the single biggest impact on your kids’ prayer lives.

Try
-Setting aside some time to sit down as a family and talk about what you should pray about, then taking turns praying.
-Keeping a prayer list on the fridge or a little book or jar in living room.
-Adding prayer into their bedtime routine.
-Praising God in prayer when a good thing happens.
-Praying for your kids, in front of them and ask in return that they pray for you or their siblings.
-Using prayer prompts: “I am so grateful that it was sunny and . . .”, “Thank you Jesus for . . .”, “Lord I feel . . . and am asking for help with . . .”.

Try to not
-Make prayer a check-list item that you have to get through to do the next thing.
-Stop the silly, you’re the adult, you make the call, but kids thanking God for lasagna for dinner or asking God to help them not hit their brother because they keep getting in trouble teaches them to not properly honour God.

Remember
Sometimes children’s prayers seem inconsequential or odd, but the creator of the universe listens to them, the same as He listens to yours.

2. Read and Study the Bible Together
This is another Spiritual Practice that takes time and diligence. How as the spiritual leader in your kids and students lives can you guide them to love connecting with God through studying His word?

Try
-Being intentional; setting aside time where your family sits down, reads, and discusses the Bible together.
-Memorizing verses together.
-Doing crafts or activities that teach about a person or idea in the Bible.
-Incorporating scripture into prayer, decor, and routines.
-Combating conflict and bad behaviours by searching together for a story of how God does or doesn’t not want us to behave.

Try to not
Shy away from the harsh or bad. The world isn’t perfect, we are all broken and sinful, teaching kids that allows them to understand why Jesus lived, died and why we need him to.

Remember
Your kids don’t need a full 72 slide Powerpoint with footnotes and an appendix. They need to see and hear you living and learning from the Bible. Has everyone been fighting or calling each other names? Read a passage about how Christians are supposed to treat each other and come up with one actionable idea to implement that week that would help everyone not fight or call names.

3. Spend Time in Nature
Experiencing nature is a great way to teach kids and youth about God and study his character. Even the super hot and super cold, though maybe not the weather that we love, has something wonderful for us to experience.

Try
-Going for a walk and looking for the most intricate things you can find. Discuss their beauty, discuss how they are designed, how they are good and play a roll in the world.
-Planting a garden or flowers, work together to nurture God’s creation.
-Doing crafts, experiments, and activities involving different things from outside.
-Visiting a zoo, discussing how the animals are designed by God for a purpose
-Looking under rocks and between paving stones, seeing the insects and bugs and talking about why they are so important
-Taking your teenager for a drive out where you can check out some landscapes and talking about what you see, what you appreciate and model praising God for the wonders He has made.

Try to not
-Fight the play, being outside makes children want to run, play and experience nature. Guide them, discuss and teach, but also let them be.
-Say “get off the phone”, phones are often what youth experience the world through, instead use the phone. For example, have them take photos or videos, ask hard questions that require a Google search or let them look up and guide you to new locations.

Remember
-We don’t worship nature, we worship the Creator and when teaching children, it is important to remind them that we enjoy the trees, flowers, animals and weather, but we praise God for creating those things, not the actual things.
-This is one of those tiny moments kind of things, you don’t always need a big plan or any preparation, just start looking for everyday things that are incredible and appreciating them out loud to your children, model praising God and guide your kids to do the same.

4. Be Alone with God
This is a difficult one for kids, they are little social creatures, who can struggle to stay ‘on task’ without guidance, for teens it can be a struggle to turn away from the notifications and focus. Model this by reminding your kids about when you spend time with God, talk about how you read your bible after putting them to bed or how you spent 15 minutes praying in the morning before waking them up.

Try
-Adding alone time with God into the bedtime routine; give them their Bible, leave the room, this is the time where they get to try some of the previous skills, alone and in private.
-Having some alone time with God right after they wake up, either in their rooms or in the other room while you make breakfast or do your alone time.
-Carve out a few times a week where you set-up your child to have alone time with God.

Try to not
Discipline them; you want them to desire the alone time, if it becomes a fight or an opportunity to misbehave then it will not be something they seek once you stop instigating it.

Remember
It might not seem like it is fruitful or that your children are gaining anything from it but this is a Spiritual Practice, which means practicing it now, teaches them to practice it for the rest of their lives.

5. Live out God’s Forgiveness
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

We all mess up, we all sin against each other, just as we sin against God. You reaction to your own sin will teach your kids what their reaction to their sin should be.

Try
-Apologizing when you are wrong and ask for forgiveness; “Hey, I got pretty angry there and yelled, I’m sorry for yelling, can you forgive me?”
-Directing them to ask for forgiveness. “You weren’t listening and you threw that at me, do you understand why that was wrong? What should we do?”
-Practicing mutual apologizing. “I’m sorry I let myself get so angry that I yelled at you. Can you apologize to me for not putting the toys away like I asked?”
-Apologizing to your spouse and asking for their forgiveness in front of your children if you commit the offence in front of your children.

Try to not
-Make forgiveness be the ‘key’ to the situation being over. Consequences still exist.
-Say “It’s okay.” Use the phrase “I forgive you”, be intentional in your words and do not dismiss the offence, but offer forgiveness in the same way that God offers it to you.

Remember
Parents are still human, giving and seeking forgiveness models God’s relationship with us on both sides and is important for us as adults to be reminded of as much as it is for kids and youth.

Where are you already modelling these connections with God? Where would you like to improve? Did something jump out that you can start this week? I will leave you with an encouragement and some resources.

1 Peter 5:2-3 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve;  not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Try: https://www.christianbook.com/page/bibles/study-bibles?navcat=Bibles|Study-Bibles
Study Bibles or Levelled Bibles. These often include introductions, Bible studies, extra information, activities, and other helpful resources that are geared towards the level and needs of the reader (ie. Grade 2 reading level, young women, life application).
Personal Fun Fact; I was 23 when I replaced my Grade 3 Max Lucado Study Bible with a fresh NIV because my father and mother had specifically picked it out for me.

Try: https://www.signupgenius.com/church/bible-games-activities-kids.cfm
Do crafts, activities, and experiments. You don’t need to be a biblical genius to incorporate scripture, praise, and prayer into your family’s life. Check out the link to get some ideas and head over to Google for colouring pages and other printables.

Brandon Martel
In ANC Blog

Staff Profiles: Who is Sean Morton?

This is our first in a series of posts about our various staff members! Up first is our lead pastor Sean Morton

Sean grew up on a hobby farm outside of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He has also lived in Vancouver, on Vancouver Island in Comox in Winnipeg and Edmonton. Sean has been at ANC for 1.5 years and what brought him to ANC was that he felt God calling him into the lead pastor position; at the same time, ANC was looking for a new lead pastor. He applied and was offered the job.

What kept Sean at ANC was “Sensing God’s hand in our move as well as the good work we have been doing through the church in the community. Also feeling the privilege of working with a wonderful supportive congregation.” What Sean enjoys most about his job is being able to work with people and motivating them to follow Jesus their whole lives. Sean enjoys lots of outside sports and time at the gym. He has been married to his wife Tracey for 27 years, and they have two children together. His daughter is enrolled in graduate studies in gerontology at the University of Waterloo, and his son is working on his degree in supply chain management in Edmonton. A fun fact about Sean is that even though he mostly grew up a city boy, he can drive heavy-duty farming equipment! His favourite scripture is Phillippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Brandon Martel
In ANC Blog

Why might Lifegroups be right for you?

The time has rolled around when our Life Groups launch for their fall season!

What exactly is a Life Group?
A “Life Group” is a small group of people who meet together on a regular basis to study the word of God, pray for one another, and get to know each other as they grow in their knowledge of God and seek to become more like Jesus. The groups can be as small as 6 or as large as 20, as space may allow. They may meet weekly, bi-weekly or monthly as well as get together for social events. Each group develops a “flavour” of its own, reflecting the personalities of those in the group, as people learn to live life Jesus’ way, loving one another.

Why does All Nations Church have Life Groups?
We believe that the biblical definition of community and fellowship happens outside of a Sunday morning. Carolyn Taketa puts it best when she says “When we look at the early church we get a picture of small communities of people who followed Jesus together. The Book of Acts, especially Acts 2:42-47, gives us a great picture of the early church and the components of biblical community, which encompassed both the “temple courts” and “house to house.”
These believers engaged in life together through teaching, fellowship, communion, prayer, miracles, radical generosity, and corporate worship. They spent time together eating, learning, celebrating, proclaiming the Good News, and supporting each other. In addition, the 50-plus “one another” verses in the New Testament flesh out other aspects of this community. For example, it was a place where people loved, forgave, served, bore burdens, encouraged, exhorted, prayed, equipped, spoke truth in love, confessed sins, and treated each other as precious members of one body.”

Why should you join a life group?

You’ll get to learn more about God
Life Groups allow an opportunity for you to learn from others about God and the Bible. Lifegroups can provide new perspectives, understanding, and clarity to life’s difficult questions. Questions that you felt initially you weren’t equipped to answer. Questions like, “why do bad things happen to good people?” or, “how can I believe everything the Bible says?” You will learn that oftentimes there’s a person or two who know the answer and are willing to share. If not, the beauty of Life Groups is exploring and discovering the answer together.

You’ll get to make deeper friendships
It’s easy in such a large church to just become a stranger to those around you. Life Groups give you the opportunity to be encouraged, be built up and be held accountable by others. Ecclesiastes 4:9 -10 says: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” When you’re going through troubles in life, the friends in your Life Group can share that burden with you and pray for you.

You’ll be able to apply what you learn more effectively
If Sunday morning is for listening, then the rest of the week is for living. Whether it’s discussing the Sunday sermon, talking about a spiritual battle, or simply praying for one another, life groups create a context for you to live out your faith in real life. Our Life Group curriculum is tailored around applying Sunday’s message, giving you tangible action steps for your life.

How do I get involved?

If you are interested in joining a Life Group, we’d encourage you to email Michelle Ross, our Life Group Director at lifegroups@allnationschurch.ca. She will help you find a Life Group that is best suited for you! Or you can always call the office at 705-673-6110. God never intended for you to live the Christian life alone, so don’t hesitate to get involved and take the next step in your Christian journey.

Brandon Martel
In ANC Blog

What is Wisdom?

“Don’t Gain The World & Lose Your Soul, Wisdom Is Better Than Silver Or Gold.” – Bob Marley
“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” – Doug Larson
“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” – Bible
“Wisdom never comes to those who believe they have nothing left to learn.” – Charles De Lint
“We can know only that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.” – Leo Tolstoy
“ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise” – Ephesians 5:15 – Bible
Wisdom. Seemingly all-important for our lives and yet so utterly fleeting. The definition of wisdom is the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment. So with confidence we could all say that wisdom guides us to better decisions in how we govern our lives.  And yet, it seems so elusive to us. There is a wealth of it in our world but most of us reject it’s application in our lives. But why? Why, when it seems so right to apply is it so hard to implement? Those are just a couple of the questions we are going to be examining over the next 7 weeks at All Nations Church starting this Sunday. I encourage you to join us as we unpack the wisdom of the bible and learn strategies for applying its principles to our lives.
Pastor Sean Morton
Brandon Martel
In Life Group Notes

Life Group Notes – May 22 2022

Download Life Group Notes

 

In the Power of the Holy Spirit

Week of  May 22nd,  2022

All scripture from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

Study by Wayne Arcand

Last week we ended with this note: All who believe in Christ as the risen Saviour have the power of the Holy Spirit alive in them and working through them. Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit is primarily to transform our character, to make our life reflect the life of Christ.

  1. In Christian circles we talk about committing our life to Jesus. But there is also submitting to the will of the Father.
    1. Discuss the difference between commitment and submission.
    2. Can you have submission without commitment? Explain.
    3. What is the basis for submitting to the will of the Father?

 

  1. Ephesians 2: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
    1. In your own words, restate Ephesians 2:8 and 9, putting it in the first person.
      1. What impact do these verses have on you when you change the application of these truths from the impersonal “you” to the personal “I”?
    2. What does verse 10 mean when it says, “for we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus”?
      1. Why were we created in Christ Jesus?
        1. What does this mean to you?
      2. Analyse the phrase, “which God prepared in advance for us to do”.
        1. What do we learn about God?
        2. What do we learn about our purpose?

 

  1. Ephesians 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
    1. Define each of the offices that Christ gave himself:
      1. What is an apostle?
      2. What is a prophet?
  • What is an evangelist?
  1. What is a pastor?
  2. What is a teacher?
  1. What is the purpose or role of apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers?
  2. What are works of service?
    1. How are God’s people equipped for works of service?
  3. Discuss works of service that a follower of Jesus can be involved in.

 

  1. Romans 12:1-2 tells us, “1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

  1. What does scripture mean when it says, “to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice”?
  2. What are the characteristics of the ‘worldly mind” vs the characteristics of a “renewed mind”?
    1. How does this transformation take place?
  3. What is the connection between Romans 12:2 and Galatians 5:24?
  4. Can we display the fruit of the spirit and be conceited? Why?

 

  1. Romans 12: 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
    1. Explain the analogy of Romans 12:4-8?
    2. Does this passage apply to all who proclaim Jesus as Lord and Saviour? Explain.
    3. What gifts or abilities has the Lord blessed you with that you can use in his service?

 

For Reflection: All of us want our life to have meaning and purpose. As Ephesians 2:10 tells us, we were created in Christ Jesus for a purpose – to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Living the transformed life is serving using the spiritual gifts and abilities with which the Lord has blessed us. God has designed us so our unique abilities compliment one another, so that together we accomplish the Lord’s purpose in our lives, in His Church and in our community. If you are not already serving, prayerfully consider what you enjoy doing, what you are able to do and actively seek where you may serve. You will find it a rewarding experience.

Brandon Martel
In Life Group Notes

Life Group Notes – May 15th 2022

Download Life Group Notes

 

All Nations Church Life Group Study
In the Power of the Holy Spirit
Week of May 15th, 2022
All scripture from the NIV unless otherwise noted.
Study by Wayne Arcand

“To God be the glory, great things he hath done”, are not just the words of a great old hymn. “To God be the glory”, is acknowledging that it is God who works in us and through us in the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish his purposes. All that we have, all that we are and all we will become is by the grace of God our Saviour. In this study we will look at a few verses with a focus on the power of God in our lives.
1. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to those who love him: John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
a. How do we show we love Jesus?
i. Who is the Spirit of Truth?
b. Why did the Father give us the Spirit of Truth?
c. Considering Jesus words in John 14:15, what is the implication when we make a conscious choice not to keep God’s commands?
i. What are some ways we try to justify ignoring God’s commands? In considering this question, how often have we said or heard “it seems to me”, or “it doesn’t seem fair”?
ii. Consider the promise of Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
1. How do these promises relate to John 14:15?
2. How does this help us when faced with a situation where we don’t understand what God is doing, or why he is allowing something to happen? For further consideration see Isaiah 55:8-9 and 1 Corinthians 1:25.

2. Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
a. What does it mean to ‘repent’?
b. What is our motivation for repentance?
c. What does God promise to those who repent?
d. Why is verse 39 important?

 

3. Discuss how John 3:16-18 relates to Acts 2:38-39 above. John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

4. There is a wonderful connectivity in scripture. Read Psalm 1:1Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
a. What truths do you learn in Psalm 1 that are reflected in the New Testament scriptures studied in this lesson?
b. What does the phrase, “which yields its fruit in season”, suggest to you?

For Reflection:
All who believe in Christ as the risen Saviour have the power of the Holy Spirit alive in them and working through them. Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit is primarily to transform our character, to make our life reflect the life of Christ. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” We all have areas of our life where the fruit of the spirit may be just budding. Pray and ask the Spirit to show you those areas of your life that need to mature and ask that he guide you as you journey through this life.

Brandon Martel
In Life Group Notes

Life Group Notes – May 8 2022

Download Life Group Notes

 

Life Group Study

Mother’s Day

Week of  May 8th,  2022

Study by Wayne Arcand

 

We all have a relationship with our mother that is unique to who we are as a person and who they were or are as a person. I was blessed with a mother who exemplified the characteristics of a Godly woman and I am even more blessed to have a wife and the mother of our children who exemplifies the same characteristics in her life.  Sadly, not everyone has had or has the same experience. Where this is the case, we are still called to love, forgive and honour our mother. This study will look at how God rewards those who obey his word and the consequences for those who choose not to. I pray the Lord will open your heart to his word as we study this together.

All passages in this study are from the New International Version of the Bible.

  1. Ephesians 6:1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
    1. What transition do you see as we move from verse 1 to verse 2?
      1. What is the difference between “obey your parents” and “honour your father and mother”? Discuss what it means to ‘honour your father and your mother’?
    2. What is the promise of verse 3? What does this mean to you?
      1. If there is a reward for acting in a specific way, is there an implied consequence if you don’t act as commanded? Explain.

 

  1. Consider these two verses: Exodus 21: 15“Anyone who attacks their father or mother is to be put to death. 17 “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.
    1. What are the two methods of assault in these verses?
      1. In our society, is one considered more heinous than the other? Discuss.
    2. What does the penalty for each suggest about the seriousness with which God considers both actions?

 

  1. The Book of Ruth is a beautiful account of loss, sacrifice, love, hardship, redemption and reward. It is an excellent example of honouring a mother or mother-in-law. Naomi had lost her husband and both of her sons. At Naomi’s urging, one daughter-in-law went back to her people but Ruth refused to leave Naomi’s side.

Ruth 1: 15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

  1. As you read the above verses, what do you learn about each of these women?
    1. What characteristic stands out for you? Why?
  2. We will continue to explore how God worked in Ruth’s life: Ruth 2:10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” 11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” 13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”
    1. What attitude does Ruth display in these verses?
    2. What motivated Boaz to look favourably upon Ruth?
    3. What did Boaz acknowledge about Ruth in verse 11?
    4. What does verse 12 tell us about Boaz?
  3. The last question in this study will look at Ruth 4:13So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer[1]. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
    1. What verse in this passage touches your heart?
    2. Out of great sorrow, God brought great blessing to Naomi and Ruth. What lessons have you learned from this study that you can apply to your life?

 

For Reflection: We live in a world that puts me and what I want ahead of everything and everyone else. There is little room for love, tolerance or respect as the focus is on our rights, desires, felt needs and wants. How different this is from the sacrificial love Ruth demonstrated toward Naomi – a love that resulted in God rewarding Ruth with a rich life and the honour of being in the line of David, and therefore an ancestor of Jesus. The love we show to our children, the honour we give to our parents, can have a generational reward. To love one another as Christ loved us has an eternal reward. So let us keep our eyes on the big picture, giving honour where honour is due, and being a witness to the goodness of God in our lives.

[1] WHAT WAS A GUARDIAN-REDEEMER? (from biblegateway.com)

Ruth 2:20; 3:12; 4:3–6

A guardian-redeemer was a close, influential relative to whom members of the extended family could turn for help, usually when the family line or possessions were in danger of being lost. He was responsible for buying back family land sold during a crisis (see Lev 25:25), buying back enslaved relatives (see Lev 25:47–49), providing an heir for a dead brother (see Dt 25:5–10), avenging the killing of a relative (see Nu 35:19–21) and caring for relatives in difficult circumstances (see Jer 32:6–25).

The idea of the guardian-redeemer is also used at times to refer to God and his redemption of Israel (see Ex 6:6–8; Job 19:25; Ps 19:14; 69:18; Isa 43:1). In these passages, God is Israel’s nearest redeemer, stepping in to bring the nation back into his family when the people could not do it themselves.

The word guardian-redeemer finds ultimate fulfillment in the coming of the Messiah (see Isa 59:20). Jesus is our near guardian who came to buy us back into God’s family. In the New Testament the concept is reflected in the various words for redeem, which suggest paying a ransom, making a purchase or saving from loss.

Brandon Martel
In Life Group Notes

Life Group Notes – May 1 2022

Download Life Group Notes

Life Group Study

Life with Purpose

Week of  May 1st,  2022

Study by Wayne Arcand

Love and forgiveness are modelled for us in the life of Jesus. An example of this can be seen in how Jesus dealt with Peter. Peter was a person who often spoke and acted impulsively, possibly with great intentions but without considering the cost . This study will look at the contradictions in Peter’s life and see that though he failed in critical times, true repentance and Jesus’ forgiveness restored his relationship with the Lord. His failures may have been instrumental in shaping who he became. We see the truth of Romans 8:28 in Peter’s life, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

 

  1. What prophecies do you see in these verses?

 

  1. What do these verses tell us about Peter’s character?
    1. Do you think Peter gave any serious consideration to Jesus’ prophecy in verse 34? Why?

 

John 18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

 

  1. What do we learn about Peter in these verses?

 

  1. What does Jesus mean by, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
    1. Could there be situations in our lives where we might ask ourselves the same question? Explain.

John 18: 17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” 18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself…..

…. 25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” 26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

 

  1. Why do you think Peter denied being one of Jesus disciples?

 

  1. Have you ever denied Jesus? Your initial response considering Peter’s active denial of Jesus may be “no”. But, what about the subtle ways we deny Jesus. Discuss how the following may be subtle ways we deny Jesus.
    1. Is there a difference between the way I speak and act versus the way someone who does not claim to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour speaks and acts?
    2. Do I live from Sunday to Sunday without acknowledging Jesus as Lord in my life?
    3. Do my daily decisions reflect a reliance upon the Lord?
    4. Does the way I live my life honour Jesus?
      1. In order to answer this question we need to answer the question, how do I honour Jesus with my life?
    5. Are there other ways we may be denying Jesus?

 

Matthew 26: 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

 

  1. Peter had been with Jesus for three years. He loved Jesus and was part of the inner circle of Jesus’ closest disciples, and yet in a moment when he felt threatened, he denied Jesus. As you read Matthew 26:75, what range of feelings do you think Peter was experiencing?
    1. What does the last sentence suggest about how Peter was feeling?

 

John 21: 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

 

  1. In the above passage from John 21, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him.
    1. What do you think the significance was of asking Peter the same question three times?
    2. How did Peter reply each time?
    3. What was the significant revelation in Peter’s third response to Jesus?

 

  1. When Jesus tells Peter to “feed my lambs”, “take care of my sheep”, and “feed my sheep”, who is Jesus referring to?
    1. What do you think Jesus is telling Peter to do in these three phrases?
    2. What does this passage suggest about the depth of God’s forgiveness, that Jesus would entrust someone who denied him three times with the care of the flock?
    3. What encouragement or comfort can we take from these verses?

 

  1. Peter was crucified under Nero around 65-67 AD. From verse 19, we might conclude that Peter knew the kind of death he would suffer. After Jesus revealed this to Peter, he said “Follow me”.
    1. Reread Matthew 26:75 and think about how Peter felt when he denied Jesus and then read John 21:17 where Jesus asked Peter for the third time if he loved him. Do you think these two experiences changed Peter’s relationship with the Lord? Why or why not?
    2. Peter counted the cost and remained faithful. What do you think his motivation was?
    3. What motivates you in your walk with the Lord?

 

  1. What have you learned in this lesson that will strengthen your relationship and walk with the Lord?

 

For Reflection: When I was a young man, I wondered about the purpose of living. It seemed to me that if all we were on this earth for was to work, grow old and die, why do it. The struggle did not seem worth it. Then I discovered Jesus, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say Jesus revealed himself to me. Jesus loves me, he forgave me and he gave my life purpose. I can identify specific points in my life where a decision that honoured God has brought me to where I am today. Take a moment to reflect on your life. Are there decisions you have made, good and bad, that have shaped your journey? How has the Lord changed you to become the child of God you are today? Are there opportunities I feel the Lord is calling me to, that I have not been obedient in answering? If yes, what am I going to do about it? I pray the Lord will give you much wisdom and a spirit of discernment as you consider these questions.