Matt Reynolds :: The Search For Meaning: Life in God :: 11.28.10
This Sunday our journey through Ecclesiastes comes to a close. Before
we leave this study, let’s consider why we studied this obscure book
of the Bible at all.
What did God want to teach us as a community? Have you written things
down in your journal that God has been teaching you personally? Things
you had forgotten, or maybe things God has pointed out that need to
change or be transformed in your life?
Hopefully we have received what God wants to give us through this
unique diary of an old man who had it all. This Sunday we will talk
about a few of the big lessons that most of us have been wrestling
through together this fall. Hope you can join us.
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Matt Reynolds :: We are the rich of the world :: 11.21.10
As we finish our study in Ecclesiastes and begin the Advent season, the lense for the next two weeks will be the Holiday season. What can we learn from Solomon’s mistakes and how can we engage our hurting world in a way he didn’t?
Chapter 4:1 reads, “Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.”
Here, and in Eccl. 5:8-9, Solomon notices oppression and injustice, but responds with indifference believing there’s nothing he could do to change the situation. But Solomon was so rich! 1 Kings 4 is clear in it’s description of Solomon’s power and lavish lifestyle, so how could he respond that way?
This might frustrate or even offend us, but most of us have actual responded in quite a similar way. You see, we are now the rich of the world. He could have done something. Solomon could have changed. Sunday, we looked at the state of our power and position. If we are the new rich of the world, how can w celebrate this holiday season differently?
Watch Advent Conspiracy Video Here…
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Buddy Hoffman :: Stop! Ecclesiastes 10:10 :: 11.14.10
It’s time to stop! We have all found ourselves in situations where things became increasingly difficult. Sometimes we rationalize that the work is too important to stop; stopping just does not seem like an option.
Last week we talked about the importance of “not quitting!’ But stopping and quitting are not the same. Stopping is Biblical. It’s called a “Sabbath.” Stopping is reminding ourselves that who we are is more important than what we do. Stopping is taking “time out” to make certain that what we are doing is what we are supposed to be doing. Stopping is taking a “rest” so you can continue to do that which is too important to quit.
When we “stop” for the right reasons we will get more accomplished, not less. Stopping is taking time to “sharpen your ax” so that what you are doing not only gets done, but is “done well.”
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Brian Krawczyk :: Maximizing Your Strength :: 11-14-10
“If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.” – Ecclesiastes 10:10
Have you ever felt like you were just working and working, trying to make a difference in the world all on your own strength? Jesus said, whoever believes in Him, the works He does, they shall do even greater works than He did. What an incredible challenge! But Jesus was clear that he created you to do more than you can do alone. God created you to accomplish more than you could ever accomplish in your own intelligence, in your own talent, and your own ability. The level at which God wants you to live is not an incremental level of improvement. It’s an entirely different dimension of living that only happens when you entrust your life to Jesus and allow His Spirit to bring life to you and life to the world through you.
So what are you doing with your ax? Are you swinging it in your own strength? Or, are you pulling back and letting God create an edge where more happens through your life than you could ever imagine or do alone?
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Matt Reynolds :: Wisdom Can Save You :: 10.31.10
This week we will continue our study of Ecclesiastes by diving into chapter 7. In this chapter Solomon leads us to a place where we are forced to ask what happens when we get to the end of ourselves? What can we do when we discover “God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path” (verse 29).
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Matt Reynolds :: Learning to be Content :: 10.17.10
If you feel like “enough is never enough” and even your holy appetites seem to never be fully and finally satisfied, it might be time to learn something from Solomon. Throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon commends us to enjoy life, receive God’s gifts, and be empowered by the One who makes our life count.
Maybe contentment is not so much something to be attained, but something that must be learned.
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Jamie Winship :: Ecclesiastes Ch. 5 “Learning to be Content” :: 10.10.10
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him–for this is his [allotted] part.
Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, and the power to enjoy them and to accept his appointed lot and to rejoice in his toil–this is the gift of God [to him]. Ecclesiastes 5:18-19
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Randy Rainwater :: Dealing with Despair :: 10.03.10
Gloom, Despair, and Agony. Once an opening to a famous TV show, these words reflect what Solomon felt in his day. Sadly, it is what many feel in our culture today. Despair is all around, but the bible has some great things to say about what to do with despair.
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Matt Reynolds :: Draw Near To Listen :: 10.03.10
I am sure you recognize one of these. We live in a culture where we are perpetually bombarded with noise, and have all of the gadgets to stay continually “plugged in.” But are we really connected to one another?
Are we really connected to God?
In chapter 5 Solomon compels us to come back to the house of God, drawing near to listen, rather than to speak.
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Matt Reynolds :: Pursuit of Pleasure :: 09.19.10
Everyone has felt the desire to truly experience pleasure. Sadly, many of us have felt cheated in the pursuit and it feels like a chasing after wind, or like sand falling between our hands. What does God think about the pursuit of pleasure? Could his criticism be that our desire is actually too small?
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Buddy Hoffman :: Solomon’s Path To Nowhere :: 09.05.10
Wow, it has been quite a week. Last Saturday night a friend called. He and his family have been deeply rooted in this community for decades, and his voice betrayed the fact he was shaken. He told me his daughter had just called and his wife was on the way to the hospital.
When I received the call I had no idea of the journey we were about to take; hours later his wife of more than three decades had gone to be with the Lord.
I have stood in those hospital halls, sat in those waiting rooms and walked out to that parking lot with grieving family members more times than I can count, but it is never easy. This one was worse than painful. I have been to lots of funerals. The funeral was packed with people. The kids stood up and blessed their mom; a friend that had shared life with this dear lady talked of their five decades of shared memories. Why was this one packed, not only with people but saturated in love?
The answer is really easy, and it’s found in Ecclesiastes.
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Matt Reynolds :: Solomon Had Another Name :: 09.05.10
This week we will look at Solomon’s background. Where did he come from? What did God speak over his life as a young child? How did he stray from such a wonderful start to his life?
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Matt Reynolds :: Ecclesiastes : The Search for Meaning : Defining New :: 08.29.10
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! That which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.”
We are starting a new study in the book of Ecclesiastes, arguably the most controversial book in the Bible. My only question is, was Solomon correct in his assumption?
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