September 22, 2013 - 18th Sunday after Pentecost

Breaking Open the Scriptures Scriptures for September 22nd: Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1; Psalm 79:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13; Theme: be obedient to God’s Word; Song: 2172 – We are called 1 Timothy: Paul is talking to Timothy, who is studying to be a minister. Here is telling him what it means to live a life of faith. Today Paul is saying that one of the most important parts of a life of faith is prayer. He says that we need to pray for everything and for every one. We need to be thankful for everything that happens, we need to pray for those in need of help, we need to pray for what we need, and we need to pray for our leaders and the situations in the world. We may not want to pray for our leaders, but the decisions that they make affect us all, so they need our prayers. Paul reminds us that there is only one God, one mediator. Sometimes we may be on opposite sides of an issue, but there is only one God. That God provides for the needs of all people and both sides of an issue. We have to remember that there is only one Christ, who gave his life for us all. So no matter how we feel, no matter what side we are on, we pray to the same God. And we depend on the same God for all of our needs. Luke: This is a stewardship lesson. But it is also hard for many people, is Jesus really telling us that it is okay to cheat? Is Jesus telling us that it is okay to cheat the system? The important things to remember is that this is not a passage about money it is a passage about faith. Jesus is saying that no matter who we are, and no matter what God entrust us with, we should be faithful. Some people are faithful with a lot, some people are faithful with a little. All of it comes from God, and we have to be thankful for all that God gives us. Are you a sinner? Has God had to forgive you for something. Has God taken away your debt? Has God had to forgive a little? Has God had to forgive a lot? It does not matter. God forgives is worth the same for all of us. Is not God worthy of our honor and glory? Questions: How often do you pray to God? What do you pray about? Does your prayer make a difference? Do you pray for leaders of all countries, or just your own? Why would it be important to pray for all leaders? How has God has to forgive you recently? What difference does forgiveness make in your life? How do you serve God and not the world?