Study Guide for the Week of February 15, 2015 “The Conversion!” (ECF 2015 Evangelism: Filling Series the Master's House) John 1:12-13 & I John 5:11-13 (NKJV) Dr. Joshua Beckley, Senior Pastor Listen to audio sermon at http://ecclesiachurch.com/audio%20sermons.html TAKE IT TO PRAYER: Continue to pray for group requests throughout the week.  Pray for your family and friends and these Ecclesia needs: Jack McGraw (healing; car accident) Amaris/Corey Scales Jr. (salvation) Norman Fisher/Daughter (healing and strength) Family for Lucy Evans (bereavement) ECF Members with a CTB pledge Beth's Child (healing) Zoey Bucheit (healing) Donna Gilbert (strength) Harmon Family(bereavement; brother,aunt,cousin) TAKE IT BACK: This week Pastor Beckley elaborates on the next step in our "Filling the Master's House Evangelism Series," "The Conversion." “Minimizing the importance of transformed feelings makes Christian conversion less supernatural and less radical. It is humanly manageable to make decisions of the will for Christ. No supernatural power is required to pray prayers, sign cards, walk aisles, or even stop sleeping around. Those are good. They just don’t prove that anything spiritual has happened. Christian conversion, on the other hand, is a supernatural, radical thing. The heart is changed. And the evidence of it is not just new decisions, but new affections, new feelings.” (John Piper) Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) TAKE IT DEEPER: Quotes on conversion to Christ: “The church is not a theological classroom. It is a conversion, confession, repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness and sanctification center, where flawed people place their faith in Christ, gather to know and love him better, and learn to love others as he designed.” ― Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change “Neither fear nor self-interest can convert the soul. They may change the appearance, perhaps even the conduct, but never the object of supreme desire... Fear is the motive which constrains the slave; greed binds the selfish man, by which he is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed (James 1:14). However, neither fear nor self-interest is undefiled, nor can they convert the soul. Only charity can convert the soul, freeing it from unworthy motives.” ― Bernard of Clairvaux “The church must suffer for speaking the truth, for pointing out sin, for uprooting sin. No one wants to have a sore spot touched, and therefore a society with so many sores twitches when someone has the courage to touch it and say: “You have to treat that. You have to get rid of that. Believe in Christ. Be converted.” ― Oscar A. Romero, The Violence of Love “Social responsibility becomes an aspect not of Christian mission only, but also of Christian conversion. It is impossible to be truly converted to God without being thereby converted to our neighbor.” ― John R.W. Stott “For true conversion doth not consist in putting away great and outward sins only, but in descending deeply into your own self, searching into the inmost recesses of the heart, the secrets and closets, all the windings and turnings thereof; changing and renewing them throughout, with the grace that is given you: and so, by faith, you are converted from self-love to Divine love; from the world and all worldly concupiscence, to a spiritual and heavenly life; and from a participation of the pomp and pleasures thereof, to participating the merits and virtues of Christ, by believing his word, and walking in his steps.” ― Johann Arndt: True Christianity TAKE IT TO RESEARCH/TEACH: Last week, the pastor spoke about power, research the POWER you have over: Sin - Romans 6:14 Sickness - Proverbs 18:21 Death - Mark 16:18 All the kingdoms under heaven (biological, animal, earthly, sea, Satanic). Daniel 7:27 Satan - Mark 16:17, Luke 10:19-20 TAKE IT HOME: Introduction: John 1:12-13 & I John 5:11-13 (NKJV) Conversion means: the act or an instance of converting or the process of being converted. The fact of changing one's religion or beliefs or the action of persuading someone else to change theirs. When someone is converted, it contrasts at least three things: 1. Receiving vs. Accepting - John 1:12-13 Conversion occurs when someone Receives Jesus as their Savior! There are four things a person needs know to receive Jesus:  God loves them! (Jn. 3:16)  God has Plan for them! (Jn. 10:10)  God Died for them! (Romans 5:8)  God wants a Relationship with them! 2. Relationship vs. Acknowledgement - 1 John 5:11-12  God desires a Relationship with us! - He who has the Son...has life!  This relationship is intended to Give of Life! - More specifically eternal Life! 3. Recognition vs. Accolades - 1 John 5:13  God wants to Know that we are Saved! - That you may know that you have eternal life! Sermon can be seen on "YouTube" https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4yE0t0ek84euNz419gTgWg TAKE IT TO THE GROUP: Share discoveries and answers in your group discussion. 1. What should we know about what God did for us? That's should fully persuade that he loves us? (I John 5:11) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What happens in our life when we know that God loves us? (Galatians 2:20, Hebrews 13:5-6) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Discuss what Christ Jesus' death on the cross, accomplished for the believer. (Romans 5:8, Romans 6:8, Hebrews 10:10-17) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Where is the Scripture that gives the source of eternal life? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Discuss your approach when speaking to someone about converting to Christ. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Practice explaining the benefits of converting to Christ to a non-Christian. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pray for more laborers, when the harvest is ripe, the time for reaping is short. HUGG HOSTS: Please remember to report attendance immediately following your group’s meeting! Email attendance to [email protected]. (951) 579-9045 / HUGG Hotline