First Alliance Church ATL

01-20-19 Kevin Goins - Ministry in the Middle

“Ministry in the Middle” Luke 11:5-8

There is a kind of ministry in which every follower of Jesus must stand in the middle, and this ministry in the middle is one of the most important ministries in which any believer ever takes part. In Luke chapter 11 Jesus uses a parable to explain this ministry to us.

I This story is about ________ people:
A. First, there is the man/woman in the ___________, and this could easily be ______ or _____.
B. Who are we in the middle of? On one side we have a friend who is on a journey and he comes to our door hoping for r_______ and b_______ for the night.
C. The third person in the parable is the one who stands on the o_______ side of us, our n________ who has the bread we lack.

II This story is about being a middleman/woman in the p________ sense: one who stands between a friend who n_______ bread and another who h____ bread.
A. But a parable uses a common event in the physical world to help us understand what happens in the s__________ world.
B. An i____________ is someone who stands between a person who has a need only God can meet and God himself.
C. Jesus says when you act as an intercessor for a friend in need, and you come knocking on God’s door for help, that door will be ____.

II We have looked at the three individuals in the parable, but what does the man/woman in the middle teach us about being an intercessor?
First, to be an intercessor we must have a f_______ who is willing to c_____ to us for help.
Second, to be an intercessor we need to know the difference
between needs we can ______ and needs only ______ can meet.
C. Third, to be an intercessor we must be convinced prayer makes a _____________.
D. Fourth, to be an intercessor we must be s_____________.
E. Finally, to be an intercessor we must be willing to p_____ the p_______ of being an intercessor.

01-13-19 Kevin Goins - Praying the Lord's Prayer

“Praying the Lord’s Prayer”  Matthew 6:9-13

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, he gave them the prayer we know as the Lord’s Prayer. Many people have committed this prayer to memory, but it also works well as a pattern or framework upon which we can build our own daily prayers. Each of the five petitions of the Lord’s Prayer gives us a piece of the structure which we can use to fashion an effective and powerful prayer

I The first part of the prayer structure is what we call w________ or a__________ (6:9).

II The second part of the prayer structure is s__________ or s___________ (6:10).

A. When we pray God’s will to be done in our life, we are surrendering our right to be the o____ who is in c__________.

B. But this request is not just about ____, it is about _____ people everywhere on earth.

III The third part of the prayer structure is p___________ (6:11).

IV The fourth part of the prayer structure is c______________(6:12).

. This petition makes our forgiveness by God depend on our w_____________ to forgive those who have _______ us.

B. This prayer is hard to pray because we so enjoy being _________ at those who wrong us.

V The fifth part of the prayer structure is the prayer for d______________ (6:13).

A. The best way for evil to hurt the progress of God’s Kingdom is to show that the work Jesus did on the cross is i______________.

B. E_______ is behind every sorrow and pain this world experiences, and so looking to Jesus to help us with t___________ will accomplish more than any political party ever could.

01-06-19 Kevin Goins - The Dos and Don'ts of the Lord's Supper

“Do’s and Don’ts of the Lord’s Supper” 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

In 1 Corinthians chapter eleven Paul is dealing with a church who has gotten their celebration of the Lord’s Supper all wrong. His response to them is deeply theological, but it is also very practical. It is his practical instruction that we want to look at today.

I The first Do of the Lord’s Supper is Do t________ o________ what you know about the Lord’s Supper (11:23).
A. The Lord’s Supper began when Jesus gathered with his
disciples to celebrate the Jewish holy day known as _____________.
B. It is easier to remember something when you hold in your hands a t__________, p__________ reminder

II The second Do of the Lord’s Supper is Do c____________ the Lord’s Supper r____________(11:23-24).

III The third Do is a Don’t: Don’t forget h____ m_____ Jesus l________ the church (11:27-29)
A. The Lord’s Supper draws each of us into r_____________ with every other member of the Body of Christ – This is why the Lord’s Supper is also called C______________.
B. What Paul is upset about with the Corinthians is ______ they are celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
C. What Paul is saying is that there is a close and powerful c___________ between the way we t_______ each other in church and whether our celebration of the Lord’s Supper is worthy or unworthy.

IV The fourth Do of the Lord’s Supper is Do e________ y_________.

V The final Do of the Lord’s Supper is Do remember _________.

12-30-18 Bruce Bliss - Balanced Disciple

Up Questions
Do I make enough space for payer?
What situation or what person is weighing on my heart?
Am I noticing God’s strength and power more and more in my life?
Am I living in a state of peace?
Am I afraid or nervous?
Am I obedient to God’s prompting?

In Questions
Do I love the people at FAC (in my community)?
How well do I know their story?
Do I have any FAC relationships outside of Sunday morning?
Am I discipling anyone?
Am I making myself vulnerable to others?
Do I keep my promises?

Out Questions
Do I have a heart for people not living in the story of Jesus?
How often do I share my faith?
Do I leave time for relationships with non-Christians?
Am I proud of the gospel or ashamed?
Am I a servant?
Do I intentionally spend time with the poor?
Am I generous with my finances to those who don’t have enough?

12-23-18 Kevin Goins - Angels We Have Heard on High

“Angels We Have Heard on High” Luke 1:26-38

Most of the characters of Christmas give something to the Christ child at his birth. The angels give their “Glorias,” which is what our carol today highlights, the shepherds give their worship, and the wise men give gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Mary, however, is one of the few who gave gifts, not to the baby, but to God the Father. What did Mary give God for Christmas?

I The first thing Mary gave to God was her____________ (126-27).
A. In that day engagement was very different – it was not p__________ for marriage, it was p________ of marriage.
B. Gabriel tells Mary that God wants her to give birth to a child who will ____ be the offspring of her husband Joseph.
C. At this point, Mary had no reason to believe she would not be ___________ by Joseph.

II The second thing Mary gave to God was her ________ (1:28-35).
A. It’s frightening enough for a young girl to think of having a baby, but this birth would be u________ any other birth e______.
B. The Old Testament said that no one can see God and l_______ – So, how could Mary give birth to the ______ of God and live?

III The third thing Mary gave to God was her t__________ (1:36-38).

IV What are you willing to give God for Christmas?
A. Maybe we need to give God our ____________.
B. Maybe we need to give God our ____________.
C. Maybe we need to give God our ____________.

12-16-18 Kevin Goins - Angels From the Realms of Glory

12-09-2018 Kevin Goins - Go Tell It On The Mountain

“Go, Tell It on the Mountain” Luke 2:8-20

Go, Tell It on the Mountain is one of the spirituals which African slaves in the United States sang to celebrate the birth of Jesus. If people enslaved on plantations found the desire to lift up their voices and enthusiastically proclaim the birth of the Savior, it should be even easier for us to do so. But it is not easy. What can we learn from the shepherd’s story which will encourage us to proclaim the good news of the birth of the Savior?

I First, the Shepherds teach us that it helps if you don’t have a degree in ________ or ___________ (2:8-9).
Why would God choose to reveal the birth of his Son first to
Shepherds instead of the priests and religious leaders?
1. The Savior who was born was n____ a__ a_____ what the
religious leaders were looking for.
2. God wants people to trust _____, not all the religious e_________ they have, not all the religious a__________ they carry out.
B. People who can talk about Jesus in their own w______, without religious w______ - they have a real advantage.

II Second, the shepherds teach us that if you want to talk to people about Jesus, it helps to be t___________ (2:9-14).
A. The message of the angels is like the ministry of the Holy Spirit:
1. The angels c_______ the Shepherds.
2. The angels bring g______ n______ to the Shepherds.
3. The angels specifically tell the Shepherds about the birth of a Savior who is “______ the ______.”
B. The ministry of the angels to the Shepherds is a p_________ of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

III Third, the Shepherds teach us that if you want to talk to people about Jesus it helps to spend time with the h______ f_______(2:15-16).

IV Finally, the Shepherds teach us that if you want to talk to people about Jesus, it helps to be a g___________ (2:17-20).

 

11-25-2018 Kevin Goins - I Love A Mystery

“I Love a Mystery” (conclusion) John 7:53-8:12

Someone has said, “We all love a good mystery.” If that’s true, then we should really enjoy the passage we’re looking at today because it is loaded with mysteries.

I The first mystery is the mystery of the misplaced story.
II The second mystery is the mystery of iniquity.

III The third mystery is the mystery of the m___________ a___________ (8:3-6a).
A. The fact that only h______ of the wrongdoers were brought to justice tells us that something s____________ is taking place.
B. Putting Jesus into what they thought was a “No-_____” situation was their ______ reason for accusing this woman.

IV The fourth mystery is the mystery of the w______ in the s_________ (8:6b-9a).
A. It’s not w______ Jesus wrote in the dust that is important – For two reasons:
1. If what he wrote was important, we would have been t_______ what it was.
2. When John says (8:9) that the accusers went away, he says it was because of what they h_______ from Jesus, not because of what they s____ written in the dirt.
B. In response to their question, Jesus i________ the Pharisees, showing them that he doesn’t take their show of righteousness s____________.

V The fifth mystery is the mystery of the Holy Spirit’s power to c___________ us with our sin (8:9).
A. When these men first dragged in the girl, they felt no g_______ at all.
B. Jesus said sentence against the woman must be carried out only by those who are not guilty of the s_______ s_____.

VI The sixth mystery is the mystery of the g________ of the Lord Jesus Christ (8:9-11).
A. The one who had every right to c_________ her, chose not to,
because his mission was not to condemn, but to s_______.
B. When Jesus said, “I do not condemn you,” he knew what those words would cost him - they would cost him the ________.

11-18-18 Thanksgiving Sunday

A brief message about why we should be thankful and then members of the First Alliance family take the opportunity to give thanks.

11-11-18 Kevin Goins - A Mysterious Story

“A Mysterious Story”
John 7:53-8:12

Someone has said, “We all love a good mystery.” If that’s true, then we should really enjoy the passage we’re looking at today because it is loaded with mysteries. This morning we are going to focus on two of these mysteries:

I The first mystery is the mystery of the m____________ s________.

A. Most New Testament scholars are convinced that this incident d____ n____ b_______ to John’s Gospel. Why?

1. First, there is the t___________ evidence.
2. Second, when this account did begin to show up in copies of John’s Gospel, some scribes found a way to let readers know there was a p________.
3. Third, in later Greek texts where it does appear, it is found in d___________ places.
4. Fourth, it doesn’t f______ well after John 7:52.
5. Fifth, the l__________ and s________ of these verses are not like John’s Gospel.

II Does it weaken our faith to know that this story, which is so loved by so many, was not originally a part of the Gospel of John? Not if we know something about h_____ we g_____ our Bible.

A. For 1500 years before the invention of the printing press all copies of the Bible were h______________.

B. What is so significant about the Bible is just how many c________ we have. How many manuscripts do we have of the New Testament? Total: _______.

C. Doesn’t the fact that there are so many copies mean that there are likely to be ________ mistakes?

1. First, because there are so many copies, mistakes are s_____-c_____________.
2. Second, these differences in texts are m_______, not m__________.

III The evidence against this story originally being a part of John is s________, but that does not mean this incident _______ happened.

IV The second mystery is the mystery of i_____________.

A. First, there is the iniquity of i____________ carried out by the Pharisees.

B. Second, there is the iniquity of i________________ carried out by the woman.