Lakeview Covenant Young Adults

Lakeview Covenant Young Adults

You'll find different types of conversations that cover topics of faith, community, calling, and living in the ways of Jesus. Lakeview Covenant Young Adults is a ministry of Lakeview Covenant Church in Duluth, Minnesota.

  1. May 13

    Spirit-Filled Church | Week 4 | Compassion, Conviction, & Conflict

    Our passage in the context of Acts Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus and experienced his conversion of faith and was baptized by Ananias. Saul then spent time with the Apostles before being prayed over and sent out on mission with Barnabas. Saul, now named Paul, went out with Barnabas to many different cities preaching the Gospel as God performed miracles through their acts of faith to the hurting, marginalized, and oppressed. The ministry of Paul and Barnabas began to look similar in many ways to the ministry of Jesus.  Helpful literary and cultural context:  Paul and Barnabas arrive, they go from Iconium into Lystra, which is a nearby city, both are located in modern-day Turkey. After healing a paralytic,  the people of Iconium begin to worship Paul and Barnabas as Zeus and Hermes, Greek gods.In a nearby region of Turkey, a neighboring region called Phrygia, there was a myth that Zeus and Hermes had actually appeared to the people there in human form and were not received well. As a result there was a massive flood that killed everybody except for two people who had received Zeus and Hermes well. And so these people living in Lystra would have known this story. The Jews who we see at the end of this passage are actually coming from Antioch and Iconium. Iconium was just a day's walk away or so. Antioch was much further, but it's possible that they were already in town. It's possible this scene kind of took place over multiple days. This is an escalation of persecution that had been following Paul and Barnabas from town to town.  Application Themes: Temptation to Worship Influential People | We see the temptation to follow the person who God worked mightily through instead of following the God who empowered the person. We should also acknowledge the temptation to accept people’s praise and worship when we've done something through the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit has worked through us. How does Paul and Barnabas’ response to the people of Lystra have to say about our culture of influencers and celebrities (within and outside of the church) Seeing the vulnerable, Responding with compassion | This whole story began with Paul seeing the paralytic, recognizing faith, and acting with compassion in a way that brought healing. What does this tell us about how our Gospel ministry is or should be oriented, and what type of response we can have when God moves mightily. Commitment and faithfulness amidst persecution | Paul and Barnabas continued their ministry through Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra knowing there were groups of people set on their ruin. Notice how Paul and Barnabus responded to this agitation and persecution. What stands out to you and how might this instruct your commitment and faithfulness to Gospel ministry in the places God has sent you and placed you?

    16 min
  2. May 13

    Spirit-Filled Church | Week 4 | Compassion, Conviction, & Conflict

    Our passage in the context of Acts Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus and experienced his conversion of faith and was baptized by Ananias. Saul then spent time with the Apostles before being prayed over and sent out on mission with Barnabas. Saul, now named Paul, went out with Barnabas to many different cities preaching the Gospel as God performed miracles through their acts of faith to the hurting, marginalized, and oppressed. The ministry of Paul and Barnabas began to look similar in many ways to the ministry of Jesus.  Helpful literary and cultural context:  Paul and Barnabas arrive, they go from Iconium into Lystra, which is a nearby city, both are located in modern-day Turkey. After healing a paralytic,  the people of Iconium begin to worship Paul and Barnabas as Zeus and Hermes, Greek gods.In a nearby region of Turkey, a neighboring region called Phrygia, there was a myth that Zeus and Hermes had actually appeared to the people there in human form and were not received well. As a result there was a massive flood that killed everybody except for two people who had received Zeus and Hermes well. And so these people living in Lystra would have known this story. The Jews who we see at the end of this passage are actually coming from Antioch and Iconium. Iconium was just a day's walk away or so. Antioch was much further, but it's possible that they were already in town. It's possible this scene kind of took place over multiple days. This is an escalation of persecution that had been following Paul and Barnabas from town to town.  Application Themes: Temptation to Worship Influential People | We see the temptation to follow the person who God worked mightily through instead of following the God who empowered the person. We should also acknowledge the temptation to accept people’s praise and worship when we've done something through the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit has worked through us. How does Paul and Barnabas’ response to the people of Lystra have to say about our culture of influencers and celebrities (within and outside of the church) Seeing the vulnerable, Responding with compassion | This whole story began with Paul seeing the paralytic, recognizing faith, and acting with compassion in a way that brought healing. What does this tell us about how our Gospel ministry is or should be oriented, and what type of response we can have when God moves mightily. Commitment and faithfulness amidst persecution | Paul and Barnabas continued their ministry through Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra knowing there were groups of people set on their ruin. Notice how Paul and Barnabus responded to this agitation and persecution. What stands out to you and how might this instruct your commitment and faithfulness to Gospel ministry in the places God has sent you and placed you?

    16 min
  3. May 4

    Spirit-Filled Church | Week 3 | The Spirit-Filled Church with Unexpected People

    Our passage in the context of Acts Chapter 11 is a retelling of Peter’s experience in Acts chapter 10. In Acts 10, after experiencing the same vision three different times, God tells Peter to not call unclean what God has made clean. Peter discovers a God-fearing Gentile, named Cornelius, has invited Peter to his home and upon arrival at Cornelius' home, the Holy Spirit falls upon Cornelius' family.In response, Peter baptizes Cornelius and his family and stayed with Cornelius for a few days. Helpful literary and cultural context for Acts 11: Jewish purity laws and understanding of cultural distinction are at the center of this story. Going back to laws God gave Moses which are found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, there are restrictions for whom Jews were allowed to share fellowship with as well as what food Israelites were permitted to eat. Jews were not permitted to enter the home of Gentiles or share in brotherly fellowship with Gentiles. They were also not allowed to eat any food that was considered unclean. Food laws associated with food were also closely connected with Gentiles, as these restrictions were often bound together. You can see an example of this in Leviticus 20:22–26. When Peter returns, the apostles and disciples in Jerusalem hear that he not only visited Cornelius but ate with him — a line they consider completely unprecedented.When Peter talks about entering “the man’s house” in verse 12, he’s speaking of Cornelius, a Roman centurion. It’s worth noting this because along with Cornelius being a Gentile, he also represents the “other” and the “enemy” is many ways as a Roman centurion. These elements add to the degree of wonder and the unexpected nature of the Holy Spirit’s movement in Peter’s encounter.  Application Themes: When you look at this story, who are the people being saved? There is a lot happening in this story as the Holy Spirit moves and leads people to dare to change how they think and live in relation to God and others. Think about who is being invited to make those changes and the impact those changes have on their lives and the Church. How do you notice the movement of the Holy Spirit? — Drawing on the theme throughout Acts of the Spirit moving in surprising ways, what do we look for, how do we recognize the Spirit, and How do we respond when God seems to be doing something we don't expect?How does Peter's experience reflect Jesus? —  Reflect on the ways Peter's radical crossing of social and religious boundaries mirrors what Jesus himself did throughout his ministry — engaging with Gentiles, eating with the "wrong" people, dismantling purity boundaries in favor of grace.

    15 min
  4. Apr 24

    Spirit-Filled Church | Week 2 | The Church's First Martyr & Response

    Review: Last week we saw the Jewish leaders threatening Peter and John, and ordering them not to proclaim the name of Jesus anymore.In response, we saw the disciples praying and worshipping God!We saw a beautiful picture of Christian community characterized by generosity and selflessness. Our passage in the context of Acts Between Acts 4 and Acts 7, we see an escalation in the conflict between the Jewish leaders and the disciples.There are more arrests and confrontations, until false witnesses accuse Stephen of blasphemy.Stephen makes a long speech against the Jewish leaders in Acts 7. He details how God's people have always strayed away from God, and how they had rejected the prophets God sent them.At the end of this speech, the Jewish leaders take Stephen out to be stoned. Helpful literary and cultural context: Acts 7:56 is a reference to Daniel 7:13 (Dan 7:9-28 more broadly). The "Son of Man" in Daniel was a messianic figure who would vindicate God's people in the presence of their enemies. When Stephen declares that he sees this "Son of Man," he is proclaiming that God would vindicate him in the presence of the corrupt Jewish leaders. As you might imagine, the Jewish leaders don't take kindly to being declared enemies of God!In these days, people would strip a guilty person naked before stoning them as an act of humiliation. Surprisingly, it is the people stoning Stephen who take off their coats and lay them at the feet of Saul (Acts 7:58). It seems Luke is making a statement about who the guilty part really is in this scenario.Stephen's death has some interesting parallels to the death of Jesus! Check out Luke 23:32-49. Other notable things: We see the introduction of Saul, who would later become known as the Apostle Paul.In Acts 8:1 we see the beginnings of the diaspora foretold in Acts 1:8. The Holy Spirit is working, even in the midst of difficult circumstances! Application Themes: Like the Jewish leaders, we often assume ourselves to be on the right side of things. How can we protect ourselves from this tendency? How do we soften our hearts to be receptive to what God is doing?In this text we see the Holy Spirit at work, even through horrible events. How do we find the balance of remaining open to the work of the Holy Spirit in challenging circumstances, without dismissing or excusing evil?Stephen was the first martyr of the church. Martyrdom probably feels far off for most of us, but there are still plenty of people around the world suffering for their faith. I think it raises the question of whether we are willing to suffer for our faith, and whether our discipleship is adequately preparing us for this possibility.

    16 min

About

You'll find different types of conversations that cover topics of faith, community, calling, and living in the ways of Jesus. Lakeview Covenant Young Adults is a ministry of Lakeview Covenant Church in Duluth, Minnesota.