Levi (also known as Matthew) had great influence as a tax collector. With the authority of the Empire behind him, he not only collected the taxes of all residents and visitors, but was able to add his own fees on top of that. He taxed Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, Pharisees and those they considered scum. He’d gotten good at maximizing the power and prestige his influence afforded him for his own gain, but when Jesus called him he chose to let God maximize his influence to impact those he knew for God’s gain. Not everyone who Levi knew and influenced came to the banquet he held, but those who did had the opportunity to engage with Jesus personally.

Question 1: Who do you have influence with?

Question 2: How are you maximizing your influence for your gain? How are you letting God maximize it for His gain?

​Challenge: Identify one person or group you have influence with that God may be desiring to impact today and then actively listen and look for an opportunity to engage in conversation with that person today.

Perhaps at some point earlier in life, these four young men had other dreams of what they would grow up to be, but they were definitely fisherman now. They fished for a living as part of the family business and were probably doing fairly well at it since they had hired men too. But Jesus called them to follow and they left – their tools of the trade, their families and employees, and their identity – to become what Jesus had for them. Jesus promised to take their identity as fishermen and transform it into fishing for people. They had learned to cast their nets and to keep them in good repair in their boats; Jesus would teach them to cast the Gospel and to keep their faith in good repair while in relationship with Him. Like many, they would be tripped up in pursuit of position (Mark 10:35-45) and due to their own pride (John 13:3-10 and 13:33-38). But as they walked daily with Jesus they learned more and more for themselves, and taught others, that there identity was no longer in their roles and tasks, but now flowed from their relationship with Jesus (1 Peter 2:10).

Question 1: When you meet someone new, what descriptors do you use to identify who you are?

Question 2: What elements of your identity do you struggle most to release to God for His purposes?

​Challenge: Identify one element of your identity that God may be desiring to work on or through (as a spouse, parent, child, coworker, student, coach, mentor, neighbor, friend, etc.) and then actively listen and look for how God is molding who you are to be more like Him today.

Commentary Isaiah’s service for God began with a recognition of who God is and who he is. God is the holiest and the one worthy of all glory. Isaiah was a sinner in a world of sinners. Despite the great gap between them, God offered forgiveness and an opportunity to serve with Him. It is easy to look around this world and see all the doom and gloom, to see the many errors of others, and –when we are honest – to see our many errors too. When we consider the holiness of God it can seem like the gap between us and Him is simply too great… and yet He desires to not only bridge the gap but to then use us to share that good news with others. Our role is to respond with repentance (turning away from our sin) and to offer ourselves, our very lives, to Him.

​Question 1: Consider what God’s throne room looks like and what it conveys about Him. How does this impact your perspective of Him? Of yourself?

Question 2: Consider what God has offered to you and done for you. What has your response been in the area of being a wiling messenger for Him?

Challenge:
​ Pray through the lyrics of the song “Use Me” by Shaded Red that we closed our service with this week…
     Song of God come in, take away my sin
     Draw me closer, so I’m never away from you
     Take my life oh God, let your will be done
     When I walk this earth, I want to be like your Son.
     Lord I give my life to you, I won’t turn back.
     Use me, Use me; so I’m never away from you.
…then, identify one way God would like you to actively live this out in your relationships with Him and others today.

There is nothing more wonderful than recognizing and feeling God’s presence. When we look to Him in any situation, whether painful or happy, we can know the deep satisfaction of His provision. Jesus declared himself to be our good shepherd – the kind that will do anything to protect us (John 10:11). He says that His whole purpose is to give us “a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10). Rest is this truth every day! 

Questions for further thought:
1. What is your “dark valley?” Can/did you feel Him close beside you?
2. What are the “green meadows” and “peaceful streams” in your life?  

​Challenge: List the blessings that your “cup overflows” with. Write them all down on paper and don’t stop until you can’t think of one more!

God’s Word is filled with wisdom that is beneficial for all time. These “pearls” are available to anyone who wishes to experience His best for us. You will find simple truths such as “people will like you if you are loyal and kind,” and more complex advice like, “trust the LORD with all your heart.” Understanding the meaning and application of these often takes prayer, study of context, discussion, and experience. The results are well worth the effort, which is why His Word is so valuable.

Questions for further thought:
1. What is your attitude toward studying God’s Word?
2. What is the most recent “pearl” you’ve discovered in the bible?  

​Challenge: If you feel like reading/studying the bible is a chore that you are reluctant to do, find a way to change that. Maybe you need a new copy of the scriptures in a different translation (Hillcrest uses NLT) or a friend/group to join to get you motivated. Figure out what keeps your interest so you can enjoy God speaking to you through his Word!

Pearls develop when an oyster or mussel gets an irritant/foreign body inside its shell. The organism slowly builds up layers of shell-like material around the irritant over months or even years. The end result is a gorgeous pearl. Our challenges and struggles in life can be similar to those irritants in an oyster. If we allow God to use them for His purposes, they become like precious pearls of rare beauty.

Questions for further thought:
1. What suffering have you seen God turn into something with Kingdom value?
2. What challenges in your own life could you see as “pearls in development?”  

​Challenge: Try shifting your prayers from “God, please take this difficulty away,” to “God, please show me how to grow and glorify You through this struggle.”

Jesus wants us to have an abundant and fulfilling life! The key to achieving this is seeking God’s Kingdom above our own desires. Constantly striving for what we think we need leads to stress, worry, and misery – we will never arrive! If we instead trust God’s provision and do our best to love Him and those around us, we will experience a much greater satisfaction than anything this world can offer.

Questions for further thought:
1. What have you been striving for that you need to set aside or trust God to manage?
2. How can you trust God’s provision in a tangible way?  

​Challenge: Ask the Lord how He wants you to engage His Kingdom. Take a risk and do that thing today that requires trusting God. Often the only way to increase our faith is to let Him have an opportunity to provide!

Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a treasure and a precious pearl. In both instances, the person who discovered it sold everything he had to purchase it! This may seem like an extreme reaction, but the point is, what they found had extreme value. Think about what a priceless gift our salvation through Christ is! How precious is our resulting relationship with God!

Questions for further thought:
1. What do you highly value in your life?
2. Does God’s Kingdom excite you enough to give up everything for Him?

​Challenge: Spend some time meditating on the amazing goodness of God. Think about the eternity that Jesus’ sacrifice offers to you. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with deep joy and worship the One who has given you such a treasure!

When you look at what God means when he says masculine and feminine, is that masculine is in the role of protection, and feminine is in the role of needing the protection. When the two come together (marriage), they become one. Jesus is masculine over us, the church (bride), and we will marry him. When Jesus was on earth, God had the masculine role over the weakness of Jesus in the form of a mortal man. Masculine is headship, and feminine is the body. We are the body of Christ. It might seem confusing, but it is a great topic to study and will help you understand the beauty of God’s language.

Question 1: Why do you think we are the body of Christ?
Question 2: Why do you think we are the bride of Christ

Challenge: Study the meaning of the biblical terms for headship, body, masculine, and feminine. If you want some help, I’ve taught about a dozen messages, breaking it down over the years!

There are two ways that God has revealed himself to us. The first way is called general revelation, meaning we can see that God exists because of what we see in creation. The second way is called special revelation, which is through direct communication like prophets but, more significantly, the Bible. Since God has chosen to reveal himself through special revelation, it requires language, and God has chosen masculine terms. He is our Father, Husband, and King. The way God has revealed himself to us might be significant.

Question 1: Why do you think God refers to himself in masculine terms?
Question 2: What would be your response to the pronoun tensions in our culture as it refers to the masculine names for God?

Challenge: Do a search for the names of God and see what themes jump out.