Little Lessons, Big Faith: 52 Weeks of Intimacy With God

By Tresmaine R. Grimes

If you’ve ever wanted a deeper understanding of and intimacy with God, Little Lessons, Big Faith provides you with the tools you need. Based upon the Bible study lessons she uses with her own church congregation, Dr. Grimes examines such topics as the importance of Christian fellowship, understanding spiritual warfare, and pursuing intimacy with God. Through the completion of these “little lessons”, both new and seasoned believers can deepen their relationship with God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543908480

Book preview

© 2017 Tresmaine R. Grimes, PhD. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Holy Bible, King James Version. Public Domain.

Scripture quotations marked (ERV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: EASY-TO-READ VERSION © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center, Inc. and used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from Holy Bible, New King James Version. Copyright © 1979,1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture notations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-54390-847-3 (print)

ISBN: 978-1-54390-848-0 (ebook)

Dedication

Thanks be to God for all things, especially for His many gifts. These gifts include my husband, Rev. Clarence Grimes, Jr. who has been my life partner for over 30 years. For every meal, every load of laundry, and every word of encouragement, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your kindness and support are always noticed. I thank my children, Elena and Elijah, and my granddaughter, Amani, for teaching me little lessons every day. To each of my spiritual children, far too numerous to list here, I thank you for entrusting me with the privilege of serving you, walking with you, and loving you over the years. To my church family, thank you for allowing me to teach you the little lessons that formed the foundation of this book. To Gina and Taryn, thank you so much for taking the time to review this manuscript.

T. Grimes

Table of Contents

Introduction

Section One: Church Membership and Christian Fellowship

Lesson 1 – The Importance of Fellowship

Lesson 2 – Why So Many Different Churches?

Lesson 3 – Building on the Foundation of our Faith

Lesson 4 – Dealing with Conflict in Church

Lesson 5 – What Would Jesus Do?

Section Two: Transforming Our Lives

Lesson 6 – Homeostasis

Lesson 7 – A Living Sacrifice

Lesson 8 – More About Living Sacrifices

Lesson 9 – Me, Holy?

Lesson 10 – Why Holiness?

Lesson 11 – Reasonable Service

Lesson 12 – Not Conformed

Lesson 13 – Understanding Kingdoms

Lesson 14 – There’s a War Going On

Lesson 15 – Understanding The Enemy’s Game Plan

Lesson 16 - Transformed

Lesson 17 – What Are You Thinking?

Lesson 18 – Do You Understand the Words That Are Coming Out of Your Mouth?

Lesson 19 - The Power of the Tongue

Lesson 20 – Mouth Power

Lesson 21 – Understanding Positive Confession

Lesson 22 – Promises We Can Trust

Lesson 23 – The Greatest Transformation

Lesson 24 – Stay in the Press

Lesson 25 – Strong Holds

Lesson 26 - Grasshoppers

Lesson 27 – Breaking Strong Holds with Faith

Lesson 28 – Breaking Strong Holds Through Prayer, Part I

Lesson 29 – Breaking Strong Holds Through Prayer, Part II

Lesson 30 – Breaking Strong Holds Through Prayer, Part III

Lesson 31 – Breaking Strong Holds Through Prayer, Part IV

Lesson 32 – Breaking Strong Holds Through Worship, Part I

Lesson 33 – Breaking Strong Holds Through Worship, Part II

Lesson 34 – Breaking Strong Holds Through Worship, Part III

Lesson 35 – Breaking Strong Holds Through Fasting, Part I

Lesson 36 – Breaking Strong Holds Through Fasting, Part II

Lesson 37 – How Are You Doing?

Lesson 38 – Making Progress

Lesson 39 – A Word of Encouragement

Section Three: Seeking God

Lesson 40 – God-Seekers, Part 1

Lesson 41 – God Seekers, Part II – God Our Friend

Lesson 42 – God Seekers, Part III – God Our Atonement

Lesson 43 – God-Seekers, Part IV – God our Strength

Lesson 44 – God-Seekers, Part V: God Our Rock

Lesson 45 – God-Seekers, Part VI: God our Deliverer

Lesson 46 – God-Seekers, Part VII – God our Peace

Lesson 47 – God-Seekers, Part VIII – God our Protector

Lesson 48 – God-Seekers, Part IX – God our Vindicator

Lesson 49 – God-Seekers, Part X- God our Reward

Lesson 50 – God-Seekers, Part XI – Overcoming Fear

Lesson 51 – God-Seekers, Part XII – Being Thankful

Lesson 52 – The Secret Place

References and Resources

Introduction

One of the greatest decisions a person can make is to begin the journey as a believer in Jesus Christ. This beautiful, life-transforming experience marks the beginning of a brand new life, as reflected in 2 Corinthians 5:17. This verse says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (New International Version). Although exciting and uplifting, it can also be very confusing to begin this journey with Christ. This new life comes with a new way of thinking about life, and a new way of understanding the world. We move from a constant focus on the natural world to a constant pursuit of the spiritual world, the place where we can connect with the Spirit and Nature of God. Those of us who have accepted Christ and begun the Christian journey spend the rest of our lives developing our relationship with God and learning more and more about Him.

As a Pastor, I am always looking for ways to enrich the spiritual lives of the members of the church. This book shares a small portion of my efforts to make a relationship with God more accessible through the process of studying the Word of God. Many people struggle to read the Bible and that is completely understandable. Scholars study the scriptures for years and still find new revelation and information. This book is not an attempt to reach that level of scholarly wisdom. Rather, this book is written to help believers find biblical truths that will help them attain a deeper understanding of scripture and a deeper relationship with God.

You may decide that you want to read this book quickly and that’s just fine. However, I think it will be most helpful if you take the time to meditate on each lesson for at least a week. The lessons are simple, but the time taken to engage in self-reflection can be very valuable for those of us on the Christian journey. Whether a new believer or a seasoned saint, I pray these little lessons will inspire your relationship with God and increase your faith.

Section One:

Church Membership and Christian Fellowship

Lesson 1 – The Importance of Fellowship

Cell phones. Email. Facebook. LinkedIn. Twitter. Instagram. Facetime. Google Chats. There is no doubt that there are many ways for people to connect with each other these days. With all of the technology available to us, some may question why we need to worry about fellowship. After all, most of us would like LESS connection rather than more!

The sad truth is that even though we are more wired than ever before, many people don’t feel true connection with anyone else. Some have reported that people are lonelier now than they were before all of the technology was created. Could it be that for all of the good it can do for us technology provides a socially acceptable way for people to hide from each other in plain sight? Even in church, has technology become a watered down substitute for genuine Christian relationships?

Jesus told His disciples that He was giving them a new commandment: to love each other. It is that love for each other that lets the world know that we are disciples of Christ (John 13:31-35). Additionally, the Bible encourages us to have godly fellowship with other believers. Hebrews 10:25 reminds us that we need to gather together with other believers as part of a healthy Christian lifestyle. That gathering is most easily accomplished through our membership and regular attendance in a church.

Church has been much-maligned during the past three or four decades. There have always been people who denigrated the Church, but the attack on churches and church people has been more intense during the past 30 or 40 years. Most significantly, many believers have left behind organized religion and no longer see its necessity. The proliferation of electronic ministry options has been a true blessing, but it has also provided an easy way to enjoy the benefits of church (e.g., wonderful music, informative teaching, anointed preaching) without having to suffer the pitfalls of church membership (time commitment, involvement with unpleasant people, etc.). Overall, the value placed on church membership seems to have eroded in many communities. It has been easier for many to step back or walk away from church rather than find a place of fellowship to call home.

I believe that every believer needs a spiritual home. Though it can be difficult to find the right place, I believe that God has a place for each of us. No church will be perfect because it will be filled with human beings (including us!). However, if we are open to God’s direction, I believe He will help us find a church where we can join other believers who are seeking God and attempting to live for Jesus Christ.

Church membership provides us with the opportunity to live out Hebrews 10:25 and to grow in our relationship with God. As much as electronic church is a blessing, we all need a place where we can serve God, use our gifts and talents, and become accountable to those in authority if we are to mature in our faith. I have discovered that every negative experience I have ever had in church had a purpose. Those experiences helped me lean on God for direction. Those experiences helped me develop my character as a Christian. Those experiences helped me learn to forgive. Those experiences led me out of my comfort zone and into my destiny. When I had to walk away from a church, I learned how to bless rather than curse. God used all of those things to draw me closer to Him and increase my faith.

This week, consider how you can begin to demonstrate the love of Christ through fellowship with other believers. If you have a church home, consider the quality of your membership. Are you where you believe you should be or do you believe you are misplaced? Are you functioning at your best or is there room for improvement? If you are not a member of a church, are you willing to confront the things that have kept you out of fellowship with other believers? Are you willing to ask God to help you forgive and move on so that you can make a fresh start somewhere else? Are you willing to let go of the pursuit of perfection and find a home that you can help make better?

This week, take the time to study the scriptures in this lesson and to pray for God’s guidance and direction about your fellowship with other believers.

Scriptures to study:

John 13:31-35

Ephesians 4:1-6

Colossians 3:12-17

Hebrews 10:19-25

Go Deeper

What kind of fellowship do you currently have with other believers?

How can you improve this going forward?

What kind of friend are you?

What kind of friends do you need?

How can your relationship with Christ help improve your relationships with other people, whether they are Christians or not?

Lesson 2 – Why So Many Different Churches?

In Lesson 1, we talked about the necessity of having fellowship with other believers. We learned that one important reason to attend church is to gather together with other believers to serve and worship God. But once we agree that we should attend church, we are faced with an important question: which church should we attend? Why are there so many different churches? Not just different church buildings, but different beliefs? If we are supposed to be one Church, then how did all of these different beliefs become part of Christianity?

The truth is, the Church did begin as one unified group in Acts Chapter 1. But as the Church grew in number and faced more and more persecution, the church members were forced to split up into different regions of the world (see Acts 8:1-4). Even then, scripture reveals that the numerous church fellowships still considered themselves a unified group. Paul’s writings give a clear indication that the believers who gathered in each region were considered part of the larger, unified CHURCH. In I Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; and Colossians 1:2 and other scriptures, Paul makes it clear that he is greeting the church at Corinth, the church at Galatia, the church at Colossae, and so forth. Regardless of their location, they were still the Church.

So what happened to the unified church? Historians have long debated when the church began to separate into factions. One particularly divisive moment in church history was the separation of the Western and Eastern churches, which occurred in the year 1054. This major split occurred when the Western Church (led by Pope Leo IX) and the Eastern Church (led by Michael Cerularius) ex-communicated each other from the Christian faith. That schism was a portent of things to come.

What caused this great division? DOCTRINE. What is doctrine? Doctrine is the set of beliefs that a group holds central to its ideology. It is the basis of a group’s faith. Doctrine is taught to the members of a group so that they can all be unified in what they believe. The church began to separate when its leaders began to teach different doctrines. Once those doctrines became entrenched, the groups could no longer worship God together because they no longer had the same belief systems.

The same is true today. Today’s denominational and non-denominational churches have many different doctrines and beliefs. Some believe in infant baptism and others believe that only an adult person who has chosen to receive Jesus Christ as Savior can consent to be baptized. Some believe that women can serve as preachers, teachers, and pastors, while others believe that women cannot serve in those positions. Some believe that members must adhere to strict separation from the world (e.g., no movies, no television, no stimulants like coffee) and others believe that these things are fine. Some believe we must baptize in the Name of Jesus and others believe we must baptize in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Some believe in speaking in tongues and some believe that was just for the early church. The result of all of these different doctrines is