Breakthrough Academy

In John 3, Jesus describes us as being "Born Again" which is a phrase many Christians have adopted and used for years...the problem is, we often have no idea what it means! This week on Academy, Pastor Peter Lewis breaks down what it truly means to be "Born Again" (or "Begotten from Above") and how this understanding can help us to change our mindset regarding who we are in Christ and our authority and new nature. Suggested reading (as shared on the podcast): Listen to the episode of Academy, then read 1 John through the new mindset of being "Begotten from Above"

In 1Corinthians Paul teaches about the gifts of the Spirit. But why to the Corinthians? And what was his purpose? By understanding the obsession that the church had with the gift of tongues we are able to see Paul's masterclass way of dealing with a problem of excess in the church. Without making the common mistake church leaders make of "stopping" the problem, Paul is able to ensure he doesn't remove the benefits also. And by understanding the key issue Paul is dealing with, we also gain understanding into what in the world he was talking about when he said "tongues are a sign for unbelievers" - which seems to be the opposite of what we would think. Suggested reading (as shared on the podcast): Read 1 Corinthians 12-14

1 Corinthians is full of many wonderful insights and teachings...but also some very complicated and touchy subjects that have proven divisive in the church. This week in Academy, Pastor Peter takes us through the "Curly Questions in Corinthians" and helps us to see past the individual statements Paul is making and learn to embrace the principles he is teaching in light of the principles outlined in the early segments of 1 Corinthians. Suggested reading (as shared on the podcast): Read 1 Corinthians 11 & 14

When Paul heard about the immorality and sin that had corrupted the church of Corinth, his biggest issue wasn't with the sin, but with the attitude the church was showing towards it. This week in Academy, Ps Peter Lewis takes us through Paul's frustrations with the church of Corinth for "forgetting their bark" when sin tries to enter their backyard.

When Paul wrote to the church of Corinth, he was met by some great division over which apostles should the church be listening to! But Paul's answer was not about the correct doctrine or apostle, but about getting to the heart of the matter and learning the truth that the cross is not a philosophy. Suggested reading (as shared on the podcast): Read 1 Corinthians 1-4

THIS WEEK Timothy was roughly 20 years old when he joined Paul to be trained and equipped to one day lead the church...less than 12 months later, he was! Today in Academy, Ps Peter Lewis breaks down Timothy's journey from joining Paul to becoming a mainstay in the building of the Church and proves that maybe we're more ready to advance than we think! Suggested reading (as shared on the podcast): Read 1 Thessalonians 4-5

THIS WEEK Paul's time in Thessalonica was only covered by 9 verses in Acts 17...but his time there left a very lasting impression. Today in Academy, Ps Peter Lewis takes us through the history and cultural impact of Paul's time in Thessalonica and how that shapes his mindset for writing the Book of 1 Thessalonians. Suggested reading (as shared on the podcast): Read Acts 17:1-10 Read 1 Thessalonians 1-3

THIS WEEK We dive deep into the timelines and maps of Paul's Second Missionary Journey - taking the time to mark up our bibles with every single location mentioned and known timestamp of his journey - to help up get into the mind of Paul and prepare to study 1 Thessalonians next week through the understanding of where Paul is on his journey Suggested reading (as shared on the podcast): Get your bible, a pencil and two coloured pencils (different colours) and follow along as we mark up Acts 16 - 28.

THIS WEEK Pastor Peter explains the core message to the Galatians using a diagram that makes things way more understandable. And it shows just why the Galatians were being so foolish going back to the Law.

THIS WEEK We explore Paul's letter to the Galatians - and just why the use of pronouns is a confusing key.

THIS WEEK We explored Paul's first missionary journey through the churches of Galatia, and how it setup up his passionate rebuttal of them in the book of Galatians, but first, we celebrate Pastor Peter's Birthday! Suggested reading (as shared on the podcast): Read Galatians 1-2 and see how personal Paul's Testimony is to him. Imagine yourself writing a letter around your beliefs and how would it look! Read Galatians 6:11-16 to see Paul's summary of the book of Galatians

THIS WEEK We explored the timelines of Paul's Ministry from the Road to Damascus to his time in prison. Suggested reading (as shared on the podcast): Follow the ESV Timeline of Paul's Life and read through the references in the book of Acts and Galatians ESV TIMELINE: https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/chart-44-06/

THIS WEEK We explore how what the circumstances were behind Paul writing to the Galatians. Suggested reading (as shared on the podcast): Acts 13-14 - The missionary journey to Galatia Galatians (Especially Chapters 1-2) Acts 15 - The debate at Jerusalem regarding circumcision

THIS WEEK What was Paul's plans for the expansion of the gospel? Where was he planning to go next? How did Paul respond to the persecution that he faced? Should we flee or stay and fight when threatened with opposition? What should we do when a prophet tells us of a coming danger?

The book of Acts contains a stack of sermons, teachings and addresses to councils and rulers. What can we learn about how the message of the good news was delivered to each of the different audiences. How did the content change? What did the person sharing do differently? What about the role of signs and wonders? And, how did each of the audiences respond? Did they receive the message favourably or resist it? Should our message cause offence to our audience? THIS WEEK we study two key messages: 1. Peter speaking to the Roman Cornelius' household 2. Paul speaking in Athens to a pagan audience

THIS WEEK The book of Acts contains a stack of sermons, teachings and addresses to councils and rulers. What can we learn about how the message of the good news was delivered to each of the different audiences. How did the content change? What did the person sharing do differently? What about the role of signs and wonders? And, how did each of the audiences respond? Did they receive the message favourably or resist it?

The Book of acts is a wonderful resource for New Testament believers as it tracks the transition from a "salvation by works" people focussed on Jerusalem to a "living by the Spirit" church taking the good news to the ends of the earth. Because Acts is actually the second half of the story as recorded by Luke, it is vital to understand the it in light of the key elements that Luke has established in the first half (ie. in his Gospel account). 1. The giving of the Holy Spirit 2. The taking of the gospel to the Gentiles