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Searching for "going" in the Quiet Time Archive
Displaying results from "25" to "50". (126 found)

2009-03-08 - Promises of God - Lord of Physical Challenges
Psalms 91:9-11 - God will protect us and guard you in all your ways

We do not see the refuge that God is or the trouble from which he has saved us - we can become bitter

He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us

In what areas of your life are you most thankful for this promise?

2009-04-03 - Promises of God - Prayers Real Purpose (part 1)
We must understand our God if we are going to truly understand the promise offered to us in prayer

His thoughts are not small nor his purposes shallow
He is in the control of all things and these is nothing he can't do

He is the God who take out a heart of stone and put in a heart of flesh - Ezekiel 36:26

He can forgive our sins and forget them - Hebrews 8:12

2009-04-06 - Promises of God - Abrahams Faith
By faith Abraham, called to place even through he did not know where is was going - Hebrews 11:8

Obedience to God is the only thing that makes sense

Ludicrous to think that our limited and mortal minds can out smart an omnipotent and omnipresent God

We will never find the blessing of God if we constantly question the wisdom of God

How do you feel about the word of obey?

2009-04-18 - Why We Need God - He is Our Creator
GOD AS OUR CREATOR...
  1. Knows us better than we ourselves
  2. Even as the manufacturer knows his product better than anyone else
  3. Knows our weaknesses and our strengths
  4. Is the best source to find the answers to such questions as:
a.  Where did I come from?
b.  Why am I here?
c.  Where am I going?
d.  How should I live?


2009-06-15 - A Life of Impact - The Challenge

The Challenge

Mark 1:19-20

  • Jesus didn’t hesitate to call people to a significant level of commitment
  • Someone who is strongly affected by the opinions of others is not going to be able to have a great impact
  • Indecisiveness- an unwillingness to take risks or make mistakes (pride)
  • People who are already satisfied with their level of achievement will rarely grow to achieve more
  • It is easy to hold to past achievements

Vision

  • People tend to not surpass our expectations or our vision for them
  • Do fight for your dreams and refuse to live ordinary lives?
  • Greatness does not suddenly appear. It is an end product of a process that begins with a dream


2009-08-08 - A Life of Impact - Discernment

Discernment

Mark 12:41-44

  • We must be able to discern the relative merits of people’s deeds.
  • We often fail to notice the hidden glory of those who deny themselves

Snoopiness

  • It is a mistake to think that we can effectively help people when we don’t know the details of what is going on in their lives
  • “Mind your own business” – society is not favor of this idea
  • We must demonstrate a genuine concern for the welfare of others. – not gossip


2009-08-21 - Wild at Heart - Intro (part 3)
What makes a man come alive?

    1. Need a battle to fight
  • Swords, camouflage, six-shooters, uniforms
  • Boys want to be powerful and dangerous
  • Aggression is part of man’s design – God’s image (Exodus 15:3)
  • They do not want to call and talk about relationships
  • Boys play is a rehearsal for a bigger drama
  • Life needs man to be fierce and fiercely devoted
  • Every man needs to know he is powerful – be the hero

    2. Needs an adventure to live
  • Fights the grizzly, wins the beauty
  • Recipe for fun with boys – add an element of danger
  • We may fear the test, yet we yearn to be tested and discover what it takes
  • If a man has lost this desire (says he doesn’t want it) does not know he has what it takes – believe he will fail the test.

    3. Needs a beauty to rescue
  • Nothing more inspiring to a man as a beautiful women
  • Make you want to charge the castle, slay the giant
  • Men going to war carry a photo of their sweetheart in their wallet
  • Paintings on side of airplanes
  • Lonely men fight lonely battles
  • Where would James Bond, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Indiana Jones be without their women
  • Man needs a battle to fight, he needs someone to fight for (someone in particular – women he loves)



2009-09-03 - Wild at Heart - The wound (part 3)
Masculinity – boy craves (passed between men)

Boys love to wrestle
  • physical contact
  • sandpaper of my whiskers
  • to test their fathers
Do they have a strength like dad’s?
Is it growing, real, substantive?

Mother does not give new respect to son - hurts
Clinging mother - she feels rejected and son feels guilty
Many adult resent their mothers and do not know why
Mom did not let go and dad did not take him away

We do not grow up wondering if we are going to be a nice boy. Be wild and we need to know that

2009-09-07 - Wild at Heart - The enemy fears you
If you ever really got your heart back, lived from it with courage, you would be a huge problem to him
Many men have not been shown how to fight from the heart.
Failure of fathers and left men without direction
If you want the wound healed and your strength restored and to find your true name, you re going to have to fight for it.

Notice your reaction at these words.
Does another come in and caution you to stop
We need to know who we are and if we have what it takes

A man’s core question does not go away
We search for the answer of validation
  • Career
  • Belonging
  • How well he plays sports
  • Yes, even women


2009-09-24 - Wild at Heart - The Enemy (part 5)
Not every thought that crosses your mind comes from you
  • Where are those ideas coming from?
  • Where are those feelings coming from?
  • We are unaware of his schemes – 2 Corinthians 2:11
  • We look for a psychological or a physical explanation for every trouble we meet

Who caused the Chaldeans to steal Job’s herds – Satan Job 12,17
Anaias and Sapphira – Satan
Heartache keeps us from praying
Satan is behind that brutal assault on your on strength
There is a whole lot more going on behind the scenes of our lives than most of us have been led to believe

Behind the world and the flesh is an event more deadly enemy, one we rarely speak of and are even less ready to resist

2009-10-11 - Wild at Heart - The Strategy (part 4)
3. Cutting a deal

When did king David fall?
When David was not a warrior
He sent other to the fighting for him

Weapons of war
If you saw your life as a great battle and you knew you needed time with God for your survival, you would have “quite times”
It’s about connecting with God
Whatever brings you back to you heart and the heart of God
If you do not have God and have him deeply, you will turn to other lovers

Men devote hours to finances to retire
Rigorous training for a marathon
How much do we strive to for our relationship with God?
The body is built to endure hardship
Put on the armor of God everyday

We walk in the authority of Christ
Do not attack in anger and do not swagger forth in pride
Do not even think about going into battle alone
Don’t make that a lifestyle of isolation

2009-10-12 - Wild at Heart - The Strategy (part 5)
We don’t need accountability groups we need fellow warriors, someone to fight alone side, someone to watch our back

We don’t need a meeting of the Really Nice Guys

Never a more devoted group of men than those who have fought alongside one another

You will be wounded
To lose a leg is nothing compared to losing heart
Enemy knows the wounds of your past and he will try to wound you again in the same place
It is an honor to be wounded in the service of the Lord
Boys are proud of their scars, they are badges of honor
Kingdom forcefully advances and forceful men take hold of it - Matthew 11:12

Jesus says it is going to take every ounce of passion and forcefulness you’ve got

2009-10-21 - Wild at Heart - An adventure to live (part 4)
The problem with modern Christianity is it’s obsession with principles
Real test of a man comes when all his resources fail
Living and loving – jump in with both feet

Ask your wife what is wrong? Dangerous – very much a mystery
She does not want to be solved; she wants to be known

We know how to be nice but we really do not know how to fight

Christian life should not be chaotic or be flagrantly irresponsible.
Break away from it all and head off into the unknown God
Adam - No formula for how he was to handle mess
God honored and did not hold his hand

Was not left alone to face life
The only way to live in this adventure – is in an ongoing relationship with God
Control we crave is an illusion – it in exchange for God’s relationship
Moses and God knew each other
David was after God’s own heart
Jesus made God known – John 15:15
What are you teaching me here, God?

What are you asking me to do or let of?
What in my heart are you speaking to?

2009-12-01 - Master Plan - Count the Costs
  • Those who did not go all the way fell by the wayside
    • Can not make excuses - Matthew 8:21-22
    • Greed will try to take us away (Judas) - Mark 14:10
    • Turn loose of the world - Matthew 27:3-10
    • Leave comforts of this world - Matthew 8:19
    • Those who want to turn are not fit to serve - Luke 9:62
    • Must love God above all else - Luke 14
  • Few want to pay the price
    • Jesus had only a few followers = Are you going to leave too? …Where shall we go? - John 6:68


2009-12-02 - Master Plan - Learning to Obey
  • Disciples were slow to learn the deeper truths of Jesus’ life.
    • What the kingdom of God was all about
    • The fact that Jesus was going to die on the cross
    • Serving others above their own needs
    • Who was greatest in the kingdom of God
    • Harsh judgment on those how disagreed with them
  • Jesus was patient with their failings
    • Disciples went back to their old fishing business – did not seem to be an act of disobedience
    • Jesus come follow him but they did not realize what that meant until later
    • Their capacity to receive truth would if they continued to practice with what truth they did understand
    • They were not asked to commit to doctrine but to the Person who was the doctrine.


2009-12-13 - Master Plan - Supervision (part 2)
  • On the job training – let followers have experience or make some observations of their own
  • Gave them greater awareness of their deficiencies
  • Kept disciples going toward the goal He had set before them.
  • He did not expect more from His disciples than they could do
  • He did expect their best
  • We never assume the work is done. Ask lots of question / probe.
  • There are many things that can happen to frustrate, discouraged or defeated.
  • The goal is world conquest.
    • Never dare to let a lesser concern capture us.
    • No further training or inspiration needed.
    • Focus can easily be on us.
  • The ability of a worker is not developed if there is no supervision
  • Our little efforts can be a excuse for not doing more.
  • We can lose the advantage years of hard work and sacrifice.
  • Disciples must be brought to maturity
  • We have not been called to hold the fort but storm the heights.


2009-12-14 - Master Plan - Reproduction (part 1)
He expected them to reproduce

  • Jesus built into the disciples the structure of the church; Mustard seed - Matthew 13:32
  • Jesus’ vision was for the church to be world-wide
  • The church would have many trials and battles but would never be overcome - Matthew 16:18
  • Peter finally realized what was going on - Matthew 16:18
  • Must see the direct relation:
    • Bearing witness to Christ
    • Ultimate Victory over the world
  • If the disciples did not evangelize, there would not be any Christians today.
  • “Through the Word” – Others would believe in Him too. - John 17:20
  • We must do what Jesus – He made disciples, we should walk as Jesus walked
  • He taught His disciples to reproduce
  • He had no other plan


2009-12-20 - Master Plan - The Plan (part 3)
  • Keep them going
    • All of this is going to require supervision
    • When questions arise, they must be answered while the problem is still in their mind.
    • Setup a schedule of training and keep a record of their growth
    • Exercise patience: Growth is sometimes slow and with many setbacks (while honestly seeking truth)
    • Seldom put them out of our mind
    • They need to be in our prayers and dreams
    • Accept the burden of their immaturity until they can do it for themselves
  • We are not living primarily for the present.
  • Our satisfaction is in knowing that in generations to come from bearing fruit
  • World is desperately seeking someone to follow
    • Someone who is certain
    • Will be a man who knows the way of Christ
    • Or are one who is leading someone into greater darkness?
  • Destiny of many hangs on our decision.


2009-12-30 - First the Kingdom - Starving without Him
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled - Matthew 5:6

Jesus himself was the bread of Life - John 6:35
Gave Living water - John 4:10

He describes a relationship with him to be all-consuming
Just like going without food or water fir a prolonged period - there is little else we think about

As deer pants for water, my soul pants for you - Psalms 42:1-2
How excited are you about getting time to be with God every day?

For deep conviction about loving the Word - Psalms 119
Without the sense of duty, he was overjoyed at the privilege of being able to commune with heart of the Creator

Hunger for the Word develops obedience which helps with understanding of God heart to help and server others

2010-01-03 - Kingdom First - Making Peace with God
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will called sons of God - Matthew 5:9

World knows little peace - God wages peace
The heart of God is to be at peace with man

In order to have peace with God, we must resolve war(s) in our heart
Peace is not conflict avoidance, it is resolution after a spiritual war

Only those who know God can make peace that endures
Once alienated from God and enemies - Colossians 1:21
After humbling our hearts and mourning over our sin - we become his children, part of the family

Keep peace is an on-going process
Our lives must be continually cleansed from sin

What is your level of peace?
Have worries rob you of your trust in God?

2010-01-16 - Kingdom First - Above and Beyond (part 2)
If someone forces you to go one mile; go two - Matthew 5:41-42

3. Addressed going to the extra mile

Roman law said you were required to carry a certain amount of baggage to another place
Such a law and its frequent use of it cause great resentment among the Jews
Jesus said we should go beyond what our authorities required
Message condemns any resentment we may feel against a legitimate authority

If reform seems necessary, we should seek it - 1 Corinthians 7:21-23
Should be done with lawful means

God demonstrates his own love for us
He gave up revenge, rights, and his energy for us
While we were sinners, Christ died for us - Romans 5:6-7

2010-02-03 - One Another - Confession Questions (part 4)
How do we grow in our confession?

a. Be open even at the temptation level
We will get used to talking what we are thinking and going through
We will nip many things in the bud before they progress to sin

b. Start over-correcting
Start confessing everything
You can always tone it down so it does not become annoying :)

c. Ask some else what they think of your confession:

Do you find me to be a confessing person?
What is my confession level?
  • Seldom confess
  • Confess only when there is a "big" sin
  • Consistently confess sin
  • Am open even about temptations


2010-02-15 - One Another - Bearing With Another (part 2)
When helping each other likely not going to happen:
  • When relationships are superficial - deeper and consistent basis
  • When we feel our own burdens are quite enough - not hard for anyone to feel this
When will bearing with each other happen?

1. When relationships are real, open, and deep
When we know people, walk with them, feel with them, and pray with them - we will know when they are leaving the path
We need to care for them

2. When we feel our burdens, but live with a servant heart
Should look to the interest of others - Philippians 2:4-5

3. When we understand that we are responsible for one another and accept it

2010-03-07 - To Live is Christ - Self Titled
What is missing in so many lives is a clear sense of identity and purpose

Paul knew who he was and his his purpose of living/dying for Christ

In fact he had a relationship, example and a security destiny with Christ

If they spared his life, his purpose was to:
  • Show the life of Christ in his life
  • Tell others the good news
  • Mature those who were disciples
If death, then a life in heaven with Christ
Either way, it was a "win-win"

Paul was going to be delivered, one way or another - 2 Corinthians 1:10
  • Delivered from prison
  • Delivered from his life and struggles
  • Delivered from his loneliness and anxiety
What could be better than an unswerving commitment to someone greater than yourself?

2010-03-24 - To Live is Christ - Mind Change
Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable - think of such things - Philippians 4:8-9

It is all about the focus
Focus on the mess or you can change your mind and focus on:
  • Who God is
  • What God can do
  • The changes he can make
  • The victory he will most certainly achieve
Paul is not hopeful on what direction the world is going
Jesus saw the increase in wickedness - Matthew 24:12
While pessimistic about the world's chances, he was totally optimistic about the future with God

You will have trouble in this world but Jesus has overcome the world - John 16:33


2010-04-11 - Life to the Full - Macho Mist (part 1)
Worldliness = spiritual adultery
In the OT, Israel is called "adulterous" after going after idol

We are in the world but must not be of the world - John 17:14-18

Question to check to see if we are flirting with the world:
  • Am I tempted to miss church meetings?
  • Do I work overtime without a thought?
  • Do I cheat on my contribution?
  • Do I pretend to be more devoted that I am?
  • Do I take a second look at .....?
  • Do I grow sleepy during sermons?
  • Is there anything in the world that has a stronger grip on my heart, soul and strength than God, his word, or his will?


2010-05-10 - World Hates Jesus (part 2)

Ephesians 5:1-13

  • Being open pleases God
  • Sin enslaves us.
Hebrews 10:26-31

  • Our sins killed Jesus
  • Not oops...Deliberate!
  • Two ways to look at it
    • Bad Bad = Guilty/No change
    • Good Bad = Repentence/Change
  • Only 72 left to follow Jesus when he ascended
  • Today:
    • God is the same.
    • People change.

John 6:60-71

  • Jesus' message offended people
  • They my have said:
    • You are going to lose some members
    • You are not going to be popular
    • This might start a controversy

Matthew 10:34-38

  • The message is going to cause friction
Matthew 7:13-14
  • The road is narrow:
    • Hard to get on
    • Not easy
    • Few will be on it
  • Are you on the narrow road?


2010-05-11 - World Hates Jesus (part 3)

The answer is out there

John 5:16-23

  • If this is true then there is nothing else
  • Religious are looking for answers. Why?
    • Easier
    • More followers
    • Do not want to look bad

You are in the right place

John 6:68-69

  • No where else to go
  • What are you looking for?
Jesus says those who obey are his disciples - John 8:31-32

What are you going to do?



2010-05-13 - Desire's Journey - Same Old Thing
Something worse than the fall of man (losing paradise) = getting used to it
  • Been there, done that
  • Life sucks, then you die
  • How is it going? "Same old thing"
How has life turned out differently from the way you though it would?
  • Friendship
  • Marriage
  • Children
  • Holidays
What if we were told that the future would be the same as today? It is hell

We have not solved the riddle of our existence
Everyone else seems to be getting on with things. What is wrong with me?

It is possible to run away from the desire for years but we are desire - essence of the human soul

Our desire, if we listen, will save us from committing soul-suicide
Same old thing would not be enough
Life as usual us not the life we truly want
It is not the life we were made for

"All good things come to an end" is a lie

We abandon the most important journey of our lives when we abandon desire

Whatever we might gain, it is not worth it - Matthew 16:26


2010-05-17 - Desire's Journey - The Beast Within
Years of living in an indifferent hostile world creates a deep sense of unsettledness with in us

Battle of good and evil within us - Romans 7:20-23
Sinful desires are contrary to the Spirit
They conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want - Galatians 5:17

There is a nagging awareness warning us not to feel our hunger too deeply or it will undo us
We wouldn't want to do anything crazy or desperate

We want what our unmet desire wants but our sinful nature wants what is contrary

We try everything - TV, sex, relationships, drugs, etc - going one to another
We don't know what we want because we're so unacquaninted with our desire

We try to keep a safe distance between our daily lives and our heart's desire - because it causes us too much trouble

Do we really want to open Pandora's box?

Dare we awaken our hears to their true desires?
Is it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all?

Our dilemma is this: we can't seem to live with desire, and we can't live without it



2010-05-22 - Desire's Journey - Goodness

Does Christianity condemn desire? Like the Puritans

It is not a matter of desire is good or not - it is what we do with it
Christianity recognizes that desire has gone mad within us but not seeking to fix the problem by killing our desire

Something has gone wrong
God gives us commands for our own good
The point is not the law but joy

Faith on its way to maturity moves from duty to delight
If the goal is to move from delight to duty, we are going backwards and regressing

Prodigal son
Younger son desire get him into trouble
Father's desire for the lost boy is deep
He is grateful just to have his son home again
Older brother lived his entire life under duty and obligation - dealt with his sinful nature by killing desire
THose who kill desire are not the ones who experience God's embrace



2010-06-19 - All or Nothing (part 2)

New Testament

Romans 11:17-21 - You can get arrogant

1 Corinthians 10:1-10 - Do repeat the same misakes of those in the OT

Galatians 6:7-10 - We reap what we sow, do not become weary of doing good

Jude 3-4 - Grace of God is not a license to sin

1 John 4 - Can not love God without loving your brother

2 Timothy 4 - We need to check to see if we have sound doctrine

Hebrew 5 - Teachers can become arrogance

Revelation 2-3 = Churches can loose focus

  1. Read and Pray Daily to God
  2. We need others in our lives
  3. We need meetings of the body
  4. Giving to God
  5. Complete Openness
  6. People are going to heaven or hell
  7. Reaching out to others


2010-06-26 - Life of Jesus (part 2)
John 6:60-69
  • Jesus spoke the truth without concern for opposition
  •  What do you need to say to who?
John 8:1-11
  • Jesus stood up for people
  • Who do you need to stand up for?
John 11:1-37
  • Jesus felt other's pain
  •  People have more pain their lives than you think
  •  Who needs your help?
John 13:18
  • Throughout all our trials, Jesus kept going
  • What could stop you?

John 21:25 - Could go on and on about what Jesus did

Acts 1:6-9 - Jesus went to heaven

2010-07-15 - Desire's Journey - Deeper Desire (part 2)
Life is both a battle and journey

Life in its fullness has yet to come
So we must take serious care of our hearts now

How awful to reach the end of life and we find we haven't bought our hearts along with us

Two extremes:
Life is full of striving and indulgence
A long march of duty and obligation

When considering the promises of God and nature of the rewards, we see that the Lord finds our desires much too weak
We are far too easily pleased

We believe that life is not going to offer what we truly want so we have reduced our desire to a more manageable size.

Lets be honest and all it what it is: sin


2010-07-16 - Desire's Journey - Deeper Desire (part 3)
The first step in the journey of desire is to stop pretending that we would be happy with less
Recovering our heart involves facing our deepest disappointments
We do not need to fear what we find because our heart is our biggest ally

The father of lies takes many people out of the journey for life by keeping them in shallow desire
He threatens us from going to the deep waters of desire by telling us that are core desires are evil
Makes us thing that every thought and desire is our own

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; remove your heart of stone - Ezekiel 36:26
Our core desires are good: I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts - Jeremiah 31:33

We still struggle with sin with our tendency to kill desire or give our hearts over to false desires

2010-07-17 - Desire's Journey - Deeper Desire (part 4)
What is it that we truly desire? The problems is we do not know
Our unexamined desire rules you
Most of our live far from from our hearts

Those living in duty and obligation may need to give all that a rest - so their hearts can come to the surface
Pharisees - their religious activities deadened them to the point that they could not recognize God when he stood before them

Our deepest treasure becomes our most dutiful burden, it really kills our hearts

Those living in indulging desire will need to give it a rest too

Going cold turkey - just stay in your desire 15 minutes longer than you usually do
When you feel the desire - let the desire just be; let your heart put some honest words to what you are feeling
We must learn what is actually being roused
The attuned we are to our desire, the less prone we'll be to imposters

2010-07-26 - Desire's Journey - Letting Go (part 3)
Pleasure is often more about drugging ourselves that it is about enjoying ourselves
Avoiding the ache is always worse in the end than the ache itself
We want to predict what the Lord is going to do so that it does not hurt so bad when it happens

Whole creation has been groaning right up til the present time yet if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently - Romans 8:22-25

We live in hope and he says hoping is waiting and groaning

Ask yourself: What am I waiting for? Is there anything I desire that I am doing nothing to secure?

To wait is to learn the spiritual grace of detachment - the freedom of desire
Not the absence of desire but desire at rest

I have still and quieted my soul - Psalms 131:2


2010-08-06 - Waking Dead - At War (part 1)
The thief comes to only steal, kill, and destroy our life - John 10:10

God intends for you to have life but right now that life is opposed
The offer from God is life, but you are going to have to fight for it
The enemy in your life has a different agenda

We are a war
The sooner we come to terms with it, the better hope we have of making it through
We live in a combat zone - a violent clash between kingdoms
Where did you think all this opposition was coming from?

We are in the image of God - Genesis 1:27
God crowd us with glory and honor - Psalms 8:3-5

We were once more than we are now
Glory has been the object of a long and brutal was

Lurking in the Garden is the enemy
Unable to overthrow the Mighty One, he turned his sights on those who bore his image
David: You turn my glory into shame - Psalms 4:2

War is a central theme in the Old Testament
The Lord is a warrior - Exodus 15:2

OT Battle examples:
  • God goes to war to set his people free in Exodus
  • War to get to the promise land - Exodus 17:16
  • War to get into the promise land - battle of Jericho
  • Wars to keep the promise land - battles with Canannites, Philistines, Egyptians, Babylonians, and Midianites
  • Deborah, Gideon, David, Elijah goes to war


2010-08-11 - Waking Dead - Myths (part 2)

Myth tell us three truths, the second is:

2. There is a great struggle or quest or battle that is well under way

Christianity isn't about:

  • Going to Sunday school
  • Being nice
  • Holding car washs
  • Sending clothes to Mexico

As good as those things might be, this is a world at war
We live in a far more dangerous and dramatic story than we ever imagine

Reason we love these is because it is telling us that this is our most desperate hour

  • The Chronciles of Narnia
  • Star Wars
  • The Matrix
  • The Lord of the Rings

Without this buring in our hearts, we lose the meaning of our days

Notice that those who have tried to wake up to this reality were ususally killed

  • The phophets
  • Jesus
  • Stephen
  • Paul
  • Most of the disciples in the Bible

Has it occured to you that someone is trying to shut them up?

 



2010-08-12 - Waking Dead - Myths (part 3)

Myth tell us three truths, this third one is:

3. In this desparate hour, we have a crucial role to play

Neo sees himself as Thomas Anderson, but he was the one
Dorthy see herself as just a farm girl from Kansas but Joan of Arc was also on the farm but saw much more

People in the scriptures that saw this:

  • Little boy slays the gaint
  • Loudmouthed fisherman who can not keep a job to lead the church
  • Sinful woman with a golden heart became a example of humility to the Pharisees

This eternal truth is the most difficult for us to believe
Our days are extraordinary but most don't see it this way
It is the 'veil of familarity' - you are not what you think you are

There is a glory to your life that your enemy fears

The one who knows what you could be, fears it
The whole world lies under the power of the evil one - 1 John 5:19

Things happen to you and we question why
There is a bigger story going on

If believe we have a crucial role to play and come to know it is true, everything would change



2010-08-17 - Waking Dead - Thoughts and Courage of the Heart
Our deepest thoughts are held in our hearts
Our behavior is driven by our heart

Scripture judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart - Hebrews 4:12
Not the feelings of the heart but the thoughts

It is with your heart you believe and are justified - Romans 10:10

They hear with their ears and understand with their hearts - Matthew 13:!5
The heart is the dwelling place of our true beliefs

It takes courage to love and takes courage to follow Jesus
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid - John 14:27

Courage  > Old French cuer > Latin cor = heart
The battle for the heart is going to take all the courage you can muster

2010-08-26 - Waking Dead - Glory (part 3)
You are going to the need your whole heart - so you will need every ounce of courage and faith as well

James and John, sons of Zebedee did hide what they thought
  • Wanted choice seat to the right and left of Jesus
  • Wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy a village
Their buddies called the idiots, but Jesus called them Sons of Thunder - Mark 3:17
He can see clearly who they really are

We many times spend our time hiding through false selfs
Like Adam and Eve did with fig leaves
We make up a glory because we are convinced we have none of our own

Must ask: God, who am I? What do you think of me? What is my real name?

The deeper reason we fear our own glory is that once we let others see the truest us - aka nakedness
It is awkward when everyone else is veiled

Living from your glory is the only way to live
You cannot love another person from a false self
You can not help others if you are in captivity yourself

Our deepest fear of all - we will have to live from our hearts
Means we do not know the next thing God will ask of us

2010-08-27 - Waking Dead - Guided
Narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few will find it - Matthew 7:14

Each day: do you wake to tackle a to do list or wake in the midst of a dangerous story?
If you are not pursuing a dangerous quest, then you do not need a guide
If you want the life Jesus offers, then you are going to need more than a handful of principles
Can not possibly prepare yourself for ever situation
We need God intimately and we need him desperately

You have made know the path of life - Psalms 16:11
There is a narrow path to life and we need help finding it

Example path from a church:
  • Become a member
  • Take a course on doctrine
  • Faithfully attend the Sunday morning service and small group fellowship
  • Complete a course on Christian growth
  • Live a life of Christian growth
  • Complete a course on evangelism
  • Consistently look for opportunities to evangelize
  • Complete a course on finances, marriage, and parenting
  • Complete a course on leadership
  • Complete a course on hermeneutics
  • Complete a course on spiritual gifts
  • Complete a course on missions
  • Complete a course on biblical counseling
  • Carry a significant local church ministry load
Program teaches you principles and how to apply them but not how to walk with God

All religions has principles to follow but only Christianity can teach you to walk with God
The most important thing of all is intimacy with God

Those who only do good things - Jesus will say I never knew you - Matthew 7:23

Teach a man to fish?
Teach a man to walk with God and you help him solve the rest of his life

2010-09-03 - Waking Dead - Help of Others
We are usually too close to our lives to see what is going on
Because it is our story , we don't know what  is true and false

In every great story, the hero or heroine must turn to someone older and wiser to answer a riddle
  • Dorthy seeks the Wizard
  • Frodo turns to Gandalf
  • Neo has Morpheus
  • Curdie is helped by Lady of the Silver Moon
  • Jedis look Yodo
Pride is so blinding
Sometimes in our discipling we just fix what is wrong (sin) and not work on the glory of God
Need to also me focused on moving forward and to go out on faith

2010-09-24 - Waking Dead - It Will Be Messy
Going to a church service with hundreds of people will never expose you
That is what most prefer - because community will

It will bring you close and you will be seen and you will be known
Therein lies the power and the danger

The enemy hates this: he knows it can be powerful and God and his kingdom
Remember divide and conquer? This is his way

Most have settled for safety in numbers - a comfortable, anonymous distance
An army that keeps meeting for briefings, but never breaks into platoons and goes to war

Community is like camping together
Stuff is scattered out there for everyone to see

During fellowship there are two important things to remember

1. Know the heart is good - so much easier to trust and to forgive
We are for one another

2. Know that we are at war
The enemy is always trying to pull everyone away

2010-09-28 - Waking Dead - Devotion and War
Caring for your heart is also how you protect your relationship with God

Your heart is where life flows
Whoever believes in me - streams of living water will flow from within him - John 7:27-38

God's friends care for their heart because they matter to Him
What does your heart need?

Some needs are common to all hearts like silence and solitude
Very early Jesus went away to a solitary place - Mark 1:35
We need to make time to get away - our entire lives are ruled by the expectation of others and the heart is the first to go

The enemy will tell you this is foolish
"You have many more important things to do with your time"
Caring for your heart is an act of obedience, faith and an act of war

The first wave of any strike against us is to rob us of the heart to fight it
Hyenas cannot bring down a lion in its prime - they run it, taunt it, and wear it down to the point of exhaustion

The strategy of our Enemy in the age we live is busyness and drivenness
Most will say when asked how they are doing is "really busy"
That we way we are going to get burned out and lose touch with our hearts
The empty heart is more vulnerable to temptation

2010-10-23 - Decisions
  1. Honor God with your Wealth - Proverbs 3:9
    1. Will I obey the scriptures
    2. Will I, as a mature Christian, increase my weekly giving?
  2. Guard Your Heart - Proverbs 4:23
    1. What sins of the heart have I confronted and repented of in regard to my finances?
    2. Am I ready to give out of a pure heart and a sincere love for God?
  3. A Living Sacrifice - Romans 12:1
    1. In what ways am I going to live a more sacrificial lifestyle in order to advance God's kingdom?
  4. Give and It Will Be Given To You - Luke 6:38
    1. Have I made decisions to give by faith and to give joyfully to the Lord?
  5. A Spirit of Self-Discipline - 2 Timothy 1:7
    1. Have I prepared a budget that I am ready to live by? If not, when will I have it completed?
    2. Have I sought input?
  6. Free At Last - Romans 13:8
    1. Have I gained deep convictions about getting out of debt?
    2. What is my plan to eliminate sinful/foolish debt from my life?
  7. A Light to the World - Matthew 5:14
    1. How am I going to work at my job in such a way that my life is an upward calling to everyone around me?
    2. Am I fulfilling my financial responsibilities as a disciple in the areas that God expects?


2010-10-28 - Contagious Christian - Strength of Sacrifice (part III)
Third major kind of sacrifice is a sustained, long term godly lifestyle
Spiritual cynicism runs deep in some people - Christians need to watch their life and doctrine closely to win them over

May times these are family member who have seen you go through phases before and think this is just another one

Offer your bodies as living sacrifices by being transformed with the renewing of your mind - Romans 12:1-2
History has seen rush of the Christianity starting blocks only to be on the side lines after a couple of laps
Time shows our faith to be genuine
Like in a marathon, we have to finish the race
We have to outlast other's objections

Are you going to be God's helper that is going to wear down every cynic, scoffer, and doubter in your life?

All three of the major sacrifices must be motivated by love
Love has no one greater than this - that on lay down his life for his friends - John 15:13

2010-11-12 - Contagious Christian - Direct Method
The method does not wait for opportunities to come about but creates them
Basic it is you raising a spiritual topic and then see if the person is interested in talking about it
Not forcing a person but opening wide a door for a person to walk through

Example - If you would ever like to know the difference believe religion and Christianity and religion. Just let me know. I would be happy to talk about it with you
It is a modern day way Jesus approached a woman in John 4.
Not pressuring or forcing it on them but merely checking to see if they are interested

Other way to approach people using the direct method of creating spiritual conversations:
  • "How is it going?" then ask how is it going
  • "I'm curious, do you ever think about spiritual matters?"
  • "Who, in your opinion, is Jesus Christ?"
  • "What is your spiritual background?"
  • "Do you ever wonder what happens to us when we die?"
  • "What do you think a real Christian is?"
  • "Where are you heading in your spiritual journey?"


2010-11-13 - Contagious Christian - Indirect Method
This method involves taking some element of conversation and utilizes it to turn the conversation to faith

Business
How is your year going?
Financial, OK; family-wise, pretty well; spiritually, going great. Which one are you talking about?

Relocations
Moving to a new neighborhood
Have you found: places to shop, dining out locations, get your car repaired, a good church?

Hobbies and Spare Time
Talk to someone about your hobbies and roles in relating to church
If you work with the sound system, website, children programs, etc - share about that

Nature
Talk about what God may have been thinking when creating plants and animals
Goal is to raise the topic, not to envoke an affirming response - this may spur a discussions

Shared Struggles
Difficulty in a common with someone can be an opportunity to share how God has helped you

Holidays
They are an excellent opportunity to turn conversations toward the spiritual side
  • Easter - What do you think happened to Jesus' body?
  • Thanksgiving - what we are thankful for
  • Independence Day - what kinds of freedom mean the most to them
  • Conversations about what holidays their family likes to keep



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