2008-02-27 - Power of Gratitude - Free at Last MLK - as bad as slavery was - there a slavery that last for eternity 2 Corinthians 5:21 - Jesus might become sin for us As existence of righteousness does not ensure we receive it Satan tries everything to help us miss this opportunity Jews after saw their failures in the past - created many regulations so they would not sin
Religion that is performance based is doomed
Romans 7-8 - Focus is not on themselves but on him who died for them; Because they are saved James 1:23-25 - Law points out their sin clearly / making them feel more indebted to God Motivation to last a lifetime - Our love responding to his grace Other motivations:
YES: I'll accept you, now let's walk together in my strength |
2008-03-25 - Be Still My Soul - Personal Moses enjoyed a relationship with God that few have ever known He was face to face - It was because Moses wanted that way When Moses was heading to the promised land God said he would not go with him - Exodus 33:2 Moses was appalled, recoils in horror It was not enough to be forgiven It was not enough to be successful Moses wanted to know more of God - Now show me your glory (Exodus 33:18) How would I react? Would I be fine with the promised land without God? We can sing, strive to be committed, give money, work hard to share our faith, and even pray Must be more focused on closeness to God more than on the success of our ministry 2 Corinthians 3 - in Jesus we can have a greater relationship with God than what Moses had the opportunity to have |
2008-05-02 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Forgiveness, part 2 1 Peter 2:18
1 Peter 3:8-9
Taking the way of the cross accomplishes:
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2008-06-09 - Purpose Driven Life - The Value of Time The importance of things can be measured by how much time we are willing to invest in them Your time is your life Greatest gift you can give someone is your time Words alone are worthless - 1 John 3:18 Most desired gift of love is focused attention Give without loving, but you can not love without giving - God gave everything (John 3:16) Make the most of every opportunity Other and you are not guaranteed tomorrow Who do you need to spend more time with? What do you need to cut out of your day? |
2008-06-19 - Purpose Driven Life - Growth Through Temptation Happy is the man who does not give in - will be rewarded with the crown of life - James 1:12 Every temptation is an opportunity to do good through the path of maturity How does the Holy Spirit produce fruit in our lives? - Galatians 5:22-23 By allowing you to be tempted by the opposite opportunity
Temptation follows 4 steps:
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2008-07-04 - Purpose Driven Life - Thinking Like a Servant (part 2) Servants think about their work, not what others are doing They do not compare, criticize, or compete with other servants; same goal and same team If you serve like Jesus, expect to be criticized Servants base their identity in Christ They are loved and accepted by grace, servants don't have to prove their worth Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear; want others to serve them instead Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation Serve the Lord with gladness - Psalms 100:2 The only really happy people are those who have learned to serve |
2008-08-08 - 30 Days at the Cross - Problems or Possibilities Suffering is a problem for us:
We spend too much time asking questions:
We should:
The issue is how you respond and how you will respond in the future |
2008-08-19 - 30 Days at the Cross - Prayer and Purpose Because of the cross we are able to pray Looking at Christ's humble submission to the cross that we can learn we can learn how to pray Thank God for the incredible opportunity that we have to talk to him because of his grace He shows us the attitude we must have as we follow Christ in prayer - right perspective on suffering After praying, he was able to face the mock trial, jeering, and the beatings Disciples, who failed to pray, fled and desperation - they were powerless Jesus purpose of praying was to make sure that we could be saved Our main purpose to pray is not complaining but for others |
2008-09-22 - Teach Us To Pray - Enemies and Opposition Whoever the enemies may be, the words of Jesus are still the same: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you - Matthew 5:44 It our enemies who afford us the opportunity to glory God by shining like stars - Philippians 2:15 Must forgive and love our enemies to be permitted to be sons of God - Matthew 5:44 When praying for our enemies, we should focus on:
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2008-09-23 - Teach Us To Pray - Going Through the Open Door Luke 11:9-10 - Asking, Seeking, and Knocking as three separate commands to be obeyed The idea of the door being opened is associated with God-given opportunity - 1 Corinthians 2:12 The rest of the chapter is about how God worked in the author's life, opening doors. |
2008-10-28 - Man of Prayer - Experiencing Forgiveness Being a Christian is a no-lose proposition Athlete - performance dictated opportunity to participate Student - achievement is based off of grades and advanced degrees Every area in which we perform we are eventually bound to fail We become a Christian on the basis of my failure and Jesus' performance By grace we have been saved - Ephesians 2:8 Much more than just an initial experience of grace but a transformation of justification - we need daily bread (grace) Jesus taught his disciples to confess their sins - Luke 11:4 |
2009-01-29 - Jesus with People - God Come Looking John 9:25 - One thing I do know, I was blind and now I see
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2009-02-26 - Jesus with People - Doubtful Thomas Jesus was not going to stop until Thomas was back, until he had been given an opportunity to put his doubts to death Jesus was all what he said earlier, leave the 99 to look for that 1 - Luke 15:1-7 John 20:24-29 - not necessarily a rebuke, but a reminder When do you find yourself doubting God's love for you? Do you believe God still wants to purse a relationship with us even when we;re not that strong? |
2009-03-15 - Promises of God - Convictions from scriptures Satan furiously went after Jesus - Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus countered the enemy's temptations with Scripture The Word must deep into our hearts so we recall the scriptures when needed We rarely have the opportunity to open the Word when being tempted Not just "stop that" or "start doing this" Bring to mind specific scriptures Hearing ourselves quoting the appropriate scriptures, it brings conviction during the battle of sin |
2009-06-13 - A Life of Impact - Preparation Preparation Mark 1:12-13
The Message Mark 1:14-15
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2009-06-19 - A Life of Impact - Opportunism Opportunism Mark 2:1-2
Commendation Mark 2:3-5
Forgiveness
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2009-06-23 - A Life of Impact - Conciseness and Boldness Conciseness Mark 2:27-28 - Direct statement, only a few words. Boldness Mark 3:1-6 - Exposed the evil intentions of their hearts Anger
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2009-11-05 - Repentance - Jesus Opens Our Eyes (part 3) The Purpose of Parables
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2010-03-01 - One Another - One Another In Groups (part 3) Work out differences; maintain unity - Ephesians 4:1-7 Do not be surprised when there are differences See differences as:
Need to make the most of every opportunity Avoid lingo and behavior that make the visitor truly feel like an outsider Stay at the foot of the cross What makes a Christian group different from others is the cross Where is your group in regard to the cross? Are we dying and living a baptized life? |
2010-03-05 - To Live is Christ - From Trials to Triumph A successful life is not life from difficulty, trial, or tragedy - Philippians 1:12-14 He saw God the same - no matter what happened in his life In an earlier letter he saw illness as an opportunity bring the gospel to the them - Galatians 4:13 He saw imprisonment for a chance to convert Romans Paul not giving up deepen their convictions - he emboldened them to share the message Whatever happens in life can serve to advance the gospel when we are living by faith |
2010-07-11 - Desire's Journey - The Adventure Begins (part 3) You would expect:
More often than not we think of godliness only in moral terms We are made like God because we are to be like God on earth - Genesis 1:26 We humans beings are never happier than when we are expressing the deepest gifts that are truly us The opportunity reveals the our creative nature All we want is to be released to be who we are God has created us and our gifts for a place of his choosing Our creative nature is essential to who we are as image bearers It brings us great joy to live it out with freedom and skill |
2010-10-02 - Contagious Christian - Benefits (part 2) 1. Adventure God get great pleasure from sending agents into the world It stretches us beyond our comfort zones and challenges us to take risks on the front lines The Christian list is one of faith Does this excite you? If no, it might be a sign that you've been playing it safe 2. Purpose What is the purpose? God not wanting anyone to perish, but to come to repentance - 2 Peter 3:9 You will start anticipating that He might surprise you at any time with an eternity-altering opportunity 3. Fulfillment We will start feeling a sense of fulfillment that transcends the realm of everyday human experience What else could compare to being an instrument in God's hand? |
2010-10-18 - Sacrificial Living
QUESTIONS
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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
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2010-11-14 - Contagious Christian - Overriding Principles Pray Hard
So they will not be embarrassed or concerned about the opinions of others Pique Curiosity Drop hints and create curiosity the way Jesus did with the woman at the well Rely on Reciprocal Reflexes Want to tell someone about your interests or beliefs, just start asking them about theirs Seize Split-Second Opportunities People provide us with the chance to raise topics of faith, but most are not prepared for them It is one thing to see the opportunity but it is quite another to seize it - takes courage Don't Underestimate their Degree of Interest We can assume many are not interested but the truth is people today are getting tired of living without purpose |