. (122 found)
2009-01-09 - Raising Awesome Kids - Childrens Quiet Times Having their own quiet times is the best way for them to know God and enjoy him personally - develops their own faith
Younger years (preschool and early elementary) - sit down with them a couple of mornings a week
Later elementary - they can begin to have them on their own - 10 minutes a session
Create a structure for them
Write down what they learn
ACTS like prayers
Older - direct them toward Proverbs, Psalms, and the Gospels - always keep up with how it is going
Pushing them too quickly = overwhelmed kids
Not challenging them enough = leave a vacuum for them to be filled by the world
Pray for wisdom, get wise counsel, and trust God will guide you
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2009-01-30 - Jesus with People - Greatest in th Kingdom I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven - Matthew 18:1-4
Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost - Matthew 18:12-14
We need to become like children in a very specific way
Our human nature wants to be first and to have control
Matthew 18 were driven by the same desire - they asked Jesus "Who is the greatest?"
When become like little children, we become like Jesus
Paraphrase - Because of your power-hungry pride you guys are not even in the kingdom of God, and nothing will change this fact unless you start imitating this child
After Jesus' sacrifice, all his teachings made sense
Having a child's humility is impossible until we understand the cross
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends - John 15:13
Must see other brothers and sisters in Christ as God's little spiritual children who must be cared for
God's heart is that not a single person be lost
Do we feel the personal responsibility for others?
Who do you know who is struggling spiritually? What can you do to help them?
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2009-03-09 - Promises of God - The Problem is Me Deuteronomy 4:29 - Find God when we seek him with all of our heart
Repentance must be proven by our deeds - Acts 26:20
Praise God for his faithful correction - Proverbs 3:11-12
God hates sin, takes sin of idolatry, personally - Deuteronomy 6:15
Sin comes when we lower the standard of commitment in our lives and allow ourselves to become lazy, selfish and self-indulgent
Being idolatrous and lukewarm is a serious sin against God - Revelation 3:16
Against God, his church, and the souls that are not saved as a result
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2009-04-10 - Promises of God - How We Are to Give? Do not give as the world gives - John 14:27
Give to :
- Whomever asks
- Whenever we are asked
- Freely and from the heart
- Expect nothing in return
- Anonymously
How does one give graciously? Death to world passions and desires; Cannot freely give that you are convinced is essential for your personal goals and ambitions
Fear may cause questions:
- What if someone takes advantage of me?
- Will there be anything left for me?
- What if I do not get anything in return?
- What possible difference can I make?
Comes back to our faith in the providence of God
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2009-04-15 - Promises of God - Importance of Repentance God's goodness and God's blessing are designed to lead us to repentance - Romans 2:4
God's will is for us to hear about God's faithfulness and his promises and to decide:
- To please him
- To change
- To serve him better
Dynamic relationship between promises of God and our repentance:
- God's promises and faithfulness should inspire repentance
- We need to rely on the promises even as we commit to repentance
- Truly become repentant
- We refrain from taking personal credit because we understand we are being recused
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2009-06-17 - A Life of Impact - Gentleness and Fueling
Gentleness
Mark 1:29-34
- At times we need to raise our voices and push in order to get things done.
- At the same time using gentle tone and pitching in to help will accomplish far more good.
Fueling
Mark 1:35-39
- People who love sleep don’t usually change the world
- Jesus slept when he had the time
- Jesus was extremely eager to pray
- Most of us live with only a vague idea of purpose
- Our personal ministries – can be tempted to lose the fire, to settle down, and get comfortable
- We laugh and patronize at younger friends who are “idealist, zealots, and radicals
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2009-06-18 - A Life of Impact - Compassion
Compassion
Mark 1:40-45
- He did not minister from a safe distance.
- We can have a powerful and lasting impact on someone else if we willing to go deep.
- There was no room left in Jesus for fear, disgust, or apprehension.
- His emotional state was righteous because he did not hesitate to reachout and touch the diseased man.
- How many of us reach out and pull back abruptly because of fear of personal rejection?
Humility
- Jesus foresaw His popular curtailing His ability to spread His word.
- People interested in personal glory don’t usually get very far in enlisting others in their cause.
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2009-07-22 - A Life of Impact - Retreats
Retreats
Mark 9:30-32
- Sometimes the only way we can truly give ourselves to the few is by making ourselves unavailable to the many.
- Retreats are a change in routine to ponder perspective to help in our personal growth.
Openness
- Jesus was very open with his disciples about difficult challenges and troubles that lay ahead for him.
- Through his openness, Jesus led the way for his disciples to be open with each other.
- Hiding produces shallow relationships and weak bonding – leads to dissolution of the group
- Few are open with troubles to someone who has never been open to them.
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2009-08-01 - A Life of Impact - Anger Anger
Mark 11:11-19
- He was furious about the fruitfulness of another “tree” that he had planted, watered, weeded, fertilized.
- Jesus cleared the temple at the beginning of His ministry and also here at the end of His of His ministry
- There was no fear of God.
Restraint
- Jesus knew the right place and the right time the do the things needed.
- He was disciplined and self-controlled for just the right time.
Relentlessness
- What made Jesus angry was the stubborn refusal of most to change.
- A willingness to change is a precious and seemingly rare behavioral characteristic.
- Become exceedingly insecure and defensive when we are awakened to the existence of personal deficiencies.
- We must also get angry about obstinacy in our own lives and other people’s lives.
Fearsomeness
- Why didn’t anyone try to stop Jesus as he was taking over the temple? (Only one person and many of them)
- They knew that they were in the wrong.
- Teachers of the law and chief priests feared Jesus
- If people consider you a “nice guy” and are not in awe of you, you probably won’t have much impact.
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2009-08-31 - Wild at Heart - Question that haunts every man (part 5) We pick battles that are easily won, rescue only the beauties we are sure to rescue
Strength gone bad
Violent men and passive men - Cain kills Abel
Men say the most awful things to their wives or they kill them with their silence
Type-A personalities – casualties tend to be the family
Abraham - Always hiding behind his wife’s skirt - tells Pharaoh that Sarah is his sister
Isaac does Rebecca the same way - he is a coward
What if I offer her all I have as a man it’s not enough?
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2009-09-17 - Wild at Heart - Healing the wound (part 3) Wound unfelt is wound unhealed
Door may be your anger – perhaps from a girl, failure
The way to God is stopping the false self
It may a simple prayer – Jesus, take me into my wound
Jesus never seems to heal the same way twice
There are no formulas with God
Insists on working personally
Masculinity is bestowed by masculinity
Healing never happens outside of intimacy with Christ
It begins with surrender; until you have given yourself to him you will not have a real self
…to set you free – What? Your heart
So take him at his word – ask him in to heal all the broken places within you
But you can’t do this at a distance
I simply allow myself to say that the loss of my father mattered
Important for us to grieve our wound
Grieving we admit the truth, we hurt by someone we loved
Few men are ever so vulnerable as to simply let themselves be loved by God
Why don’t you just let God love you?
The imitate union with Jesus and with his Father is the source of all healing and all our strength
Unforgiveness and bitterness can wreck our lives and the lives of others – Ephesians 4:31, Hebrews 12:15
Forgiveness is setting a prisoner free and then discovering the prisoner was you.
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2009-10-01 - One Another - Members of one another We belong to each other
Romans 12:4-5 - many members but just one body
Each member belongs to all the others
Role in the body is determined:
- The measure of faith God has given you
- Gifts God has given you
The measure of faith mean?
- subjectively - my function is the body is according to the personal amount of faith I have
- objectively - my function in the body is purely dependent upon my trust in God to use me
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2009-10-18 - Wild at Heart - An adventure to live (part 1) A man just won’t be happy until he’s got adventure in his work, in love and in his spiritual life
God is intimately personal with us and he speaks in ways that are peculiar to our own quirky hearts – not just through
the Bible, but through the whole creation
Don’t ask yourself what does the world need. Ask yourself what make you come alive and go do that because what the world needs is people who have come alive
I realized I was living a script written for me by someone else
To go where the world takes us, to drift with whatever current happens to be running the strongest
What would have happened if Moses had listed to his mother’s advice, “never play with matches”?
Paul didn’t leave his familiar group of Pharisees?
God took a big risk in making the world
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2009-11-07 - Repentance - The Cross Compels Our Hearts World is graceless, performance orientated
- Students – pass/fail
- Employees – promotions\get fired
- Calories – lose/gain weight
Sin + Forgiveness = Love
Accurate assessment of debt
- None of delight in a highlight reel of our personal sinfulness (especially avoid reference to specific sins)
- Whenever we expose our sins in the light of fellowship – able to see our sin more clearly
Questions
- How can grace compel repentance?
- How can you assess your debt to Jesus?
- How can you be assured of the forgiveness of that debt?
- Who is to blame for Christ’s death on the Cross?
- How does one’s good confession - “Jesus is Lord!” - express one’s repentance?
- Why is sharing the good news of Jesus Christ a clear indication of one’s repentance?
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2009-11-11 - Repentance - Worldly Sorrow (part 1) Sorrow does not equal repentance
Nothing is more tragic than losing your eternal reward through popular yet readily avoidable errors
Two great misconceptions
Confusion that sorrow is repentance
Humble prayers and our sorrow pleases God – still not repentance
World Sorrow is neither Godly Sorrow Nor repentance
Worldly sorrow brings death
Five signs of world sorrow (pride)
1. Damage Control
- Many call press conferences to get there side of the story our first
- Once guilt is found, party than give a “heart-felt” apology – sorrow for getting caught
- Sin is destructive. It ruins relationships, reputation, peace of mind and personal integrity
2. Self-Pity
- Some believe the abundance of tears is repentance
- Forgiven women (forgiven)
- Peter, Paul vs Cain (became angry)
- Esau (wailed loudly)
- Judas (deeply regretted)
- All three shed tear but not one repented
- Claiming to be a victim doesn’t make one a victim
- Tears can be self-affirming to one with self-pity (can become more sinful)
- Ones mostly likely to enable and least likely to help you
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2009-11-26 - Master Plan - Association (part 2)
- Reasons for departures:
- Oppositions from Pharisees
- Hostility of Herod
- Jesus wanted to be with disciples without distractions
- In Gethsemane, disciples were only a stone’s throw away - Luke 22:41
- Family: near each other in a time of departure
- Every minute cherished because the growing realization of He would be with them no more
- He spent more time with His disciples than with everyone else put together.
- Ate with them
- Slept with them
- Talked with them
- Walked with them
- Prayed with them
- Worshiped with them
- Ministering to the mass – disciples learned the lessons and then got an explanation afterwards
- Jesus had little time to call His own
- Only exceptions was when He kept to His own personal devotions with interruptions - Mark 46-48
- He wanted to be with them
- They were His spiritual children
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2009-11-27 - Master Plan - Foundation of Follow-up
- For three years, Jesus had been training them by being with them
- Follow-up was not just confined with His disciples
- Zaccheus on the street of Jericho - Luke 19:7
- Women at the well - John 4:39-42
- Some attention was given to others – but not compared to the attention given to the twelve
- Faithful women – Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others - Luke 8:1-3
- He did not refuse their kindness
- Jesus was well aware of the sex barrier
- He did not try to incorporate these ladies in the select company
- Primary task was to develop some men who in turn could give personal attention to others
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2009-11-28 - Master Plan - Church is the continuing fellowship (part 1)
- Church is the practice of Jesus in a larger dimension.
- The group of believers ministry to each other individually and collectively
- Jesus must be the leader, with leaders that follow Him
- Preaching to the masses will not suffice in preparing leaders for evangelism
- Not occasional prayer meetings
- Not Christian training classes
- Not confirmation classes
- Building men is not easy (baby learns all the time)
- Requires constant personal attention
- Children are not raised by proxy
- Requires sacrifice of personal indulgence and time
- Requires frequent contact not just weekly church services and Sunday School
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2009-11-29 - Master Plan - Church is the continuing fellowship (part 2)
- Consequences for not following up
- The other choice is for the convert to find solutions to innumerable problems in on their own
- Haphazard follow-up could mean disaster for their faith
- Fall ways - come about more often be not getting with them enough
- There is not substitute for getting with people
- No such thing as assembly line discipleship
- You must be a personal guardian to those you lead.
- It is your job to:
- Stay with them as much as possible
- Study the Bible and pray together
- Answer their questions
- Clarify the truth
- Seeking together to help others
- If it took three years to develop His disciples by getting with them, how much more should we get together with those that have not physically have seen Jesus? How much longer will it take (not seeing them all the time)?
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2009-12-08 - Master Plan - Demonstration (part 2)
- There were many situations and many types of people
- Rich and poor
- Healthy and sick
- Friend and Foe
- No chalk board outline or “Do It Yourself” Manual
- Jesus made sure they didn’t miss in understanding
- Ask what the parables meant – Luke 8:9
- Seem to spend more time explaining than the initial interaction lesson
- Applied lesson to their lives – Mark 10:24-31
- Jesus did not ask anything that He was not doing Himself
- Class was always in session – every waking moment of everyday
- People are looking for demonstration not explanation
- Only way to train men is to live by example
- Not shrinking back or evading our personal responsibility
- Mere knowledge is not enough
- Knowledge unapplied to living can become a stumbling stone for further truth
- Jesus saw to it that they applied the truth in their life
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2009-12-17 - Master Plan - Reproduction (part 4)
- Are those who have followed us to Christ now leading others to Him?
- Not enough to rescue the perishing but to build them in the faith of Christ.
- Converts go out and make leaders out of the converts not just simply more followers.
- Church should be measured on how many Christians are actively winning souls.
- Lord added to the Church, those who were being saved
- Within a few centuries, the world would have known the hand of the Master
- Shortcuts have failed
- Adaptations of the principle are always necessary in the light of changing circumstances.
- Costly principles of leadership development can not undercut
- We try ceremonies, programs, organizations, and crusades of human ingenuity.
- We must understand that evangelism is not done by something but by someone
- God's nature is to get personal. Men reaching other men for Christ.
- Need men who:
- See His vision
- Feel His passion
- Willing to be nothing so that He may be everything
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2010-01-21 - Kingdom First - Handle Prayerfully (part 3) Lord's Prayer: A brief overview:
- Our Father in heaven - Set our minds on personal and intimate relationship we have with our God
- Hallowed be your name - Praise and honor him
- Your Kingdom come - Pray for his church, disciples, leaders, people whom the gospel has not reached
- Your will be done - Pray for a submissive heart toward will of God in our lives
- Give us this day our daily bread - Pray through today's schedule, needs, relying on God
- Forgive us our debts - Confess specific sin
- As we also have forgiven our debtors - Commit before God to resolve conflict, hurts, concerns in all relationships
- Lead us not into temptation - Wrestle with God to be submissive and repentant in areas of weakness
- Deliver us from the evil one - Pray that God to stop Satan and than God for victories in him
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2010-01-26 - Kingdom First - Self Titled But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, all these things will be given you - Matthew 6:33
Kingdom First:
- Everything must be re-examined
- Everything must be reconsidered
- Every desire, dream, use of money and time
- Now everything must have a kingdom-first focus
How to tell when you are not seeking first his kingdom:
- When you don't have daily times with God in the Bible and prayer
- Responsibilities to the church are a burden
- Not happy or consistent in giving
- Personal comfort, desires direct life's decisions
- Can't find the time to share your faith
- Gain greater feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction serving another "kingdom"
- You have greater regard and protection of your schedule
- Discipleship times, family devotionals not deep or consistent
- Gaining one more than is greater than gaining one more soul
- Dreams center more in this world than in the kingdom
Are you seeking first his kingdom?
The kingdom consists of people who volunteer in a battle between good and evil
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2010-01-27 - Kingdom First - Personal Responsibility (part 1) Things have not changed much since the begging of time
The woman you put here gave me some fruit - Genesis 3:12
We crave a scape goat:
- Children blame parents
- Spouses blame each other
- Employees blame employers
- Society blame political administration
- Present political administration blame previous one
Jesus calls us to personal responsibility - Matthew 7:1-5
Must confront the planks in our own lives
Instead should admonish one another - Colossians 1:28-29
Build each other up through contructive challenges - Ephesians 4:29
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2010-03-02 - To Live is Christ - Partners in the Gospel Philippians 1:16
Philippi was named for Philip of Macedon
It was a roman colony - not actually a place one would expect the message of Jesus to take hold
A roman jail is where you would expect Paul and Silas to be
Paul made a career of being with other and influencing their lives - reduced to visits from the guards
Through many hard times he had learned to overcome the most challenging of circumstances
Five lines into the letter, Paul remembers his relationship with God and other disciples:
- First converts - Lydia and her household
- The jailer and his house hold
- God using an earthquake to bring unlikely people into the kingdom of God - Acts 16:22
Christianity is a personal experience but not a private one
Only when we have been in the trenches with others will we have relationships that are full of life
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2010-03-18 - To Live is Christ - Know Christ Paul wanted to know Christ - Philippians 3:10-11
Did he not know him yet?
- Three days of fasting and prayer? - Acts 9:9
- After 3 years of personal training? - Galatians 1:11-24
- After a visit to the 3 heaven? - 2 Corinthians 12:1-6
Geek verb ginoskein - close to intimacy of marriage
Paul knew about Jesus
He was will aware that simply doing the right thing did not give him intimacy
Do we really know Christ?
To become like him in his death is become like him in life:
- Give when you are tired
- Pray when you do not want to
- Stand your ground against emotions and thoughts
- Overcome fear and to love in practical, unselfish way
To live like this is to know Christ
The spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you - Romans 8:11
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2010-04-20 - Stumbling Block or Stepping Stone (part 1)
1 Corinthians 1:20-23 - Jesus came to bring salvation; to some he became a stumbling block
Romans 14:10-24...
- We are free to do many things with our faith
- Personal freedom must be balanced with personal responsibilty for others
- Questions to ask: Will my personal freedom be a stumbling block to others?
- v15 - brothers were distrussed by other's freedom - that is where is know we have gone too far with our freedom
- Areas we say it is our right to control
- Music
- Dating
- Contribution
- Evangelism
- Commitment to church
Which is better to have?
- Win the battle of your rights or win the war of salvation for someone?
- Your opinon or unity of Jesus' church?
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2010-05-01 - I am Innocent of the Blood of all Men (part 2) Acts 22:6-21
- Paul had an encounter with Jesus
- Encounters with Jesus are significant
- Paul understood he was living in opposition to Jesus - killing Christians (people following Christ)
- Don't want to be on the opposite side of the battle from God
- Where are you at today? Do you know?
- Share
- Grow up religious - Every Sunday - through High School
- Ask to come to church, study the Bible
- Saw life and heart wasn't matching; my sin was in opposition to God
- Tried to make it personal - mean and angry (Hoping the standard would changed)
- They were there to help
- Paul had the humility to ask "What shall I do?" - v10
- Paul had a heart of humility to be taught - Bible
- Could have brought up his religiousness or accomplishments
- Opened himself up to anything, Not "I'm sorry, won't do that again"
- Paul was religious all this life and had the heart to immediately obey and be baptized - v16
- Perhaps, God uses the life of Paul to prepare our hearts for surrender
- What have you been holding on to instead of Jesus? What is stopping you?
We/your friend would like to share "the whole will of God".
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2010-07-28 - Desire's Journey - Letting Go (part 5)
Grief is the antidote to the incessant possessive demand within
Sow in tear = song of joy - Psalms 126:5
Two spiritual discipline we need
- Worship - must adore God deliberately and regularly
- Grief - must allow a time for sorrow to do own personal sowing
Making time to grieve may sound strange
Just because we do not feel it does not mean it is not there
There are thousands of distractions these days
Sometimes it comes out in a song or movie
Sometimes small disappointments can be a door into the room of grief
Beauty and affliction are the only two things that can pierce our hearts
We must have a measure of beauty in our lives proportionate to our afflication
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2010-09-09 - Waking Dead - Spiritual Warfare (part 1)
The heart of our enemy: determined to hinder and harm and ruin God's image bearers
God is serious about life - Isaiah 45:2-3
- He will level the mountains
- Break down the gates of bronze
- Cut through the bars of darkness
- Give us hidden treasures
May seem overblown or metaphoric
What if we looked at the passage through the eyes of the heart?
We are in an epic battle - things are not what they seem
This is God personal mission - Isaiah 61:1
- Bind up the brokenhearted
- Proclaim freedom for the captives
- Release from darkness for the prisoners
What is the hidden treasure? Our hearts
Our hearts are not darkness but hidden by darkness
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2010-10-01 - Contagious Christian - Benefits (part 1) Ever had an idea only to find your enthusiasm fading when you realize the effort it would take?
The goal may be noble, the intentions sincere, the plan in place but we still do not take action
What is holding us back?
We must be convinced that it is worth the effort and expense
Business managers understand this and have developed process called cost/benefit analysis to help them see the whole picture
In Christianity, this is called counting the cost - Luke 14
While reaching out to irreligious people may sound great, it is the actual effort that will entail significant personal expense
Personal Benefits
- Adventure
- Purpose
- Fulfillment
- Spiritual Growth
- Spiritual Confidence
- Enduring Investments
- Honor of being God's Agent
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2010-10-07 - Contagious Christian - Attractiveness of Authenticity (part 1) Jesus knew the importance of perceptions
Are you either drawing people toward a relationship with God or pushing them further away? - Matthew 5:16
How we conduct our daily lives has implications that reach all the way into eternity
As part of the high potency - there are three qualities of being a Christian
Authenticity, compassion, and sacrifice
Authentic Identity
When people are asked what qualities of person brother you the most - dishonesty usually is near the top of the list
People are drawn to sincerity
Avoid acting like more than you are or pretending you're less that what you are
When following Christ - We renounce the sin in our lives but not the authentic identity we have
One of the greatest mistakes a believer can make is to renounce or repress his uniqueness in a vain attempt to appear more spiritual
Years of identity repression - you can totally lose your understanding of who you really are
There are some who will never see Him for who He really is until they watch Him living uniquely in our lives
The family of God is kaleidoscope of people with different gifts and temperaments
We were fearfully and wonderfully made - Psalms 139:14
There is someone out there one step away from faith, they just need someone like you - your passion, personality, and interests
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2010-11-06 - Contagious Christian - The Blind Man's Testimonial Approach Blinded since birth, Jesus change his life by giving him sight
The first time he came in contact with an audience after his sight he was asked to explain what happen
The crowd was hostile but he refused to enter into a theological debate - John 9:25
"One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see"
He was born blind so that the work of God might be displayed in his life
God had been preparing this man to tell the story of his life and to point people to Jesus
Some people might not respond to a challenge or a debate but a personal account of someone's coming to faith can move them powerfully
Effective testimonies don't have to be dramatic
For some it would be difficult to relate to a dramatic testimony that may give them an excuse
Might say "People like that, need religion"
If you have a more dramatic story, ask God to lead you concerning how much detail and whom to tell it
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2010-11-08 - Contagious Christian - Matthew's Interpersonal Approach After accepting Jesus' call, Matthew did whatever he could to bring along as many of his friends as possible
He put on big banquet for his tax collector buddies in our for them to meet Jesus - Luke 5:29
He did not confront, debate, or tell them what happened to him
He relied on the relationships he'd built with them and he sought to further develop their friendship
He genuinely cared about them and wanted to influence them toward considering Christ
People who specialize in this approach, tend to be warm and people-centered
Some people will never be reached until someone takes the time to build that kind of intimacy with them
Interpersonal evangelist enjoy:
- Having people in their homes
- Sharing a meal
- Spending time in conversation
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2010-11-17 - Contagious Christian - Making the Message Clear (part II) Christ - Common questions
Why couldn't God just forgive and forget, as we can?
Like in car accident, God is willing to forgive but someone still has to pay for the damage
What kind of justice is there in having Jesus suffer instead of me?
God was not a reluctant bystander
The difference is that God is will and he is taking his own punishment for you
You
Many people are left with the impression that if they go to church or they born into a church they are saved
Not everyone that calls Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom - Matthew 7:21-23
We have got to be crystal clear that a personal response is essential
Do vs Done
The difference between religion and Christianity is Do vs Done
Religion spells DO - as in we try to do something for God's salvation
It is like a salesman that needs to meet a quota but does not know what it is
But we can never do enough and will always fall short - Romans 3:23
Christianity spells DONE
Means that what we could never do for ourselves, Christ has already done
He lived a perfect life we could never live
He willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty we owed
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2010-11-24 - Mission - People Beginning of His ministry - Luke 4
- Intense temptation by Satan - vs1-3
- First sermon
- First personal challenge with the faithless
- First attempt on his life
- First spiritual and physical healing of the wounded
Jesus was about the people, he understood them
He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with suffering - Isaiah 53:3
He was tempted in every way, just as we are - Hebrews 4:15
Jesus' heart went out to people and it moved him to action
Their needs drove Jesus' ministry
Our charge is to walk as Jesus walked
Luke 10 illustrates Jesus' plan as he send out the 72 disciples
He challenged them to rejoice because their names were written in heaven
The end challenge was to go and do likewise - Luke 10:37
Cannot be done unless it costs us something
Seeking and saving the lost is accomplished by preaching the gospel and helping people
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2010-11-27 - Mission - All Nations The only event in history where all mankind gathers together is Judgment Day
An expert in the law asked "What I do to inherit eternal life?" and "Who is my neighbor?"
This expert had given his life to study of the scriptures
Jesus illustrates the greatest commandment - one man helping another
Does not talk about:
- Some daring act of evangelism - although He did this almost daily
- Being baptized - although it is commanded and can never be omitted
Who are you helping? Do see those in need?
James 2:14-16 - Do you claim to have faith? It is never alone
Food, clothing, a blanket shows that you have saving faith
Christian who "share their faith" don't always "share their food"
Sometimes we resemble the expert in the law who did not love their neighbor
By focusing on helping the poor, many people seem to become more evangelistic
Physical and spiritual needs are inseparable
Jesus said, I was hungry, of need of clothes, sick. Did you help him? - Matthew 25:35-36
He takes it personally - Jesus grew up poor
Doves were the sacrifice of the poor - Luke 2:24
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2010-12-11 - Seeking God (part I)
What are you looking for in life?
Acts 17:16-28
- Ever ask yourself: “What on earth am I here for?” You aren’t alone!
- Why did God create you and bring you to this very point and time in your life? So that you would seek him and
find him in order to have a personal relationship with him.
- Who takes the initiative in seeking this relationship? Because God loves us and desires a relationship with us, he has been actively determining times and places long before we ever thought about seeking him (Psalms 14:2-3).
- Why do so few seem to be seeking today?
- God is unknown and the image many have of him is distorted v23
- We have created our own god. We all worship something.
- To seek God, we must be willing to change our ideas about who God is to match what has been revealed to us in the Bible
- There is nothing more important or exciting in life than to seek and to find our Creator God.
Jeremiah 29:11-14
- We will find God if we seek Him with all our heart.
- Have you ever done something with all your heart? What is it?
- What will it mean for you to seek God with all your heart?
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2010-12-18 - Word of God (part III) Acts 17:10-12
- We are ultimately responsible for what we believe.
- Religious leaders can be wrong, so we cannot be lazy.
- Review in greater depth the lessons and sermons you hear to be sure about what you are being taught.
- Are you willing to take personal responsibility for knowing what the Bible says?
Psalms 1, Psalms 19:7-11
- The Bible is more than just words on a page.
- We need to develop a thirst and devotion to the word of God.
- How eager are you to regularly meditate on the Scriptures?
Isaiah 66:1-2
- Our attitude should be one of humility, reverence and awe for God’s word.
- Are you willing to live by the Bible, taking God at his Word in your relationship with him?
- Are you willing to trust God’s Word above your own feelings, religious traditions or religious leaders?
- Will you seek to understand God’s will and ways through his inspired Word?
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2011-01-27 - Followup - Prayer (part II) Key to Effective Prayer
- 1 Peter 4:7 - Be clear-minded and self-controlled
- Luke 18:1-8 - Be persistent
- James 5:16-18 - Personal righteousness
- Matthew 21:21-22 - Believe and do not doubt
- Psalms 5:3 - Pray daily and expect prayers to be answered
Conclusion
- God can and will do the impossible through prayer
- Prayer is vital to a dynamic walk with God.
- God is looking for people who will devote themselves to be close to Him. - Jeremiah 30:21
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2011-02-07 - Christian Joy (part II) What is your personal yoke?
Who or what are you yoked to?
Being yoked with Jesus means joy
What burdens you about Christianity?
- Evangelism? Jesus' reason for being here
- Quiet Times? Jesus got up early and make effort to get away to do so
- Christian Fellowship? Jesus was a friend even to Judas
Matthew 23:25-26
- We are concerned with how we look
- Jesus is concerned with your heart
How much do you want to be joyful?
Matthew 13:44-46
- They found the most important thing and sold it all to find it
- They knew what they wanted
How desperate are you?
What is stopping you? You are
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2011-02-11 - Fearing God - Parable of Awe
Marine Corp example
Solider learned to respect autority promptly and correctly by carrying out commands / seeing pure fear and humilation as punishment
Some actually learn to enjoy the challenge of the tough, disciplined life
Solider grows a personal relationship with the general but always conscious of the vast difference in rank between them
It was a different kind of awe - a greater sense of respect and admiration
Later he realizes how much the general cares for him by putting his life on the line for the solider
Jesus often spoke in parables, fictional stories that as if they really happened
Helps express more abstract spiritual concepts
Awe is defined as:
- An emotion in which dread, veneration, and wonder are vairously mingled
- Submissive and admiring fear inspired by authority
- A fearful reverence inspired by deity
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2011-05-24 - Righteousness that comes from faith Righteousness that comes from faith
Romans 4:13-25
Abraham believed God when it looked like he and Sarah could not have children
He did not waver in his faith - vs. 20
He was fully persuaded that God had the power to do anything - vs 21
Where does your righteousness come from?
- Personal experiences?
- Tradition (“we always do it this way”)?
- Goals that are easy to achieve?
What situations in your life could "credited as righteousness” because of your faith that it would happen?
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2011-06-29 - Mind of Christ - Helping People (part IV) Words of Christ that teach us compassion
Example |
Compassion |
Lack of Compassion |
Goats and Sheep
Matthew 25:31-46 |
Sheep
1. Very conscious of peoples needs; These have people on their minds, very people centered.
2. Very selfless, No ulterior motive |
Goats
1. Did not regard the people who were in need of help as important as Jesus, did not value people.
2. Unconscious of people’s needs or unwilling to help them. |
Matthew 18:21-35 |
The King |
Unmerciful Servant |
Luke 12:16-35a |
The Rich Fool |
The Rich Young Fool
1. Very self-centered, his thoughts only of his own personal comfort and security. |
Luke 16:19-31 |
The Rich Man and Lazarus |
The Rich Man |
Luke 10:30-37 |
The Good Samaritan |
The Priest and the Levite |
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2011-07-05 - Mind of Christ - Relationship with God (part VI) For oneness with the Father, we must be of the same kind of person:
- Ephesians 4:22-24 - Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness
- Colossians 3:10 - Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator
Oneness with the Father is a definable concept in our own personal lives.
What it does NOT mean:
- It is not merely being a member of the church.
- It is not merely being baptized.
- It is not merely observing the Lord’s Supper each Sunday.
- It is not merely the equivalent of quiet time each day.
- It is not merely an involvement in one or more discipling relationships.
- It is not merely being busy in “Church work”.
- It is not merely being fruitful in evangelism.
What it DOES mean:
- It means that I am continually conscious of God’s presence and that I desire such by seeking God’s face throughout the day
- It means that His thoughts are becoming my thoughts, His ways are becoming my ways (this is a continual, never ending process)
- It means that I truly love God and want to obey His will with more of my heart each day.
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2011-07-17 - Mind of Christ - About Self (part III) B. Fruits of self centered life:
1. It causes people to be extremely concerned about their personal rights - Genesis 13:5-7
2. It causes people to seek the best place for themselves
- Sought the best place for her sons - Matthew 20:20-21
- Dividing up the land - Genesis 13:8-9
3. It causes people to disregard the rights of others - Ezekiel 34:18
4. It causes people to neglect the needy and suffering - Matthew 25:43
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2011-08-30 - Fearing God - Turning Aside Wrath It is difficult for us to think about God's wrath; we prefer to think about his love
We envision a wrathful person as out of control
God's wrath is controlled, it is also described as anger, fury, and indignation
Unrepentant people are storing up wrath - Romans 2:5
We were born by nature as objects of wrath - Ephesians 2:3
Through condemnation of Adam's sin and our own personal sin
On the cross, Jesus suffered God's wrath in our place
"Why have you forsaken me?" - Matthew 27:46
Really start to enjoy fearing God:
- Realize in the depth that we deserve the wrath of God yet it was poured out on Jesus instead
- We are awed by His wrath and His love
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2011-09-15 - Followup: Relationships in the Body (part II) John 13:34
- We must love each other the way Jesus loves us (unconditionally).
- How did Jesus love his disciples unconditionally (Peter, Judas, John, etc…)?
1 Peter 1:22-23
- Love each other deeply from the heart (not surface love)
- Share our insecurities (to not let Satan get a foot hold)
Acts 2:44-47 - Met each others needs (physically, emotionally and spiritually)
Colossians 1:28-29 - They discipled (trained) each other to be better disciples of Jesus.
Ephesians 4:29 - Built each other up (no gossip but encouragement)
Ephesians 5:21 - Submit to each other (husband, wife, leaders, etc…) because of Christ.
Remember we all have challenges from our past (personal, spiritual and family) but we are all born again into the family of God. God is the head of the family and we are all brothers and sisters.
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2011-10-01 - Genesis 1 - Creation & Recreation
Summary
God created the heavens, the earth and everything that lives. He made humankind in his image and gave them charge over the earth.
Observations
Genesis 1:1 - the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep,
Without God we formless, unfocused, and empty. We try to create our own heaven-on-earth but never succeed without him. We try to "eat" junk food to fill us up but all they contain is empty calories. Without God there is no light and only darkness. Without light, we do not know what is going on around us nor what direction to go.
Genesis 1:4 - separated the light from the darkness.
It is important to understand that light and darkness were separated from the beginning. They can not both exist in the same location. It is even more important find out with side you are on.
Genesis 1:16 - He made the stars also.
Oh, by the way, God created all the countless numbers of stars, planets, galaxies, and other objects of the universe. So much matter that we can not even begin to see with a telescope. But God does not focus on matter, he focuses on what matters. The Bible is focused on God and his relationship with mankind. Like Jesus' miracles described in [John 20:30], the amount of God's acts are too great to be counted. Can you image the amount of books that could be written about what God created?
Genesis 1:26 - so they may rule
God entrust us to rule over all all other living things. But many we times we are ruled by our sinful natures. If we can not even control ourselves, how can we "rule" over other things?
Genesis 1:27 - God created humankind in his own image
Sometimes we mistake us being an exact copy of God verses a reflection of God. We should be a photo copy and not try to replace God in our lives. We must be become more reflective of God like a mirror. Constantly cleaning off the smudges of sin with the blood of Jesus.
Personal Application
God is bigger than I think he is. I have made him too small in my mind and do not allow Him to take control -- this is absurd since he has control over the universe and does a perfect job at it. My actions show that I don't fully trust God in this way.
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2011-10-02 - Genesis 2 - Creation & Recreation Recap
Summary
God formed a man and gave him the garden in Eden, except for the tree of knowledge. Adam was alone so God made a woman as his partner.
Observations
Genesis 2:7 - from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life
From nothing, God created us. He even takes our language that is a collection of organized means and breathed [2 Timothy 3:16] it into living and active Holy scripture [Hebrews 4:12].
Genesis 2:15 - put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Man's purpose in the garden was to work it and keep it up. God gives us work to do in step with what he desires. Work is good for glorify God, helping others, and helping us in our character. In [Acts 17:26], we learn that God determines the times and places we will live. It wasn't a random chance that Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden even with God's fore knowledge of Adam's sin.
Genesis 2:16 - You are free
The first words recorded spoken to man was "You are free". This is important because without freedom, love can not be fully expressed. God created man for Him to love and to be loved by man. What are we doing with the life and freedom God has given us? Does he feel the love?
Genesis 2:17 - you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
The sinful nature within us desires the opposite of what God wants. When it hears about something we can not do, that is the exact thing it desires to do.
Genesis 2:19 - whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name
With our freedom, we are given responsibilities. Instead of just telling us what the names of the animals and plants we, God gave Adam the task and freedom to do so. We need to remember all the things God intrusts us with and give it our all.
Personal Application
Many times I look for ways on how to automate work (it is part of the work I do as part of my career) but sometimes lose sight that work is what I am suppose to be doing. When automating tasks, I need to make sure I am using my additional time to do even more useful things that God has called me to do.
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