2008-02-26 - Power of Gratitude - Uncommon Peace What enables us to have such uncommon peace? - Commonality
Stay committed to God with the mission and discipling firmly in place, our unity will remain Three warning signs, if not doing: A. Daily diet
C. Lack of discipling |
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 |
2008-05-14 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - I was Born this Way Son will not share the guilt of the father - Ezekiel 18:20 Environment or heredity - most likely both Must be slow to judge situations we do not completely understand otherwise may bless us with an understanding in a way we do not want Other extreme - develop a victim mentality regarding ourselves or others Can lead to being angry, use drugs, being immoral, or just about anything else We have difficulty applying this to a murder Answer: despite it being more difficult and having different backgrounds, the standard is still the same He does not ask us to do anything he will not enable us to do Identify the sin > repent of it > start relying on God grace > formulate a plan to overcome sin Psychology can find root causes but it is powerless to find a cure Hezekiah and Josiah were righteous amount a line of kings that were evil The promises of God are far greater than our past and present challenges Pray that we may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way - Colossians 1:10-12 |
2008-05-19 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Sentimentality Can easily become sentimental when talking about salvation:
All have sin and have fallen short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23 Being "broader" than the Bible puts you on the wrong road God will be the judge and he has given us the basis of his judgement - John 12:48 Extremes:
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2008-06-03 - Purpose Driven Life - Best Friends with God God wants to be your friend God's ideal relationship - Adam and Eve (no rituals, ceremonies, or religion) Moses, Abraham, David, Job, Enoch, and Noah had intimate relationships with God Most in the OT had just the fear of God You are not longer servants but friends - John 15:15 Through constant conversations Make it a habit to have daily devotion time but it more than just that God wants to be included in every activity in your life (Some think you have to get away) Key to the friendship is not changing what you do but your attitude toward what you do Pray all the time - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray as often as possible Help me trust you You are here with me I'm depending on you You are my God How awesome you are! Pray as often as possible Your goal is not a feeling but an awareness of the reality that God is always present Through continual meditation Thing about His Word throughout your day - who God is, What he has done, and what he has said Meditation is simply focused thinking - Worry is a form of meditation Friends share secrets God told his secrets to Abraham, Daniel, Paul, his disciples, and others friends When you read your Bible or hear a sermon - develop a practice of review the truth in your mind |
2008-06-07 - Purpose Driven Life - Formed for Gods Family You were formed for God's family God desired to have a family but didn't need a family God became our Father Benefits of being part of God's family:
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2008-06-10 - Purpose Driven Life - A Place to Belong You are called to belong Relationship with Christ is personal but not private Your organs are connected to other organs to fulfill a purpose Organ severed from the body will shrivel and die Christ loved the church and gave his life for it - Ephesians 5:25 Church is Christ's bride Can't say to Christ "I love you but I do not love your wife Why you need a Church Family? 1. Identifies you as a genuine believer 2. Move you out of self-centered isolation Lab for practicing unselfishness Learn to care about others If one part suffers, all suffer - 1 Corinthians 12:16 We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers - 1 John 3:16 3. Helps develop spiritual muscle Isolation breeds deceitfulness 4. Body Needs you 5. Share in Christ's mission - He works through us 6. Church family will help you from backsliding "Mind your own business" - not a Christian phrase It is your responsibility to help those who need help Difference between a church attender and a church member is commitment |
2008-06-11 - Purpose Driven Life - Experiencing Life Together Life is meant to be shared Fellowship - now refers to casual conversation, socializing, food, and fun Jesus knew that 12 was the maximum size for a group for everyone to participate In real fellowship people experience... ... Authenticity
... Mutuality (Romans 1:12)
... Sympathy
... Mercy
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2008-06-14 - Purpose Driven Life - Protecting Your Church It is your job to protect the unity of the church Supreme model for unity is the Trinity Jesus' final moment was thinking and praying about the church's unity Make every effort to keep the unity - Ephesians 4:3 Focus on what we have in common We share the same life, salvation, and same future Conflict - focused on "disputable matters" Be realistic in your expectations People become disillusioned with church Should not be surprised - made up of sinners, including ourselves - 1 Corinthians 1:10 Reconciliation - not running away - road to stronger character and deeper fellowship If the church must be perfect to satisfy you, that same perfection will exclude you Choose to encourage rather than criticize It is always easier to stand on the sidelines than get involved Judge another believer:
Satan is the accuser of our brothers Other Christians are not the real enemy Any time spent for comparing and criticizing should be used for building others up Refuse to listen to gossip People who gossip to you will also gossip about you Great wounds usually come from other sheep, not wolves Practice God's method for conflict resolution Go to the person you are having issues with - Matthew 18 Takes a man of courage to speak the truth in love Support your pastor and leaders - Hebrews 13:17 No perfect leaders They are accountable but so are you You will give an account on how you obeyed your leaders |
2008-07-07 - Purpose Driven Life - Gods Power in My Weakness (part 3) Honestly share your weaknesses Paul modeled vulnerability:
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2008-07-09 - Purpose Driven Life - Made for a Mission (part 1) Your mission is both shared and specific Mission = Latin word for "sending" As the Father has sent me, I am sending you - John 20:21 Jesus understood he was on a mission:
We have been sent to speak for Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:20 Your mission is a continuation of Jesus' mission on earth He call us not only to come to him but go for him |
2008-07-10 - Purpose Driven Life - Made for a Mission (part 2) Your mission is a wonderful privilege
Telling others how they can have eternal is the best thing you can do If have the cure for AIDs, you would share it You just have to remember the hopeless you felt without Christ Your mission has eternal significance Impact the eternal destiny of other people Consequences will last for ever; consequences of your job will not All of us must quickly carry our tasks; all work comes to an end - John 9:4 |
2008-07-14 - Purpose Driven Life - Sharing Your Message (Godly Passions) God passionately loves some things and passionately hates things other thing The closer you are to God - you will share these view Jesus - Man's heart determines his speech - Matthew 12:34 David - Zeal for God's work burn within him - Psalms 69:9 Jeremiah - Cannot keep silent - Jeremiah 20:9 Are defend the defenseless, those who can not speak for themselves Should not expect everyone to have the exact same passion as you It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good - Galatians 4:18 |
2008-07-28 - 30 Days at the Cross - Life through Death Voluntary surrender is not easy; never comfortable nor enjoyable Rebellion comes from man's desire to be God Only when we are sick of our old nature will we be convinced to totally sell out to God Most of our cires are designed to produce our surrender So how do we go about taking up our cross?
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2008-09-10 - Teach Us To Pray - Alone and in Private Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:13, and Luke 4:42 - shows us that Jesus often went to solitary places to pray Solitude is essential in developing a deep relation ship with God Psalms 5, 38, and 42 are examples of how open and expressive David was with God We get fired up by sermons, fellowship, and music - Jesus went to be alone Prayer times make special memories Ideas for times with God:
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2008-12-31 - Raising Awesome Kids - How to Nuture Confidence (part 1) Only proper foundation is their relationship with God Develops confidence without cockiness Stress a relationship with God Focus on character - Tell your children over and over again that heart and attitude matter to God Applaud effort than ability Two of three men were successful because of their efforts not their ability - Matthew 25 Enough openness
Search out your kids strengths - everyone has at least some It is your job to help children discover and succeed in those things |
2009-01-05 - Raising Awesome Kids - Discipling Times These are times set to spend alone time with your child to talk with them, teach them the Bible, and pray with them Can begin as soon as your child can communicate fairly well Never let discipling times become boring and burdensome duty Try to go somewhere out of the house if possible Try to have set hours Select a topic and verse to share Realize that there may be a different topic that need to be discuss depending on the situation Compare notes with your spouse Read verses together > Talk about them > Take action > Share with the rest of the family These are incredible times to draw your children closer to God and you |
2009-01-21 - Jesus with People - Going Deeper We want to be know but we keep a safe distance John 4:39 - Samaritan women:
We too can be afraid of seeing who we really are To set people free, we must be like Jesus:
Jesus' love and acceptance allowed the woman/us to be real and to change |
2009-02-03 - Jesus with People - Give or Take? World seem to be divided into givers and takers Usually we feel as though we are the givers and everyone else is a taker We can draw back and become cynical - before long we cling to possessions, our rights or our feelings At that point we have become takers We would never admit it - and many of us do not see it Jesus meet a man that was a taker - Matthew Matthew was no different than us - he probably had a family with mouths to feed As he left the office and crept closer toward the crowd surrounding Jesus He heard the words - You must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me Jesus then walked up to Matthew and said "Follow me" His life changed forever - became a disciple of Jesus How did Jesus know? do it? Jesus knew that he was sick and need to get well - Mark 2:17 We need to see people as they ready are and what they can become Is there some in your life you can share with but haven't because you don't think they are open? |
2009-03-18 - Promises of God - Produces a Harvest Hebrews 12:11 - Discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it Key ways to respond to God's discipline: Get Grateful Probably the most difficult thing to do during hardships It is the very thing that will help us to learn the important lessons God is trying to teach us Hunger for Holiness Media bombards us with devices, books, etc to make our lives easier God disciplines us for our good, we may share in his holiness - Hebrews 12:10 He is willing to watch his precious children to go through temporary pain for them have eternal peace Trust the Trainer We must trust him as the perfect trainer Training = something rigorous that stretches the trainee emotionally or physically God's discipline is exact what we need and he promises it is always for our own good |
2009-05-30 - No one like him - Conflict and Controversy (part 3) Jesus did not just hang around the sick but he had a message and plan for them to get well Today is the opposite problem – association with all kinds of people; but without a message – bring the spirit without the truth Sin must be dealt with at the heart level; not just outwardly like the Pharisees – could not be cured by rules or rituals Living like Jesus (living a totally different life) will cause conflict and controversy Living like Jesus entails:
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2009-06-03 - No one like him - The Empty Tomb (part 2) What it means for us: 1. Jesus can be trusted a. Jesus taught with truth and compassion i. No man can come to except through me c. Gives us a place to stand – embolden the disciples2. Shows the kingdom has come 3. God fully intended to continue Jesus mission a. Jesus was the foundation4. Those who follow him also share in the resurrection a. Died with Christ, now we can live a new life with him – Romans 6:4,5,8 |
2009-06-14 - A Life of Impact - The Call The Call Mark 1:16-18 …To purpose
… To Imitate Him
… To a mutual Commitment
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2009-06-30 - A Life of Impact - Dream Shared Dream Shared Mark 4:26-32
Choice words Mark 4:33-34
Actions speak louder
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2009-08-22 - Wild at Heart - Intro (part 4) Women want to be fought for She wants to be wanted She wants to be pursued Knight n shinning armor – core of the feminine heart and the life she knows she was made for She wants an adventure to share – part of the adventure She wants to be caught up into something greater than herself Every woman wants to have her beauty revealed “Do you see me?” “And are you captivated by what you see?” World kills woman’s heart – be tough, efficient, and independent No one is fighting for her (no adventure to swept up in) – doubts very much that she any beauty to unveil. Man must know he is powerful and know what it takes Woman must know she is beautiful and she is worth fighting for |