Lillian Easterly-Smith, LifeCare

Fruitful Living - Faith/ Faithfulness

2012-01-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Listen to audio for illustrations, discussion & additional insights....

Tonight.. we are going to investigate another characteristic of the fruit - Faithfulness but first let’s talk about Faith.

Faith – many of us struggle to have more of it. We think at times: If only I had enough faith my prayers would be answered.

Have you ever considered the relationship between faith and faithfulness? Faith is not an action; it is a response. If we strive to have faith, we may be miserably disappointed. But if we learn to trust HIS faithfulness, we will take leaps of faith.

So let’s dig in to what faithfulness means:

1. Adhering firmly and devotedly, as to a person, cause, or idea; loyal.

3. Having or being full of faith.

4. Worthy of trust or belief; reliable.

5. Consistent with truth: a faithful reproduction of the portrait.

The faithful: 2. The steadfast adherents of a faith or cause

faithful·ly adv. faithful·ness n.

Synonyms: faithful, loyal, true, constant, fast¹, steadfast, staunch¹

Faithful and loyal both suggest undeviating attachment,
loyalty that is not easily deflected
Steadfast strongly implies fixed, unswerving loyalty: a steadfast ally.
Staunch even more strongly suggests unshakable attachment or allegiance

WOW – consider these words and definitions as it relates to God’s faithfulness toward us… look over them again… God is ____________ toward us!!!

Ps 145:13b says “ The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.^[a]

The Greek word for faithfulness means ‘firm persuasion, conviction, belief in the truth, reality’. It carries the idea of giving someone credit. Think about it: you focus your deepest faithfulness on those things that are most ‘real’ to you. Make sense? So in a nutshell, faithfulness is believing the reality of a sovereign God. It goes beyond believing ‘in’ Him to believing ‘on’ Him.. what’s the difference? Believing Him the day-to-day stuff of life – in our work, in our homes, relationships, finances, in the crisis – Do we believe who He is and what He says?

There is a very important truth to be discovered: The degree of our faithfulness is the direct result of our regard for God’s faithfulness.

To quote Beth Moore in Living Beyond Yourself: Faithfulness is resting in His certainty, being persuaded by His honesty, trusting in His reality, being won over by His veracity (Conformity to fact or truth; accuracy)..being sure that He is sure and believing He is worth believing.

Ex 34:6 “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

What does it mean that He is abounding in love and faithfulness?

Hebrew word translated as abounding means abundant, exceedingly full, great. It refers to both quantity and quality! So… the faithfulness we are discovering in God is not applied to His children in modest portions…it is exceedingly abundant above all we ask or think (Eph 3:20).

As we spend time in our groups tonight… we will consider God’s faithfulness being played out in the word as we read through Ps 33:4, Ps 111:7-8, Ps 145:13

God tells us He is faithful based on three major characteristics: 1) He is certain, 2) His Word is truth, 3) He & the Word are enduring… His Word exists, it is truth, it will last forever. God could not be faithful without certainty..He must be dependable. He could not be faithful without truth…because He must be trustworthy. God could not be faithful without endurance… for He must persist.

We find the culmination of God’s faithfulness in Jesus Christ – God’s guarantee for each of us. 2 Cor 1:18-22 “ ¹⁸ But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” ¹⁹ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas^[a] and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” ²⁰ For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. ²¹ Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, ²² set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Now… let’s move into the faithfulness of God’s people/ us. Heb 11:1-39 gives us an amazing list of some of the historically faithful of God’s people – heroes of the faith. – Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Rahab, Gideon, David, Samson, Samuel, the women, prophets and others…. Each were honored by God for having believed what they could not see… Let’s read Heb 11:1-6 ¹ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
⁵ By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”^[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

What is the definition of faith here? And what are the promises?

And without faith.. it is impossible to ‘please’ God. God created us to bring Him pleasure.. ever read the book “Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever”? – excellent read that speaks to this topic very well. Are you still searching about how to please God? Searching for your calling? Bottom line is: our calling is to please and glorify God! Period! Wake up every morning and say ‘yes, Lord’.. and then live through the day discovering each thing He asks of us to bring Him pleasure and glory.

Why does it take faith to walk with God (Enoch)? Do you ever grow weary of riding the roller coaster of faith? Every one of us has and maybe does currently determine our faith by one of two things: 1) we base our faith on what God does or… 2) we base our faith on who God is! Which are you doing currently?

The first lives by the unspoken motto – I believe God as longs as He does what I ask. My faith is building on how often and how well God answers prayers – totally dependent upon results that are fueled by sight. Hmmm.. doesn’t quite sound like faith at all does it? The second is a steadfast walk with God for the relationship – the pleasure of His company and understanding the pleasure we bring to Him. Prioritizing who God is will help us more accurately interpret what He does – we can trust His heart.

One final important part of faithfulness is ‘faith in action’. One of the definitions helps us discover that from the Hebrew word we find the basic meaning of ‘believing God’. However, true faith always takes action. It is all about appropriating what God in Christ has for us which always results in transformation of character and way of life. In other words, our faith always shows outwardly.

Often we look at the word faith and use the word trust interchangeably… I think we can have faith and not trust. How? We can believe/ have faith.. even in many things… (EXAMPLES) and of course, we have faith in God. The difference is: trust makes it personal. We have faith that gets personalized.. that’s trust.

The other evidence is not only in the change in character that happens when we appropriate that faith (trust) but also shows outwardly in our deeds/ works…

James 2:18 ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

John 14:12
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Finally.. let’s consider the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18….

What part is faith in the armor? The shield talked about in Biblical times was a plank of wood – 4 ft x 2-1.5 ft ..picture that then picture it being overlaid with linen and leather which were usually treated with a substance that extinguishes flaming arrows.

In reality, the shield was the part that covered all the other pieces of equipment in battle.

God designed our faith to be that same kind of protector. When we are convinced that God is believable and we respond to Him in faith practically nothing can get through to us. But when our faith diminishes, our shield begins to drop and we are vulnerable to the enemy.

Satan will stop at nothing to get us to lower our shield. He works very hard at stacking up tangible evidence in opposition to God’s assurances. He delights in getting us to doubt and believe lies (note re: next class). He studies our weaknesses and then aims where we’re vulnerable. One of his priorities is to keep us from really believing God… for salvation (ever doubt that?), and also for completion.

Two tactics he will use is 1) fear – we are not talking about appropriate types of fear here but fear that is destructive. Where great faith lives, destructive fear cannot survive. Satan will take advantage of every human fear we have – fear of disappointment, humiliation, fear of rejection and the list goes on and on… We must cling to Timothy 1:7 “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind” KJV.. NIV says timidity, self-discipline…

So how do we win the battle? The pitiful powers of the world and Satan have nothing compared to the armies in heaven fighting on our behalf! Fear cripples faith.. BUT..just as quickly, our faith cripples fear! YES! Whether fear or faith prevail depends solely upon the commander we are saluting. Who are you saluting?

God is faithful whether or not we believe Him.. He will do what He promised… we can trust Him – trust His faithfulness and allow Him to cultivate faithfulness in us through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

GROUP WORK

FRUITFUL LIVING – FRUIT: FAITHFULNESS

1. How does God want you to respond to what you heard this evening?

2. Consider God’s faithfulness being played out in these verses – Discuss.

Ps 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does. – In what areas is God’s faithfulness?

   Ps 111:7-8 The works of his hands are faithful and just;
   all his precepts are trustworthy.
⁸ They are established for ever and ever,
   enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.: In what area of your life do you most need God’s trustworthiness right now?

   Ps 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
   and your dominion endures through all generations.
   The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises
   and faithful in all he does.^[a] : Which phrase in this verse means the most to you at this time in your life?

3. Are you appropriating faith making it personal (trusting)? How?

4. Discuss steps you can take to increase this character of the fruit faithfulness in your life based upon this lesson.

Fruitful Living - Goodness - taught by Robbie Sedgeman

2012-01-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

Goodness

A few weeks ago, we looked at kindness as one of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. Kindness is all about our heart. It is not simply a considerate or caring action, it is the intention of our heart to feel and be nurturing towards others. A kind person has a nurturing spirit and a loving heart, wanting only the best for others, as a parent desires for their child.

Goodness is distinct and separate from kindness. (See ‘For Further Study’ below for a comparison of kindness, goodness and gentleness.) In its essence, goodness is righteousness, the goodness of God. It means moral excellence and spiritual excellence. It means desiring all that God desires for our world and for people and acting upon that desire.

The technical Greek meaning of goodness is “benevolence” and it has the implication of action – an “active good.” When I first approached this study, my assumption was that kindness was more active and goodness was more a state of the heart. But the opposite is true. Kindness emphasizes the tender, soft heart of wanting good for others, whereas goodness more actively carries out those good intentions. Beth Moore states, “We have not only been called to the attitude or disposition of kindness, but also to energize that character into acts of good.” God intended our righteousness to express itself in good works. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 says it best: “That God would fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness in us.”

Goodness – everything excellent & profitable - even unpleasant things

Using God’s Word to define and explain God’s Word is the surest way to get to the truth of a matter. In Titus, God defines goodness as those things that are “excellent and profitable for everyone.” Titus 3:8 states: “Those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” God’s goodness will take whatever action is needed to bring about good in others and to bring about good for others – whether that action is subtle and kind or a sharp rebuke.

Doing good is not always fun or easy or pleasant, nor is it based on what is most popular or what will be accepted by others. God does not ‘water down’ his goodness for individual tastes. The following are a few examples of times when doing good was not pleasant.

· Paul has a thorn in his side to keep him humble. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

· The persecution of the church in Jerusalem which led to believers being scattered and preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth. (Acts 8:1-4)

· Paul persecuted by the Jews in Macedonia which led him to preach to the Gentiles. (Acts 18:5-6)

· Jesus died on the cross and the curtain to the Holy of Holies split in two, that we might enter into God’s presence. (Matthew 27:50-51).

· Jesus overturning the money and trade tables in the temple to cleanse it of greed and hypocrisy. (Matthew 21:12-13)

The last example, of Jesus overturning tables in the temple, is a great example of goodness expressed in a harsh rebuke. But, like Jesus, we must be careful to temper that rebuke with the kindness of the Spirit. Satan can most easily hinder a good work when we allow our tempers or attitudes to harden our hearts. The result then ends up being harsh criticism instead of constructive correction. Beth Moore says it this way: “without kindness, goodness becomes harsh and self-righteous. Without goodness, kindness becomes indulgent tolerance. Only the Holy Spirit can balance and grow these essential qualities in our lives. Remember, love, joy, peace, patience and kindness precede goodness! God has a very good reason for so often coupling kindness and goodness in His Word. Kindness provides the safeguard for misguided goodness. In this concept (of kindness and goodness) we see a major reason why God only entrusts the fruit of the Spirit to those filled with the Spirit. You must be yielded to God to be a proper vessel of confrontational goodness.”

Trained to do Good Works

Titus 3:16-17 states, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

God’s goodness involves not only correcting or rebuking others for their good, but also receiving rebuke or correction for our own good. Learning, being corrected and changing as a result of the correction equips us for good works. We must stay in the Word and the will of God to carry out his good work in our lives. Whether we are doing good onto others or be training into righteous, it is not always pleasant, but as Beth Moore says, “God’s Word prioritizes goodness over gladness because God knows that goodness ultimately brings gladness.”

Appointed to do Good Works

Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God has a plan and a purpose for our lives that includes the mission (the good works) he planned for each of us to do. That could be a multitude of things, such as parenting, teaching, going on missions trips, being a light in your workplace, or standing up against abortion or some other cause. We each have a purpose, whether it’s changing the course of the nation or the course of one life.

God also has ‘everyday good works’ for us to do. God is interested in our daily lives. Many people are prone to think of daily life as mundane, but God has purpose in each day! We impact others positively or negatively each and every day – whether we purpose to or not. Perhaps your day includes having that difficult drug discussion with your teenager. Or lovingly confronting a co-worker about their negative attitude. Or standing up for someone being bullied. Or smiling at a stranger. Or slowing down on the way to the checkout counter at the grocery store to let someone else get in line ahead of you!

Everyday we have an opportunity to let the Holy Spirit work through us to bring God’s goodness into the world. Our part is to submit to his promptings. We can ensure we are thoroughly trained and ready for those opportunities by staying in his Word and making a conscience decision to set aside our will for His. Here is another nugget of wisdom from Beth Moore: “Goodness is never a personal issue, nor a personal platform, nor for personal gain. It is never the means by which we take up for ourselves or pamper our opinions. Remember, good works are always appointed, never assumed!”

Equipped to do Good Works

God not only prepares and appointments us for good works, he also equips us for them. When we are saved, we don’t go immediately to heaven. God leaves us here on earth to work out his purposes. We each have a specific mission and he has given each of us the ability to carry out that mission. 1 Corinthians 12:4 & 7 tells us that there are “different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit and that each person receives the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” The gifts of the Spirit, as listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 are wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous power, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues. Verse 28 lists these parts of the body of Christ: apostles, prophets, teachers, workers of miracles, gifts of healing, helping others, administration, and speaking in tongues. Romans 12:6-8 lists these gifts: prophesy, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing to the needs of others, leadership, and mercy. Do you know your gifts and talents? If not, start exploring by taking a class on talents and gifts. Or study God’s Word on the topic. You could also start sampling different ways to serve God and notice which areas of service energize you.

Shrewd as Snakes

It may already be apparent, but I think it warrants pointing out that doing good and being kind does not mean being walked over. Many people have an unspoken conviction that being a good Christian involves being naïve to the ways of this world. But in Matthew 10:15, Jesus told his disciples, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Jesus calls us to the essence of kindness by commanding us to be as innocent as doves – to have a tender, gentle, nurturing heart. But he also calls us to be as shrewd as snakes. We can keep tenderness in our hearts while at the same time being mindful that there is evil in this world, and that there are definite ‘rights and wrongs’ and there are those who want to harm us.

But God never leaves us on our own. He has also given us this promise in 1 John 5:4: “everyone born of God overcomes the world.” Through the precious Holy Spirit we can increasingly become filled with the righteousness of God and spread that goodness throughout the world, starting with our families and friends and expanding into our neighborhoods and places of work and beyond. Everywhere we go and every person we encounter presents an opportunity to be God’s goodness in the flesh.

For Further Study - Comparison of Kindness, Goodness & Gentleness

The similarities and differences between kindness, goodness and gentleness can be hard to sort out. My favorite way of differentiating the three is to think of ….

· kindness as having the heart of a loving parent toward everyone

· goodness as righteousness

· gentleness as the meekness described in Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” God’s meekness is strength under control.

The following is a brief listing of different translations and definitions to help you find your favorite way to differentiate between the three.

Different translations of kindness, goodness, and gentleness

Kindness….some translations use ‘gentleness’…commentaries discuss a good heart attitude

Goodness…. always translated goodness...commentaries refer to love in action & sowing goodness instead of evil

Gentleness…some translations use ‘meekness’…commentaries refer to the right use of power & authority; power under control

The Message

Kindness a sense of compassion in the heart

Goodness a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things & people

Gentleness not needing to force our way in life

Greek translations:

Kindness benevolence; kindness

Goodness generosity; uprightness of heart and life

Gentleness humility; mildness of disposition

Commentary:

Kindness benevolence in action, as God treats us kindly, we do so to others

Goodness an uprightness of soul and an action reaching out to do good even when it is not deserved

Gentleness submissive to God’s Word and considerate of others when discipline is needed

Commentary:

Kindness affable; courteous; easy to be entreated when any have wronged us

Goodness readiness to do good to all as we have opportunity

Gentleness govern our passions & resentments; not to be easily provoked

Questions

Discuss the difference between kindness, goodness & gentleness.
Come up with a list of actions that are ‘excellent and profitable for everyone’. Be sure to include some examples of tender, subtle actions and some examples of actions that may be considered harsh.
Do you have a hard time doing good for someone through the harsher actions, such as confrontation and rebuke? Do you have a hard time receiving that kind of goodness? Provide an example.
Do you consider yourself balanced between being as “innocent as a dove” and as “shrewd as a snake?” Explain why or why not.
Which gifts, talents and abilities do you believe you have? Share ways that you have used those gifts to bring good to others.

Fruitful Living - the opposite of patience is judgment

2012-01-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

Listen to audio...........
How's it going? Are you cultivating the fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control?

We are going to investigate one of the issues I brought up while teaching on patience a couple of weeks ago. To review: there are 2 types of patience

Greek word hupomone is endurance – putting up with things or circumstances & makrothumia which means long suffering; self-restraint before proceeding to action. It is the quality of a person who is able to avenge himself yet refrains from doing so. It is patience in respect to persons and hupomone is about situations. Both are crucial to living God’s way but both describe different qualities.

The opposite of patience toward others then would be ‘judgment’ - defined as ‘to condemn, take vengeance on, it means to try someone as if they stand accused before you in a court of law.. so.. patience is the delaying of judgment.

Eleven Reasons we must not judge others

(Ro 2:1-5) ¹ You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. ² Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. ³ So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? ⁴ Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

⁵ But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

Reasons from these passages include:

1. When we judge others, we cause God to be harder on us. Romans 2:1 We invite the discipline of God on our lives.

2. We do many of the same things we condemn in others. Vs 1 again.. “ For example .. we are all so quick to judge others for sexual transgressions and yet not one of us has not fallen in this area in some way… if not physically, we have done so mentally.

3. We do not know the whole truth. V 2 – God’s judgment is always based upon truth – the whole truth. We may ‘think’ we have the whole truth but we are incapable of reading minds and judging hearts --- discuss motives... I believe we point out behaviors that are based on fact & what we see/ know, but we cannot and should not judge or determine someone else's motives or the intention of their heart - that crosses the line.

4. We are mere humans. Vs 3 'so when you a mear man, etc…' Isaiah 29:16 expounds upon the temptation to switch roles with God: “you turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be life the clay!” We must not assume God’s position!!

5. When we judge others, we are judging God. Our judgment actually reveals contempt for God’s patience with people. (vs 4) God’s long suffering with us.. brought us our salvation.. who are we to say anything about others? God truly gives people every opportunity to say ‘yes’ to Him. Dr. Adrian Rogers says “time is not nearly as important to God as timing”.

6. God’s judgment is always righteous. Ours is tainted by the flesh. Vs 5 Our attitudes, our pasts, our experiences, personalities and even our positions influence us. Only God is the perfectly righteous judge.

Additional reasons are found in:

Matt 7:1-5 ¹ “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

7. We risk application of the same type of judgment to ourselves (vs 1-2).

8. We cannot judge the speck of sawdust in another’s eye because of the planks in our own. (vs 3-4) Our sight is hindered by our own sin (mirror).. have you ever taken the time to consider the things you dislike most in others could potentially be your own weaknesses/ sins?... I have found in my recovery journey, that the blind spots I/ we have are oftentimes the things we see in others.. take some time to reflect and pray on that... what are some examples you have?

James 4:11-12 ¹¹ Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister^[a] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

9. There is only one lawgiver and judge – vs 12.

10. Only God has noble purposes in His judgment. It is never about His ego.. It is practical and with purpose. What could some of our purposes be? - we feel better about ourselves, feel superior, what else?

Add'l reasons found in:

John 8:14-18 ⁴ Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. ¹⁶ But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. ¹⁷ In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. ¹⁸ I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

11. Our judgment would have to be completely consistent with God’s. He must agree with us for our judgment to be valid. Tough call but… when could this ever be possible? Is it possible?

We need to make sure we understand judgment from practicing church discipline.. some situations demand discipline! Any ideas?

Matthew 18:15-17 Dealing With Sin in the Church

¹⁵ “If your brother or sister^[b] sins,^[c] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’^[d] ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Apostle Paul – expel the brother… don’t eat with them.. explain…

1 Corinthians 5

Dealing With a Case of Incest

¹ It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. ² And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? ³ For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,^[a][b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? ⁷ Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister^[c] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
¹² What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? ¹³ God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”^[d]

Bottom line on judgment… it is far better to be the clay than the potter… Let’s let God – the potter – our creator, be the judge.. He is the only wise judge. And remember what the definition of judgment is vs. the act of loving confrontation of those who are in sin - hurting themselves and hurting others.

Note: portions of the above were taken from Beth Moore's study "Living Beyond Yourself"

GROUP WORK

How does God want you to respond to what you learned tonight?

Have any of you every served in a jury? What was that experience like? If not, how do you feel about serving in that capacity?

Discuss the differences between judgment and accountability/ church discipline to bring clarity. Have you even seen this done well? What were the outcomes? If not, what needs to change in the Body of Christ and how can we be instruments of change?

To review: why is it important to delay judgment? What is the opposite?

Fruitful Living - PATIENCE

2011-12-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

Review fruit of the Spirit

Tonight.. we are going to investigate another characteristic of the fruit - Patience.

What would it be like if you didn’t allow the behavior of others to ruin your day? Patience is inspired by mercy, absent of condemnation and evidence of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. When we are bearing the fruit of patience, people and circumstances do not have the power to ruin our day or rob us of our peace.

There are 2 forms of patience. One is driven by mercy (makrothumia). Because God has mercy on us, He shows us incredible patience. Because we are becoming more like Him, we reflect His patience to others. Makrothumia is the Greek word used in Galatians 5:22 but we cannot separate this from the other form of patience which is hupomone which possesses the meaning we most often associate with the word patience. This word means ‘to persevere, remain under, bearing up under and refers to that quality of character that does not allow one to surrender to circumstances or give in under trial’. For example: in Heb 10:35-36 we see the use of this definition “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

A main ingredient to perseverance/to patience is hope! The Greek word for hope means ‘the desire of some good with expectation of obtaining it”. It is definitely more than just a ‘positive thought’ or wish toward something.. the Biblical hope we have is a positive outlook toward an expected end. It is not focused on what ‘might’ happen but what ‘must’ happen – love it! We can keep in mind that hope inspires perseverance – inspires patience – endurance.

Let’s consider a Biblical example of the kind of patience we are talking about here. How about Job? What were a few of the ‘situations or circumstances’ through which Job persevered?

(sickness, betrayal of friends, judgment, death, financial ruin)

How could he be patient and persevere? Hope! Ro 8:28 is true and the refining process that happens through the ‘things’ in life that are rarely comfortable creates a hope for our future and part of that hope can be found in Ro 8:29 “²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

How are we being transformed into the likeness of Christ? 2 Cor 3:18⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate^[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Job drew from 2 hopes… hope in the face of pain and tragedy that God was at work - that God had not misplaced or forgotten about him and… Job trusted that God would transform him. What was the second hope? Job 19:25-27 ²⁵ I know that my redeemer^[a] lives,
   and that in the end he will stand on the earth.^[b]
²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed,
   yet^[c] in^[d] my flesh I will see God;
²⁷ I myself will see him
   with my own eyes—I, and not another.
   How my heart yearns within me!

In what was Job placing his hope? Seeing God’s glory.. being in His presence. Job’s heart yearned for that day.

Let’s look at a few other examples and find what appears to be the ‘hope’ inspiring the perseverance/ patience:

Heb 10:35-36 ³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Heb 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

2 Tim 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

“Without hope, no patience, without patience, no maturity, without maturity, no reflection, and without reflection, no glory.” Col 1:27 – tells us – Christ in us, the hope of glory.

We have been talking mostly about the Greek word hupomone/ patience.. now let’s discuss makrothumia which means long suffering; self-restraint before proceeding to action. It is the quality of a person who is able to avenge himself yet refrains from doing so. It is patience in respect to persons and hupomone is endurance – putting up with things or circumstances. That is the difference. Both are crucial to living God’s way but both describe different qualities. Let’s look at 2 Peter 3:9…The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. here we find God’s mercy… in fact, everywhere we see this word used in Scripture, we find God’s mercy.

So… hupomone is inspired by hope. Makrothumia the fruit mentioned in Galatians is inspired by mercy.

The Greek word for mercy means compassion, active pity, with the sense of goodness in general, especially piety – Scripture uses this word to describe God. So… even though the first form of patience is good… wouldn’t you agree that having patience in circumstances is not nearly as important as having patience with people? And.. unfortunately, it is also harder.. therefore, we need the Holy Spirit to accomplish this kind of patience. No wonder it is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. We cannot practice this kind of patience apart from God.

What are some Biblical examples of God practicing patience toward people? Could be a people group or a particular person.. ideas?

Let’s consider together.. the story of the flood.. What was going on in Genesis 6?

⁵ The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. ⁶ The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. ⁷ So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created— and yet.. He showed mercy toward Noah.. the word says Noah was a righteous man. How could this be amidst all the depravity around him? Noah’s life teaches us that there is no excuse for our unrighteous behavior.. just because everyone else is doing it.. that cannot be an excuse for our failure to do things right.

The interesting thing about this is God gave the people 120 years to repent. The word says that Noah preached and lived out righteousness in an attempt to get people to repent as he built the ark.

So.. God is patient toward us… and we are saved because mercy prompted God’s patience. God’s patience means salvation.. to us and to everyone who every believes.

2 peter 3:9 ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

And.. God calls us to be patient toward others through His empowerment. Ro 14:13

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

The opposite of patience toward others then would be ‘judgment’. The Greek word in the above passage is defined as ‘to condemn, take vengeance on, it means to try someone as if they stand accused before you in a court of law.. so.. the word for patience here is the delaying of judgment.

We will get into more detail in a couple of weeks about judgment - what it really is in detail and a list of reasons why we should not judge.

Let’s end our time talking more about the mercy needed to practice God’s kind of patience.

Col 3:12-13 says Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Patience is void of judgment and it is full of mercy and forgiveness. So.. to practice God’s kind of patience that comes from the Holy Spirit allows us to be people who forgive. We have discussed forgiveness many times in LifeCare. Do any of you remember what forgiveness is NOT? What is it?

To wrap up – what do we see in our lives when we are bearing the fruit of patience?

- Perseverance

- Mercy

- Non-judgmental

- Forgiving

- Self-restraint

- Hope

FRUITFUL LIVING – FRUIT: PATIENCE

1. After hearing tonight’s lesson – do you consider yourself a patient person? Do you find the first type easier than the second as discussed? Share a time you had to practice the first form. Then.. the second.

2. How do you see God’s patience being practiced toward you? – in the past or present

3. As we consider the evidence of a life full of patience, what attributes do you need to ask God to help you with and why?

FRUITFUL LIVING – LIVING THE CRUCIFIED LIFE

2011-11-22T09:32:00.000-08:00

FRUITFUL LIVING – LIVING THE CRUCIFIED LIFE

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Even though every believer has been ‘crucified with Christ’ in the ultimate sense of victory over sin and the grave, we must make certain choices to be crucified with Christ for victory in our daily battle with sin. What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? What does it mean to take up our cross daily? What does it mean to truly identify with Christ in His death? It is all about death to self…

Let’s look at

10 Characteristics of the Crucified life…(the following is an edited version taken from Beth Moore’s Living Beyond Yourself study)

Characteristics:

1. Few will understand – face the fact that there will be those around you – especially those closest to you that will question, maybe even challenge what you do with your life as God leads. Have you been there? Have anyone challenge you about how you spend to much time at church? Why you spend your money on missions or serve the poor when you could be buying a new house, boat, car or spending your time watching sports or enjoying some other form of leisure activity every week? This is not to discount the need for leisure but many live their lives for pleasure and leisure rather than using it to replenish their soul. If we are going to live the crucified life – a life in Christ – people will not understand us! – even other believers (those that are not surrendered fully to the Lordship of Christ)

2. You must abandon your own will and your own agenda – as long as we cling to our own agendas we will never live out the will of God. What is God’s will and purpose for our lives? How do we find out what it is? (audio) How can we find comfort in the death of our own will and desires? 1 Cor 2:9-10.. However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”^[a]— the things God has prepared for those who love him—
¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Heb 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3. Your intimate spiritual companions will be few – we might as well face it, there are very few in the church of Jesus Christ that choose the narrow road – there are few that will take the same road of the crucified life. God is an ‘add on’ in their life rather than ‘their life’. Be thankful for those you have in your life that are and pray for those who are not.

4. Intense, alone times with God are required – the best preparation any of us can do for our most agonizing trials or growth spurts is when we are the only one with the teacher. .we are the only one receiving the attention and comfort and strength from the only One who has the power to give it.

5. You will constantly be on the witness stand – we will always be under a microscope. Matt 26:57-67: Jesus before the Sanhedrin There will never be a time when we are not subject to the observation of others. We will be held under the scrutiny of non-believers and believers being called to the witness stand. In Heb 13:12-14 we find that Jesus took on our shame and disgrace – we must be willing to do the same. He suffered outside/ away from his home base – we must be willing to leave some of our comforts. He was unashamed of us – we should be unashamed of Him! 1Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

6. You must go ‘outside the camp’ – God will continually force us outside our comfort zone if we are living the crucified life. (call to Africa – audio) When was the last time you were required by God to leave your comfort zone? If there hasn’t been – we have to ask ourselves why not?

7. There will be times when your dignity is forfeited – think about Jesus hanging on that cross, He could have come down from there and saved Himself and His dignity. How difficult is it going to be for us to surrender our dignity when God calls us to? The promise, however, it receiving God’s covering.. Ps 91:1¹ “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”

We will be safe within the shadow of the almighty!

8. There will be times you must forego your rights – We may have the right to be angry, the right to be bitter, the right to be happy, the right to give up on that wayward/ prodigal son or daughter. We have many rights but is God calling you to surrender them to Him.. surrender them to His Lordship – let Him lead the way, be your vindicator, be your peace, be your strength, be your hope – He will replace our rights with His supernatural work of the Spirit.

9. You must accept that death is painful – Death hurts. We have to face the fact that at times, choosing the will of God over our own is going to be excruciating. We love our flesh and the pleasure of sin so it is going to hurt to have its desires crucified! What makes it worth it? (share ideas)

10.Because He was forsaken, you never will be – Because Jesus agreed to have the sins of the world heaped upon Him and experience separation from the Father, we will never be forsaken. Jesus took on the full force of rejection and separation – separation of humanity, His creation and separation from the Father. Because He was forsaken, we never will be.

1. Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

2. Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

3. Joshua 1:5
No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

4. Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Our salvation.. our relationship with God is secure!

Even though every believer has been ‘crucified with Christ’ in the ultimate sense of victory over sin and the grave, we must make certain choices to be crucified with Christ for victory in our daily battle with sin. If we are to bear the fruit of the Spirit, we must die daily – live the crucified life.

FRUITFUL LIVING – LIVING THE CRUCIFIED LIFE

GROUP WORK

1. Of the 10 Characteristics, which gives you the most concern in your current walk with the Lord? Which spoke most personally to you?

2. How does God want you to respond to what you have learned this evening?

3. As you consider your current struggles, is there something you are not dying to that could literally transform you and/ or the situation?

4. What prevents us from letting go / dying to the things we know God is calling us to give to Him and do His will instead?

5. Discuss the final passages shared about God never leaving or forsaking us. Do you REALLY believe this? If not, why not?

Will you join us? Outreach Opportunity

2011-11-16T04:49:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends:

We are so excited to share an opportunity with you where you can invest in something that will make a difference in years to come in the lives of leaders as well as communities in Africa. I (Lillian) have been serving on the Board of Directors for Jasmund Outreach for a couple of years now and Mike and I were recently invited to come to join in the life-changing impact they are making. How? We are taking LifeCare to Africa! After a recent meeting, we have firmed up our ministry opportunities when we, Lord-willing, go to join the Jasmunds in late January for ten days.

You can be a part by investing in this trip where we will be teaching/ training area pastors as well as pastoral students in Dome (pronounced domay) outside of Accra in the South, and Bolgatanga in the North bordering Burkina Faso. We were thrilled to hear these students and pastors are open to learning about genuine discipleship that takes in the 'whole person'. For those who have been with us on this LifeCare journey thus far, you have learned that spiritual maturity cannot be found apart from dealing with the whole person and the matters of the heart - we must address the emotional, mental, physical and relational needs of the individual as well as the spiritual which intersects them all. This trip, which we are prayerful will be the first of many for future LifeCare teams will also allow us opportunities to meet with these leaders for counseling and inner healing work. We are also planning to minister inner healing to the women and men separately. The women in particular have endured a lot of sexual trauma - they need to be set free and we feel the call to begin something that will continue after we leave. The cost is expensive if it were left to one individual or family but with everyone contributing, we will be able to make this trip happen. Obviously, the end of January is not far off and we are trusting that God will provide through people like you that believe in the LifeCare mission - a Care Center reaching out to the world to make a difference - being Christ's ambassadors of healing and training others to minister well.

Your donations are tax deductible. Simply send a check with 'missions' indicated in the memo line or contribute via pay pal on our web site at www.lifecarechristiancenter.org. We have less than two months to raise at least $5,000. Will you join us in this amazing venture whether financial and/ or in your prayers? And please share this with others you know who can be praying with us. Thank you so much.

In His Amazing Service,
Lillian & Mike

Lillian M. Easterly-Smith, BCPC
Board Certified Pastoral Counselor, AACC
Sr. Chaplain, I.F.O.C
Executive Director, LifeCare Christian Center
33300 Warren, Suite 17, Westland, MI 48185
Sr. Chaplain, I.F.O.C.
www.lifecarechristiancenter.org

FRUITFUL LIVING - LOVE - Part 2 - Eros & Phleo

2011-11-14T13:03:00.000-08:00

FRUITFUL LIVING – LOVE – Part 2

**Be sure to listen to the audio – valuable illustrations, discussions, comments are not in the written notes.

Review the fruit of the Spirit…. Also for review…What is the fruit of the Spirit? – definition: 1. the supernatural outcome of being filled with the Spirit. 2. the living proof that the Spirit of God dwells in us. By the way.. it’s fruit not fruits… J speaks of one kind of fruit with 9 different qualities.

Last week we started learning about the first fruit – Love – we learned there are 3 types of love: Eros, Phileo & Agape… We focused on agape and went through 1 Corinthians 13. Tonight we will be investigating eros and phileo together…

Eros is the Greek word for romantic love – The word actually means: longing and desire. Eros is a selfish love, it asks ‘what can I get for myself?’. This is why it has been associated with sexual love. Unless sexual love is redeemed by the presence of God, it becomes possessive. It seeks to conquer and control. Human sexuality can be a destructive force, but such was never God’s intention. For further study read Song of Solomon or… attend our seminar in January on Healthy Sexuality (2^nd Sat of the month).

Healthy marriages do not exist absent of physical affection. Eros is an integral part of marriage. If yours is missing this element – take heart – God can change it! Begin to pray – God can change your heart and give you healthy desires toward your mate. Sometimes agape comes before eros or phileo comes before eros…

        Our Story…(Mike & I - listen to audio).
The next type of love is ‘phileo’.. “the love one has toward a friend or companion”. 1 Peter 3:8 says “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

When one has phileo love for another, they place that person in a high personal position. We hold them in high esteem. This love is also characterized by shared experience or shared interests that bring you both joy. Let’s discuss the different levels or types of friendships we may have… There is the outer circle (acquaintances) , middle (common interests/ some sharing/ Body of Christ – like extended family members) and inner circle (deep, intimate) – very few people of these inner circle relationships these days and if they do, there are less than a hand full in that inner circle. These are the friends that know your likes and dislikes, your idiosyncrasies, attitudes about certain things, your basic nature, your strengths and weaknesses, there is open sharing that is 2-way, there is intimacy on many levels – emotional, intellectual and spiritual oftentimes.
These relationships (middle & inner circle) are like family – God calls us “to love like a sister/ brother”. 1 Peter 3:8 “ ⁸ Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

As we consider loving well.. we have to deal with the uncomfortable topic of ‘risk’. When we love – eros, phileo, agape – we risk being hurt – we risk betrayal. These fears should never keep us from cultivating these relationships but oftentimes they do.
Getting beyond betrayal & rejection
1. weigh out the risks (positives & negatives) brainstorm examples: neg: emotional pain, embarrassed, disappointment, shame, feel stupid   positive: dispel loneliness, rewarding, fulfilling, happiness, joy, act of obedience, healing
2. forgiveness
3. consider the source
4. look to God first – let Him guide you to relationships rather than you ‘choosing’
5. Seek His Divine healing & Strength
   Ps 27:10
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
   the LORD will receive me.

Rom 11:15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 1Peter 2:4-10 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house^[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says:

   “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him
   will never be put to shame.”^[b] ⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,   “The stone the builders rejected
   has become the cornerstone,”^[c]

⁸ and, “A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”^[d]

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

FRUITFUL LIVING – LOVE (PART 2)
GROUP WORK

1. What does the role of ‘chemistry’ play in romantic love?

2. Discuss the differences in the ‘circles’ of relationship. What are some characteristics you look for or see in the friendships you have in the inner circle?

3. The times you experienced rejection or betrayal, what were ways you dealt with it – positive & negative?

4. Are you still practicing self-protection? What have you heard tonight that will help you put those walls down and begin to pursue relationship?

FRUITFUL LIVING - LOVE - PART 1 - Agape

2011-11-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

FRUITFUL LIVING – LOVE

Be sure to listen to the audio – valuable illustrations, discussions, comments are not in the written notes.

1 Corinthians 13 – Love! ¹ If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

We talk about it – sing about it – praise it – seek it – long for it – LOVE~! God’s kind of love is really foreign to us. How can we have the ability to love the unlovely – not endure them – but to love them? How can we genuinely desire the best, not just for ourselves & our friends but for our enemies? Love challenges us doesn’t it? It also frightens us. Ultimately only love – the love that comes from God – love that IS God (God is love) - can change us so that we become people who love.

There are 3 types of love: Eros, Phileo / philos & Agape… tonight we are going to talk about the facets of Agape which is the Greek word used in Galatians 5:22. Next week, we will discuss the other types of love. Agape – divine love, stands in a class all its own. Agape is not a feeling, it is a response, it’s not something based on common interests or connection. Agape flows from what is right and best. God is commanding us to agape – not to a feeling. He is commanding us to surrender to an act of His Spirit which is obedience – emotion may accompany agape but they are not the same nor is it necessary.

Back to 1 Cor 13 – keep in mind that ‘love’ in these verses is ‘agape’. Do you feel challenged? Overwhelmed? Feel it is unattainable? Or.. are you confident? It is evident by these words that agape is truly divine and must be supernaturally obtained.

What are the characteristics of agape?

1. Patient – the proper definition of this Greek word is “a person who is able to avenge himself yet refrains from doing so”

2. Kind – “to show oneself useful”: willing to help, assist.

3. Does not Envy – left to reap, envy always ends in some form of action. Listen to the news.. you’ll find out exactly what actions envy and jealousy lead to: competition, fighting, theft, idolatry of all kinds, and even murder (Examples)

4. Does not Boast – This Greek word comes from the root word that means ‘braggart’. What is the only grounds for boasting? 1Cor 1:31 ¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^[a]

5. Not Proud – Where does pride lead us? Discuss… Proverbs 13:10 Where there is strife, there is pride,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice. If we are loving with agape love – what can be said about our relational interactions? Remember – quarreling and loving confrontation are 2 different things. Quarreling oftentimes has more to do with us than anything else – are we fearful of what people will think – if it’s a spouse or a child that is not acting in accord with your will.

6. Not Rude – “to behave in an ugly, indecent, unseemly or unbecoming manner” this includes things that are obscene – that is ‘unbecoming’.. If we participate in the indecent or obscene, we cripple our ability to exercise agape. Phil 4:8 provides guidelines for us so it is not quenched. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

7. Not Self-Seeking – Self-seeking is the polar opposite of agape.

8. Not Easily Angered – This one goes with #7 – Much of what angers us is a result of how we perceive we are personally affected by a situation. Let’s look at Psalm 145:8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The assumption we can find from this passage is that we cannot be rich in love without being slow to anger. Do you agree?

9. Keeps no Record of Wrongs – Somehow most human beings revel in recording the failures of others – perhaps it’s because then we can feel better about ourselves.

10. Does not Delight in Evil but Rejoices with the Truth – Is it easy always rejoice in the truth? When is it not easy?

11. Always Protects – “to cover over in silence” A good picture of this would be covering an individual with a cloak of love that their faults cannot be seen. If I am quick to notice fault and it is easy for me to expose that fault, then I am not exercising agape.

12. Always Trusts – “having faith in someone” – believing in them

13. Always Hopes – “to expect with desire” – expect the best from them

14. Always Perseveres – “to remain under” “to hang in there” – this is necessary if we are ever going to enjoy long term relationships

15. Never Fails – “to be without effect, to be in vain”

If we allow God to exercise agape through us no matter what happens, it will never be in vain! Agape is the love of God expressed through us to others. It begins as a response and ends with a feeling.

Agape in Action – John 13:34-35 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Additional characteristics of agape:

Agape Sacrifices. Agape is Demonstrative! Agape shows. Agape cannot help but be expressed because that is its essence. Of course the greatest demonstration was the cross….

In John 17 we find at least 8 ways Christ demonstrated his love for us.

1. He reveals His father to us

2. ..gives us the Father’s word

3. ..prays for us

4. ..protects us

5. ..gives us His glory

6. .. places us in Him

7. ..makes the Father known to us

8. ..desires for us to be with Him and to see His glory

Zephaniah 3:17 CEV
The Lord your God wins victory after victory
and is always with you.
He celebrates and sings
because of you,
and he will refresh your life
with his love.”

FRUITFUL LIVING – LOVE

GROUP WORK

1. Think about several people you ‘agape love’ the most – Do they know without a doubt you love them? How?

2. Is there someone God is calling you to ‘agape’ that you are resisting? Why the resistance? Is your heart the problem?

1 John 3:20 “If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

3. How does God want you to respond to this lesson tonight?

4. Share the impact as you consider God ‘agape’ loves you. What do you feel and think as you consider 1 Cor 13 toward you from God?

Note: much of the lessons presented in Fruitful Living come from a study by Beth Moore: “Living Beyond Yourself”

FRUITFUL LIVING - PEACE: by Robbie Sedgeman

2011-10-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

Peace

Peace is Possible

As we continue our study in the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23) – this week we will focus on peace. Peace is a frequent topic in Sarah Young’s devotional entitled ‘Jesus Calling.’ Here is the October 13^th devotional (it is written as if Jesus is speaking directly to you):

Take time to be still in My Presence. The more hassled you feel, the more you need this sacred space of communion with Me. Breathe slowly and deeply. Relax in My holy Presence while My Face shines upon you. This is how you receive My Peace, which I always offer to you.

Imagine the pain I feel when My children tie themselves up in anxious knots, ignoring My gift of Peace. I died a criminal’s death to secure this blessing for you. Receive it gratefully; hide it in your heart. My Peace is an inner treasure, growing within you as you trust in Me. Therefore, circumstances cannot touch it. Be still, enjoying Peace in My Presence.

Doesn’t that sound wonderful? And the Bible tells us that it is possible! One of the titles given to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6 is Prince of Peace. Where ever he is, there is peace. So, if we follow him, peace is available to us!

Peace Defined

The Greek word for peace means ‘peace of mind, tranquility.’ It is more than a lack of strife or anxiety or fear; it is being filled with the contentment and tranquility of God.
Some people have simply numbed their emotions in order to avoid the painfulness of fear or worry. But that is not peace - it is not feeling. God created our emotions for our benefit and for us to feel them to their fullest. Beth Moore says it this way, “Peace means the absence of fear and turmoil, but not the absence of pain and grief. We can be filled with sadness and still possess a wonderful sense of God’s peace. God is not a proponent of emotional annihilation.”

Signs that you are Lacking Peace

Since we are designed by God to live peaceful lives, whenever we are experiencing turmoil or chaos in some area of our life, peace is missing. In Job 3:26, Job said, ‘I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil.’

Beth Moore says it this way, “Without doubt, God’s peace is paramount to spiritual, mental and emotional wholeness.” I would add physical wellness to that statement. Proverbs 14:30 says, ‘A heart at peace gives life to the body.’

A lack of peace can emerge in a multitude of ways and it is important for each of us to identify how our thoughts, emotions and bodies react when there is turmoil within us. Here are a few ways turmoil exhibits itself:

Sleepless nights filled with tossing and turning
Fear
Worry & anxiety
Tasks seems difficult, burdensome – no motivation or being overwhelmed
Mind and/or body in perpetual motion – you don’t want to stop and simply be still
Memories that imprison you and that you can’t stop thinking about
Life circumstances that have never-ending strife and chaos
Hopelessness
Sense of being out of control
Physical ailments such as headaches and digestive issues

The Source of Peace

An important component in understanding and embracing peace is knowing whose it is. Most of us believe it is ours – that it is something we can attain of our own accord. We strive to create peace in our lives. We try to manipulate and control the circumstances of our lives and the behavior of others in an effort to make our lives go in a predictable, steady order. Then, we believe, turmoil will be gone and peace will enter our hearts. Or we may try to control our minds and emotions directly through meditation and peaceful music or by telling ourselves over and over again, ‘Let it go.’ Some of us use distraction techniques, such as focusing on food, shopping, work or ministry to block out the turmoil.
We may be quite adept at some of these techniques and even have a measure of success. But ultimately we will run into a brick wall. A circumstance will be beyond our manipulation or a person will not go along with our agenda or we find anxiety creeping into the middle of our meditation.
That is when we are in the best position to realize that peace is not ours to acquire – it is God’s to give to us. God owns peace and he is the only one with the ability to impart it to us. The good news is that he has already said that it is available to us! In John 14:27, Jesus said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.' Ephesians 2:14a says, ‘For he himself is our peace.’
It can be a challenge for those who are followers of Christ to stay in his peace, but how impossible it is for those who do not have Jesus as their Lord to maintain any measure of true peace. Isaiah said, ‘the way of peace they do not know’ (Isaiah 59:8). How grateful I am to have God in my life!

Abiding in Peace

We play an active role in our peace. It is a gift we have already been given, but it’s up to us to unwrap it. As Beth Moore states, ‘The key to being filled with the Holy Spirit, so that God’s peace may be released within, is a mind focused on him.’ Romans 8:6 says, ‘The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.’
We naturally focus on the circumstances of our everyday lives. We are busy and things need to get done. And God does call us to be productive and active in our lives. In the process, we often make the tasks of our day our primary focus. All the while, God is longing to be our main focus. Matthew 6:33 says, ‘Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.’

I realized recently how often I am not ‘in the present moment.’ Preparing for this study, I found myself in a state of turmoil at one point because I felt I should be further along than I was. I was calculating the time I had left to prepare the study compared to how much more I had to do and it took my peace completely away. It seemed ironic, and very frustrating, that my peace would vanish while preparing a talk on peace. But with the help of Godly counsel, I realized that it is exactly like God to use this opportunity to teach me more about my peace journey. I was not seeking him first above all – I was seeking to ‘get it done.’ But above all, he wants an active ongoing relationship with us. He doesn’t need me to do this study; he is giving me the opportunity to create this study with him. In all we do, he wants to do it with us. He is not as concerned about what we do as much as he has a desire to do it with us!

Isaiah 16:3, Isaiah says, ‘You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.’ Trust is vital to keeping our minds focused on God and filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, ‘Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’ (Matthew 6:27, 34). He calls us to focus on and live in each day, embracing whatever joys or sorrows it brings, letting the next day work itself out.

This is equally applicable to our worries about our own lives as it is our worries about the lives of those we love. In describing how Jesus feed 5,000 with a few fish and some small loaves of bread, Beth Moore said, “Jesus was perfectly at peace with the needs of his followers because he had perfect confidence in his Father’s provision.” We can leave our needs and the needs of others at his feet, because God is capable.

Philippines 4:6-7 has always been one of my favorite verses: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.’ But I was struck recently with something I had missed all these years – the peace which transcends understanding comes to us simply by talking to God! It does not say, ‘present your requests, be thankful and then God will resolve your troubles and then you will have peace.’ It says, ‘present your requests to God and the peace of God’ will come upon you. It is so simple – Jesus is the Prince of Peace, so we cannot help but be in a measure of his peace when we are talking with him!

The Glorious Outcome of Peace

One glorious outcome of God’s peace is that it is reveals his power and ability. Philippines 4:7 says that God’s peace is beyond understanding. In Matthew 11:30, Jesus says, ‘My yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ You can be in the midst of the most difficult circumstances, yet have contentment as you walk through the dark valley. That unnatural response to difficult circumstances shines a light in your life that proves to both you and others that God is capable of doing things that no one else can do.

Another glorious outcome of God’s peace is that it will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippines 4:7). My study bible says that guarding your hearts and minds is “a military concept depicting a sentry standing guard. God’s ‘protective custody’ of those who are in Christ Jesus extends to the core of their beings and to their deepest intentions.” 1 Peter 1:5a says we are those ‘who through faith are shielded by God’s power.’

In her study on the fruits of the Spirit, Beth Moore states, “Jesus has greeted us with the most liberating words known to spiritual humanity: ‘Peace be with you!’ Praise his holy name. My heart pounds within me, ‘Lord, I want your peace!’ I want peace in aloneness, peace in provision, peace in the storm, peace in the wait, peace in the tears, peace in your plan – and even peace in my death.”

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Questions

1. How do you define peace? Have you ever mistaken numbness for peace?

2. Review the signs indicating a lack of peace. Are you experiencing any of those signs?

3. How are you doing at keeping your focus on God and his kingdom? Can you identify a circumstance when the task at hand became the all-important focus and communion with God became secondary? What was your level of peace during that circumstance?

4. Are you being challenged to trust God in a particular area of your life? Explain.

5. Share a time when you or someone you know experienced one of the glorious outcomes of God’s peace: peace beyond understanding which displayed his glory and power or protection of your heart and mind.

FRUITFUL LIVING - JOY!!!

2011-10-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

Listen to Audio for complete teaching.

Review fruit of the Spirit – SONG

Lesson 3 – we are going to investigate the fruit of JOY! The joy of the Lord is our strength…

Joy is the second characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit. We skipped over love but will get back to it and spend a couple of weeks on it. Love melts the heart of stone and Joy touches the deepest part of the heart. We NEED joy! And.. our world needs believers who evidence the fruit of joy! Would you agree?

The Greek word for joy means ‘rejoicing, gladness, enjoyment, bliss’ – in many ways, it simply means ‘to celebrate’.

There are six key sources of joy:

1.       In Ps 43: 3-4… we find the primary reason for joy: Send me your light and your faithful care,
   let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
   to the place where you dwell.
⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God,
   to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
   O God, my God.

God Himself – He is our joy and our delight! What do you enjoy most about God?

2. Luke 10:20 shows us the second: do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Why be joyful? Our names are written in heaven/ in the Lambs book of life (Rev 13:8). Rejoice in our salvation Ps 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. . As we consider the Greek interpretation of JOY – we find that Joy is an absolute assumption in grace. Joy is literally written into grace. In other words, “if we fully understood what grace means and what we have because of it, we would never cease to rejoice” – have JOY! In order to have the fullness of JOY – we must stay aware of what and from what we have been saved. We need to consistently focus on our great salvation so that our joy might be full. Remember where you came from.. share it.. talk about it as often as you can. From what have we been saved in the future? Rev 20:11-15 tells us we are saved from:

Being cast into the lake of fire, the second death, judgment according to our works… we have been saved from these penalties. Also.. ‘what’ are we saved of: our sins, transgressions, iniquities…”a life without Christ & His salvation is a wasted life”. God never wastes a hurt.

3. The third reason for joy is very interesting… It is all about hidden treasure/ the joy we find in the hidden things of God/ the surprises. Matt 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field., Luke 10:21. At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do..so the joy comes in the discovery/ the excitement of the revelation. The women discovered an empty tomb, John the Baptist discovered the Messiah, the shepherds discovered the good news, etc… These are not random discoveries – they are supernatural discoveries of our Lord & Savior in circumstances of life. Have you ever found Him in the difficulties of your life? SONG Blessings
by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

(Chorus)
'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Oftentimes the hidden treasure/ blessing comes disguised. it comes in our pain and hardships.

4. Joy is not only what we have discussed but is also a response to restoration! There are three different circumstances through which God seeks to bring restoration that brings wonderful joy!   Let’s read Ps 71:20,23
²⁰ Though you have made me see troubles,
   many and bitter,
   you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
   you will again bring me up. ²³ My lips will shout for joy
   when I sing praise to you—
   I whom you have delivered.

YOU have made me see troubles.. OUCH! Well… I am convinced and learned from experience that we cannot fully know Christ until we learn to fellowship with Him in His sufferings. The closest friends I have are those whom I have ‘suffered’ with. How about you? Let’s read Phil 3:10… “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”

The second circumstance through which God seeks to bring restoration is found in 2 Cor 1:3-7..comforting those with the comfort we have received. Bottom line question: are we making ministry out of our miseries? We must always remember… If God has ordained difficulty for us, He has also ordained restoration for us – we can count on it! 1 Peter 5:10 confirms it: ¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Thirdly, God always desires to bring restoration through discipline. God does not like separation from us. He wants us in true close intimacy with Him. Discipline basically means ‘teach’.. we teach our children and we use various means to teach. God does the same…The Lord will discipline those He loves.. He must in order to restore the relationship. If we are separated from God, if we are in sin, our relationship/ our joy will not be restored until there is repentance and sometimes that does not come about apart from discipline.

5. Let’s talk now about Abiding JOY! John 15:1-17 shows us how we can abide in Him.. which is abiding in Joy! The fruit of the Spirit originates in the heart and personality of God. John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

God is the possessor and giver of true joy. Fleeting moments of happiness come our way all the time – happiness is based upon circumstance. Inner joy flows only from Christ. How do we tap into that joy? – these verses in John 15 teach us: remain in ME Jesus says. The Greek word for remain means to ‘abide, dwell, live’. To remain with Christ means to cling to Him, refuse to budge under pressure, and to never allow loss or any other painful experience to cause us to leave.

Finally…6. our joy is the result of relating God’s way to God’s people. We are joy for one another! God wants us to bring joy to each other! If you cannot honestly say you are enjoying fellow believers – those in the Body of Christ, there is a reason and you must deal with that reason. Whether it is fear – you’ve had some painful, hurtful experiences with others in the past, you are an introvert and don’t allow yourself opportunities to connect, you are isolating because you don’t like yourself, whatever the reason.. your joy will never be complete apart of the enjoyment you find in the community of God.

If we are those enjoying community.. it is our responsibility to draw others in. Look around you.. pay attention.. do you see the loneliness in someone’s eyes? Perhaps you are the one that can make a difference for them… let’s reach out.. bring joy to others!

How do we lose our joy? Here are some possible reasons:

1. our out-pour is exceeding our intake

2. our talk exceeds our walk

3. we become ‘wonders junkies’

4. we are exhausted

5. when we feel all alone

If you’ve lost your joy, it’s right where you left it… in His presence!

Let’s review….

- Joy is GOD Himself!

- Joy comes in realizing and remembering our salvation

- Joy comes as a result of discovering God in all our circumstances – the hidden things of God/ His treasure

- …is the result of restoration

- …is the result of remaining/ abiding in Christ

- …is the result of relating God’s way to God’s people

GROUP WORK

FRUITFUL LIVING – LESSON 3 – FRUIT: JOY

1. IF SOMEONE IS HAVING DIFFICULTY IN HAVING JOY IN GOD HIMSELF, WHY WOULD THAT BE?

2. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS WE CAN DO TO KEEP THE ‘JOY OF OUR SALVATION’ AT THE FOREFRONT OF OUR MIND?

3. SHARE A TIME WHEN YOU FOUND THE HIDDEN TREASURE OF GOD IN A LIFE CIRCUMSTANCE.

4. CELEBRATE A TIME OF RESTORATION IN YOUR LIFE BY SHARING IT WITH THE GROUP. WAS THE RESTORATION A TIME OF SUFFERING INTENDED BY GOD, CIRCUMSTANCES OR SIN? WHAT HAS GOD’S DISCIPLINE BEEN IN YOUR LIFE?

5. WHAT WORKS FOR YOU IN STAYING DEEPLY CONNECTED TO CHRIST?

6. SHARE HOW BEING A PART OF PEOPLE’S LIVES HAS HELPED YOU FIND JOY.

FRUITFUL LIVING - Lesson 2 by Robbie Sedgeman - THE HOLY SPIRIT

2011-10-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

Holy Spirit

(Listen to Audio)

Introduction

This is session two in Fruitful Living, where we will explore the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Lillian and I are team teaching this study, which is based on Beth Moore’s study, but we will also include other information we’ve acquired through our own study.
The name of Beth Moore’s study is Living Beyond Yourself, which is exactly what God calls us to do - not to live in our own power or ability but in his care and power.

That is certainly what I desire. I’ve tried living in my wisdom and it hasn’t served me well. How about you? Has living your way given you the peace, contentedness, belonging you desire?
Only in living a life in the Holy Spirit can we experience true freedom. The goal is to experience genuine freedom – which is a life overflowing with the Holy Spirit.
1 John 4:19 says ‘We love God because He loved us first.’ That is so true of all good things. They all come from God. So for us to experience freedom, peace, and joy, we need God first and foremost because all good flows from Him.
Matthew 6: 33 says ‘Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Receiving and experiencing His love and full live is a result of the Holy Spirit being in us. Then we can live life at its fullest.

What does a full, righteous life look like? God has given us a blueprint. He has laid out his plan for our lives in His Word, the Bible. But Galatians 5:22-23 provides a good summary: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” A life submitted to God will be a life that has an increasing measure of the fruit of the Spirit.

We’ll explore each fruit in detail, but first we need to lay a foundation. Lillian laid the first part of the foundation last week.

We need to understand why Jesus died for us:

To rescue us from sin - it is the Father’s will - to restore relationship with the Father - and because he loves us

Become aware if you are an easy target for false teaching. You are an easy target if you:

Don’t know the truth/don’t explore the Bible for yourself – get bored/are complacent – seek the approval of others rather than the approval of God

Be assured that you have Jesus’ righteousness credited to you

Have faith in God and receive his grace

Knowing God as Abba Father

Next week we’ll start looking at the specific fruit of the Spirit, but today I am going to lay the second part of our foundation, an exploration of the Holy Spirit. This is definitely an essential foundation in order to embrace the Bible’s teaching on the fruits of the Spirit. We will talk about the following:

Who is the Holy Spirit?
What is the Holy Spirit’s role in Creation?
What is the Holy Spirit’s Relationship to us?

Who is the Holy Spirit?

I have heard about a lot of different teaching in churches on the Holy Spirit, about who he is and our relationship to him. There is some controversy and my intent is not to address that controversy, but to touch on the basics of what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit.
Simply put, the Holy Spirit is God. It is definitely a mystery. God is three-in-one, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

It is beyond our understanding. There are specific references to each throughout the Bible, while at the same time making it clear that God is one.
Jesus spoke of the Father and of the Spirit separately.
In Genesis 1:26a God says, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness”.
Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

The Hebrew word for God in that verse is Elohim, which is plural. But the verb used is singular, implying God is multiple yet one.

Genesis 1:2 continues, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

I find it interesting that the Holy Spirit is the first one of the three that is specifically mentioned in the Bible.
Throughout my study and preparation, I was surprised to see how many times the Holy Spirit is specifically mentioned. There were many verses where my vague memory assumed the verse mentioned God or Jesus, when it actually specifically references the Holy Spirit.

He is a person with a personality, not an ‘it.’ Here are a few examples.

We can grieve the Holy Spirit, just like we can grieve a person.

Ephesians 4:31a says “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”
We grieve him when we act in an ungodly way.

He is our counselor, as in John 14:16, when Jesus says “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.”

I often think of Jesus counseling me, giving me advice, but the Holy Spirit is also our counselor.

We can limit the Spirit’s work in our lives, as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”

I have experienced times when I have been excited about something in my life and I’ve shared it with someone that was completely negative. It dampened me, limited my enthusiasm. Similarly, we can dampened or crush the Spirit’s good work in us by being negative, such as disobeying or doubting or being fearful.

What is the Holy Spirit’s role in Creation?

The Holy Spirit is the energizer, applying the power and energy of God into creation.

Earlier we looked at Genesis 1:2 “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
‘Hovering’ means to flutter, move or shake.
All three were involved in creation and continue to uphold creation. Different commentators describe each one’s role differently. Beth Moore describes it this way, “The Father willed it, the Son spoke it, and the Holy Spirit energized it into being.”

The Holy Spirit regenerates creation, including us.

John 3:5-6 “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

The Holy Spirit lives in us. This is why the Holy Spirit has been precious to me. Since the beginning of my regeneration, I have had hope in the Holy Spirit being with me. God the Father has seemed distant in Heaven, Jesus is more approachable to me but He is no longer on earth. When I so badly have felt I needed God here in physical form, the presence of the Holy Spirit in me has been the closest I could get to God’s physical presence.

Colossians 1:26b “Christ in me, the hope of glory”
1 Corinthians 2:16b “ We have the mind of Christ”

The Holy Spirit seals us. We can be assured of our salvation.

Ephesians 4:30 “with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”
To seal means to close up and make secure. Satan cannot indwell us when the Holy Spirit has sealed us.
It also means to mark something as authentic and approved. God the Father sees the seal of the Holy Spirit upon us and knows we are his.

What is the Holy Spirit’s Relationship to us?

Speak truth into our lives

In ourselves, we are deceived by Satan and our own harmful desires and can’t see truth
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Thankfully, God understands our hearts and know how to present truth to us at a time when we need it and are open to it, and the Holy Spirit reminds us of truth.
John 16:12-13a “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.”

Enables us to resist sin and bad choices

Galatians 5:16 “So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature”
On our own we are not able to resist sin and make good choices. Beth Moore says it this way, “Have you noticed that you never have to make the conscious choice to sin? Left to what comes naturally, regrettably, we all will sin. That’s what the carnal man is all about. He just does what comes naturally from his old nature. If we are going to live as a spiritual man, it will result from a deliberate, conscious surrender to the Holy Spirit of God. Surrender is a daily choice. We can be spiritual one day and not the next. We can be spiritual one morning and not that night. We re spiritual when we are out of control and the Holy Spirit is in control.’

The Holy Spirit fills us with righteousness

Ephesians 5:18 “be filled with the Spirit”
My brother was an alcoholic and I appointed myself as his caretaker. When I made the choice to stop, it felt extremely uncomfortable. I had peace and confidence in my decision, but much of my life revolved around him. With that responsibility gone, what was I think about, to do, to focus my attention on?
Have you experienced a void in your life? Perhaps it’s an area of sin or a bad habit that you conquered with the help of the Holy Spirit, but you have not yet transitioned to the next phase of your life. You are in that grey realm of transition where you need the Holy Spirit to guide you in the way of righteousness. He has taken you out of the realm of darkness and you are glad to be doe with it. But now you need him to teach you his ways.
Matthew 11:24-26 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of the man is worse than the first.’
Boundaries are a good example. Perhaps you have learned to say no to the things that have turned your life into chaos; you no longer feel obligated to participate in every church function that occurs. You have said ‘No!”. Good job. That’s a great start. But the next question comes quickly upon the heels of your ‘No!’: What do I do with my free time? Is it OK to sit and read a book or take a walk? Is there another area of ministry God wants me to pursue? Do I spend those two hours that I have free with my spouse, my children, my friends? Those unanswered questions can lead us right back into poor choices if we don’t cry out to the Holy Spirit, not only to help us stop harmful behavior, but to show us what beneficial behavior looks like.

Enables us to shine God’s light into the world

Gives us the ability to follow God’s commands and grow up into Godlier living, which will overflow into others’ lives
Michael Youseff, Leading the Way – story of a man who asked a friend which was the best Bible translation. The NIV, King James, the Message, English Standard version? His friend answered ‘No’ to each one. After his friend went through all of the versions he could think of, he was very interested to learn which His friend thought was best. He was anxious to hear of a new translation that would help him understand the Word. So he anxiously asks, ‘Which one? What is this new translation that I have not heard of?’ His friend replied, ‘It is not new, I have had it all my life. My father. My Dad showed me what was in the Bible – he was loving and honest and kind and generous, and quick to forgive, always willing to listen. Yes, my Dad was the best Bible translation I have ever seen.’
We are Christ’s ambassadors. 2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though Christ were making his appeal through us.” When we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, we are revealing Christ to a spiritually and emotionally hungry world. How refreshing it is to me when I make a mistake and instead of receiving a response of frustration or anger, I receive gentleness, mercy, forgiveness from the person I negatively impacted. That is revealing God to a weary world.

Helps us evaluate our spiritual health

When we are in Christ and seeking Him to follow Him, the Holy Spirit will work within us and change us and enable us to grow.
If we don’t see the fruit increasing in some way, that is a good indication to pause and evaluate your spiritual condition.
Conversely, there is great comfort in seeing the fruit of the Spirit increase in our lives. When we doubt God’s presence in our lives or are frustrated with what we perceive as a lacking in Godliness or a slowness, we can look at the fruit in our lives and we will most likely see an increase, however small in one of the fruits – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control – and we can be assured that God is in us and we are growing up into what He calls us to be.

Summary

God wants us to live a life of freedom. That life can only be found by giving up our ways and choosing to let God run our lives by filling us with the Holy Spirit.

Let the Holy Spirit teach you the truth and enable you to live it out.
Open yourself to the Spirit in all areas of your life so that you are overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit. This is not only to for our own delight, but it also allows us to benefit those we encounter.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” That is hope.

Questions

1. What were you taught about the Holy Spirit when you were younger? How did your family, friends or church react to the Holy Spirit? What is your view of Him today?

2. Have you experienced a void left by the relinquishing of a bad habit or sin? Did you fill the void with God’s guidance or did you leave the space void, and what was the result?

3. Have you had a great Bible translator in your life? Who? Can you identify the fruits of the Spirit in that person?

4. Are you surrendering your life to the Holy Spirit on a daily basis? Is there an area you are still holding onto and controlling in your own strength?

5. As we prepare our hearts for studying the specific fruits of the Spirit, contemplate the following questions:

a. Is there a fruit you are lacking? Which one or ones?

b. Have you seen an increase in a fruit of the Spirit? Which one or ones?

FRUITFUL LIVING

2011-10-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO FRUITFUL LIVING – LESSON 1 (listen to audio to get complete teaching)

WHERE WE ARE ALL GOING TO LEARN HOW TO BEAR FRUIT...THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT FOUND IN GALATIANS 6

LOVE JOY PEACE PATIENCE KINDNESS GOODNESS FAITHFULNESS GENTLENESS SELF-CONTROL

This week we will begin our journey together. The goal of the trip is genuine freedom – freedom that comes only thru a life filled with the Holy Spirit! Such a life displays the character traits the Bible calls the fruit of the Spirit that I just mentioned.

Some of the material Robbie and I (we are team teaching this class) will be using comes from a study that Beth Moore put together quite a few years ago as well as our own personal study and resources.

So… in order to start this journey and get to a place of fruitfulness, we have to start at the beginning. We must build a firm foundation.

BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

The first of several ingredients to build our foundation is….

1. KNOWING WHY CHRIST DIED FOR US: let’s look at what God’s word says:

Galatians 1:4 ⁴ who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

1 Pet 3:18 ⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

John 3:16 ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Rom. 5:8 ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

4 Major Reasons Christ died for Us:

1. He died to RESCUE us. Remember what that was like? Even now there may be times where you needed a Rescuer?

2. It was HIS FATHER’S WILL, an act of obedience

3. RESTORE us to relationship with the Father – like 1 Peter 3:18 says.. to bring us to God

4. Because He LOVES US – think about it .. the God of the universe is madly in love with YOU!

The second ingredient to building our firm foundation is understanding/

2. KNOWING WE ARE EASY TARGETS & doing something about it – HOW? WHY are we easy targets?

§ We do not know the TRUTH – there are many dusty Bibles on Christian’s shelves. We must study and know the truth so we can identify the counterfeit – just like the dollar bill.. they study/ memorize every facet of the bill so they clearly see a false / counterfeit bill. We cannot recognize a lie if we don’t know the truth. Ignorance of God’s word will always make us an easy target for false teaching.

§ Possibly BOREDOM – if you are, you must find a way to fan the flame! Do you ever feel bored of the Christian life? If so.. there could be something else at the root – thrill seeker, addicted to excitement?

§ Galatians 1:10 reveals another major characteristic that makes us targets: ¹⁰ Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. - APPROVAL SEEKING: Few things on earth cause as much unhappiness as trying to win the approval and affirmation of people. The Greek word for please here means: to fit, to gratify, to accommodate oneself to, or to be acceptable to. Honestly, some of the worst mistakes I have made and I bet you have made were a result of seeking someone’s approval and acceptance … a desire to fit in. Can you think of a time when seeking someone’s approval ultimately proved to be a very negative influence in your life?

Interesting that this verse has seeking approval at the beginning and ends with being a servant of Christ as the opposite. The truth is: we become slaves to the person(s) from whom we seek approval. How can we be a servant of Christ if I am a slave to someone else? I can’t. My attention and allegiance is not fully on the Lord.. it is on others.

Let’s talk for a moment about legitimate needs – especially emotional needs (List/ handout) What we have to understand is that when these needs are not met growing up, we will find any way possible to get them met – this is oftentimes where approval seeking is born. If our past does not get addressed, we often stay stuck in the ways we developed to get our needs met and never ‘out grow them’ or realize they really don’t work or…they are not healthy.

The third ingredient to building our firm foundation is:

3.KNOWING WE HAVE CREDITED RIGHTEOUSNESS

Gal. 3:6 “Consider Abraham: He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness”.

The 2 crucial building blocks for our foundation are faith and grace. Abraham ‘believed’ God, that’s faith.. we ‘believe’ and let us not grow casual or take for granted the salvation we received by faith and grace.

There will be a definition of the Greek word grace on the screen.. as we read this together, jot down the words that specifically speak to your heart – you’ll have an opportunity to share those in your discussion group time tonight.

Greek word grace means:

That which causes joy, pleasure, gratification, favor, acceptance, for a kindness granted or desired, a benefit, thanks, gratitude. A favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God to men finding its only motive in the bounty and benevolence of the Giver; unearned and unmerited favor. Grace stands in direct antithesis to works, the two being mutually exclusive. God’s grace affects man’s sinfulness and not only forgives the repentant sinner, but brings joy and thankfulness to him. It changes the individual to a new creature without destroying his individuality.

The final ingredient to building our foundation is:

4. KNOWING GOD AS OUR ABBA, FATHER

Gal 4:6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,^[a] Father.”

Pictures

Have you ever wondered where the doctrinal basis for ‘inviting Jesus into your heart’ came from? Now you know… Gal 4:6… we ask and invite the Spirit of God’s son, Jesus Christ, to come into our hearts, live/ reside in us and His Spirit enables us to cry out in intimate, loving relationship to our Abba… we have been adopted into God’s holy family.. entered into the kingdom of light out of the kingdom of darkness. Now that’s something to get excited about!!! Let’s thank Him and praise Him!!!

FRUITFUL LIVING – GROUP WORK

BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

1. Of the four major reasons Christ died for us, which resonates the most with you personally?

2. Based upon what we learned tonight, do you consider yourself an easy target for buying into false teachings? Discuss each together as a group: - don’t know the truth, - boredom, - approval addiction

3. Discuss the emotional needs list – any surprises? How have you made attempts in the past to get these needs met?

4. Share the words you wrote down from the Greek definition of grace.

5. Are you currently experiencing the kind of relationship with God where you feel free to call him your Abba? If not, why? Discuss some ways we might become more relationally close to God in this way.

Reasons We Get Stuck / Getting Unstuck

2011-09-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

COMMUNION -- EIGHT REASONS WE GET STUCK....
     GETTING UNSTUCK

LifeCare Communion Service 9/22/11
Listen to the audio for more in depth information on this lesson.

Ever been stuck?   Stuck in traffic, stuck at a train track, stuck in an elevator, stuck in a ditch..stuck on the side of the road? stuck in gum?
What kind of emotions and thoughts happen when you are stuck?

My Vega story – gas pedal stuck – ended up in a ditch – never going to get out of there without some help.. been there?
   traffic jam – start texting – letting everyone know we’re going to be late, looking for a way around it… another quick exit

Let’s face it… none of us really like being stuck.. or do we?

Eight Reasons We Get Stuck
1) We avoid putting the biblical principles into practice that we have already learned.
Maybe we have ‘selective obedience’?
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit”
                                - Galatians 5:25
Sometimes we simply try to rush through our healing.. rush to our growth… we have to remember it is a process but at the same time, as God gives us revelation, we must put it into practice.

2) We have not completely surrendered our life and will to the Lord.
“For good judgment and common sense, trust in the Lord completely; don’t ever trust in yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.”
                        - Proverbs 3:5-6
We have to ask ourselves what part(s) of our lives we are still holding on to.. trying to control, fix, handle?…We must let God be the Lord & Manager of our lives.

3) We have not fully accepted Jesus’ work on the cross for our forgiveness.
I think the real issue here is: have you forgiven yourself? That’s where I see most people get stuck and not able to move on..

4) We really have not forgiven others who have harmed us.
“After you have suffered a little while, our God, who is full of kindness through Christ, will give you his eternal glory. He personally will pick you up, and set you firmly in place and make you stronger than ever.” - 1 Peter 5:10-11

As we consider forgiveness, we cannot avoid dealing with suffering.. and for many of us.. it is a huge struggle and an added suffering we go through when we push through the process of forgiveness. Keep at it! That is what God requires… ask Him for His grace to forgive…Until we are able to let go of debt/ release it to the Lord, we will remain a prisoner. ‘letting go of a caged bird to discover the bird is you’

5) We are afraid of the risk in making the necessary changes in our lives.
“Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed…I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”
                           – Isaiah 41:10
What are some of our fears related to making changes in our lives:
- fear of failure    - fear of intimacy – fear of rejection   - fear of being hurt (again) - fear of the unknown
My life is a mess, my relationships are a mess, but at least I know what to expect… all together now: “A mess!” We get comfortable with our ‘unhealthiness’.

6) We are not willing to “own” our responsibility.
“Examine me, O God, and know my mind: test me, and discover….if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way” - Psalm 139:23
None of us is responsible for everything that happens to us.. however, we are responsible for how we respond to it.
Discuss abuse here

7) We have not developed an effective support team.
“Be with wise men and become wise. Be with evil men and become evil” – Proverbs 13:20
Are you letting people help you… support you, encourage you, challenge you, hold you accountable?

8) We have a lack of knowledge in spiritual warfare.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand…
…Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace…
…In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…
…And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” – Ephesians 6: 13-18

How can we overcome?
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Revelation 12:10-12

Tonight is an opportunity to celebrate what God has already done in our lives… it is also our opportunity to get unstuck – to overcome…or keep from getting stuck.

Do you realize that physical exercise helps us fight off colds and infections? The theory is that a good workout puts our body in a condition similar to what happens at the onset of a fever. A fever is the body’s way of fighting back when intruders get into our system. Increased body temperature aids our white blood-cell defense system while slowing down the action of bacteria and viruses. Exercise does the same thing. It releases chemicals into the blood that stimulate the brain to make our temperature rise.

We must have regular practices of spiritual exercise that benefit the health of our soul & spirit and keeps us from getting stuck or gets us unstuck.

God’s exercise program is one of faith and obedience. So what can we do?

- if you related to any of the reasons we get stuck, start there..
- follow His instructions (Bible, Holy Spirit promptings)
- walk in love as Christ walked in love
- don’t walk alone – ask for help if needed
- confess your sins and failures to God regularly.. do not allow anything to come between you

The communion table represents that opportunity – a time to confess & receive grace once again - An opportunity to be restored to right relationship with God and an invitation to healing, victory, getting unstuck! And just as physical exercise releases chemicals into the blood for healing.. we will believe, in faith, that this communion, taking the symbolic body & blood of Christ, He will release in us all that is needed to break through – get unstuck if needed or simply move a step further in our personal growth.

Note: portions of this material comes from the Celebrate Recovery principle #8.

GROUP WORK
EIGHT REASONS WE GET STUCK...GETTING UNSTUCK

1. Do you believe you are stuck? If not, have you ever been stuck before?
        Of the 8 reasons... what were the reasons? Share specifics if you are willing.

2. Share with the group how you are going to take steps in one of the Eight areas to break free/ get unstuck or.. simply to take another step in the right direction?

3. Considering what Jesus did for us (connection to communion), what hope can we take in being able to get unstuck or to continue to move forward in our healing/ growth?

4. What is a specific prayer request you have of the group this week as it relates to your walk with Christ and the path to serenity you are on?

FORGIVENESS

2011-07-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO...

PATH TO SERENITY - FORGIVENESS

MATTHEW 5:3–12 Beatitudes

7Blessed are the merciful,
      for they will be shown mercy.

9Blessed are the peacemakers,
      for they will be called sons of God.
AMPLIFIED BIBLE
7Blessed (happy, ^[j]to be envied, and ^[k]spiritually prosperous--^[l]with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!
    9Blessed (enjoying ^[p]enviable happiness, ^[q]spiritually prosperous--^[r]with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and ^[s]maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!
FOCUS – ON RELATIONSHIPS

PRINCIPLE

"We must evaluate all our relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us and make amends for harm we’ve done to others."

THIS LESSON WILL ANSWER 4 QUESTIONS

Who do I need to forgive? What do I need to forgive? What do I need to be forgiven of? How do I forgive?

FORGIVENESS

LifeCare Handout … (see below)

Why don’t we forgive?

What it is not

What it is

4 necessary ways to practice forgiveness

1. God to us

2. Us to others

3. Us to God

4. Us to Us/ Ourselves

Steps.. (see below from LifeCare handout)

Matthew 6 – after the Lord’s prayer.. forgive us our debts / trespasses as we forgive debtors (or their debts)

6:15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

If you do not forgive (6:14–15). This is not a threat, but a warning. Forgiveness is like a coin: It is a single unit with two sides. The attitude which enables us to accept forgiveness is the same attitude which compels us to extend it. If we are unable to forgive others, our hardness will prevent us from accepting God’s forgiveness.^{^[1]}

He was not teaching that believers earned God’s forgiveness by forgiving others; for this would be contrary to God’s free grace and mercy. However, if we have truly experienced God’s forgiveness, then we will have a readiness to forgive others (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13). Our Lord illustrated this principle in the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt. 18:21–35). ^{^[2]}

LIFECARE HANDOUT

Why Don’t We Forgive? We believe….

A. that a mark of spiritual maturity is to forgive quickly. “I’m defective, not spiritual enough, a failure – so why try?”

B. that if we still remember the event/offense, we haven’t forgiven.

C. that if we forgive, we are condoning evil.

D. Forget how much we’ve been forgiven by God through Christ

E. We confuse forgiveness with reconciliation

· Forgiveness is unilateral – I do it within myself – don’t need the other person

· Reconciliation is bilateral - it requires both people to be in the process

· I must forgive – reconciliation is optional

Read Acts:15:36-41………Paul & Mark, Paul and Barnabas about Mark. eventually they did reconcile and ministered together again.

What it is not

· Above: not to be confused with reconciliation

· Forgiveness is not politeness or tactfulness

· Not Diplomacy – negotiation, peacekeeping, mediation

· Not passive non-response (ignore it)

· Does not mean we must tolerate sin - be a doormat to another’s continual sin. “You can forgive almost anything, but if you tolerate everything someone does to you, you will make matters between you worse. Sometimes there comes a time when you must say to another – I cannot forgive you while this continues. It must stop or I must get out so that I can begin to forgive. We must be intolerant of evil whether it happens to us or someone else! From: Lewis Smedes…Forgiving the Hurts You Don’t Deserve

· Withholding it does not punish the other person; actually, it punishes us.

· Not an act that happens instantaneously

What it is

· A process – God forgives in a single swoosh! But…we are finite, temporal creatures for whom almost everything takes time.

· A deliberate act of the will – purposeful, calculated, planned, considered, intended

· A full pardon - cancellation – let off, absolve Romans 12:19

· A substitutional act – surrogate, alternate, replacement

· Obedience to God’s Word – Agreement, submission, compliance

· An act of love – Divine love

· It is the key to freedom

The Process of Forgiveness - Steps

1. Ask the lord to reveal the names of the persons who offended you and the specific wrongs you suffered.

2. Face the hurt and the hate. If you are going to forgive from your heart, you must let God search the depths of your hear and let all the ugliness out.

Note: If the word or topic of forgiveness triggers fear or panic in you, it may not be the right time for you to work on this. You may have to stay right here on Step #2 for awhile – grieve the losses. Deal with the memories, the feelings.

3. Acknowledge the significance of the cross. It is the cross of Christ that makes forgiveness morally right. Remember it’s significance for your own sin and forgiveness.

4. Decide that you will not retaliate by using the information about the offender’s sin against them. (Luke 6:27-34)

5. Make the decision to forgive. Conscious choice to let the other person off the hook for specific wrongs suffered. Remember this is about letting go of 'debt'.

6. Take the list to God and pray the following as He leads: “I forgive _____(name) for ______(specifically--every remembered pain)”.

7. Destroy the list or do something symbolic (write a letter) that will remind you of the step you took to forgive. Remember: your forgiveness is between you and God unless the offender has asked for your forgiveness. Or……confrontation is involved.

8. Do not expect that your decision to forgive will result in major changes in the other person. Instead, pray for them. Matthew 5:44

9. Try to understand the people you have forgiven. They may have been victims also. (don’t excuse the behavior – this minimizes the act – the depth of forgiveness). Try to see the good in them. Note: understanding them is not always a precursor to forgiving as some believe.

10.Thank God for the lessons you have learned and the maturity

you have gained by going through this process. Freedom is

the result of forgiveness in you. In time, you will be

able to think about the people who offended you without feeling hurt or anger.

11.When appropriate, accept your part of the blame for the

offenses you suffered. Confess your failure to God and to others (1John 1:9) and realize that if someone has something against you, you must go to that person (Matthew 5:23-26) – remember amends lesson.

Caution: Can be used as a quick fix – a band-aid for wounds that need to heal.

Forgiveness, or what passes for it, can do more harm than good. – it can actually be used as a form of manipulation/control. You may use it to protect yourself from abandonment – apologizing, etc. for the slightest discomfort in a relationship (“Will you forgive me?”). This is an attempt to control the person’s distance and calm your own fears. Pseudo-forgiveness could allow you to pretend that “everything is all better now” without any need for real change. Conflicts, sins, disagreements, faults, and failures cannot be wiped away by one swipe of the forgiveness rag. It only buys you more time, until the next, and the next, and the next. When change is needed in a relationship, forgiving and seeking forgiveness does not by itself produce the change. It acknowledges the need for change BUT, it doesn’t produce the change. Painful and progressive change over time is required – this is repentance. When change is required, false forgiveness is a cheap dysfunctional substitute. – Refer to prior comments about needing to not allow people to continue to harm – use boundaries.

Mark Twain said: “forgiveness is the fragrance that the flower leaves on the heel of the one who crushed it”.

Completed Forgiveness: When your feelings/rage have been transformed into a desire for the person’s blessing and their change. When you can see the person who harmed you and not feel all you felt before. When you are more concerned about the person’s well-being and where he/she will spend eternity than about the wrong that was done to you.

PATH TO SERENITY
'BLESSED/HAPPY ARE THE MERCIFUL' 'BLESSED/HAPPY ARE THE PEACEMAKERS' -- FORGIVENESS

GROUP WORK

1. Were there any surprises for you about what forgiveness is and what it not? Explain

2. What are the four areas we get to practice forgiveness in?

3. Which is currently harder for you? Receiving from God, Giving it to Others, Self, God?

4. Are there people in your life God is calling you to forgive but not necessarily reconcile with? Why? Share.

THE PATH TO SERENITY - Spiritual Adoption - Check out the audio!!

2011-07-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

THE PATH TO SERENITY - PERSONAL INVENTORY - LOVE

2011-05-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

PATH TO SERENITY

MATTHEW 5:3–12 Beatitudes

6th Beatitude:

Matthew 5: (NIV)
⁸ Blessed are ^kthe pure in heart: for ^lthey shall see God. ^{^[1]}

We seek to keep our hearts pure that we might see God in our lives today^{^[2]}

Blessed are the pushers, for they get their way. Blessed.. are the hard-boiled, hard core, the hard hearted – for they never get hurt. Blessed… are those who complain, for they get all the attention. Blessed… are the blasé’, for they never worry about sin. Blessed. are the slave-drivers, for they get results. Blesse are the greedy, for they get what they want”

This is an edited version of the Sarcastic Beatitudes by JB Phillips.

What do these beatitudes have in common? They all come from a selfish heart.. What do you think of when you hear the word servant? Someone who’s pathetic, without will or purpose? Our false definition of the word servant can affect every relationship we have and how we live our lives. It affects how we feel and how we LOVE!!

How did Jesus introduce Himself? “The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life” MK 10:45 – and he practiced what he preached..

Jesus in John 21 – beach – after his resurrection – 3^rd appearance
It was about HIM serving US, rather than the other way around. His love for us that allows Him to just sit around on the beach with nothing better to do than prepare and personally serve a nice bread & fish breakfast for the disciples, simply because He loves them (and us). --- IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE…

TONIGHT WE WANT TO GET A PULSE ON how we LOVE… HOW ARE WE DOING? ARE WE BEGINNING TO OR GETTING BETTER AT LOVING OTHERS? How are we at receiving love?
This will be a kind of emotional/ relational inventory…
IF we are not improving in the ‘love area’, IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT WE HAVE SOME ISSUES that are unresolved in our past relationships – there may be hurt, resentments, anger….
B #6 is - ‘BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART.. FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD..

Principle – Openly examine and confess MY faults to myself, to God, and to someone I trust.

We must make a searching and fearless moral inventory of our lives.

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” – Lamentations 3:40

Inventory Part 1 - How to get started

Ephesians 4:31 tells us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. “

A 5 column inventory sheet may help you with this task.. Write the following:

C1 – “The Person” you resent or fear.. go as far back as you can

C2 – The Cause ‘hurt people, hurt people’ write down the specific actions that someone did to hurt you

C3 – The Effect write down how the specific hurtful action affected your life..

C4 – The Damage What basic needs were missed -- physical, emotional, spiritual, sexual

C5 – My Part -- Take responsibility for your part… maybe it is just the reaction to it… A small child – victim of abuse.. just simply write in big letters.. NOT GUILTY

Once we have moved through some of these negative experiences, it is important, as I mentioned last week, to keep our inventories balanced. So, the next section – our focus for tonight is going to be the opportunity to do just that as it relates to LOVE…

There are 2 ways that the emotion of love gets triggered in us – of course we know love is a verb –or should be – it creates action.. but it is also a God-given emotion.. 3 types of love: eros, phileo, agape.. EXPLAINED IN AUDIO…Anyway.. there are 2 ways the emotion gets triggered and I want you to think about these things and allow people to come to mind as I go through them. If you want to write down their names.. please do so.. then.. respond sometime this week by sending them a note, an e-mail, a card maybe… make a phone call, visit.. etc…

Here are the 2 Ways (Listen to audio):

The emotion of love comes from

1) External Triggers: Situations

2) Internal Triggers: Thoughts

1 Cor 13 exercise… "Listen to Audio"

PATH TO SERENITY

‘BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART’ – INVENTORY PART 1

GROUP WORK

1) When you consider doing an inventory with these categories, what is your emotional response?

2) Why is it important to keep your inventory balanced? What exactly does that mean?

3) Who were some of the people that came to mind during the reading of the ‘love triggers’ and why?

4) How’s your love tank? Love inventory?

^kPs. 24. 4.

^lHeb. 12. 14. 1 John 3. 2, 3.

^{^[1]} The Cambridge Paragraph Bible: Of the Authorized English Version. Bellingham, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2006, cxix

^{^[2]}Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. Mt 5:1

Faith Sharing - EACH - 2WordStory & The Greatest Story Ever Told

2011-04-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

If you missed the classes the last 2 Thursdays..... the audio of class 1 is now available. Class 2 will be posted soon....

THE PATH TO SERENITY - DEFINING THE JOURNEY

2011-02-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

THE PATH TO SERENITY

So, what is our target/goal? What is serenity?

Definitions:

the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil;

Shalom “wholeness” – peace

a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations

cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension.

freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquility; serenity.

silence; stillness

untroubled; tranquil; content.

keep the peace, to maintain order; cause to refrain from creating a disturbance

make one's peace with, to become reconciled with

make peace, to ask for or arrange a cessation of hostilities or antagonism.

How do we get there? How do we find this place of peace and serenity? That is what we are going to discover as we walk together down this path over the next several weeks. We will be considering God’s word -specifically the Beatitudes and we will also be considering the 12 Step program and other truths God has provided in materials to help us get to the place He has designed us all for… a place and experience of peace, serenity and joy despite our circumstances. This is going to take will power and God power… we can do this!!

Joel 2:12-27 says “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten”. For many of us the locust is anxiety, worry, relationship challenges, loneliness, disappointment, unforgiveness, anger & frustration, self-pity, low self-worth, a horrible past, etc… God wants to restore us… God wants to breathe new life in us. His desire is that we experience the life He designed for us.. and I fully embrace that it is a life of serenity/ peace.

I read a story about a woman who hid $20,000 worth of jewelry in a plastic garbage bag in her home hoping to prevent burglars from finding it. Later, having forgotten about it, she accidentally threw the plastic bag out with her garbage. Several workmen searched for 9 hours in a landfill before finding her treasure and restoring it to her.

Some people throw away God’s abundant and gracious blessings in their lives through blatant sin. There was a time in my life when I wasn’t experiencing the blessing of God because of worry, anxiety, bitterness, anger and some behaviors that were very detrimental to myself and those around me. When I finally realized that I couldn’t help myself, I turned to God, repentant and broken. Gradually God has taught me how to rely more fully on Him and His word. The result of that is life change .. but it is also ‘peace and serenity’. Now… am I able to always be in that place of peace and serenity? Are you? Of course not, however, there are some of us in this room that have never experienced that kind of peace. God wants you to know it, experience it and live it. When the things of life hit us – if we know that place of peace and serenity – we will know there is a place that we need to get back to. And..we will also be able to get back there by working through and doing God’s word that we are going to learn through this class.

I mentioned Joel – In Joel 2, there was an invasion of locusts that stripped God’s people of everything. What those locusts did to them is exactly what our negative choices and sins will do to us. Our only hope is to heed God’s call in Joel 2:12 “turn to me with all your heart”. To those of us who turn, he promises in vs 25 “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten”. Do you need to get rid of some locusts in your life? - Locusts that are robbing you of serenity and peace?

In order for us to get a ‘pulse’ on where we are at in our growth and pursuit of peace & serenity, let’s go over some of the characteristics of a growing person – a person who is on the path to serenity. As I go through these, jot down some notes to yourself – consider the ones you know are not characteristic of you personally that you know God desires change in:

Go through characteristics of a growing person..(listen to audio)

Conclusion:

The road to success is not straight

There is a curve called failure, a loop called confusion..

Speed bumps called friends, red lights called enemies,

Caution lights called family and you will have flats called jobs…. BUT…

If you have a spare tire called determination,

An engine called perseverance, insurance called Faith

A driver named Jesus, You will make it to the place called Success/ Serenity/ Peace!!

~Author Unknown

THE PATH TO SERENITY – Defining the Journey/ the Goal

GROUP WORK

1. Share your thoughts on serenity/ peace/ shalom – have you experienced it during certain times in your life? On a scale from 1-10 what is your peace level right now – 10 being a high level of peace.

2. What are some of the locusts eating away at your life and serenity?

3. As you consider figuring out where you are currently in your personal growth and serenity, what areas listed in the characteristics of a growing person do you need to work on?

4. What hope and encouragement did you receive tonight?

5. Share steps you will take this week in preparation for the journey ahead.

Loving Christ Above All Else

2011-02-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

THE PATHWAY TO HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY – Loving Christ Above All Else - Communion Service

We are called to order our lives around nothing else but the love of Christ – the love of Christ must come before all else!

This must be our ‘rule of life’.. Loving God above all else. Does everyone know what a trellis is? Those of you who garden or plant flowers know that a trellis allows a plant / vine to get off the ground and grow upward. Our trellis/ is this rule of life.. it is the intentional, conscious choice and plan to make God the center of everything we do .. everything we are. Very few people have a conscious plan for developing their spiritual lives. Most of us are not intentional, rather, we seem to be ‘functional’.. kind of like being on autopilot. We do the church thing once a week maybe.. maybe we read the Bible once in awhile, talk to God daily – maybe.. maybe we even go the extra mile and join a small group, support group or bible study. As we participate in these spiritual activities, are we really conscious about a goal we have for our life – actually, the goal that God has for our life?

(My Story - Audio)

Do we really understand our need to make Jesus Christ our ‘Lord’ – give Him rightful place or.. are we still looking to Him as just being our ‘Savior’. What does it mean to make someone the Lord of your life? What does it mean to be a ‘fully devoted’ follower of Jesus… It means that we are ‘loving Christ above all else’. He is the center of our lives.. His love and our love for Him are the energy, the motivating factor for everything! Everything! Our work, where we live, how we parent, how we interact in our marriages and friendships, even WHO our friends and spouses are, how we conduct ourselves – how we speak, choices we make…etc…etc… If we are going to call Him Lord, if we are going to love Christ above all else – there should be evidence of that… yes… we are all in process.. but we should be seeing some changes.. if not, then we have allowed our love to grow cold and it needs to be reignited.

That is what this table is about tonight/ communion. It is an opportunity that Jesus Himself instituted for His followers.. so they might remember… remember His love, His sacrifice, His forgiveness.. His rightful place of Lordship in our lives. “Greater love has no man than this, that He would lay down his life for his friends”… Someone willing to die for us, is someone worthy to follow, someone we can blindly trust with every area of our lives as we make Him Lord, Manager & Healer or our lives.

In order for us to experience growth and make Him the center of our lives, we have to have a trellis.. we need a plan.. we need some guides to help us move .. help us grow upward.

If you want to study a Biblical example of this – study the life of Daniel. Daniel was amongst the most pagan people in the world and yet he grew in His love and Lordship of God despite his surroundings and pressures on his time and life. Daniel had a trellis – a rule of life – Loving God above all else was the goal. How did he get there? The same way you and I must – And.. these are the things we have to be intentional about .. we can’t be haphazard about our relationship with God / our spiritual growth and development.

Don’t allow yourself to settle for less.. Saints --Don’t be on autopilot in your spiritual life. We need:

Prayer – that includes: God’s word, Silence & Solitude, Daily times set aside to connect with God, Study

Rest – the Sabbath, Simplicity, Play & Recreation

Work/Activity – Service & Mission, Care for our Physical body

Relationships – Emotional Health, Family, Community – companions for the journey

Tonight we are going to take some of these elements and invite you to participate so you are a step closer to Lordship and Loving Christ Above all Else..

Prayer, Scripture, Silence, Simplicity, Community

Listen to this Song – contemplate the words prayerfully, allow God to connect with you through them… I will pray for us then there will be a few moments of silence as you allow the Lord the opportunity to speak to you before we take the elements together.

GOD'S WORD TO YOU......

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock . . .”

It is true. I stand at the door of you heart, day and night. Even when you are not listening, even when you doubt it could be Me, I am there.

And I want you to know that whenever you invite Me, I do come- always, without fail. Silent and unseen I come, but with infinite power and love. I come with My mercy, with My desire to forgive and heal you, and with a love for you beyond your comprehension. I come longing to console you and give you strength, to lift you up and bind all your wounds. I bring you My light, to dispel your darkness and all your doubts. I come with My power, that I might carry you and all of your burdens; I come with My grace, to touch your heart and transform your life: and My peace I give to still your soul.

I know you through and through- I know everything about you. The very hairs of your head I have numbered. Nothing in your life is unimportant to Me. I have followed you through the years, and I have always loved you - even in your wanderings. I know every one of your problems. I know your needs and your worries. And yes, I know all your sins. But I tell you again that I love you - not for what you have or haven’t done - I love you for you, for the beauty and dignity My Father gave you by creating you in His own image. It is a dignity you have often forgotten, a beauty you have tarnished by sin. But I love you as you are, and I have shed My Blood to win you back. If you only ask Me with faith, My grace will touch all that needs changing in your life; and I will give you the strength to free yourself from sin and all its destructive power.

I know what is in your heart - I know your loneliness and all your hurts - the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations. I carried it all for you, so you might share My strength and victory. I especially know your need for love - how you are thirsting to be loved and cherished. But how often have you thirsted in vain, by seeking that love selfishly, striving to fill the emptiness inside you with passing pleasure - with the even greater emptiness of sin. Do you thirst for love? “Come to Me all you who thirst. I will satisfy you and fill you. Do you thirst to be cherished? I cherish you more than you can imagine - to the point of dying on a cross for you.

I Thirst For You. I thirst to love you and to be loved by you - that is how precious you are to Me. I Thirst For You. Come to Me, and I will fill your heart and heal your wounds. I will make you a new creation, and give you peace, even in all your trials. never doubt My mercy, My acceptance of you, My desire to forgive, My longing to bless you. For Me, there is no one any more important in the entire world than you. I Thirst For You. Come to Me, thirst for Me, give Me your life - and I will prove to you how important you are to My Heart.

Sin can never satisfy you, or bring the peace you seek. All that you have sought outside of Me has only left you more empty, so do not cling to the things of this life. Above all, do not run from Me when you fall. Come to Me without delay. When you give Me your sins, you give Me the joy of being your Savior. There is nothing I cannot forgive and heal: so come now, and unburden your soul. I am seeking you every moment of the day - standing at the door of your heart, and knocking. Do you find this hard to believe? Then look at the cross, look at My Heart that was pierced for you. Open your heart to Me, right now, more than you ever have before.

THE PATHWAY TO HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY – Loving Christ Above All Else

GROUP WORK

1. Share your experience of communion this evening. Was there something specific God spoke to you that you would like to share?

2. What does it mean to make Jesus the Lord, Manager and Healer of your life? Is there an area He is prompting you to give over to His Lordship?

3. As you consider being ‘intentional’ rather than being on autopilot about your spiritual life, what elements mentioned tonight do you need to pay greater attention to?

Learning New Skills to Love Well

2011-02-04T11:23:00.000-08:00

THE PATHWAY TO HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY – Learning New Skills to Love Well

How do we know God exists? A monk replies… “no explanation or argument can achieve this, only the practice of ‘active love’. Love in practice is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams.” Loving well should be the goal of the Christian life. It is much easier in our dreams than in practice. It requires that we grow into emotional adulthood in Christ. It requires genuine, healthy spirituality. What we typically do is practice spiritual disciplines and misapply biblical truth. Our relational skills were probably learned unconsciously in our family growing up and we have already discovered that most are not ‘healthy’ relationally/ emotionally. Most of us make a lot of assumptions in our relationships and think we know the truth. This seems so much easier than actually talking to the person(s), confronting the issue, or facing it directly. We all seem to learn skills in life to be competent in our careers and at school.. but we don’t learn how to grow into an emotionally healthy, mature adult who loves well.

The Bible is clear what we are to do. Here are a few that we can glean from the word (taken from Emotionally Healthy Spirituality) – Ask yourself:

- How can I be quick to hear and slow to speak?

- How can I be angry and not sin?

- …watch my heart above all else (since that is the place from which life flows)?

- …speak the truth in love?

- …be a peacemaker?

- …mourn?

- …not bear false witness against my neighbor?

- …get rid of all bitterness, rage and envy?

- …love like 1 Cor 13?

If we cannot walk out our beliefs/ truth in our churches and relationships - they will not be any different from the world around us.

The first step in getting this right is to identify where we are. Are we an emotional infant, child, adolescent or adult? Here are the qualities/ symptoms:

1. Emotional Infant – look for others to take care of them, have great difficulty entering into the world of others, are driven by the need for instant gratification, use others as objects to meet their needs

2. Emotional Child – content and happy as long as they receive what they want; unravel quickly from stress, disappointments and trials; interpret disagreements as personal offenses, are easily hurt and angered; complain, withdraw, manipulate, take revenge, become sarcastic whey they don’t get their way; have difficulty calmly discussing their needs and wants in a mature, loving way.

3. Emotional Adolescent – tend to often be defensive, threatened and alarmed by criticism, keep score of what they give so they can ask for something later in return, deal with conflict poorly, blame, appease, go to a third party, pout or ignore the issue, become preoccupied with themselves, have great difficulty truly listening to another person’s pain, disappointments or needs, are critical and judgmental.

4. Emotional Adults – able to ask for what they need, want or prefer – clearly, directly, honestly; recognize, manage and take responsibility for their own thoughts and feelings; can when under stress, state their own beliefs and values without becoming adversarial; respect others without having to change them, give people room to make mistakes and not be perfect; appreciate people for who they are – the good, bad and ugly – not for what they give back; accurately assess their own limits, strengths, and weaknesses and are able to freely discuss them with others; are deeply in tune with their own emotional world and able to enter into the feelings, needs, and concerns of others without losing themselves; have the capacity to resolve conflict maturely and negotiate solutions that consider the perspectives of others.

Last week we learned about disciplines whereby we could begin to ‘practice the presence of God’. This week we want to focus on how to ‘practice the presence of people’.

Again, loving well is the essence of true spirituality. It will require that we experience connection with God, ourselves and other people. God invites us to practice His presence in our daily lives and at the same time, He invites us to practice the presence of people within the awareness of His presence. The two are rarely brought together but need to. Jean Vanier wrote this: ‘Love is to reveal the beauty of another person to themselves’. Jesus did that with each person He met. And Jesus calls us to do the same: Matthew 22:37-40 sums it up, love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, strength.. love your neighbor as yourself.

Our Great Problem –

Most of us still see ourselves as the center of the universe. And.. as a result, we naturally want the people around us to give up themselves and become what we want them to be. We prefer that those closest to us think, feel, and act toward the world the same way we do. If that’s the case, then what M Scott Peck says is true: ‘we are all born narcissists and we are all learning to grow out of our narcissism – and that is the heart of the spiritual journey”. Hmmmm could be some truth to that.

Types of Relationships:

I-It Relationship – In many human relationships, we lose sight of others as separate from us or we treat people as objects, as an IT. In the I-It relationship, I treat you as a means to an end. What would that look like?

- moving people around on an organizational chart at a staff meeting as if they were objects or subhuman - talk about people in authority as it they were subhuman – threatened when someone disagrees with my views – listen to my neighbor or coworker’s problems and help them with ‘work’ or chores in hope they will attend the upcoming outreach at my church.

The result of I-It relationships is frustration – they don’t fit ‘my plans’. I see things ‘right’ and if they don’t see things as I do then they are ‘wrong’. Recognizing the uniqueness and separateness of every person in the world is not ok – we want them to see everything as we do – our way is the right way and only way.

I-Thou Relationship – Though you are different from me, I respect, love and value you. In this type of relationship, 2 people are willing to connect across their differences. God fills the ‘in-between’ space. That is known as the ‘sacred space’. This type of healthy relationship, intimately reflects the I-Thou relationship humans have with God. Genuine love is released between the 2 and God’s presence is manifest. If we are genuinely practicing this type of relationship, the evidence of loving well will be our ability to deal with conflict well. We will be able to resolve conflicts maturely and negotiate solutions as we consider other people’s perspectives.

Conflict: At the heart of true peacemaking is acknowledgment that we are human beings made in the image of God. Knowing this, puts us on the path of desiring to live in the truth and not in pretense, even when that means a conflict may result. Most Christians I meet are really bad at resolving conflict and 2 reasons for this sited by Pastor Scazzero is: wrong beliefs and a lack of training/ equipping in this area.

2 Ways to deal with Conflict:

1. Ignoring Conflict (False Peacemaking) – Matthew 5:9 “
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

Most people think Jesus calls us to be pacifiers and appeasers who ensure nobody gets upset. We are to keep the peace at all cost – ignoring difficult issues and problems, making sure things remain stable and serene. What would be some examples of being a false peacemaker?

The way of true peace will never come through pretending what is wrong is right! Tue peacemakers love God, others and themselves enough to disrupt false peace.

2. Embracing Conflict (The Path to True Peace) – Jesus disrupted the false peace all around Him – in the lives of His disciples, the crowds, religious leaders, Romans, those buying and selling in the temple.   Matthew 10:34-36 tells us “   ³⁴ “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn
   “‘a man against his father,
   a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
   ³⁶ a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’^[a]

Unresolved conflicts are one of the greatest tensions in Christians’ lives today. Most of us if not all of us – hate it! We don’t know what to do so instead of risking any more broken relationships, we prefer to ignore the difficult issues and settle for false peace. We all must realize… we cannot build Christ’s kingdom on lies and pretense – only the truth will do. So we have to be honest and not ignore the conflicts!

Skills to be a true peacemaker: (always pray first!)

- Speaking & Listening: Speak in personal pronouns – talk about your own feelings, opinions and thoughts. Be brief – use short sentences. Correct they other person if you believe they have missed something and do not understand. Continue to speak until understanding is realized. As you listen – put your own agenda on hold. Be quiet and be intentional about active listening. Reflect their words back to them so you have clear understanding.

- Remember the Bill of Rights: Respect means I give myself and others the right to –

1. space & privacy – knock on doors before opening, don’t open mail that is not addressed to you, respect needs for quiet and space

2. be different – allow for preferences of food, movies, volume of music, how we spend our time

3. disagree – make room for each to think and see life differently

4. be heard – listen to each others' desires, opinions, thoughts and feelings

5. be taken seriously – listening and being present to one another

6. be given the benefit of the doubt – check out assumptions rather than judging one another when misunderstandings arise

7. be told the truth – when asking for information being able to trust it is truthful

8. be consulted – checking and asking when decisions will affect others/me/ them

9. be imperfect & make mistakes – leave ‘room’ for breaking things, forgetting, letting each other down unintentionally, failing when we have honestly tried

10. courteous & honorable treatment – use words that don’t hurt, ask before using others things, treat each other as: I-Thous

11. be respected – taking one another’s feelings into account

- Check out assumptions: The 9^th Commandment says “you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” Exodus 20:16. Every time I make an assumption about someone without confirming it, I believe a lie about this person in my head. This assumption is a misrepresentation of reality. Because I have not checked it out with the other person, it is very possible I believe something untrue. It is also likely I will pass that false assumption around to others.

It is also important to remember that if I do go to the person about my assumption and they tell me I am wrong.. I must choose to believe that what they are telling me is accurate and take it at face value. To walk away from that encounter still believing what I came into the discussion with- is judging. There is simply no way around it – to assume is to judge (see Matthew 7:1-5 on judgment). And if this continues in the relationship it will eventually have a very negative impact.

- Check out expectations – What is the difference between a realistic and unrealistic expectations? Give me some examples of expectations you may have had in the past in your relationships – family, spouse, friends, church. Important note: expectations are only valid when they have been mutually agreed upon.

- Allergies & Triggers: “Healing the Ledger” – In inner healing prayer we simply label them triggers. It is a situation that causes feelings to rise up from the past – we are ‘stirred up’ emotionally to a level that the situation does not warrant. An example: Teresa sees her husband watching TV instead of parenting the children with her and she gets very angry. She attacks and belittles him because he unconsciously reminds her of her father who left her home when she was 7 years old, leaving her and her mom to fend for themselves. It is important that we pay very close attention to triggers. They can lead us to our false beliefs in memories that need to be exposed so we can be healed and receive truth.

An exercise some use for relational ‘allergies’/ triggers is to ask yourself the following (called the Healing Ledger):

- when this happens what I tell myself or think is…

- when… I feel…

- when.., what I think and feel about myself for having these feelings is..

- when… the behavior you see from me is..

- what this relates to in my history is…

- when.. you remind me of…

- the price we are paying for this in our relationship is…

- the words from the past that I needed, words I wish had been said to me, are…

If we take the time to pay attention to triggers and work them through, we will realize how much we are still living in the past and how we project it into the present. Once we have some realization, we can begin to make different choices – choices that are more loving, emotionally adult responses rather than reactions. We can begin to love well.

THE PATHWAY TO HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY – Learning New Skills to Love Well – GROUP WORK

1. Let’s be candid – can you relate more with the

Emotional Infant, Emotional Child, Emotional Adolescent or

Emotional Adult?

2. Have you been in a relationship that was like the ‘I-It’ Relationship? What was that like? And the ‘I-Thou’ – experienced it?

3. Conflict – discuss the ways people deal with it and how you are going to perhaps change how you deal with it in the future.

4. Discuss the Bill of Rights

5. Discuss your experiences with one of these in a relationship you are in or have had – pick one: assumptions, expectations or triggers.

Becoming Spiritually Healthy by Stopping to Breathe

2011-02-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

THE PATHWAY TO HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY - LESSON 14 – Becoming Spiritually Healthy by Stopping to Breathe

How many of you have ever driven through a whiteout? What was that like? (My story – Gaylord – Up North - Audio)

Many of us have lost our way in the blizzard of life. Perhaps the demands from work, family, church, our lives are full and overflowing. We multitask so much that we fail to realize anymore that we are doing 3 things at once. Interestingly, our role models are people who get a lot done in a short time. We envy them and model our behavior after what we think they are doing and accomplishing. Our weekdays are full of work, tending to children and the tasks and hand and we look forward to the weekend only to discover more that has to be done and the time is filled. So much for free time! Some of us even feel guilty when we aren’t busy thinking we are wasting time when we are not productive/ doing something.

So what happens if this is our life and the storms and trials of life blow into our lives? We are in trouble! There is no margin for the unexpected.. no margin even for the pleasant surprises! So.. what do we do? Read another book, listen to another sermon or go to another seminar on time management, stress, margin, balance? - it is just not going to do it. God is offering us a rope to pull us out of the whiteout. The rope, Pastor Scazzero suggests are two ancient disciplines called – the Daily Office or what some call Divine Office or Fixed Hour of Prayer & the Sabbath. Neither are meant to add a burden or another item on the to-do list – the intention must be that we ‘want to’ rather than ‘have to’. These 2 disciplines will bind us to the living God like no other. There are many other spiritual disciplines of course, and we have talked about them in prior classes and they are all threads in the rope we are talking about tonight. The heart of these 2 disciplines is stopping to surrender. They help us surrender and accept our limitations that we discussed last week.

We must get to a place where we accept God’s rhythm for us that started back in Genesis. God created… He rested/ stopped. Adam and Eve toiled, they rested. We are invited by God as they were to have action but also passivity, to strive but also let go, to do all we can do, then be carried and surrender. Robert Barron tells us that the essence of being in God’s image is our ability, like God, to stop. We imitate God by stopping our work and resting. If we can stop for one day a week and stop for mini-Sabbaths each day, we touch something deep within us as image bearers of God. We were all wired for this rhythm, not the one most of us are keeping!

So.. let’s talk about each of these and what they look like in our lives. I have to be honest with you, as I studied for this lesson, it totally rattled my cage! And.. I believe it is going to rattle yours a bit as well.

Let’s start with The Divine Office – The Divine/Daily Office was created by monks centuries ago and the intent is to arrange our lives around it rather than the other way around. It is also a means to keep us aware of God’s presence while we work and it enables us to maintain a healthy balance.

Of course, none of us are monks but.. we must accept and realize that much of what they do can be found in Scripture.

Biblical Examples:

David practiced set times of prayer seven times a day (Psalm 119:164).

Daniel prayed 3 times a day (Daniel 6:10).

The Jews in Bible times prayed 2-3 times a day.

Jesus himself probably followed the Jewish custom of praying at set times every day.

His disciples continue to pray at certain hours of the day (Acts 3:1 & 10:9).

All of these Biblical examples and those that followed throughout the ages, have found that stopping periodically during the day for the Divine Office is the key to creating a continual and easy familiarity with God’s presence. Like Brother Lawrence’s phrase that most of us have heard, ‘practice of the presence of God’. If we do this, I think we will, as Pastor Peter did, find there is great power in setting apart small units of time for morning, midday and evening prayer. It will cause us to be more deeply aware of the ‘sacred’ – actually eliminating the division of the sacred and the secular.

What are the elements of the Divine Office? It will be different for each of us. Ideas – those who like structure: write prayers, journal, pray the psalms… or… you could read a portion of a book, devotional, or you could simply go outside and take in the beauty of God’s creation as you focus on Him – aim at 3 times a day and choose the length of time best suited for you. The key, remember, is regular remembrance of God, not length (2 – 20 min – 45 – it’s up to you). Be creative in your use of time but be sure to include these elements:

1. Stopping – stop all activity, unhurried. Maybe give up control again and again at each Office and choose to trust.

2. Centering – sounds a bit New Age to us.. but it’s not..it is Biblical. Ps 37:7 says “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

And Ps 46:10 ““Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” ……

How do we center? – be attentive and open – sit still – sit straight – breathe slowly, deeply and naturally – close your eyes or lower them to the ground (this helps with distractions) If your mind wanders, focus on your breath – we do this in Outstretched in Worship on Monday nights - what a wonderful way to exercise, center/connect with God. As you breathe in, ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit. As you exhale/ breathe out, exhale all that is sinful, false and not of Him.

3. Silence – Dallas Willard has called silence and solitude the 2 most radical disciples of the Christian life. We need to take time to be absent from people and things to focus on God. Silence is quieting every inner and outer voice to tune in to God. We live in a noisy world – research indicates that an average group can only bear 15 seconds of silence… hmmm… I think we see this confirmed in our church services. God speaks in the silence .. no wonder so many of us struggle to hear His voice.

4. Scripture – The Psalms are a good place to start – what a great prayer book. Regardless of what you read, read it slowly and thoughtfully.. maybe even read and pray the Lord’s prayer.

A daily divine office might look like:

Silence & Centering (2-5 min), Opening Prayer, Scripture reading, Prayer for Others/Self, Optional Devotional Reading, conclude with Silence

The second important practice to help us get back into our godly rhythm is practicing the Sabbath.

Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word that means “to cease, to stop working”. It refers to doing nothing related to work for a 24-hour period each week. During this time, we should be orienting ourselves and everything around us as ‘holy’ – meaning ‘separate, a cut above’. (see Genesis 2:2-3). On our Sabbath, we are imitating God by stopping our work and resting.

Honestly… we must all admit right here right now.. that this seems impossible to most of us. It seems radical and extremely difficult to accomplish in our everyday lives. Our culture knows nothing of setting aside a whole day to rest and delight in God! Like most of you, I have always considered it important and valuable but have not fully implemented it in my life. I am convinced after studying this for some time and then reading it again in Peter Scazzero’s book that we all must understand the Sabbath is a command from God as well as an incredible invitation. I have always looked at it as an invitation. How about you?

We must come to grips first of all with the fact that Sabbath Keeping is one of the Big 10 – the 10 Commandments. Therefore, if we are going to be in obedience to God, we must start keeping this command. Of course, just like all the others, it is present for our good. God has a designed rhythm for our lives and that rhythm includes the Sabbath day of rest. Interesting that of all the 10 commandments, commandment #4 is the longest – there is more explanation. Let’s review them:

1.Don’t have other gods before Him, 2. no idols, 3. don’t misuse God’s name, 5. honor your parents, 6. don’t murder, 7. don’t commit adultery, 8. don’t steal, 9. don’t lie, 10. don’t covet… and #4 is : “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

The Sabbath commandment calls us to build the doing of nothing into our schedules each week. Nothing measurable is accomplished. What is accomplished? One theologian said it this way: ‘To fail to see the value of simply being with God and doing nothing, is to miss the heart of Christianity’. Interesting that the Jews have been so faithful to this commandment... and it has actually been used to serve as a witness to the world. Not so for modern day Christians. If we were doing this right, we would be bearing witness to the way we understand life God’s way – life’s rhythms, gifts, meaning, and its ultimate purpose in God. When we observe the Sabbath, we affirm that God is the center and source of our lives. Eugene Peterson points out that the “Sabbath is not primarily about us or how it benefits us; it is about God and how God forms us…I don’t see any way out of it; if we are going to live appropriately in the creation, we must keep the Sabbath”.

4 Principles of a Biblical Sabbath

Note: there is a huge difference in a Biblical Sabbath and a ‘day off’ – A day off is about replenishing ourselves physically, getting refreshed, etc. A Biblical Sabbath must include the following:

1. Stop – Embrace your limits. God is God.. you are not. You are His creation with limitations and the world will not stop if you stop. The core spiritual issue around stopping is ‘trust’. Will God take care of us and our concerns if we obey him by stopping to keep the Sabbath? When we trust God and obey His commands, He provides. Jesus will take our ‘loaves & fishes’ that we offer Him and somehow miraculously and invisibly multiply them. We truly can trust Him enough to STOP!

2. Rest – Once we stop, the Sabbath calls us to rest. God rested, we must do the same (see Genesis 2:1-4). What do we do after we stop? How do we rest? The answer: anything that delights and replenishes you – it could be napping, working out, going for walks, reading, watching a good movie, going out to eat… might be best to avoid the computer or cell phone unless you can be sure to just look or respond to things that are strictly personal in nature.. It may be a good practice to have a separate e-mail address for personal vs. business/ work related issues. Keep in mind that when you institute your Sabbath, you are going to have to allow time in the rest of your week to get things done that are separate from your profession but are still ‘work’ for you – balancing your checkbook, grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, etc, etc.

As we develop our Sabbath, we may need to do this gradually. Here is a list that we can start with – pick work as #1 and then add 2 or 3 more as you go over the next few months – things to rest from:

- work

- physical exhaustion

- hurriedness

- multitasking

- competitiveness

- worry

- decision making

- catching up on errands

- talking

- technology & machines

Stopping and resting causes us to respect our humanity and the image of God in us. We are not nonstop human beings. Sad to say but it can take a physical illness such as cancer, heart attack, the flu, or whatever to get us to rest and begin to take this seriously! Remember Jesus’ words… paraphrased ‘We don’t serve the Sabbath. The Sabbath serves us.’

3. Delight – the third component to a biblical Sabbath revolves around delighting in what we have been given. Genesis 1:31 says God, after finishing his work; delighted.. He said ‘it was very good’. The Hebrew phrase here communicates a sense of joy, completion, wonder and play. Most of us in our culture are ‘delight deficient’. Because there has been a distortion of delight and pleasure in our world, most Christians struggle with receiving joy and pleasure – they/ we sometimes feel guilt or discomfort with the whole concept. Sabbaths are the times we can begin to rewrite what we have been believing perhaps. It can be a time that we take great delight in God’s creation. We should slow down and enjoy…. Pay attention to smelling, tasting, touching, seeing the beauty all around us – and relish the opportunities and experiences. We need to slow down, pay attention and delight in people as well. Allow yourself to be ‘into’ the beauty of people around you – God’s creations, made in His image. Allow room for unexpected encounters and conversations with neighbors, friends and family, etc.

Finally, delight in… enjoy healthy play whether through sports, dance, games, looking at old photos, visiting a museum .. play.. enjoy..

4. Contemplate – The final quality of a Sabbath is the contemplation of God. Our Sabbath should be holy to the Lord (Exodus 31:15). Ponder the love of God, worship, read and study Scripture, be silent. On every Sabbath we need to reflect on and experience a taste of what is yet to come in heaven. Our short earthly lives need to be put into perspective. If we are going to do this part of our Sabbath right, we will need to plan and prepare. When will be have worship? A time of silence?, etc.. ? You could create a set tradition or keep it flexible ... have a plan but don’t be overly structured. Look at the Sabbath as a ‘snow day’ – all the stores are closed, work is shut down, school is closed – you now have the gift of a day to do whatever you want – no obligations, pressures or responsibilities. You have permission to play, be with friends, take a nap, read a good book.. it’s a ‘no obligation’ day. God gives it to you… every 7^th day.. it’s up to you to receive this gift. The interesting thing that all of us will find as we practice the Sabbath is that the other days of week will become infused with some of the qualities we are developing in our Sabbath. …hmmm.. perhaps that is all a part of God’s plan.

What about longer Sabbaths/ called Sabbaticals?

Longer periods of Sabbath rest are very clear in Scripture – see Leviticus 25:1-7 where God commands Israel to give the land a Sabbath rest every seven years.

For us as human beings – longer Sabbaths can be considered our vacations – we should view all or part of that time as Sabbath – therefore, we need to think this through when planning our vacations.. for example, a 3 or 4 day trip to Disney World may not constitute a Sabbath vacation.
We need leisure time away to rest and focus. In other words… when we plan, we probably shouldn’t be saying we need a vacation from our vacation.

Second, it would be helpful to participate a few days a year at a spiritual retreat – this would be considered a Sabbatical of sorts. Even going away over night somewhere can be a personal retreat – maybe every 4-6 months. Going on a mission trip with a group could also be considered a longer Sabbath.

Thirdly, take a break from ministry work - let someone fill in for you while you take a few weeks or months away whether you are a small group leader, usher, children's ministry worker, etc.. take a break – especially if it has been an extended period of time. Some Pastors take 3-4 months off every 6-7-8 years.

God is seeking us. He wants us to come back home to Him – the Devine/ Daily Office and the Sabbath are ways for us to slow down to God’s rhythm and be pulled out of the ‘whiteout’/ blizzards of life. If we are going to become spiritually health, we need to ‘stop to breathe’.

THE PATHWAY TO HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY-LESSON 14

Becoming Spiritually Healthy by Stopping to Breathe - GROUP WORK

1. Share your initial reaction to the Divine/Daily Office? What value do you see for yourself personally in this practice?

2. Share your ideas on what your Divine Office will look like – when? What?

3. As we consider the second important practice in how to ‘stop and breathe’ – The Sabbath, share what your current practice is.

4. As we consider The Sabbath – what new insights did you gain tonight about it? – it’s importance, how God sees it

5. What steps will you take this coming week to begin to make a change toward both of these practices?

Lillian Easterly-Smith, LifeCare

Fruitful Living - Faith/ Faithfulness

James 2:18 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

Fruitful Living - Goodness - taught by Robbie Sedgeman

Fruitful Living - the opposite of patience is judgment

Matthew 18:15-17 Dealing With Sin in the Church

1 Corinthians 5

Dealing With a Case of Incest

Fruitful Living - PATIENCE

FRUITFUL LIVING – LIVING THE CRUCIFIED LIFE

Will you join us? Outreach Opportunity

FRUITFUL LIVING - LOVE - Part 2 - Eros & Phleo

FRUITFUL LIVING - LOVE - PART 1 - Agape

Zephaniah 3:17 CEVThe Lord your God wins victory after victoryand is always with you.He celebrates and singsbecause of you,and he will refresh your lifewith his love.”

FRUITFUL LIVING - PEACE: by Robbie Sedgeman

FRUITFUL LIVING - JOY!!!

FRUITFUL LIVING - Lesson 2 by Robbie Sedgeman - THE HOLY SPIRIT

FRUITFUL LIVING

Reasons We Get Stuck / Getting Unstuck

FORGIVENESS

THE PATH TO SERENITY - Spiritual Adoption - Check out the audio!!

THE PATH TO SERENITY - PERSONAL INVENTORY - LOVE

Faith Sharing - EACH - 2WordStory & The Greatest Story Ever Told

THE PATH TO SERENITY - DEFINING THE JOURNEY

Loving Christ Above All Else

Learning New Skills to Love Well

Becoming Spiritually Healthy by Stopping to Breathe

James 2:18 ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

Zephaniah 3:17 CEV
The Lord your God wins victory after victory
and is always with you.
He celebrates and sings
because of you,
and he will refresh your life
with his love.”