Friday, October 21, 2011

FRUITFUL LIVING - JOY!!!

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.

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.

Monday, October 17, 2011

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

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?

Friday, October 7, 2011

FRUITFUL LIVING

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.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Reasons We Get Stuck / Getting Unstuck

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?

Friday, July 22, 2011

FORGIVENESS

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.

Lillian Easterly-Smith, LifeCare