July 27 2014 Finding My Significance Through Service

Finding My Significance Through Service 

God on Film Part 5

Memory Verse: Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)“We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Job 10:8 (NIV) “Your hands shaped me and made me.”

Spiritual Gifts

• Heart
• Abilities
• Personality
• Experiences

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) “Each one should use whatever gift he’s received to serve others.”

Matthew 20:28 (LB) Jesus: “Your attitude must be like My Own, for I did not come to be served, but to serve...”

LEARNING TO SERVE LIKE JESUS

1. SERVING LIKE JESUS MEANS BEING AVAILABLE.

Matthew 20:30-32 (NIV) “Two blind men... shouted, ‘Lord, have mercy on us!’ ... Jesus stopped and called them. ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ He asked.”

Proverbs 3:28 (TEV) “Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now.”

1st Barrier: SELF-CENTEREDNESS

Philippians 2:4 (MSG)“Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”

2nd Barrier: PERFECTIONISM

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT)“If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.”

3rd Barrier: MATERIALISM

Luke 16:13 (NIV)“No servant can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money."

2. SERVING LIKE JESUS MEANS BEING THANKFUL

John 11:41-42 (NIV) “Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard Me. I knew that you always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here...’"

Psalms 100:2 (KJV) “Serve the Lord with gladness.”

2 Timothy 1:9 (LB) “It is He who saved us and chose us for His holy work not because we deserved it but because that was His plan...”

1st Barrier: COMPARING & CRITICIZING

Romans 14:4 (GW)“Who are you to criticize someone else's servant? The Lord will determine whether His servant has been successful.”

2nd Barrier: WRONG MOTIVATIONS

Matthew 6:1 (CEV) “When you do good deeds, don't try to show off. If you do, you won't get a reward from your Father in heaven.”

July 20 2014 Dealing With Difficult People

God on Film (Planet of the Apes) Dealing With Difficult People 

5 kinds of difficult Apes

1. The Hostile Ape.
2. The Know It All Ape.
3. The Complainer Ape.
4. The Back stabber Ape.
5. The Unreliable Ape.

• The Story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)

“Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business, and he had become very rich.” - Luke 19:1-2

WHEN FACED WITH A DIFFICULT PERSON, I SHOULD...

1. DETERMINE GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE RELATIONSHIP.

Luke 19:3-5“[Zacchaeus] tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree beside the road, so he could watch from there. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. ‘Zacchaeus!’ he said.”

God allows difficult people in my life so He can...

• ŽUse Me
• Show Me
• Grow Me

James 1:2-4“Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”

2. DECIDE to respond with kindness. .

Luke 19:5-7 “‘Quick, come down! For I must be a guest in your home today.’ Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the crowds were displeased. ‘He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,’ they grumbled.”

Galatians 5:22-23 “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

3. DON’T Avoid the real issue .

Luke 19:8 “Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!’”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

4. DEVELOP Jesus’s heart for people. .

Luke 19:9-10 “Jesus responded, ‘Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham. And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost.’”

Matthew 5:44-46(Jesus) “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven….If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.”

1 John 4:11 “ Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

July 6 2014 How God Transforms My Life

God On Film: How God Transforms My Life

Memory Verse: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” - Romans 12:2

Transformation Myths: I am transformed by instantly

I am transformed by my will

Transformation Truth: I am transformed by cooperating with God’s work in me

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.” - Philippians 2:13

GOD TRANSFORMS MY LIFE WHEN I...

• Admit I need to change

“For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” - Romans 3:23

• Build up a positive attitude for change.

“...let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” - Romans 12:2

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” - Philippians 4:8

• Create a Growth Plan

“You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.” - Psalm 139:3

• Determine my influences.

Two Questions To Ask Yourself:

1. Does my current environment tempt or strengthen me?

2. Are the current people in my life accomplices or friends?

“...bad company corrupts good character.” - 1 Corinthians 15:33

Expect God’s Power to change AND don’t’ quit.

“And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.” - Philippians 1:6

“So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and giveup, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.” Gal 6:9

June 29 2014 Finding Courage Over Fear

God On FIlm: Finding Courage Over Fear

Memory Verse: “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The LORD your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6

Gideon Faces His Fear with Courage
(Judges 6-7)

Judges 6:1-6 Again the Israelites did what was evil in the LORD's sight. So the LORD handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites fled to the mountains, where they made hiding places for themselves in caves and dens. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel, camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. These enemy hordes, coming with their cattle and tents as thick as locusts, arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare. So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.”

*What is the greatest fear I am facing right now?

HOW DO I FIND COURAGE IN THE FACE OF FEAR?
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• ADMIT my insecurities.

Judges 6:11-16 Gideon son of Joash had been threshing wheat at the bottom of a wine press to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, ‘Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!’ ‘Sir,’ Gideon replied, ‘if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?...But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.’ Then the LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!’ ‘But Lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!’ The LORD said to him, ‘I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.’”*What insecurity is keeping me from moving forward with courage? 
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• CONFIRM God is With you BEFORE MOVING FORWARD.

Judges 6:36 -40 Then Gideon said to God, ‘If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put some wool on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.’ And it happened just that way. When Gideon got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, ‘Please don't be angry with me, but let me make one more request. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.’ So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.”
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• PLACE YOUR Trust in God OVER PEOPLE AND THINGS.

Judges 7:2 -7 The LORD said to Gideon, ‘You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Therefore, tell the people, “Whoever is timid or afraid may leave and go home.”’ Twenty two thousand of them went home, leaving only ten thousand who were willing to fight. But the LORD told Gideon, ‘There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will sort out who will go with you and who will not.’ When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the LORD told him, ‘Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.’ Only three hundred of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream. The LORD told Gideon, ‘With these three hundred men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.’”
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• OBEY God Completely AND MOVE FORWARD in Faith

Judges 7:16, 19 - 22 He divided the three hundred men into three groups and gave each man a ram's horn and a clay jar with a torch in it...It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the one hundred men with him reached the outer edge of the Midianite camp... Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands and shouted, ‘A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!’ Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran. When the three hundred Israelites blew their horns, the LORD caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled.”

June 22 2014 Taming My Dragon Of Anger

God On Film: Taming My Dragon Of Anger

FIVE DRAGONS OF ANGER

Ž1. The Raging Dragon (Proverbs 29:11)
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2. The Silent Dragon (Psalm 55:21)
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3. The Passive-Aggressive Dragon (Proverbs 26:18-19)
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4. The Pouty Dragon (Proverbs 29:22)
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5. The Sarcastic Dragon (Matthew 5:22)

Matthew 5:21-22 (Jesus) “You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.”

Ecclesiastes 7:9“Don’t be quick-tempered, for anger is the friend of fools.”

HOW TO TAME MY DRAGON OF ANGER

1. IDENTIFY WHAT Triggers MY ANGER.

2. Pause AND Pray WHEN MY TEMPER IS RISING.

James 1:19-20“Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Your anger can never make things right in God’s sight.”

Proverbs 19:11“People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs.”

Proverbs 13:16 “Wise people think before they act; fools don’t and even brag about it!”

Proverbs 14:29 “Those who control their anger have great understanding; those with a hasty temper will make mistakes.”

3. Repair the damage CAUSED BY MY ANGER.

Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.”

Matthew 5:23-26 (Jesus) “So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Come to terms quickly with your enemy before it is too late and you are dragged into court, handed over to an officer, and thrown in jail. I assure you that you won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.”

4. RESPOND WITH Love INSTEAD OF ANGER.

Memory Verse: (Jesus) “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” - Matthew 5:9

Romans 12:18-20 “Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, ‘I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,’ says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: ‘If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.’”