Cornerstone Church, S.c.

Blueprints set a STANDARD How it should be When blueprints aren’t followed, disaster happens   That’s what this series is about… Blueprints God’s design for church and family God is a God of design Psalm 8:3-4 3 When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place, 4 what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him? A MAJOR THEME in the story the Bible is telling is:   Let’s first define Family: A family consists of people, usually related, with shared values that provide safety, guidance, accountability, respect, and forgiveness.   Let’s build a BIBLICAL THEME of Family… 1: God planned and placed the family at the beginning of creation Genesis 2:24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. 2: God designed the family for human flourishing Genesis 1:28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea,

Usually, when we think of “COST,” it’s moneya product “costs” us “Blank amount of dollars.” But there is a more profound COST What it takes to get the money in the first place Let’s look a place where Jesus explains the concept Luke 14:26-33 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ What is a way for us to understand this “COST” Cost = Time + Energy The greater the “COST,” the greater the investment of our TIME and our ENERGY <Example> Holding the door for a stranger vs. A first date First Dat

Suffering we have all experienced it Some of us are going through it   Today – Going to approach it this way 1st: A Christian THEOLOGY of Suffering What does the Bible teach, and how is that different than other perspectives   2nd: A Pastoral Response How we can walk through really difficult times Let’s look at the IDEA of suffering When Bad people do bad things, bad things should happen to them Karma You get when you deserve   But what about when Bad things happen to GOOD PEOPLE? Child gets sick Stolen from Natural Disasters This is what is called in philosophy: THE PROBLEM OF EVIL Most suffering comes from evil or can be seen as evil   Let’s look at it from a few different perspectives…   BUDDISM We suffer because we are too attached to worldly things. Buddhism urges us to get past suffering by not clinging to material objects or even to relationships with other people. Buddhists say that a desire for things and relationships is what causes us to suffer.   HINDUISM Suffering is regarded as punishment

Cornerstone is a church “ON MISSION” We don’t exist to exist; we exist to accomplish something   Cornerstone’s Mission: We exist… To Help DISCONNECTED People to Find, Follow, and Be Like Jesus The word DISCONNECTED is key… As students of our culture, we must understand what is currently going on in our culture   One of the most significant issues facing Americans is: LONELINESS Facts on Loneliness: According to a study by Cigna, nearly half of all Americans report feeling lonely sometimes or always. The same study found that Generation Z (ages 18-22) is the loneliest generation, with 79% reporting feelings of loneliness. Social isolation is as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Loneliness can increase the risk of premature death by up to 50%.   All indications point to the fact that our culture is: More DISCONNECTED than ever Why? The reasons behind this epidemic include the prevalence of smaller and further-flung families, the decline in traditional social institutions such as faith organ

Perspective: What we see based on our circumstances   The reason I bring up perspective is… This series has been all about “LIVING WITH PURPOSE” What that purpose is will be determined by your PERSPECTIVE   In the first week, we learned the important foundational truths concerning our PURPOSE God created the world ON PURPOSE and FOR A PURPOSE   The ULTIMATE PURPOSE for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE is to GLORIFY GOD Isaiah 43:7 …everyone who bears my name and is created for my glory. I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.” Last week, we found out that we all have a PERSONAL CALLING A personal calling is simply God’s tug on our hearts toward a particular thing. It can be for a specific situation, a season of life, or a lifetime.  Finished last week with some best practices around finding out that calling Acts 13 2 As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hand

Last week… Started a new series LIVING WITH PURPOSE   Learned 2 important truths: God created the world ON PURPOSE and FOR A PURPOSE Which means… The ULTIMATE PURPOSE for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE is to GLORIFY GOD   Today, we are talking about the next step in purpose, which is… Finding Your Personal Calling   Separate into two parts: Part 1: What do we mean by “PERSONAL CALLING”   A personal calling is simply God’s tug on our hearts toward a particular thing. It can be for a specific situation, a season of life, or a lifetime.  Specific Situation At work With a person   Season of life Parenting (adoption) Marriage School College Job Lifetime Full-time ministry Personal calling that takes your whole life Let’s talk about what a calling is NOT This means that a calling is NOT Necessarily… What is going to make you rich What is going to always make you happy What you are meant to do forever   >>But it DOES mean that you will find the MOST FULFILLMENT in your personal calling<< Why is that? Your

The Power of Lullabies   Pastor of Underground Church in Iran (Muslim Country) “It seems to me that the church in the West is under some sort of satanic lullaby.”   New Series: LIVING WITH PURPOSE Next few weeks Looking at how we Discover our purpose Today, we will look at the Idea of Purpose from a 50,000-foot view Title: THE LULLABY OF FALSE PURPOSE   To know your part in the plan, you need to understand the LARGER PLAN We can’t understand our purpose outside of God’s larger purpose for all things   This is what we MUST know… God created the world ON PURPOSE and FOR A PURPOSE We are not an accident   On Purpose = You and this world are NO Accident You are not a mistake You have purpose because all of God’s creation has purpose   Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female. For A Purpose = Why did God create the World FOR HIS GLORY   Isaiah 43:6-7 6 Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the ends of the earth— 7 everyone

A WILDERNESS SEASON IS WHERE WE LEARN WHO GOD IS, HOW HE LOVES US, AND HOW WE SHOULD INTERACT WITH HIM   All relationships have rules Friendship has rules Dating has rules Marriage has rules Parenting has rules Business partnerships have rules Employees and employers have rules Rules give identity and terms to relationships What are some common rules? No lying – Breaking trust breaks the foundation of EVERY relationship Eyes only for that one person – Choosing each other over everyone else No stealing – Don’t take what doesn’t belong to you In the absence of rules, there is no freedom except for the one who is mightier and meaner than all the rest   God has Reintroduced Himself – THE GREAT I AM Rescued – From Egypt and their enemies Provided – Food and water in the desert All this without ANY RULES But God is about RELATIONSHIP Exodus 6:7 7 I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians. In order

Disappointment is more than a feeling – It’s a direction Leads you on a path This is important because our series is called “LOST” A WAY out of the wilderness A WILDERNESS SEASON IS WHERE WE LEARN WHO GOD IS, HOW HE LOVES US, AND HOW WE SHOULD INTERACT WITH HIM Part of this learning is learning HOW to handle Disappointment Especially disappointment with God   What is disappointment? Disappointment happens when my expectations are not aligned with my real-time experiences Disappointment is magnified in “WILDERNESS” season because we are already stressed/worried/anxious/frustrated   “When God’s timing seems questionable, his lack of intervention seems hurtful, and his promises seem doubtful, I get afraid. I get confused. And left alone with those feelings, I can’t help but feel disappointed that God isn’t doing what I assume a good God should do.” ~ Lysa Terkeurst   This is exactly where some of you are right now—disappointed with God: You keep praying, but he keeps ignoring you. All your friends are getti

Choose Your Hard In your health In your relationships With your kids With your career Same with Following God Without God = HARD With God = HARD Choose your heard   Just because all things are difficult doesn’t mean all OUTCOMES are the same value Some things, while difficult, are worth more than others We’re talking about this because of the new series… >>LOST: A WAY IN THE WILDERNESS   Being in a wilderness season is when things are abnormally… Difficult Confusing Disorienting Uphill Just plane HARD   But wilderness seasons have purpose… A WILDERNESS SEASON IS WHERE WE LEARN WHO GOD IS, HOW HE LOVES US, AND HOW WE SHOULD INTERACT WITH HIM We are looking at the story of the EXODUS The escape of the Israelite people from Egypt to the PROMISED LAND Last week was about the 10 plagues in Egypt God’s purpose for many wilderness seasons is to teach us about Himself Today, we continue that story… Egypt finally has enough of God and his people They let Israel Go They send them with riches Pharaoh has a

Key Question: What Is A Wilderness Season? A season of life where things are: Difficult Confusing Disorienting Uphill Out of the ordinary Wilderness Seasons are a MAJOR PART of the Christian Walk We anticipate them A WILDERNESS SEASON IS WHERE WE LEARN WHO GOD IS, HOW HE LOVES US, AND HOW WE SHOULD INTERACT WITH HIM   1 Peter 1:6-7 6 You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. This series is about MAKING THE MOST out of these seasons Don’t waste pain Learn what God is teaching   We will be looking at the TRUE story of the EXODUS The freeing of the people of God (Israel) from captivity in Egypt One of the most powerful stories in human history The story up to this point: Joseph 400 years in Egypt   Exodus 1:13-14 13 They worked the Israelites ruthlessly 14 and

The Anxiety Cycle Anxiety Avoidance/Obsession Short-Term Relief Long-term Anxiety Growth Over and Over….   This happens whether you are a Christian or Not But we should think of anxiety differently than the rest of the world   The Bible Has a lot to say about Anxiety and how we should face it   Some people struggle more than others We have patience and sympathy for those who do struggle Make sure you see a professional if your anxiety goes to far   Let’s start by looking at anxiety as an ACTION It’s something we do But the answer isn’t “JUST STOP WORRYING ALL THE TIME”   To STOP the action of anxiety, we must START another action 3 Counter actions to stop the Cycle of Anxiety   Counteraction #1 1: Throwing When You Want To Hold     Some of us are “ANXIETY HOARDERS” We stockpile things to worry about   This is an effort to CONTROL They are YOUR anxieties They are YOUR worries   What does Scripture say 1 Peter 5 6 Humble yourselves….   6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mi

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