Faith Community Fellowship

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Philippians 4:11-13 Simple gratitude... - is relative - says "I'm grateful I have this good thing, because not everyone does." Gratitude is an invitation to compassion - feeling guilty isn't helpful - ask: how does what I've been given equip me to serve? - remember: we are blessed so that we can bless others See Genesis 12, 18, and 22 Matthew 25:14-30 What have you been given? And how will you invest it? Gratitude is an invitation to learn the character of God - patience - intentionality - listening Reflection... - what am I grateful for? - how does this equip me to serve? - what can this teach me about the character of God?

Life is 2-sided; choose the better side. Failure doesn’t have to be fatal. Mark 9:14-19 Lessons to Learn from Failure: 1) Depend on Christ Mark 9:20-23 It’s not a question of His ability; it’s a question of our faith. Mark 9:24-27 When the power of love overcomes the love of power – then peace, reality, and success will be the result. 2) Care for People Double A’s: attention & affection Triple A’s: + acceptance C: compassion D: direction 3 & 4) Faith and Love Mark 9:28-29 Let’s Live the “Value-Added” Life ...and ADD VALUE to Others!

Mark 10:43-44 Greatness is a choice. The more comfortable we are the less inclined we are to be great as Jesus defines great. LUKE 10:25-37 The Good Samaritan ...true greatness You can choose to be great. Be a good neighbor ...that is true greatness. What can I do to help?

You can run from God, but you can't outrun God. God is generous in His grace, but thorough in His discipline. God doesn't discipline us to pay us back, but to bring us back. Jonah 3:1-10 God is still in the business of preparing people's hearts. Jonah 4:1-11 Jonah’s prejudice blinded him to the grace that he had received. Jonah never saw the connection between what God had done in his life, and his obligation to share it with anybody else. What engages your emotions? Which of your concerns get in the way of you showing concern for people? One sign of spiritual maturity: the degree to which our concerns line up with the concerns of God.

Romans 12:1-2 reNEW: to give fresh life or strength to replace (something broken or worn out) Ephesians 2:1,4-5,10 Isaiah 40:31 Isaiah 43:18-19 Greek: renew = palingenesia palin = again genesia = beginning "begin again" Renewal Process: Step 1: Reestablish your relationship with God. Step 2: Put off your old self. Ephesians 4:22-24 Galatians 3:27 Romans 13:14 Step 3: Put on new life. Psalm 18:24 We need to be careful that we are not too attached to who we've been, that we can't become who God has called us to be. 2 Corinthians 4:16 2 Corinthians 5:17 John 8:34 Matthew 26:26-28 Matthew 19:28 Revelation 21:1-5 Philippians 1:6 God's not done with your story. Romans 8:19-23 Who We Are + Moments That Matter = Stories That We Live Who We Are + Moments That Matter / JESUS in the Moments = Transformed Story How to reexamine your story: counseling journaling share with a trusted friend list three influential people look at your story in three pieces Acknowledging who and what has shaped you is the first

To be effective, we need to learn one thing: Get Over Ourselves Mark 9:30-34 Mark 9:2-12 Mark 914-18 How to Get Over Yourself: 1) Stop Focusing on Yourself Mark 9:50 Mark 9:38 Mark 9:37 Matthew 19:13 Mark 9:41 2) Stop Taking Yourself Too Seriously Mark 9:42-48 1 Corinthians 8:10-13 3) You Need to Think About Others When people think about YOU: “My life is better” - or - “My life is worse”. Get over yourself; and, start giving yourself. Giving truly is the highest level of living. Stumbling block // Stepping stone: which are you?

Free humans. Be free humans. Being seen begins to set people free. - a revival of humanity There is zero progress without some ability to compromise. Freedom is the entire goal here. 1, [FREE] LONELINESS Acts 8:35-38 Mark 1:40-42 Genesis 1 Colossians 1:15-1 John 1:1-3, 14 2, [FREE] LIFE Luke 4:18 Matthew 28:16-20 Freeing people frees us. 3, [FREE] EXTRAVAGANTLY John 2:1-11 #4, [FREE] EMPATHY Sympathy is feeling bad for someone. Empathy is feeling bad with someone. Jesus wept = Jesus had empathy John 11:1-3, 17, 21-22, 33-36 Empathy builds trust with those we are feeling with. We need to get better at feeling WITH instead of feeling FOR. **What matters most: showing up and loving.

We are desperate to be seen. We want to be seen not only for who we are but also for why we are. [SEE] BIAS Jesus: Women, John 4:27; Luke 13:16; Luke 24:1–11 The poor, Luke 14:13–14 Racial enemies, John 4 Oppressors, Ephesians 2:14-17 [SEE] CLOSER There are people in need of our compassion just on the other side of our opinions. Holy Spirit Acts 8:26-35 Get in their chariot! What are the chariots that you need to get into? [SEE] TO SERVE Mark 10:42-45 [SEE] CLEARLY We’ve got to get near so we can be clear. Close the gap. “Hey, (insert name) , I really miss you, friend. Want to _________?" [SEE] JOURNEYS “I’m not standing on issues; I’m walking with people.” John 8:3-11 Jesus saw humans where others saw issues. See bias. See closer. See to serve. See clearly. See journeys. See HUMAN.

How does humanity get back on course? It starts with us. We forgot how to be. [BE] YOU THINK ABOUT IT… Is there something about your story that you avoid sharing with others because you believe life would be easier without that part of your story being true? The beautiful parts and the ugly parts of your story are relevant. [BE] LOVE Love God and love people. John 15:12 YOU are worthy of love [BE] COMPASSION - sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others [BE] LOVE The truest form of compassion is found outside the walls of similarity. Luke 10:33 There are many people who are in need of our compassion just on the other side of our opinions. Matthew 18:12-13 Sometimes acting with compassion is so that you are reminded that you have it in you to give. [BE] JUSTICE We must put action to our conviction… What is that going to look like? Biblical justice (Tim Keller): radical generosity universal equality life-changing advocacy asymmetrical responsibility [BE] WONDER slowing

Message by Bob Crosthwaite, Pastor Emeritus Impatience versus Patience 1, Whining 1 Samuel 13:5-14 The art of waiting is not learned at once. Isaiah 40:31 Hebrews 1:1 2 Peter 1:6-8 Galatians 5:22-23 James 1:3-4 2, Waiting There is a time to DO; and a time to WAIT… and the ability to tell the difference is a sign of maturity. Examples of Waiting: when we desire wisdom when we experience hurt/loss when we want to grow Right way: receive power & direction Wrong way: remain stagnant & powerless 3, Winning Can impatience and love really exist together in the same heart? 1 Corinthians 13:4 The “Waiting Room” is part of daily life. When you understand that God is never late, you WAIT differently. Saul made a choice between giving in or growing up. May God help us to wait properly.

What does it look like to have great faith? Great faith is great surrender. Jesus’ extraordinary faith led to extraordinary surrender. John 5:30 John 12:49-50 John 6:38-40 John 14:10-14 1 John 5:14-15 Great faith is great surrender. “Your will be done on earth (in my life) as it is in heaven.” …a statement of extraordinary surrender.

What do you do when you have hope, and God doesn’t give you what you hope for? 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 grace of God = the power or ability given by God to endure difficult circumstances. Your greatest weakness is God’s greatest opportunity to show Himself strong in You. His grace is only offered to you when you’re leaning into Him. “The only thing worse than disappointment with God is disappointment without God.” [Philip Yancey] Sometimes it takes a lot more faith to endure a “no” from God than to acquire a “yes.” Your greatest weakness is His greatest opportunity, if you will choose to trust Him.

** The Rapture** No one can comprehend how strikingly shocking it will be... until it is. Can our minds and bodies handle what is coming? Short answer: No... not without God. John 3:16-17 Matthew 10:33 Daniel’s prophecies (550 years BC) Daniel 9:20-27 70 weeks of 7 years (490 years) Jesus the Messiah (the Anointed One) Romans 9:25-28 Matthew 24:30-31 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Matthew 24:36-42 Enoch, Genesis 5:24 Elijah, 2 Kings 2:11 No one knows...

Every religion wants to have a manageable God Faith is NOT: - a power or a force - a formula - the same as confidence - complicated Hebrews 11:1-3, 7-8, 13 The bridge between hope and faith is the promise of God. Faith is confidence that God is who He says He is, and that He will do everything He’s promised to do. Luke 5:12-13 Sometimes God is willing in the moment; sometimes God is willing later; and sometimes God’s not willing at all. He’s still God, and you are still His beloved child! He doesn’t do our bidding… (He’s God.) So what has God promised? Hebrews 4:14-16 Mercy = God leans in our direction Grace = strength to endure We can ask Him for anything! And hope. We can trust God for His presence, His mercy, and His grace. And believe.

You have an element of faith in your life. What is the foundation of your faith? Lost faith: lifestyle decisions unexplainable circumstances. We change the way we behave, and then we change the way we believe. God isn’t acting the way we think God should act: circumstantial faith **circumstantial faith is very fragile #1, we’re not very good at interpreting events #2, our time-frame isn’t long enough #3, we don’t often interpret the voice of God very well. God will oftentimes use an event or a set of circumstances to launch our faith; but those moments were never designed to be the foundation of our faith. The sorrows of life don’t make sense; and the pleasures of life can eventually cause your belief system to become an inconvenience. Hebrews 4:14 The foundation of our faith is a Person! Your faith is resting against something. God doesn’t ask us to love Him based on our ability to figure Him out! Hebrews 12:2-3

1 Chronicles 29 King David > Ark of the Covenant > tabernacle/tent > TEMPLE vs 1-6 How can I give as much as possible? >> ownership and stewardship vs 10-11 "...everything in heaven and earth is Yours" Stewardship: "God, what would you like to see happen with that which you've entrusted to me?" Luke 16:1-9 All your stuff is a tool. Re-ordering your finances >> PRIORITIES & SELF-CONTROL Stewardship is reordering your finances so that they reflect the belief that everything belongs to God. Matthew 6:24-33 **Giving Summer

Proverbs 22:1 1. Names are important. Genesis: Creator Exodus: Deliverer Leviticus: Great Teacher Numbers: Chastiser Revelation: Alpha and Omega 2. Choosing a name Joseph - Matthew 1:21 Jesus’ name is, and always will be, the most important name of all. Philippians 2:9-10 Jacob = deceiver Jacob halted (limped away) When you replace “Why is this happening to me?”- with “What is this trying to teach me?”, EVERYTHING shifts! 3. Changing names Often our name tells something about our character. Names show relationship with others. Saul to Paul: Acts 9 Names say something about who we are. Israel = God prevails (perseveres) What’s your name today? Anger → Peace Hate → Love Pain → Delight Disobedience → Happy to Serve Something against my neighbor → Love for one another Deceiver → Prince with God What's your name?

When we are willing to admit our ignorance, we are on a path to growing. But, if we think we already know everything, we will only remain in our ignorance. || CERTAINTY and HUMILITY || John 9 vs 1-3 vs 16 vs 24 vs 38 Why did certainty lead to the blindness of the religious leaders, and why did humility and uncertainty lead to belief and worship for the man born blind? And how are we going to choose to the better path? Cognitive dissonance: when you hold strongly to a belief or opinion but then you encounter a fact which contradicts that belief or opinion. For most of us, cognitive dissonance is intolerable! Certainty makes us feel so comfortable! vs 13-16 #1, they denied the evidence vs 18 #2, they discredited the messenger vs 31 #2, they created distance vs 34 The religious leaders didn’t kick the man out because they knew they were right, but because on some level, they feared they were wrong! They were protecting the ILLUSION of certainty. The problem with living in the illusion of certainty

// God’s will // Ephesians 5:17 God’s will is not always crystal clear. We tend to assume that God's will is both important AND elusive. Blueprint: a specific set of instructions that spell out everything in detail. Game plan: general guidelines and principles, with lots of freedom and flexibility Are you sure you want a blueprint? We have a lot more freedom than any blueprint would allow. That's the main reason the details of God’s will sometimes seem hard to find – they often aren't there. In the New Testament, there is little emphasis on the kinds of decisions we commonly stress over. A blueprint approach: - paralyzes decision making - turns our focus toward the wrong things Decisions ultimately create destiny. But they aren't nearly as important as a life of daily obedience. - we treat God as a part-time blueprint consultant. Romans 12:2 Understanding God's Game Plan: #1, Obey what we know #2, Get the facts #3, Think biblically; master the basics Our responsibility is to become a r

“Children spell love: T-I-M-E” (Dobson) **Fathers from the Bible: 1) Joseph (Jesus) John 14:1-2 We learn to... - trust God - willingly surrender ourselves to God’s purpose & design - teach our children what we know about God - allow our children to experience God for themselves - trust that God will lead our children in their spiritual search 2) Paul (Timothy) The Roles of a Father: provider; protector; leader; teacher; helper; encourager; and friend. (Kendrick) Moses spent 40 years thinking he was SOMEbody; 40 years learning he was NObody; and 40 years discovering what God can do with a NObody. (Moody)