Alive Wesleyan

Malachi 3:6 (NIV84) 6 “I the Lord do not change. Hebrews 13:8 (NIV84) 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. But the “You gotta be kidding me” moment has to do with the main character of this story, not Jonah, not the fish . . .but this all powerful God who opts for compassion over force.

Malachi 3:6 (NIV84) “I the Lord do not change. Hebrews 13:8 (NIV84) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. God is good. God is faithful. God is able.

Value 6: Relational Evangelism—We will intentionally leverage our influence in the world for the purpose of introducing people to the transforming love of Christ. The number one way the Gospel spreads is one person telling another and that is because of your relational collateral.

Excellent Environments—We believe that our role is to remove obstacles and create opportunities for people to bump into Jesus so that He can teach and do what only he can teach and do. Excellent Environments—If we believe Jesus is the hope of the world, then shouldn’t we do our best to create an environment that says what we do really matters? Psalm 23:6 (NRSV)6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Gifted Service—We are committed to reflecting the purpose and personality of Jesus by leveraging our God-given gifts for the benefit of others, both inside and outside the church. I long for the day at ALIVE where this is true of us.Everybody serves somewhere.Everybody gives something.Everybody helps someone.So that everybody has a place at the table.

Psalm 23 (NIV84) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Value #3 - Authentic Community — We believe pursuing truth together is the best way to discover and apply truth to my life.

Relational Intimacy — No matter what you have done wrong, by grace through faith in Jesus alone, it is possible to be restored into an intimate relationship with God. Luke 19:10 (NIV84) 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

One of the key phrases Jesus used when he was talking to folks was this, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” “Because I am now available to everybody, to be in you and around you, you might want to rethink your strategy for life.”

Jesus is the greatest treasure the world has ever seen. Matthew 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.” We were created to treasure him!

Do I even believe in Jesus?Can I trust Jesus? Week 1: Jesus cares about all parts of our lives, the inner world and the outer world. Week 2: No matter what we’ve done, Jesus offers acceptance, love, friendship and forgiveness Week 3: Jesus offers mercy and grace to everyone because everyone needs it. Jesus will not leverage his power for himself, but will leverage his power for me.

When you sell something to someone else, it is for personal benefit and profit. When you give something away, it is for someone else’s benefit and profit. The REAL Jesus doesn’t want something from us; he wants something for us.

A supersized Jesus, extra grace, double forgiveness, hold the hard truth, with a big order of “don’t make me feel bad about anything I want to do” on the side. Answer every prayer I ever offer and protect me from any hurt or pain in my life and eventually let me die in my sleep. If we don’t allow Jesus to fix the inside, nothing on the outside really changes for long.

A supersized Jesus, extra grace, double forgiveness, hold the hard truth, with a big order of “don’t make me feel bad about anything I want to do” on the side. Answer every prayer I ever offer and protect me from any hurt or pain in my life and eventually let me die in my sleep. Do I even believe in Jesus? Can I ever trust Jesus?

There is a heaven and there is a hell and every person in history will spend eternity in one or the other based on what they did with Jesus Christ. John 14:6 (NRSV) 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Matthew 28:18–20 (NIV84) 18 . . . “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” I found something good for my life. Do you want to come and see?

Anyone, at any time, can find themselves in a room with Jesus. Matthew 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Disciple - Someone who is learning from and following Jesus.

ALIVE will become a multiplying movement. Is this Gospel, this Jesus, worth the effort? It is time to take the inspiration and information you have received in this series, and add some perspiration. Many of us are carrying conviction; God has burdened our hearts for the people on our lists. And perhaps more than conviction, God has given us compassion at a whole new level for the lost people in our lives. He has given us that New Testament compassion word, splongnon—which means bowels. God has been good to me in the past but will he take care of me in the days ahead?

War—a struggle to achieve a goal. War Effort— A group of people willing to change and do whatever needs to be done in order to achieve a common goal. Do I place enough value in what Jesus has done for me to enter the struggle of introducing Jesus to others? You have been uniquely, strategically and specifically positioned by God to have a certain level of (GOSPEL) influence in someone’s life.

War—a struggle to achieve a goal War for a specific number on a scale.War for our families.War against cancer.War for the environment.War against an addiction.War for our children. Do I place enough value in what Jesus has done for me to enter the struggle of introducing Jesus to others?  There is a heaven and there is a hell and every person in history will spend eternity in one or the other based on what they did with Jesus Christ.

War effort - A group of people willing to change and do whatever needs to be done in order to achieve a common goal. There is a heaven and there is a hell and every person in history will spend eternity in one or the other based on what they did with Jesus Christ. John 14:6 (NRSV) 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Strategy - a plan of action or policy designed to achieve an overall aim. Military strategy could be moving entire forces on a map, or they could be more tactical, moving an individual. We actually employed strategies as part of the war effort.

War—a struggle to achieve a goal. A group of people willing to change and do whatever needs to be done in order to achieve a common goal. There is a heaven and there is a hell and every person in history will spend eternity in one or the other based on what they did with Jesus Christ. Another battlefield term. It is called “Unity of command.” The military functions under a vitally important hierarchy. There is always someone in charge and if that ever falters, the goal is in jeopardy. On any field, there must be absolute clarity about who is in charge. That is unity of command.