Alive Wesleyan

One Problem – Sin One Solution – Jesus One Hope – Jesus’ Resurrection and 2nd Coming One Mission – Make and Multiply Disciples One Vehicle - Love

Reality Check. Faith. Repent. Do you know what Step 4 always is? Road Block. And many of us have already discovered this, maybe even this week. We defined our here and set out to make real, lasting change. “I’m going to get in shape.” “I’m going to get fired up and be Joe Sangl, be financially free.” “I’m going to change my marriage.” “I’m going to get serious about my relationship with God.” “I’m going to patch a broken friendship.”

Joe Sangl led ALIVE Wesleyan Church in a Financial Learning Experience on January 15th, 2018. Joseph Sangl is a leading teacher of personal finances. It is his passion to help people accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances. He believes when people are financially free, they are much more likely to go do exactly what they have been put on earth to do –regardless of the income potential. He is the founder of I Was Broke. Now I’m Not., an organization that provides financial teaching through live events, print and web resources. He is the President and CEO of INJOY Stewardship Solutions, a company that provides solutions that resource the vision of the local church. Joe is also the Co-Founder of Fully Funded, an organization that helps churches implement systems to create a generous culture and fully fund their vision.#alivewesleyanchurch For the latest sermons, stories, & training: https://alivewesleyan.com/sermons/STAY CONNECTED: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIVEWe

You are able to do exactly what God has put you on earth to do regardless of the cost or income potential. You are able. God owns it ALL. God recognizes our ABILITY.

You are here. Two Reactions:I don’t want this life.This isn’t the life I thought I would Today is the sum total of your life to date. Romans 3:23 (NIV84) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,John 16:33 (NIV84) 33 . . . In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”Psalm 40:17 (NIV84) 17Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.

Have you ever found your self in a place where you are suddenly and painfully aware you are an outsider? You look around and have no clue what you are supposed to do or say. Have you ever had a moment like this at church? Have you ever felt like this when people talk about the Bible? We can get overwhelmed focusing on the methods of how we are supposed to engage with the Bible that we stop focusing on the Bible.#alivewesleyanchurch For the latest sermons, stories, & training: https://alivewesleyan.com/sermons/STAY CONNECTED: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALIVEWesleyanFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALIVEwesleyanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/alivewesleyan/Website: https://alivewesleyan.comNewsletter: https://alivewesleyan.info/weeklyupdate

Christmas is this tension between style and substance.  If we remove the manger from the Nativity, can we still have Christmas?  Matthew 1:1 (NIV84) A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: Do you know what the name Jesus means? It means “He saves John 3:16–17 (NIV84) 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Sometimes we get confused and think Jesus came to make a nice and naughty list. That isn’t Jesus that is Santa. Jesus came to save us, not tell on us. Jesus came with one clear purpose, to save. He saves.

A few observations about this crossroads: ·     First, we will often choose to listen to our fears more than God.  ·     Second, we will often listen to our selfishness and pride more than God.  ·     Third, I have no problem with God when he asks me to do something I was going to do anyway.

A couple of observations about stumps:There is little to no value in a stump.There is little to no hope in a stump. A stump is simply a memorial that something used to live there. Isaiah 11:1 (NIV84) A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

You don’t get to choose your family.   If we are not careful, we begin to believe some of those things about ourselves.  ·     I am less because of where I grew up, so I had better perform or pose.  ·     I can’t beat this; it’s been part of my family tree—my dad, my grandfather and his Dad before him.  ·     My mom left and her mom left, so I guess that will be true of me.   If Jesus had people like that in his family tree, is there a place for me in his family?

Running is hard. Hitting wall is going to happen. Running in a team is better than running alone.And running with a limp changes the game. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Hebrews 10:19–25 (NIV84) 19 Therefore, friends, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 

To reveal the kind of faith required for the life of Christianity and this is revealed through Jesus Hebrews 11:1 (NIV84) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Faith is not: If I do this, God will do this. That is God as puppet. Not a formula. If I do the spiritual hokey pokey I will be healed. Not a way to figure out the answers to the universe.

Maybe you have never ran or cycled in such a way as to hit a wall, but we all share experiences when life became so tough, a season of life was so trying that we felt it was going to crush us and we hit a proverbial wall. · Mothers of young children know what it is to hit the wall. · Anybody who has tried to diet and then driven by a Dairy Queen knows what it is to hit the wall. · Anybody who has a dysfunctional family to spend thanksgiving with knows what is to his the wall. The Bible often uses the concept of running to describe life.

Whether you are believer or not, I don’t have to convince you of evil. We may differ on where evil comes from.   Some people believe evil is random.   Some believe evil is part of humanity so evil happens whenever people get together.   Some people evil is from a minority of humanity, but generally people are good.   John 10:10 (NIV84) 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 

And now we can see the two main strategies Satan uses in our lives. Strategy 1: To get you to believe something different than what God says is true about himself or his promises. Strategy 2: To get you to believe something different than what God says about you. Questions about who God is based on your circumstances. He attacks people on what they know and do not know about God. Questions about who you are and what God says is true about you. You decide to believe something about you that is counter to what God says about you. We call it truth because we feel it and that is a terrible source of truth. Satan’s native tongue is liar.

Research reveals about 80% of Americans believe in God while only 60% believe in the Devil. He is saying that fear that there is something under the bed, is a legitimate fear. The Bible affirms there is more than meets the eye and if that’s true, who and what are we talking about. Most often the Bible calls the personality Satan. It is a word that means adversary, enemy, devil.

Can one person really make that big difference One person can make a difference to God. So this idea of making a difference to God sounds like an oxymoron,creation making a difference to the creator. The finite making a difference to the infinite. The weak making a difference to the omnipotent. And yet the scriptures indicate we can make a difference to God.

ALIVE will become a multiplying movement. If churches don’t plant churches, who will? We need more churches to reach our communities. In order to build campuses and plant churches, ALIVE is getting intentional about raising missional leaders We need people who will live risky lives in order to reach people, sacrificial lives in order to meet needs, and Godly lives in order to have something to offer.

God honors movement. God honors sacrifice. Today I want to go after the way we think about sacrifice. Throughout the New Testament there is a word that is used 29 times. It is the word “phroneo” which is translated “mind.” Mark 8:33 (NRSV) 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Philippians 2:5 (NRSV) 5 Let the same mind (attitude) be in you that was in Christ Jesus, Colossians 3:2–3 (NRSV) 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. The Scriptures are teaching us that the mind of Jesus isn’t just logic, but it suggests attitude. So now we have the word “Phroneo” “phroneo” meaning logic, attitude and the desires of one’s heart.