Episodes
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MESSAGE NOTES
In The Way | Legalism | Week 11 | November 10, 2024Teacher: Dave Brown
“In the past few years, I’ve observed an epidemic of sorts: patient after patient suffering from the same condition. The symptoms of this condition include fatigue, irritability, insomnia, anxiety, headaches, heartburn, bowel disturbances, back pain, and weight gain. There are no blood tests or X-rays diagnostic of this condition, and yet it’s easy to recognize. The condition is excessive busyness.” - Dr. Susan Koven
Mark 4:35-41…
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”“Margin is the space that once existed between our load and our limits. Margin is the space between vitality and exhaustion. It is our breathing room, our reserves, our leeway. It is the opposite of overload. When Jesus went to the back of the boat, he was practicing margin.” - Richard Swenson
If Jesus needed to stop, then so do we.
“Maybe the greatest enemy of the life you want is the life you are living.” – Craig Groeschel
“To walk with Jesus is to walk with a slow, unhurried pace. Hurry is the death of prayer.” - Walter Adams
"Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer a day; except when we are busy. Then, we need an hour.” - St. Francis
Jesus wants to infuse our lives with purpose, but not through full schedules and hurried lives.
Do I need to slow down in order to catch up with God?
Schedule time with God.
Learn to say no.
Quit something.
Adopt new disciplines.
Resist social acceptability.
Turn notifications off.
Practice Sabbath.
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In The Way | Legalism | Week 10 | November 10, 2024Teacher: Dave Brown
/> We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
—Galatians 2:15-17/> Since in much Western theology “justification” and “salvation” have regularly been confused, sometimes even conflated, it has been easy to strip out the “Jew and gentile” aspect of these verses and read them simply as saying, “To be saved, it isn’t a matter of keeping moral rules; it’s just a matter of believing.”
—N.T. Wright/> Legalism is the distortion of obedience that can never produce truly good works. Its first fault is that is skews motive and purpose, seeing good deeds as essentially ways to earn more of God’s favor than one has at the moment. Its second fault is arrogance. Belief that one’s labor earns God’s favor begets contempt for those who do not labor in the same way. Its third fault is lovelessness in that its self-advancing purpose squeezes humble kindness and creative compassion out of the heart.
—J.I. Packer/> Our beliefs about legalism and grace direct affect how we view God and how we view ourselves.
/> Grace does not do away with holiness, righteousness, and obedience.
/> The Christian ideal had not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.
—G.K. Chesterton -
Missing episodes?
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In The Way | Complacency | Week 9 | November , 2024Teacher: Tim Mannin
/> 1 Peter 1:1 (NIV) To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces…
Mark 12:28-31 (Message) “Which is most important of all the commandments?” Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy."/> 1 Peter 4:1-3 (NIV) Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
/> GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR PERFECT, HE’S LOOKING FOR PASSIONATE
PREPARE YOUR PASSION IN PRIVATE SO GOD CAN USE YOU TO SLAY GIANTS IN PUBLIC./> 1 Peter 4:1-4 (NIV) Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.
/> 1 Peter 4:5-7 (NIV) They will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. 7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.
/> 1 Peter 4:8-11 (NIV) Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and power for ever and ever. Amen!
/> WE ARE TIRED OF MEDIOCRE VERSIONS OF FAITH, SO WE ARE OVER THE TOP PASSIONATE ABOUT THE PURSUIT OF THE LIVING GOD.
/> Hebrews 12:1-3 (Message) Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves That will shoot adrenaline into your souls
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In The Way | Technology| Week 8 | October 27, 2024Teacher: Adam Barnett
/> Poison #1: My phone controls me.
/> “We are formed in the image of what we habitually gaze at.” – Justin Earley, Habits of the Household
/> Antidote: 1 Corinthians 6:12. “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything"—but I will not be mastered by anything.
/> True freedom comes not from permission to do everything, but from not being enslaved to anything.
/> Action Step: Delete a time-consuming, unnecessary app (right now).
/> Poison #2: My phone defines my worth.
/> Other people’s words (positive or negative) don’t define my worth.
/> Antidote: 1 Peter 2:9 and Ephesians 2:10. You are God’s special possession … God’s handiwork.
/> Action Step: Memorize 1 Peter 2:9 and Ephesians 2:10.
/> Poison #3: My phone is a weapon.
/> Antidote: James 1:19-20. Let every person be … slow to speak.
/> Action Step: Be nice and say you’re sorry.
/> Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. - Deuteronomy 6:4-7
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In The Way | Unforgiveness| Week 7 | October 20, 2024Teacher: Leanne Benton
/> We were created for connection, but we can easily drift or be pushed toward isolation!
/> Genesis 2:18 "Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”
/> John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."
/> "People began to tell me they felt isolated, invisible, and insignificant. Even when they couldn’t put their finger on the word “lonely,” time and time again, people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, from every corner of the country, would tell me, “I have to shoulder all of life’s burdens by myself,” or “if I disappear tomorrow, no one will even notice.”
/> I Peter 5:8, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
/> Our very identity is discovered and uncovered in community.
/> Hebrews 10:24-25, "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."
/> James 5:16, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."
/> Galatians 6:1-3, "Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ."
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In The Way | Unforgiveness| Week 6 | October 13, 2024Teacher: Adam Barnett
/> Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. – Deuteronomy 6:5
/> Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
/> 3.12e10
/> Matthew 18:26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
/> Matthew 18:28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
/> Matthew 18:32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
/> The kingdom of heaven is a forgiving place!
/> Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. - Ephesians 4:32
/> Colossians 3:1212 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
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In The Way | Guilt vs Conviction| Week 5 | October 6, 2024Teacher: Scott Johnson
/> You have a job – and work to do – for God’s kingdom!
/> GUILT is a counterproductive shame you feel over something in your past that cannot be changed (it’s there, alright!) and for which you have already been forgiven by Christ. Guilt interferes with your present and future – sometimes in very subtle ways.
/> CONVICTION is an invaluable gift from the Holy Spirit, a tug or nudge in your conscience to help you turn from a pattern of sinful behavior or a sinful choice you are considering, or move positively in a direction God is leading you. Unlike guilt, which springs from events in your past that cannot be changed, conviction is a very present sense of right vs. wrong. Heeding it will help you make the right choice in a current circumstance that affects your future path.
/> 1. You are an ambassador for Christ – and you have work to do!
/> 2. Guilt is a counterproductive obstruction in doing the work God has just for you.
/> 3. We need to stop looking back, live with a view to the future, and go for it!
/> 4. Conviction is a gift from the Holy Spirit, guidance to help us steer clear of sinful behaviors, actively move toward what God wants us to do, and make the best of our short time here! -
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In The Way | Politics | Week 4 | September 29, 2024Teacher: Pastor Dave Brown
/> Tradition helps us remember God’s faithfulness.
/> This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance…Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on the this very day that I brought your division out of Egypt…Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” Then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.—Exodus 12:14, 17, 24-28
/> One thing we can learn from this is the importance the Bible places on ritual. The Old Testament repeatedly refers to teaching Israelite children who God is and what he has done.
—Peter Enns
/> Tradition gives us anchors for belief.
/> Repetition and familiarity work. What is repeated becomes familiar, and this becomes a part of us…Far too many equate ritual with spiritual dryness. True, ritual and liturgy can be dead but only when the significance and power of those rituals are forgotten. Spiritual death is not a property of ritual itself. To the contrary, ritual has always been and will always be a means of securing for future generations the power and reality of the gospel…Ritual breeds familiarity. It seeps into one’s subconscious and, however subtly, begins to exert a formative influence.—Peter Enns
/> Tradition “gets in the way” when we misunderstand the why behind it.
/> Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being.They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
—Isaiah 1:13-17
/> As with the Israelites, our worship practices and religious activities are intended to be symbolic of deeper realities. There is no necessary connection between these and the realities. But there is a direct connection between those realities and our ethical behavior. We can be very religious and yet be living our lives for ourselves. We can give the appearance of obedience and yet be living a self-centered life that is nothing but rebellion.
— John Oswalt
/> Tradition “gets in the way” when it no longer accomplishes its why.
/> Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”
—Acts 15:1
/> Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are…It is my judgement therefore that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.
—Acts 15:10-11, 19
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In The Way | Politics | Week 3 | September 22, 2024Teacher: Dr. Dennis Edwards
/> Unity requires living as heavenly citizens
/> Unity means engaging in Spiritual Warfare together
/> Unity require humility -
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In The Way | Politics | Week 2 | September 15, 2024Teacher: Adam Barnett
/> 1. Jesus demands our ultimate allegiance.
/> Anyone who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and anyone who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. - Matthew 10:37-38
/> My Christian identity is superior to my political affiliation.
/> 2. My peace and hope are in Jesus, not the Oval Office.
/> Christ and _____________ is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.
/> 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. – Galatians 1:6-10
/> 3. No matter what, God is in control.
/> God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. Psalms 47:8
/> Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. – Matthew 28:18/> 4. This is not our home, but it still matters.
/> And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare. - Jeremiah 29:7/> 5. Allow the Bible to influence your vote.
/> … But the word of the Lord endures forever.– 1 Peter 1:25/> 6. Choose your words wisely.
/> “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” - Ephesians 4:29
/> 7. Pray for our next President.
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In The Way | Same and Condemnation | Week 1 | September 8, 2024Teacher: Adam Barnett
/> The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10/> Satan wants to secretly, casually, quickly, and fully destroy the superabundant life Jesus wants for you.
/> Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. - Romans 8:1
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Redeemer People | Worship | Week 3 | September 1, 2024Teacher: Leanne Benton
/> 1. Worship forms our memory./> When we worship, we remember God’s faithfulness.
/> 2. Worship awakens our expectation.
/> Boldness in action outside the church began with boldness of prayers inside the church.
/> When we worship together, we are actually experiencing God’s presence.
/> 3. Worship grounds our hope.
/> When we worship, we foretaste the future.
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Redeemer People | Our Affirmations | Week 2 | August 25, 2024Teacher: Dave Brown
/> The centrality of the Word of God
/> All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.2 Timothy 3:16-17
/> The Evangelical Covenant Church affirms the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testament, as the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.
/> Where is it written?
/> The necessity of new birth
/> Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
— 2 Corinthians 5:17
/> A commitment to the whole mission of the church
/> He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.—Micah 6:8
/> The church as a fellowship of believers
/> They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:42
/> Compelling Christian Community
/> Mission Friends
/> A conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit
/> An unconscious independence
/> …you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
—Acts 1:8
/> The reality of freedom in Christ
/> We major on the major and minor on the minors
/> Covenanters have understood that God’s Word is sovereign over every human interpretation of it, including their own. And understanding this, they have been free to allow for differences of opinion where the biblical record itself can be differently read.
—Committee on Covenant Doctrine
Covenant Affirmations
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Redeemer People | Mission and Vision | Week 1 | August 18, 2024Teacher: Adam Barnett
/> Vision is seeing where you are going and knowing how to get there./> Where there is no vision, the people perish. - Proverbs 29:18
/>Redeemer Church exists to see Christ exalted in our church, community, and world.
/> WORSHIP:Redeemer will be a community of corporate worship where people can express theirlove for God and observe the sacraments, and where God is worshipped and glorified.
/> COMMUNITY: Redeemer will be a community where followers of Jesus experience love, support, encouragement, and grace from one another.
/> DISCIPLESHIP: Redeemer will be a community where followers of Jesus mature into Christlikeness and exhibit character consistent with one who has a personal relationship with Him.
/> “Spiritual formation is the process of the transformation of the heart (that is, the will and spirit). The heart is being formed in such a way that its natural expression comes to be the deeds of Christ done in the power of Christ.”– Dallas Willard
/> MISSION:Redeemer will be a community committed to the Great Commission, serving as Christ’s witnesses in our church, community, and world.
/> Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
/> STEWARDSHIP: Redeemer will be a community that honors God with our resources and time
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Walking The Way | Unity | Week 14 | August 11, 2024Teacher: Adam Barnett
/> We are not called to SAMENESS. We are called to ONENESS.
/> I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. – John 17:4/> Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. – John 17:11
/> “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me,that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent meand have loved themeven as you have loved me. – John 17:20-23
/> 1. Unity is from the Holy Spirit, not us.
/> The Holy Spirit is THE ONE who can MAKE US ONE./> 2. Unity is a witness of God’s love to the world.
/> 3. Unity is not an avenue to agreement.
/> Unity is not an avenue to agreement. So, take a deep breath and relax.
/> I am sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me. I love you.
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Walking The Way | Community | Week 13 | August 4, 2024Teacher: Alison Myers
/> “You can make a strong case that of all the practices of Jesus, the two most important are SILENCE & SOLITUDE, and COMMUNITY. Because they are the two containers that hold all of the others. As a general rule, our best moments of healing and freedom and breakthrough and experience or encounter with Jesus, are either when we are alone with him in the quiet, or when we are together in community.”
– John Mark Comer/> Jesus was formed spiritually.
/> Jesus was formed in community.
/> Jesus formed others in community./> Community is something we must practice.
/> We’re lonely but we’re afraid of intimacy.
/>“And so from social networks to social robots we’re designing technologies that will give us the illusion of companionship, without the demands of friendship. We turn to technology to help us feel connected in ways we can comfortably control.”
/> "This expression is very difficult to render in English, but we could translate it by saying, ‘A person is a person through other persons.’ We need other human beings for us to learn how to be human, for none of us comes fully formed into the world. … I can be me only if you are fully you. I am because we are, for we are made for togetherness, for family. …I have gifts that you don’t have, and you have gifts that I don’t have. We are different in order to know our need of each other. To be human is to be dependent.”
/> Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them. -Mark 2:2
/> Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven. -Mark 2:5
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Walking The Way | Evangelism | Week 12 | July 28, 2024Teacher: Adam Barnett
/> Evangelism – to bring (declare or show) the good news of Jesus Christ./> “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” – Luke 10:2
/> 1 Corinthians 9:19-23… Though I am freeand belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone,to win as many as possible.
/> Our personal rights and preferences must be put aside for the sake of evangelism./> 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law),so as to win those under the law.21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law),so as to win those not having the law.22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.I have become all things to all peopleso that by all possible means I might save some.
/> 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
/> 1. Pray.
/> 2. Build, not burn bridges.
/> 3. Start with love, not truth.
/> 4. Seek dialogue, not a monologue.
/> 5. Avoid Christianese.
/> 6. Slow down.
/> Sharing starts with seeing.
/> 7. Be patient, yet persistent.
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Walking The Way | Prayer | Week 11 | July 21, 2024Teacher: David Nunn
/> Luke 24:50-53 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God./> Acts 1:24-25 Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs."
/> Acts 4:29-30 “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
>/ Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.>/ Acts 2:46-47 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
>/ Acts 4:32-34 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. NIV
>/ Ephesians 4:3 says, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, through the bond of peace.”>/ Acts 13:2-3 While 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."
>/ Acts 14:23 "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust."
>/ Acts 21:5 All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.
>/ Attitude of Prayer
>/ 1. Desire of and acceptance of God’s will.
>/ 2. Stillness
>/ 3. Expectancy
>/ Psalm 138:7-8 "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever."
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Walking The Way | Simplicity | Week 10 | July 14, 2024Teacher: Dave Brown
/> We must shift America from a needs to a desire culture…People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed. We must shape a new mentality. Man’s desires must overshadow his needs.—Paul Mazur
>/ The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.—Edward Bernays
>/ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!>/ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
— Matthew 6:19-24
>/ Contemporary culture is plagued by the passion to possess. The unreasoned boast abounds that the good life is found in accumulation, that “more is better.” Indeed, we often accept this notion without question, with the result that the lust for affluence in contemporary society has become psychotic: it has completely lost touch with reality…Christian simplicity frees us from this modern mania. It brings sanity to our compulsive extravagance, and peace to our frantic spirit….It allow us to see material things for what they are—goods to enhance life, not to oppress life. People once again become more important than possessions.—Richard Foster
>/ The goal is to live with a high degree of intentionality around what matters most, which, for those of us who apprentice under Jesus, is Jesus himself and his kingdom.—John Mark Comer
>/ 1. Before you buy something, ask yourself, what is the true cost of this item?
>/ 2. Never impulse buy.
>/ 3. When you do buy, buy quality over quantity.
>/ 4. Start giving things away.
>/ 5. Live by a budget
>/ 6. Spend more time in nature
>/ 7. Learn to enjoy the simple things in life.
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/> ### MESSAGE NOTES
Walking The Way | Sabbath | Week 9 | July 7, 2024Teacher: Dave Brown
/> Ultimately, nothing in this life, apart from God, can satisfy our desires. Tragically, we continue to chase after our desires ad infinitum. The result? A chronic state of restlessness or, worse, angst, anger, anxiety, disillusionment, depression—all of which lead to a life of hurry, a life of business, overload, shopping, materialism, careerism, a life of more…which in turn makes us even more restless. And the cycle spirals our of control.—John Mark Comer
/> “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.—Deuteronomy 5:12-15
/> The Deuteronomy reason for Sabbath-keeping is that our ancestors in Egypt went four hundred years without a vacation. Never a day off. The consequence: they were no longer considered persons but slaves…Not persons created in the image of God but equipment for making bricks and building pyramids. Humanity was defaced. Lest any of us do that to our neighbor or husband or wife or child or employee, we are commanded to keep a sabbath. The moment we begin to see others in terms of what they can do rather than who they are, we mutilate humanity and violate community…Sabbath keeping is commanded to preserve the image of God in our neighbors so that we see them as they are, not as we need them or want them.
— Eugene Peterson
/> By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
— Genesis 2:2-3
/> Divine rest on the seventh day of creation has made clear that YHWH is not a workaholic, that YHWH is not anxious about the full functioning of creation, and that the well-being of creation does not depend on endless work.
— Walter Bruggemann
/> There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord. Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern.—Abraham Heschel
/> Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?…It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.—Galatians 4:8-9; 5:1
/> R.I.G. (Rest In God)
/> 1. Exchange one weekly commitment for an hour of time with God2. Block Out 10-minutes everyday to sit with God
3. Give your phone, tv, and computer boundaries
4. Work towards establishing a Sabbath
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