Psalm 103:7 (NIV) He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.
“Jesus doesn’t simply want obedient followers; He wants intimate friends.” James 2:23(NIV) “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and hewas called God’s friend.
Mark 3:13-14 (NIV) 13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve--designating them apostles-that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.
“He chose you for nearness, and devotion follows.”
John 15:14–16 (NIV) 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
Slow down, lean in, and listen up.
It all begins with him doing something in us. 1 John 4:19 (NIV) We love because he first loved us.
John 13:8-9 (NLT) 8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” 9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
Saul/David Acts 13:22 (NLT) God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’
1. A Chosen People 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
A. Chosen “He likes you, He loves you, He wants you, That’s it, that is the credential.”
B. Royal Priesthood
James 1:18 (NLT) He choseto give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
C. Holy Nation
D. A people belonging to God.
When we realize that we belong to God 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) “…That you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
2. A Chosen Purpose
Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
3. A Chosen Posture 1 Peter 2:9 (AMP)God’s own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:10 (NIV) Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God.
Ephesians 1:3-8 (NLT) 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
Philippians 4:19(NIV) My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
John 20:1-9 (NLT) 1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.
The Resurrection is reasonable. 1. Scripture. 2. Secular sources. 3. The tomb is empty.
Why is the resurrection so critical to Christianity? 1 Corinthians 15:17(NLT) If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
“At the cross, the work was finished, and from the resurrection, new life begins."
John 11:25(NLT) “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
Encountering The Risen Christ 1. Respond to his voice (Mary) John 20:11-16 (NLT) 11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. 15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” 16 “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
John 6:44(NIV) No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.
Respond to His voice!
2. Reach out and touch him. (Thomas) John 20:24-27 (NLT) 24 One of the disciples, Thomas, was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound on my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
Jesus went through great extents to have you.
Matthew 13:45-46 (NLT) “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
Mark 15:20-25 (NIV) 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. 21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
The Crucifixion
Mark 8:31-37 (NIV) 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
The Call to Follow “Deny Yourself”
Greek:” Deny: “Say no to yourself.” Disown yourself
“Pick up Your Cross” “He sees our life as worthy of a gift that He will receive.”
Self-worth is not self-centeredness.
“You are worthy of the His Cross. Is He worthy of yours?”
Put on your new self Ephesians 4:24 (NIV) Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
1. Stop trying to find yourself.
2. Give your life to him
Romans 6:4-6 (NLT) 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives.
“You will never find freedom from sin until you find freedom from self.”
3. Submit your wants
The reward of “no.” Luke 22:39-46 (NLT) 39 Accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” 41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. 45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”
4. The prize is greater than the pain.
"We are the joy set before him, and He is the joy set before us."
Philippians 3:10-14 (NIV) 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. .
Matthew 27:27-31 (NLT) 27 Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. 28 They stripped himand put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. 31 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
Thorns:
Thorns are an ancient symbol of a curse. Genesis 3:17-18 (NIV) 17…” Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
Dysfunction
Shame
Emotional/ Mental trauma:
Galatians 3:13(NLT) But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
“Christ has broken the curse!”
Mockery:
Accusation
Humiliation
Shaming
Isaiah 53:3-5 (NIV) 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Peace of Soul 1. Peace has been purchased and promised John 14:26-27 (NLT) 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
“You don’t get supernatural peace through natural means.”
2. Peace must be placed
A. By placing faith in Jesus Romans 5:1 (NLT) We have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. “To have the peace of God, you must have peace with God.”
B. By making sound decisions Romans 16:19-20 (NIV) I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
C. By renewing our mind Romans 12:2 (NIV) 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
“Worldly patterns produce worldly peace.”
Renewing our mind:
Repentance.
The Washing of the Word. (Eph 5)
Submitting our thoughts to Jesus.
Putting our past in its place.
3. Peace must be protected Philippians 4:6-9 (NLT) 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
“Peace is protected by praying and by thinking about the right things.”
4. Peace is a person “Peace has little to do with what is happening around us but more to do with who resides in us.” Ephesians 2:14 (NIV) For he himself is our peace.
Ephesians 1:3(NLT) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we areunited with Christ.
Isaiah 53:3-6 (NLT) 3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.
Ancient Flogging/Scourging
Why so much pain and suffering? Isaiah 53:5 (NLT) He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
You are worthy of healing!
False assumptions concerning healing.
1. Somebody Sinned John 9:1-7 (NIV) 1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
“Pharisees tend to prioritize preference and process over people.” “The religious will scrutinize methods, & ignore the results.”
John 9:25 (NLT) “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”
2. Somebody doesn’t have enough faith.
James 5:14-15 (NLT) Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offeredin faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well.
3. God doesn’t want to. (It’s not God’s will.) “We don’t build theology around unanswered prayers!”
Objections… 1. “His ways are not our ways….” 2. What about Paul’s thorn in the flesh!? (2 Cor 12 3. Doesn’t God use suffering?
Healing is available; God wants to!
Luke 5:12-13 (NLT) 12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” 13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
Appropriating Healing 1. Believe
Don’t be passive about healing.
2. Nurture Expectation
Speak/Declare the word
Meditate on the Word.
3. Steward wholeness
4. Pray Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV) 9 “This, then, is how you should pray:” ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The Full Gospel of the Kingdom: “You can preach healing without the Gospel, but you can’t preach the full gospel without healing.”
Matthew 10:7-8 (NLT) 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
HEaling is a mandate(Mark 16:18)
Psalm 107:19-20 (NLT) 19 “LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 20 He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. .
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Ephesians 1:3-8 (NLT) 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
We are not worthless. We are valuable to the Father, who considers us worthy of Jesus.
Deserving vs. Worth 1. Deserving: is merit-based.
Mercy is not getting what you deserve.
Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.
Moral Goodness 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
“We could not come to him in our righteousness, so he came to us with his!”
2. Worth: Value-based.
Worth is determined by what someone is willing to pay.
Value 1 Peter 1:18–19 (NLT) 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
“The Lamb of God.”
Hebrews 10:11–14 (NLT) 11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
Because of the Cross…. 1. Our value is revealed.
2. We belong to God. 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV) 9 You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
James 1:18 (NLT) He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
3. We recognize our value, so we live with values. Ephesians 4:1 (NLT) I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
Matthew 13:45-46 (NLT) “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
Core Values: -Presence: Every time we gather everywhere we go. -Family: We follow Jesus together -Honor: up, down, all around. -Power: God is moving today. -Generosity: Blessed to be a blessing
Four Mandates 1. Love who He sends 2. Keep the Fire burning 3. Open Wombs 4. So we do (Transform Haiti)
Ezekiel 47:1-5(NLT) 1 In my vision, the man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple. There I saw a stream flowing east from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the right of the altar on its south side. 2 The man brought me outside the wall through the north gateway and led me around to the eastern entrance. There I could see the water flowing out through the south side of the east gateway. 3 Measuring as he went, he took me along the stream for 1,750 feet and then led me across. The water was up to my ankles. 4 He measured off another 1,750 feet and led me across again. This time the water was up to my knees. After another 1,750 feet, it was up to my waist. 5 Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the River was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.
Depth in the Spirit. Psalm 42:7 (NIV) Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
Matthew 3:11 (NLT) “I baptize with water those who repent of their sinsand turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
John’s baptism was for forgiveness.Jesus baptizes for fire.
Life In The River 1 Corinthians 2:10 (NIV) The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
1. Desire. You have to want it. Matthew 5:6 (NIV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
John 6:44 (NLT) For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me.
The draw can become a drag if we don’t give in.
2. Persistence. You have to Go after it. Luke 11:9-13 (NIV) 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
3. Continue: It’s an ongoing work. Encounters are the floor, not the ceiling. Ephesians 5:18 (NIV) Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Ezekiel 47:6-9(NLT) 6 He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. 7 When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the River. 8 Then he said to me, “This River flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. 9 There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this River flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows.
The dead sea:
Its low: The Lowest point of the earth surface.
It’s salty: 5-10 times more concentrated than other salt waters.
It’s lifeless: Nothing can live there.
The River:
The low places filled.
The salty made sweet.
There is life and healing.
Ezekiel 47:12 (NLT) 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the River. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the River flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.”
Isaiah 44:3-4 (NLT) 3 For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. 4 They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.
John 7:37-39(NLT) “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit
-Presence: Every time we gather everywhere we go. -Family: We follow Jesus together -Honor: up, down, all around. -Power: God is moving today. -Generosity: Blessed to be a blessing
Mandates:
Genesis 1:28 (NLT) God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Genesis 2:15 (NLT) The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
Four Mandates: Matthew 13:33 (NLT) “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
1.Love who He sends
Matthew 23:37 (NLT) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.
“We are an extension of his blood-stained wings providing mercy and welcoming whoever the Lord sends us.”
John 6:12 (NIV) When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”
2. Keep the Fire burning
Leviticus 6:12 (NLT) The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out.
Matthew 21:13 (NIV) “My house will be called a house of prayer.”
3. Open Wombs
John 7:37-43(NLT) 37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’
“First comes the natural, then comes the spiritual.”
4. So we do (Transform Haiti)
Henry Lee Sullivan Sullivan 1974.
Proverbs 19:17 (NIV) Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.
What Partnership looks like. Matthew 9:35–38 (NLT) 35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
1. Pray 2. Practice faithfulness 3. Be an Advocate 4. Participate
Genesis 1:22 (NLT) Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply.” Genesis 1:29 (NLT) Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.
2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (NLT) God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.
“We partner by planting.”
3 seeds every person has: 1. Time 2. Talent 3. Treasure
Matthew 6:21 (NIV) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
We want to be generous: 1. Because we want to be like Him.
“You can give without love, but you can’t love without giving.”
2. Because we are blessed. Matthew 10:8 (NIV) Freely you have received, freely give.
Genesis 12: 2 (NLT) I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
The Macedonian church, Poor Rich people. 2 Corinthians 8:1-3 (NLT) 1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. 3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
“In the Kingdom, wealth is measured by generosity and poverty by greed.”
2 Corinthians 8:7-9 (NLT) 7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. 8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. 9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
Growing in generosity 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NLT) 6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need.Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” 10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. 11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.
1. Cheerfully 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT) You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.
2. Consistently 1 Corinthians 16:2 (NLT) On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned.
Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.
3. Sacrificially 2 Corinthians 8:3 (NLT) They gave not only what they could afford, but far more.
God doesn’t need your money; He wants you.
“In generosity, sacrifices are more pleasurable than painful!”
Developing a Generous Spirit 1. Give Thanks 2. Give Something 3. Give Sacrificially 4. Give Consistently 5. Give from this day forward
Hebrews 13:8 (NIV) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
How is God moving today? Genesis 1:1–2 (NLT) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
-You know overflow not by what is coming in but by what is pouring out.
“We are not just a full people; we are an overflowing people.”
SPIRIT+TRUTH!
Who is the Holy Spirit? “Holy”
Hagios gk.: Different, Set apart (Sacred), Other than.
“Spirit”
Hebrew:ruwach(roo'-akh)wind, a breath, a violent exhalation.
Greek: pneuma = current of air, blast of breathe, a strong breeze.
1. He Is God!
“Cousin eddy”
“To ignore the Holy Spirit is to ignore God.”
2. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not an “it.”
3. The Holy Spirit resides in those who are His.
Under the Old Covenant, The Holy Spirit rested temporarily on God’s people. Under the New Covenant, He resides permanently on his people!
“He moves through those that are his.”
How does God move today? Acts 10:38 (NLT) You know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
1. Anointing- Assignment
Christ= The Anointed one- Christians= little anointed ones.
1 John 2:27 (NIV) As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you…
“The anointing doesn’t lift; it remains.”
“The purpose of the anointing is not to enhance our experience but to maximize our effectiveness.”
2. Authority
John 1:12 (NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right(Power) to become children of God.
3. Ability Acts 1:4–5, 8 (NLT) 4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”…8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Power- Dýnamis “ability to perform” for the believer, power to achieve by applying the Lord’s inherent abilities.
John 14:12–17 (NLT)12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! 15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit.
Acts 5:15–16 (NLT) 15 As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.
“God is moving today by His Spirit through His people.”
Man was created in the highest honor in God’s likeness.
Genesis 1:26 (NLT) Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.
When sin entered the scene, so did shame. Genesis 2:25 (NLT) Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. Genesis 3:7 (NLT) At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Genesis 3:8–10 (NLT) 8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
God covers shame. Genesis 3:21 (NLT) The Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
“The gospel is not only about the guilty made innocent but bringing honor to the shameful.”
“Jesus experienced public shame in order to crown humanity with the highest honor.”
Honor cultivates an atmosphere for miracles. Mark 6:1-6 (NLT) 1 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” 3 Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. 4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” 5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.
“Honor is a currency of the kingdom.”
Familiarity can debilitate our ability to honor.
Honor/Dishonor
Honor- gk. Timey- A Valuing: Recognize the value, appreciate, esteem favorable regard.
Dishonor- gk. Atimey- to treat as common or ordinary.
Honor: Up, Down, all around. 1. Honor Up. A.Civil Leaders: Government, military, police(Romans 13:1-5) 1 Peter 2:17(NIV) Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
B. Social Leaders: Bosses, Teachers, Coaches, etc (Colossians 3:22-25)
C. Home Leaders: (Ephesians 5:22-33, 6:2)
D. Church/Kingdom Leaders(1 Thes 5:12-13, Heb 13:17, 1 Tim 5:17)
2. Honor Down. Philippians 2:3-4(NIV) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.
Everyone Jesus honored was “down”.
“Following Jesus means we honor people that seemingly don’t deserve it.”
3. Honor All Around Romans 12:10 (NLT) Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
Practical Honor: 1. Words
“Criticism and Cynicism rob your ability to honor.”
“Honor speaks of the one who brings it.”
2. Action Hebrews 13:18 (NLT) Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do. “Tension is where honor is tested.” “Talking about a person never brings resolve, but talking to them can.”
3. Attitude “Honor starts in the heart.”
Isaiah 29:13 (NIV) The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
Mephibosheth: 2 Samuel 9
"If we sit at the table it will cover our shame."
2 Samuel 9:12 (NLT) And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David’s table, like one of the king’s own sons. Mephibosheth: Dispeller Exterminator of shame
.... Isaiah 61:7 (NLT) Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.
Family from the beginning: Genesis 1:27-28 (NLT) 27 God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Genesis 2:18 (NLT) Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
“Kingdom government is expanded through the reproduction of family.”
Jesus re-establishes family Matthew 12:46–50 (NLT) 46 As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 47 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.” 48 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”
John 6:28–29 (NIV) 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
John 1:12 (NLT) To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
God’s Family “The Church is the only family God has.”
Ephesians 2:19 (NIV) You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.
Acts 2:42–43 (NLT) 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.
“We are building a family, not a crowd, which takes time.”
Family: We follow Jesus together. Galatians 6:6–10 (NIV) 1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Following Jesus together. 1. Accountability. Galatians 6:1 (NIV) “If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. “Restoration requires confrontation.”- Accountability. “Confrontation of sin only works in the context of relationship.” “The point of accountability is restoration.”
Galatians 6:1 (NIV)... “But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
2. Carry Burdens Ephesians 6:2 (NIV)Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
If you are burdened, ask for help!
Romans 12:15 (NIV) Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
3. Personal responsibility Ephesians 6:5 (NIV) for each one should carry their own load.
4. Stay Faithful & Be fruitful Galatians 6:9 (NIV) Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Deep connections take time.
5. Prioritize the family of faith Galatian 6:10 (NLT) Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone especially to those in the family of faith.
John 7:38–39 (NIV) 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.
“Have you encountered the God that is here?”
We Value: The Presence of God. Presence:Every time we gather everywhere we go.
Moses: Exodus 33:1–3 (NLT) The Lord said to Moses, “Get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ 2 And I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3 Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.”
Some will be content with the promise without the presence.
"The intended journey OF the Lord is WITH the Lord.”
Exodus 33:15–19 (NIV) Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here….17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you..
Presence: 1. His Glory 2. His Goodness
Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.
David bore a similar longing. Psalm 63:1–4 (NIV) 1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
Psalm 27:4 (NIV) One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
His Presence: A. Every time we gather 1. His presence is at the center of our gatherings. 2. Our bible teaching & preaching is centered around Jesus.
John 5:39 (NLT) “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!
3. Our worship is centered around Jesus.
4. Our prayers are centered around Jesus.
B. Everywhere we go.
A life that values presence: 1. Prioritize daily 2. Lean frequently 3. Pray continually 1 Thessalonians 5:17(NLT) Never stop praying. 4. Awareness always
Ministry: Matthew 13:33 (NLT)“The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
Our Purpose is that Every person we encounter will Encounter the reality of Jesus. Our Philosophy is that if people are well connected to Jesus, He will bring fulfillment to every area of their Life.
John 7: Feast of Tabernacles
John 7:37-38(NLT) 37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’
Jesus is revealing: 1. “I am The Rock!” 2. “The rain is here.” 3. “Water will flow!:”
“We don’t live from what falls but from what flows.”
Jesus is calling to: 1. Whoever is thirsty.
2. Believe, Come & Drink! John 7:38(NLT) Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.
“When we drink of Jesus, the River takes over.”
“The result isn’t simply satisfaction but participation.”
Life in The Holy Spirit: John 7:39(NLT) When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.
John 4:6–14 (NLT) Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. 9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” 10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” 11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” 13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal Life.”
We know several things about this woman: 1. She’s a woman. 2. She’s a Samaritan. 3. She’s immoral. 4. She’s ridden with guilt and shame. 5. She was broken.
Jeremiah 2:13 (NLT) “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!
But Jesus….. 1. Repairs what is broken!
2. Jesus rebuilds
“Jesus doesn’t repair things to the place they once were. He rebuilds them into that which he intended them to be.”
“Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” ― Oscar Wilde(Irish author/poet)
She drank of Jesus, and The river took over: John 4:28–30 (NLT) 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
John 4:39 (NLT) Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!”
