Summer Reading Series : week 4

Guest Speaker : Judah Smith

Author of How's Your Soul?

3 John 1:2

"Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit."

Every churches motto should be : 

We're going to build you up, not beat you up.

You are only as well as your soul.

If the question "how's your soul?" gets asked, the response "beats me" is alright. Because Jeremiah said that the heart/soul (synonym) is deceitful.

Only God knows your soul.

Is all that is within you healthy? 

How much time and attention have you put into soul care?

Genesis 2:7

"Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person."

Only the human being shares the breath of God.

We have the borrowed breath of God!

Praying Jesus is what makes you feel at home.

If you want to help your soul, be ware the environment you put it in.

Genesis 2:9

"The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground -- trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit."

The first description of the Garden of Eden : there were things to look at that were enjoyable and there were things to eat that were enjoyable.

Genesis 2:15

"The Lord God placed man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it."

-Tend to it and watch over it.

Your job is a blessing!

Genesis 2:16-17

"But the Lord warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden -- except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."

God stacks the odds in our favor.

You can eat from ANY tree, EXCEPT ONE.

All the permission, and all we think about is the one restriction.

There is choice in love.

It was good for Adam to have a no.

Genesis 2:18

"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."

Adam had a lot of animals to talk to, but he didn't have a best friend.

4 Essential Practicalities For Your Soul

1. Rest

Are you enjoying life? 

Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Rest is first because God is first.

When we rest we recognize that He does not. 

To rest well is to trust well.

A restless soul believes you are the captain of your own ship.

A resting soul is a trusting soul.

2. Responsibility

Are you enjoying your job?

Embrace Monday. Quit living for the weekend.

Whatever you do, do it with all your might.

3. Restriction 

Do you have healthy boundaries?

The human soul is made for absolute freedom in absolute limits. 

There is a necessary no.

4. Relationships

Are you being intentional about your key relationships?

There are only a few people you share your soul with.

Intentional Living

Authenticity

Reach out and ask :

Have I told you recently how much I love you?

Have I told you recently how much you mean to me?

You're not living well unless you're loving well.

The most essential element to a flourishing soul is a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21

"For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

Summer Reading Series : week 3

Guest Speaker : John Gray 

Author of : I Am Number 8

I Am Number 8

1 Samuel 16:11-13

We are reading about a coronation of sorts.

When Samuel talked not one word fell to the ground.

What happens when your gift is overlooked?

"God stops Samuel and says, "no I've rejected him."

Samuel was looking at looks and God is looking at hearts.

Even Samuel was wooed by the external.

God says no to all seven sons.

It's the invisible place that God prepares you.

God doesn't prepare you for the platform on the platform.

What do you do when the people closest to you can't see you?

Jesse thought so little of his youngest son that he didn't even invite him into the home at the possibility that he would be the anointed one.

It is in the lonely, broken, isolated moments that God seeds destiny.

David had no one to hang out with aside from he sheep.

So David would sing songs to God.

Anonymity : the condition of being anonymous.

David didn't apply to be king.

He was faithful in the field.

Some day will turn into one day.

We all want to do great things for God.

He's not hiding you, He's positioning you.

He found value in what everyone else discarded.

You won't even know it until it hits you.

God's not waiting for you to get clean.

I am a complete mess, but He loves me!

My shift isn't over, even though my life just shifted.

Kings don't think they need to be served, they know they are called to serve.

8 is the number of new beginnings.

7 was a complete no (7 brothers).

People don't like new until they need new.

Break a cycle to start a new cycle.

You can be anointed and not announced.

You can be chosen and challenged.

Never graduate from giving.

When God announced David, He had Solomon in mind.

Legacy.

Build up those who have lost their hope.

3 Things About A Number 8 :

1. Made for warfare

2. made for worship

3. Made to win

We are made to LOVE.

We are made to desire to be in the presence of God.

Always causes us to triumph.

Your worship is your warfare.

Whatever I am comes with me.

In the same way, when you worship, all of God shows up.

You may have been overlooked, but you are not forgotten by God.

Summer Reading Series : week 2

Guest Speakers : Jay + Katherine Wolf

Authors of Hope Heals

Jay's father asked them (I think during their vows at their wedding), "are you going to build your marriage on the Rock or the sand? Because storms will come. Prepare yourself."

"Levi Lusko likes to say, "train for the trial" and I love that, but I like to say, "prepare for the pain."" Katherine

"The most pure worship happens when everything is falling apart." Jay

Romans 8 

Job 5

God allows horrific situations to fully heal you.

Healing of the soul.

What is broken may be your heart.

We must expect less of our broken world and expect more of God.

One of their taglines, "Don't Wait To Celebrate!"

Celebrating God's presence, provision + protection!

"In the grief process they say there are 5 stages, but I found the 6th stage is serving.

Paul says, you've been given hope not to be comfortable, but to give it away. 

This idea is something we like to call "Hoping Forward." Jay

When you face trial, that is not the end of your story, it's the beginning of a new story.

Hope is not just wishful thinking, Hope is a person.

"This is my story, and I wear it well." Katherine

"and I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness--secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name." Isaiah 45:3 NLT

"Therefore; I, a personnel for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God." Ephesians 4:1 NLT

"But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a viceroy over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." 1 John 4:4 NLT

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according tot His purpose for them." Romans 8:28 NLT

"Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes." Ephesians 4:23 NLT

"Suffer well!

Encourage the encouragers!"

Katherine

"If suffering is like going through fire, I wanted to choose what this inescapable process purified in me and what it melted away." Jay

Summer Reading Series : week 1

Guest Speaker : Charlotte Gambill 

Author of "The Miracle In The Middle"

Luke 2:41-52

Jesus' parents lost Jesus.

If His parents lose Him, then it's safe to say we can lose Him too.

Following Jesus is not something you can take for granted, it's something you have to be deliberate about!

We can lose Jesus!

We get distracted, lose focus, drift, etc.

THE MIDDLE

We have a middle problem.

There are three stages we're constantly following through.

Beginning, middle, end.

Beginnings are exciting & have a momentum to them.

Endings have the joy of completion & an achievement & celebration.

The middle is the place we spend the most time.

We don't do well in the middle - "mid-life crisis."

God does His best miracles in the middle.

Mark 6:45

"Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sen the people home."

Jesus didn't suggest, He MADE His disciples get into the boat.

You've go to do work.

Row, row, row your boat...

The enemy isn't going to destroy your boat when you can easily get back to shore.

The enemy doesn't want you to push past the middle.

The enemy wants you stuck in the middle feeling hopeless.

Mark 6:48 "straining"

"He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them,"

It's in the middle that you'll find out what's in the middle of you!!

Jesus is basically saying, I said, "Go to Bethsaida and I'll meet you there. So why are you freaking out in the middle?! Remember what was spoken to you back on the shore."

He's about to pass them and His kindness and mercy overwhelms.

Mark 6:50b

"Don't be afraid," He said. "Take courage! I am here!"

Stop going back to where you last felt safe.

Have the courage to push forward to the new shore that awaits you there.

It's only those who are in the middle that get to see Jesus who walks on water!

In the middle, you discover aspects of Jesus that you'll never discover on the shore!

Do not be afraid of the middle.

The Things That Make For Peace

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

Influencing A City
Jeremiah 29

Backstory:
Israel is the family of Abraham.
A guy who trusted God with reckless abandon.
God told Abraham that he would have children...he was very old / his body was as good as dead.
But God followed through and gave him a son called Isaac.
Through Isaac came Israel.
Israel is in captivity.
Israel didn't trust God
They didn't honor the sabbath.
They worshipped other gods.
God followed through with His discipline.

Jeremiah writes a letter to the Israelites.
Good News / Bad News
It's going to take 70 years...
So Jeremiah is telling them what to do in the meantime..............

Jeremiah 29:4-7
"This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem:
"Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.
Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!
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."
**In it's peace you will have peace!**

It's easy to be searching for what you're staring right at.

Luke 19:42
"How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes."
You're craving peace, it's right in front of you...but you're blind to what you have.

Shalom goes much deeper than the absence of conflict.
Shalom - a state of wholeness that all is well with your soul.

They wanted to get out of Babylon to get peace, but what they didn't realize was that God wanted them to bring peace to Babylon.

Pray to the Lord for your trial!

You are meant to be a blessing.

Exile - a person who lives far away from their native country.
Heaven is our true home, so we are all here as exiles.

How do we flourish in exile?
How do you thrive in exile and have the impact you're meant to have?
Two solution that are both wrong..
1. imitation
2. separation
NEITHER WORK!

Separation - they were on the outskirts of town when Jeremiah wrote the letter.
Christian becomes an adjective instead of a noun.
Retreating from the world in order to not become contaminated by the world.
We cannot separate from the world and reach the world at the same time.

Imitation - you're so much like the Babylonians that they can't tell you're not.
So in the world that you are not set apart from the world.

Solution //
INFILTRATION!
Be in the world but not of the world.
You'll have influence over the world without letting the world have influence over you.

You'll quickly drift when you're not keeping your bearings.
Hearts on Heaven!
We need to quit fixating on the world's distractions.

As we love God and stay in community but also as we're moving into the city, here are 4 takeaway truths //
1. Work Hard!
Work your tail off.
Work through the hardship.
Something being hard doesn't make it bad.
Push through and keep working.
Colossians 3:17
"And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

2. Do Good!
Seek - don't just pray!
Matthew 5:16
"In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
1 Peter 2:15
AMPC "For it is God's will and intention that by doing right [your good and honest lives] should silence [muzzle, gag] the ignorant charges and ill-informed criticisms of foolish persons."
MSG "It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society."

3. Enjoy Life!
Explore a little bit.
If your life to God was worth saving, your life is worth savoring!

4. Be Patient!
Plant a garden, eat the fruit.
That's not how quickly it works.
There's time in-between.
Sometimes we give up too quickly.
Cities don't get built in a day and they don't get changed overnight.
Give them space to grow.

Where Love Is

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church 

Father's Day

Proverbs 15:15-17

"All of the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast. 

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.

Better is a dinner of herbs (Hebrew = vegetables) where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it."

It's been said - "The greatest tragedy in life is to win at the wrong things."

Before all else we should focus on :

1. The fear of the Lord

2. Loving others

Fear of the Lord = a reverential awe that produces a life of worship.

Proverbs says fear of the Lord is : the beginning of knowledge, wisdom, prolonging of days, fountain of life, departs from evil, leads to life.

God, I want to honor you.

God, I want to please you.

Loving people = 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Mathew 22:39

"A second is equally important : "love your neighbor as yourself."

The 2nd commandment is equally as important as the 1st!

LOVE IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WHEN IT'S IN PLACE :

Little is much when God is in it, much becomes little when God is not.

1. Love is so powerful that there is a joy that has nothing to do with circumstances.

Proverbs 15:15 merry heart // cheerful heart

Habakkuk 3:17-18

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there is no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!"

Disconnect how things are going from how you are doing!

Acts 16:25

"Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening."

2. Where love is there is a peace that can't be purchased!

Peace in a home cannot be overemphasized!

What is spent on your family is not nearly as important as the atmosphere that surrounds your family.

Proverbs 17:1

"Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting and conflict!"

Money without love doesn't bring peace, it brings problems.

The grass will always be greener where you water it.

Get the love right, and you'll be safe to be blessed with more!

We shouldn't just provide for our families we should be present for them.

Provision for your family spiritually.

Get better at :

Attention

Interested in what their interested in

Affirm them

To speak life over them

Instruct them

Celebration

Correction

As God trusts you with more what do you do with more?

Ramp up the generosity!

Love always gives!!

3. Where love is there is a power worth fighting for!

Example to them.

Don't just give instructions, live the instructions.

Lean into the power of the example God has called you to be.

Proverbs 20:7

"The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them."

As for forgiveness when you know you've blown it.

AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!

Joshua 24:15b

4. Where love is there is a hope that cannot be overcome!

We're teaching them not only to live, but to die with Hope!

Only Jesus can death proof your life!

Tornadoes & Potatoes

Levi Lusko - Fresh Life Church

Romans 8 - read the whole chapter!

Overview : the tension of living in this home away from Home.

Up to this point in Romans 8 Paul had been discussing the suffering & glory we experience as God's children.

Vs 17-18

And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering.

Share in the suffering and share in His glory.

There will be times the darkness doesn't like the Light.

When darkness comes, ask, "what did I do RIGHT?" Not, "what did I do wrong?"

The suffering comes from a fallen world, from following Christ, and glory. 

There are present problems & a promised prize!

The promised prize is the way through the problems...keep your eyes on the prize!!

Perspective = fight through the suffering by leaning into the glory!

2 Corinthians 11:23-28

Paul's struggles

Paul is being honest that the pain is real.

God doesn't want you to walk around in denial. 

Always keep in mind what you've gained.

The way to make something that feel big feel small is to look at something bigger!!

Measuring your pain alone will weigh you down...pull the prize into the pain...you'll see the crown inside the cross.

Eugene Peterson quote :

Reality is mostly made up of what you cannot see.

Glory ultimately 

Glory incrementally

RIP = rise in power

There is a glory God wants you to experience glory every day.

From glory to glory, from grace to grace.

He always saves the best for last.

This has happened so that the glory of God can be revealed!!

Perspective eliminates despair.

2 Corinthians 4:17

"For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!"

These hard times are small potatoes compared to the good...

Perspective is relative

Fluid not fixed

Perspective is constantly changing

Every day continue to focus on the glory and not just the present suffering.