Joining a LifeStudy? LifeGroup? LifeLine? LifeShare? LifeCoach? Whatever you do, don't leave here the same as .... We ar
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All Together
All Together
Pastor Ron Haley | March 1, 2015
Community ommunity iiss ccentral entral tto o sspiritual piritual fformation ormation iin n C Christ. hrist. ((It It iiss n not ot a an n iindividual ndividual tthing!) hing!) TThe he a aim im o off G God od in history in history is is tthe he ccreation reation of of a an n a all-‐ ll-‐inclusive nclusive ccommunity ommunity of of lloving oving p persons, ersons, w with ith H Himself imself iincluded ncluded iin n that that community ts p rime ssustainer ustainer a nd m ost g lorious iinhabitant. nhabitant. – D allas W illard community a ass iits prime and most glorious Dallas Willard God as aalways lways b een iin n a _______ ______ _________! Genesis 11:26) :26) od h has been _ _____ ___ ____ __ ________! ((Genesis Matthew :23 – B ehold, a vvirgin irgin sshall hall b ith cchild, hild, a nd sshall hall b ring fforth orth a sson, on, a nd tthey hey sshall hall ccall all atthew 11:23 Behold, bee w with and bring and his ame EEmmanuel, mmanuel, w hich b eing iinterpreted nterpreted iis, s, G od w ith u s. his n name which being God with us. Jesus ad ggroups roups o ust llike ike u s! M atthew 114 4 h as JJesus esus w ith a m ega cchurch-‐like hurch-‐like ggroup. roup. esus h had off aallll sizes sizes jjust us! Matthew has with mega Luke 0 h as JJesus esus d oing m inistry w ith 770, 0, w hich iiss tthe he aaverage verage ssize ize o hurch a cchurch hurch iin n A merica. 112 2 iiss Luke 110 has doing ministry with which off cchurch America. the umber o isciples aand nd tthat hat iiss a ggood ood ssmall mall ggroup. roup. IIn n LLuke uke 99,, JJesus esus llet et tthree hree ssee ee tthe he ttrue rue hhim im the nnumber off d disciples when e w as ttransfigured, ransfigured, bbut ut oonly nly oone, ne, JJohn, ohn, w as tthere here iin n the nd. W e nneed eed to o llife ife iin n ggroups roups llike ike when hhe was was the eend. We to ddo Jesus did! Matthew 14:2 – And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Gods desire is to be with us, but he also desires that we be together! It is not good for us to be _______, and how we are ___________ determines if we are with God! Genesis 1:18 -‐ And the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” Adam was too low for the ___________ and too high for the _____________. John 13:35 -‐ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. What does life look like together in the _____________ where Jesus is _________?
1. ________________ – We have to take each other “___ ___.”
In a book titled Men Without Friends, David W. Smith describes a plaque that defines friendship this way: “A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you’ve been, accepts who you’ve become, and still gently invites you to grow.” Mark 2:1 gives a story of a life group that has an encounter with Jesus that changes the group forever! We need friends that will not __________ us, but will _______ us to Christ and not give up until we get our _________! Proverbs 17:17 – A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 18:24 – A man that hath friends must show himself friendly. Caution: ______________ your past and the ________________ of the future in this life! Galatians 6:1 – Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself…
2. ________________ – We have to be ______ enough for others to be ______.
If you do n ot have a place to be real, you n eed Jesus and a group! On a scale of 1 to 10, how often do you get to let your hair down and be your real self? This does n ot necessarily mean your angry self! Matthew 26:38 – Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. To be authentic you must be able to able to admit _____________. Authenticity normally begins when one person opens up in a group and others respond with acceptance and then some authenticity of their own. If the person is judged then he or she will shut down and the group or relationship will become unauthentic. Groups and relationships that are not safe will n ever be real or deep. These are places where you are n ot _________ but ___________! Caution: Follow the 3 A’s of revealing yourself: _____________, _____________, and make sure it is _____________. Sometimes people reveal too much on an inappropriate topic in front of the wrong people. Groups, and most relationships, are not counseling sessions!
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3. ______________ – We should enter group and relationships looking to love.
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. True love _________. Too often people enter relationships and groups only trying to find out what others can do for them. This is especially true with Jesus. Most people are looking for a _____________ and are angry when they find out ___________ is not interested in the position. Oddly when you are looking for King Jesus, you find out that he will clean up your life! Go into a relationship, your day, and your group thinking what can I do to bless someone, how can I serve someone, how can I help someone make it through a tough time, and best of all, ask how can I help you be all that God desires you to be! Caution: Only God is ___________. Your relationship with your group or anyone else cannot replace your relationship with God. You will make the group or relationship an idol. The unreal expectations will destroy the group or relationship. There is only one God! No one will have all the answers, be there all the time, be all loving.
4. _______________ – Become a _____ of God’s greatest work: _____________.
There is n o one or n othing greater than God and mankind is made in his image. Genesis 1:26 – God said, Let us make man in our image. We often live our lives in a very unbiblical way by only considering Genesis 3–Revelations 20 as the whole Bible. We often look at each only from the fallen state of Genesis 3. We are quick to jump on the Romans road and point out someone’s shortcomings, and we love to forget Matthew 7:1 and go straight to Revelations 20 and judge someone. D.L. Moody said, “People have a way of _____________ what you _____________ them to be, not what you ______ them to be.” Philippians 2:3 – Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Caution: If you are struggling to affirm others, I encourage you to exam your life for past hurts, unwillingness to forgive, or just have a chat with God about how you are not happy with _______ _________ or _______. Often those who are the worst at affirming others are insecure people.
5. ______________ – What we have in common holds us together.
In his book Quality Friendship, Gary Inrig said this: “the quality of a friendship is n early always determined by the quality of that which unites us.” Take a quick mental survey right n ow or a long one later and determine how many of your relationships are built on Christ? Mark 3:31-‐35 – There came then his brethren and his mother, and standing without, sent unto him calling him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, the mother and they brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. This is why we are doing life groups! Church is the best place to start with when it comes to having a common core. Christianity also encourages the other four ingredients for a good group to journey through life with. I know it is hard to believe that we are better together. Lee Strobel says, “as outrageous as it may sound, we will n ever feel whole until we experience community, first with God and then with other people.” As we to a close, I want to say this to you: Don't let your _________ determine your ___________. FOO -‐ __________ ___ __________. John 10:10 – I come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Take the n ext step! Become a disciple today! Join a life group! Is that giving your life to Christ? Is that becoming a part of FBR? Joining a LifeStudy? LifeGroup? LifeLine? LifeShare? LifeCoach? Whatever you do, don’t leave here the same as you came in…say yes to Jesus today! Say, Jesus I’m tired of being alone; I want to be like you, with you, and with your family! We are better together!
1
All Together
All Together
Pastor Ron Haley | March 1, 2015
Community ommunity iiss ccentral entral tto o sspiritual piritual fformation ormation iin n C Christ. hrist. ((It It iiss n not ot a an n iindividual ndividual tthing!) hing!) TThe he a aim im o off G God od in history in history is is tthe he ccreation reation of of a an n a all-‐ ll-‐inclusive nclusive ccommunity ommunity of of lloving oving p persons, ersons, w with ith H Himself imself iincluded ncluded iin n that that community ts p rime ssustainer ustainer a nd m ost g lorious iinhabitant. nhabitant. – D allas W illard community a ass iits prime and most glorious Dallas Willard God as aalways lways b een iin n a _______ ______ _________! Genesis 11:26) :26) od h has been ___ ____ __ ________! ((Genesis life _ _____ group Matthew :23 – B ehold, a vvirgin irgin sshall hall b ith cchild, hild, a nd sshall hall b ring fforth orth a sson, on, a nd tthey hey sshall hall ccall all atthew 11:23 Behold, bee w with and bring and his ame EEmmanuel, mmanuel, w hich b eing iinterpreted nterpreted iis, s, G od w ith u s. his n name which being God with us. Jesus ad ggroups roups o ust llike ike u s! M atthew 114 4 h as JJesus esus w ith a m ega cchurch-‐like hurch-‐like ggroup. roup. esus h had off aallll sizes sizes jjust us! Matthew has with mega Luke 0 h as JJesus esus d oing m inistry w ith 770, 0, w hich iiss tthe he aaverage verage ssize ize o hurch a cchurch hurch iin n A merica. 112 2 iiss Luke 110 has doing ministry with which off cchurch America. the umber o isciples aand nd tthat hat iiss a ggood ood ssmall mall ggroup. roup. IIn n LLuke uke 99,, JJesus esus llet et tthree hree ssee ee tthe he ttrue rue hhim im the nnumber off d disciples when e w as ttransfigured, ransfigured, bbut ut oonly nly oone, ne, JJohn, ohn, w as tthere here iin n the nd. W e nneed eed to o llife ife iin n ggroups roups llike ike when hhe was was the eend. We to ddo Jesus did! Matthew 14:2 – And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Gods desire is to be with us, but he also desires that we be together! It is not good for us to be _alone ______, and how we are _together __________ determines if we are with God! Genesis 1:18 -‐ And the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” Adam was too Creator and too high for the _____________. creature low for the ___________ John 13:35 -‐ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. What does life look like together in the _____________ Kingdom where Jesus is _________? King
Acceptance as _is 1. ________________ – We have to take each other “___ __.”
In a book titled Men Without Friends, David W. Smith describes a plaque that defines friendship this way: “A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you’ve been, accepts who you’ve become, and still gently invites you to grow.” Mark 2:1 gives a story of a life group that has an encounter with Jesus that changes the group forever! We need friends that will not _condone _________ us, but will _______ carry us to Christ and not give up until we get our _change ________! Proverbs 17:17 – A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 18:24 – A man that hath friends must show himself friendly. Caution: ______________ Remember your past and the ________________ uncertainty of the future in this life! Galatians 6:1 – Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself…
2. ________________ – We have to be ______ Authenticity safe enough for others to be ______. real
If you do n ot have a place to be real, you n eed Jesus and a group! On a scale of 1 to 10, how often do you get to let your hair down and be your real self? This does n ot necessarily mean your angry self! Matthew 26:38 – Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. To be authentic you must be able to able to admit _____________. struggles Authenticity normally begins when one person opens up in a group and others respond with acceptance and then some authenticity of their own. If the person is judged then he or she will shut down and the group or relationship will become unauthentic. Groups and relationships that are not safe will n ever be real or deep. These are places where you alone but ___________! lonely are n ot _________ Caution: Follow the 3 A’s of revealing yourself: _____________, Audience _____________, Amount and make sure it is _____________. Appropriate Sometimes people reveal too much on an inappropriate topic in front of the wrong people. Groups, and most relationships, are not counseling sessions!
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Assistance – We should enter group and relationships looking to love. 3. ______________
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. gives True love _________. Too often people enter relationships and groups only trying to find out what others can do for them. This is especially true with Jesus. janitor Jesus is Most people are looking for a _____________ and are angry when they find out ___________ not interested in the position. Oddly when you are looking for King Jesus, you find out that he will clean up your life! Go into a relationship, your day, and your group thinking what can I do to bless someone, how can I serve someone, how can I help someone make it through a tough time, and best of all, ask how can I help you be all that God desires you to be! Omni Your relationship with your group or anyone else cannot Caution: Only God is ___________. replace your relationship with God. You will make the group or relationship an idol. The unreal expectations will destroy the group or relationship. There is only one God! No one will have all the answers, be there all the time, be all loving.
Affirmation – Become a _____ fan of God’s greatest work: _____________. mankind 4. _______________
There is n o one or n othing greater than God and mankind is made in his image. Genesis 1:26 – God said, Let us make man in our image. We often live our lives in a very unbiblical way by only considering Genesis 3–Revelations 20 as the whole Bible. We often look at each only from the fallen state of Genesis 3. We are quick to jump on the Romans road and point out someone’s shortcomings, and we love to forget Matthew 7:1 and go straight to Revelations 20 and judge someone. becoming what you _encourage D.L. Moody said, “People have a way of _____________ ____________ them to be, not nag them to be.” what you ______ Philippians 2:3 – Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Caution: If you are struggling to affirm others, I encourage you to exam your life for past hurts, your unwillingness to forgive, or just have a chat with God about how you are not happy with _______ life or _______. Him Often those who are the worst at affirming others are insecure people. _________
Affinity 5. ______________ – What we have in common holds us together.
In his book Quality Friendship, Gary Inrig said this: “the quality of a friendship is n early always determined by the quality of that which unites us.” Take a quick mental survey right n ow or a long one later and determine how many of your relationships are built on Christ? Mark 3:31-‐35 – There came then his brethren and his mother, and standing without, sent unto him calling him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, the mother and they brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. This is why we are doing life groups! Church is the best place to start with when it comes to having a common core. Christianity also encourages the other four ingredients for a good group to journey through life with. I know it is hard to believe that we are better together. Lee Strobel says, “as outrageous as it may sound, we will n ever feel whole until we experience community, first with God and then with other people.” FOO determine your ___________. future As we to a close, I want to say this to you: Don't let your _________ family _of origin FOO -‐ __________ __ __________. John 10:10 – I come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Take the n ext step! Become a disciple today! Join a life group! Is that giving your life to Christ? Is that becoming a part of FBR? Joining a LifeStudy? LifeGroup? LifeLine? LifeShare? LifeCoach? Whatever you do, don’t leave here the same as you came in…say yes to Jesus today! Say, Jesus I’m tired of being alone; I want to be like you, with you, and with your family! We are better together!
