Venture Church | Bozeman: Recent Episodes
Venture Church | Bozeman
Join us and pastor Charley Carpenter live or online at live.venturechurch.us
For more information check out https://venturechurch.us
Reconciliation: The act of causing two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement
Ceremonial- This category includes laws about festivals, diet, cleanliness, and the Levitical priesthood.
Civil - How to behave in God’s society
Moral- How to honor the lord with your life (10 commandments)
How are you being salt and light to the people around you?
Who are some of the friends who you are determined to bring to Jesus?
Who are your friends who are determined to bring to Jesus?
“The unexamined life is not worth living”. -Socrates
Beatitude = Blessing
What, other than Jesus, am I trying to find hope and joy from?
What parts of my life have started to look more like the world than the Kingdom of God?
Depleting Desire: No matter how strong a desire starts, it will fade over time.
What do you do when desire runs out?
Discipline: Dedication without Desire
Delight: Remember who God is and Celebrate what He has don
“For the present is the point at which time touches eternity.” ~ C.S. Lewis
Where are your disciplines leading you?
What do you find difficult about following Jesus?
The world
“I will follow you, Lord; but first…”
“I want to follow the Lord, But first ____________.” Whatever is on the other side of that is the true god that you are worshiping and following
The Cost
“Self-denial, then, is intentional disowning of the self, or stepping away from relationship with the self as primary.”
The unknown
The world
The cost
The unknown
How is your soul?
What is our response to the mess we are in?
How is your soul getting long right now?
The Truth is a WHO to follow, not a WHAT to understand.
What report would be sent back about you?
What does a Follower of Jesus look like?
Faithful-Daily walking in The Truth.
What does a Follower of Jesus look like?
Faithful-Daily walking in The Truth.
Generous-Giving to God’s Kingdom, not just ours.
What does a Follower of Jesus look like?
Faithful-Daily walking in The Truth.
Generous-Giving to God’s Kingdom, not just ours.
Hospitable-See our life as managing God’s stuff.
How do I manage your house, children, finances, time, resources?
If 4 John was written today, what would be said about you?
How is your soul today?
Is our light calming/captivating in a world of chaos?
Is it blinding/repulsive?
Or do we find ourselves hiding because the darkness seems so overwhelming?
What is truth?
Who do we listen to?
3 Tenants of our Christian Faith
Grace - Mercy - Peace
Follow
Where do you think you’d find God?
The TRUTH is a WHO to FOLLOW, not a WHAT to understand.
What voices are you listening to that are leading you away from The Truth/Jesus?
What is keeping you from walking in love and being obedient to Christ?
Gnosticism - Material things are evil, spiritual is good
Non negotiables of Christian doctrine
There is one (trinitarian) God
We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in the finished work of Christ alone
The canonized Bible is the inerrant word of God (In its original language and form)
1 John 2:15-16. 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
Gen 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Legalism vs leniency
1 John 3:6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
1 John 2:3-6 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1 John 5:18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.
1 John 1:8-2:2 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 3:20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
1 John 4:13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.
1 John 5:3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
Books John Wrote:
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The Gospel of John “John”
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First Letter of
John “1 John”
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Second Letter of John “2 John”
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Third Letter of John “3 John”
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Revelation
The Gospels (the story of Jesus):
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Matthew (synoptic)
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Mark (synoptic)
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Luke (synoptic)
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John (love)
Write down 3 people you love
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At the top of the list put people who are easy to love
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At the bottom put people who are harder to love (that you still love)
How do you know if you love someone?
How do you know if someone loves you?
How do you know if God loves you?
19 We love because he first loved us.
4 loves:
Phileo - Brotherly love
Storge - Family love
Eros - Romantic love
Agape - Servant love
Do I love someone?
Do I serve them?
To serve/love someone:
“To treat someone like they are more important than you”
Matthew 20:26-28
Matthew 25:31-46
Who to love/serve?
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People who are close
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Those in need
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People who are hard to love
“Theology means very little if it can't reach into the most personal and excruciating crevices of our hearts.”
– Dr. Julia Slattery
What is the Gospel?
How is the Gospel Changing Your Life? Today? This Week?
1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
3:20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
4:16 God is love
5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
2:4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.
2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
3:6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
3:8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
4:3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
Exegesis vs. Eisegesis
Main themes
To make our joy "full" or complete (1:4)
To warn us about habitual sin (2:1)
To refute false teachers (2:26)
To assure us of our salvation (5:13)
What do you do when you know you should do something, but are tempted to do nothing?
HYDAIHYDE
How you do anything is how you do everything.
Entrust: to put something into someone’s care or protection.
Each servant had a choice of what they would do with what they had been given.
God is not concerned with what you can offer Him, but with how you use what He has offered you.
Are you someone God can trust?
“True service rests contended in hiddenness. It does not fear the lights and blare of attention, but it does not seek them either. Since [serving] is living out of a new Center of reference, the divine nod of approval is completely sufficient.” ~ Richard Foster
How we treat someone who has nothing to offer us is how we treat Jesus.
Who gets to see your best?
What are you doing with what you’ve been given?
Where have you been doing nothing, that you need to start doing something?
What is God’s goal? What is God asking of us as parents?
I am a sinner trying to lead another sinner to the cross.
Parenting is unfinished people (parents) being used of God as agents of transformation in the lives of unfinished people (kids).
Everything in the world wants us to focus on it more than God.
Based on my current parenting, who will my kids become?
As a Child of God, how can I parent “God’s” kids as He would?
Our job as parents is to shepherd them back to God and help them develop a proper heart posture in their relationship with Him.
My IDENTITY IN CHRIST means I am LOVED, I am CHOSEN, I am FORGIVEN, I am REDEEMED, I am ADOPTED into God’s Family!
Reflect on your own relationship with God
If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, he wants to wash away the old and make you a new creation! He wants to welcome you as an adopted child of God’s own family.
If you have a relationship with Jesus, are you prioritizing that identity above all else? Can you identify one area of your life that God is leading you to submit to him?
In the ups and downs of life, in what ways can you continue to follow God just like Joseph?
The problem with Joseph is not just his youthful arrogance. His problem was the dream.
What do you do when things don’t go as planned?
Dreams are not the same as aspriations.
Aspirations begin in the mind of the individual. Dreams begin in the mind of God.
What do you do when things don’t go as planned?
What dreams has God given you that you have covered with aspirations?
Athens Method:
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Observe
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Listen
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Address
Places to meet people:
-Friends / Family
-Roommates / Neighbors
-Coworkers/ Classmates
-People with similar interests / Hobbies
Possible Next Steps:
-Experience Jesus (Prayer, Bible, Venture groups)
-Tell someone about Jesus
-Build a relationship to share Jesus
The fruit of an apple is not an apple tree, but an apple orchard.
Give me one person I can help follow Jesus this year.
Who will you “fish for" this year?
Serving: To give of yourself, your time, tallents and energy in a way that benefits others at an expense to yourself.
Here i am vs there you are mentality
1 Cor 12:7 in NLT: A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
To you, what is most interesting/exciting about the Bible?
What is most boring/challenging about the Bible?
Why is the Bible important for Jesus followers?
What are your Next Steps?
Cross of Redemption
Redemption-The action of saving or being saved from sin, error or evil.
Cross of Rejection
Cross of Repentance
Which cross will you choose?
What will your response to Jesus be?
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin. I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I ask you to forgive me for all of my sin and for trying to play god in my own life! You alone are God! I surrender my life to you. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me live my life for you, to the best of my ability. In Jesus name, Amen.
Text “Jesus” to 406-284-2113
What is something that you are expecting from Jesus?
Where would Jesus go if He came to Bozeman right now?
If Jesus was to come up to you right now, what do you think He would want to talk about?
When you approach Jesus, how do you expect him to react? And are you approaching him in a way that is consistent with that?
Some of the most wonderful people who have ever lived on the face of the earth, people with the greatest character, did not have a lot of common sense about money. Some of the nastiest, most ridiculously messed up people on the inside were incredibly good about managing money. Jonathan Edwards
Money comes to us and says, “Without the messiness of the relationship, I can do that for you.”
First thing we have to know:
We are NOT God.
Second thing we have to know:
We are children of God.
What can I do today to start reminding myself I’m a child of God, saved by grace?
How will I commit to investing in the Kingdom of God and things that last?
Faith
Hope
Love
Arbiter-Divider.
The one way you know that Jesus Christ is precious to you is that nothing else is. Everything else is expendable. Nothing has a hold on you. Charles Spurgeon
What material thing is most precious to you? What’s in your box?
What would it look like for you to fully trust God with His definition of reality in your finances?
What is likely the biggest reason to stop you from giving and growing contentment?
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I can't afford it.
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I don't trust who I'm giving to.
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I don't see a reason to give.
Titus 3:3-7 (ESV)
3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Romans 5:8
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Ephesians 5:21-25
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Psalm 103:10-12
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Where are you at spiritually?
What is your “Next Step” in following Jesus?
Who are you going to enlist in your life? Who are you going to invest in?
3 Crucial Habits:
Fasting
Prayer
Bible
Specific Prayer Requests:
Building
Followers/Disciples
Church Planters
Missions
Transformation
Will I trust God enough to follow Him?
Delayed Obedience is Disobedience
What if God responded to your needs at the same speed you obey Him?
Partial Obedience is Disobedience
How are you limiting what God wants to do in and through you?
What are you not wanting to "follow" God in that He is asking you to?
“I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world? Whether you can consent to her departure to a heathen land, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life? Whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death? Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Heaven and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory?”
“She can make up her own mind.”
"I feel willing and expect, if nothing in providence prevents, to spend my days in this world in heathen lands. Yes, Lydia, I have about come to the determination to give up all my comforts and enjoyments here, sacrifice my affection to relatives and friends, and go where God, in his providence, shall see fit to place me.
Are you willing to Follow Jesus?
Have you been waiting for God to interrupt your life, grab you and force you to follow him?
Are you ready to choose Jesus over anything else in life?
Do you step away from Jesus when his way is different than your way?
Are you willing to do life Jesus’ way? Deny your way and choose his?
Is there anything in your life you’d be ashamed of, embarrassed by, or unwilling to give Jesus?
Are you willing to be fully exposed in order to live the life guide created you to live?
Alone isn't an option.
Build Trust
Consume Truth
Is desire, denial, or devotion your biggest struggle? Why?
What will you do today to take one step toward following Jesus?
Who/What are you currently following?
What path have you been following that you need to stop going down?
What promise of God do you need to KEEP focus on to keep following Him?
Will the fresh start end in "I wish I had" or "I'm glad I did."
What areas am I not FOLLOWING God in currently?
What would be the hardest thing to give up to fully FOLLOW God?
Will you trust God enough to FOLLOW Him?
What step can you take right now, to be faithful with what you do know about God, in your life?
What are you missing out on because of not saying Yes to God?
2 cultural options Joseph has:
Publicly shame her.
Divorce her quietly.
Isaiah 7:14-Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Matthew 2:14-Joseph immediately got up and took the child and his mother and fled to another country.
In what ways are you canceling your own Christmas by saying “No” to God?
What “Yes” can you say to God today to start building trust?
How does God call us to respond to Him?
How can you pursue and respond to God in the silence?
What are your own ‘deaf ears’ you may have turned towards God?
What are your Next Steps?
3 Minute testimony: Before - How - Now
Who are you going to share the gospel with and how are you going to do it?
How will I choose to die to myself this week?
What do I need to give up chasing in order to chase after God?
How might God want to use my marriage as a model for the rest of the world of His love?
Will we trust God or trust the world?
Go sell all that you have.
If you say, “I will follow God if_________” whatever is on the other side of that “if” is your true god
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot
Psalm 16:11 ESV You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Is Following Jesus Worth It?
What is my “Next Step” in trusting Jesus with my life?
What part of my story is God wanting to write differently?
Jesus recognizes posers before they recognize themselves.
A king who rules on our terms is no king at all.
Jesus is not calling for Cannibalism, but for Commitment.
How do we try to hijack Jesus in our own lives?
What does it look like for you to accept Jesus on His terms? Right now? Today? This week?
Who is following you and what are they learning?
How can you leverage your platform for God's glory?
What’s in it for us?
Is trusting God worth it, even if I don’t like how He does things?
God’s hand can’t be forced and His will can’t be stopped.
Where am I trying to force God’s hand?
How am I trying to manipulate God’s will to benefit my agenda?
Everything belongs to God.
We are just managers.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-Whoever LOVES money will never have enough. Whoever LOVES wealth will never be satisfied.
Are you the owner or the manager?
What are you investing in that will outlive you?
In discovering the cost we find out if we are a CONSUMER or a FOLLOWER.
DENY YOURSELF
TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
FOLLOW ME
If you’re going to follow me, you’re going to have to be willing to die to yourself.
Salvation is free and costs us nothing.
Following Jesus, in this life, will eventually cost you something.
What is the conflict of interest you are facing with Jesus’ invitation?
Which story is your life telling now?
I couldn’t say no to me or I decided to say no to me.
I couldn’t say yes to Jesus or I decided to say Yes to Jesus.
Jesus asks Peter to do something that Peter had done a thousand times. But He asks Peter to do it in a way he had never done it before.
Can I trust Jesus?
What if they hadn’t trusted God?
What if we don’t trust God?
What Next Step is God asking you to take?
Are you willing to trust Him enough to take that step?
What if just doing what Jesus says, isn’t what Jesus says to do at all?
Jesus is not content just hanging out with people who say and do all the right things.
Is it worth it?
What is my life worth?
Who is God asking me to help experience Him?
How can you leverage conflict for God's glory and the benefit of others.
"work" - run swiftly in order to catch someone.
"Peace" - in the absence of rage and war.
'Holy " - set apart for God's intended purpose.
You are a messenger.
Refuse revenge.
Extend Honor.
Posture to fight for:
What do I want FOR them?
Emotional Vampires - People that drain you. Take and demand more from you over and over.
Types of Emotional Vampires:
Narcissist
Victim
Controller
Freeloader
Dramatic
Compassion-Deep intestinal emotion for others.
Everyone else’s emergency might not be your emergency.
Meeting needs is more loving than giving people what they want.
What do you do when people disappoint you?
Forgiveness is NOT Forgetfulness.
Repent - Saying I'm sorry.
Repentance - Demonstrating we are sorry by changing.
Who is God asking you to forgive?
God isn't just trying to fix man's problems. He clearly wants to dwell with us.
Sin always takes you farther than you want to go, and costs more than you want to pay.
No one drifts to holiness. Instead we drift to sin.
God wants to dwell with us. What would it look like for you to dwell with God in your daily life?
An idol is anything or anyone that captures our hearts, minds, and affections more than God.
How do we identify idols?
-What leads and guides our decisions?
-What do we run to for comfort, guidance, and value?
Are we willing to sin to get it?
We can take a good thing and make it a "god" thing and that's a bad thing.
Transformation: When our behavior is transformed as a result of our love for God.
Behavior modification: When we change our actions but our heart stays the same.
God sets them free and THEN gives them the law to protect that freedom.
What law do you need to work on being more obedient to?
Reason 1- Turn us away from our old way of living.
Reason 2- Test our trust.
Reason 3- Transform our lives.
What is God calling you away from?
God's love and grace is completely independent of the people's ability to follow Him.
God's loves people who don't trust Him.
Are we willing to acknowledge that we are not God, before it is too late?
God tells Israel exactly what He is doing and why.
How has God earned your trust?
Jesus takes sin seriously.
Jesus is consistent.
Jesus is merciful.
What do you do to remember what the Lord has done for you?
How is God inviting you into risk and uncertainty/the impossible?
Venture- A risky or daring undertaking involving uncertainty as the outcome.
Pray for: Impossible
Opportunities
Role
In what ways are you more tempted to take the easier, less fulfilled option; rather than trusting God for the full thing?
Do you have a list of reasons you are not qualified to be used by God?
What might God's response to your list of reasons be?
What are you going through right now that you are asking God to get you out of?
What does the "Good News" of Jesus look like in your everyday life?
What am I allowing God to do in my life?
Am I pursuing His will or my will?
What is it that you are doubting right now?
Seek comfort when doubting.
Find answers when you are in a healthy place.
If God is sovereign, what is man's role and responsibility in this world, and with salvation?
"The test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function"
Where is True North? How do we know?
Who is setting your compass?
What will you do to build trust to follow God instead of yourself?
If God is going to forgive me, and has already forgiven me, why does He care, or why should I care about my sin?
3 Reasons not to sin:
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Jesus is Lord
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We are dead to sin
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We love God more than sin
If God is all powerful, why can't He stop the evil that is happening in the world?
God is sovereign, we are not.
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Christian Worldview vs Non-Christian Worldview
Rebuke: Express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behavior or actions. - Calling someone out.
The commitment of Jesus towards us, has earned our commitment towards Him.
How can you show your commitment to God and people this week?
The Bible was written for us, but it was not written to us.
What causes you to be in conflict with God?
Is God Trustworthy? CHANCE- When something happens without design?
Proverbs 16:9 Matthew 10:29-31 Genesis 37:19-20
Sin enters the Garden through a distrust of God, distrust of God came from ingratitude.
Who do you need to enlist in your life to spur you on? How is God calling you to advance His kingdom and build His Church? Hebrews 10:23 John 3:16
What does it take to win? 1.Clarity of win. 2.Teamwork. 3.Playbook + Practice. 4.Trust in the coach.
Crucial Conversations: A discussion between two or more people where the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong.
Daniel 1:1-2
Crisis: A time of intense difficulty, trouble.
Genesis 17:7-8
Daniel 1:3
Instead of running from a crisis – we are going to be ready for it.
Daniel 1:4-5
(Please put the following three lines all on one slide.)
Talk like we talk.
Think like we think.
Eat like we eat.
Daniel 1:6-7
(All of this below can be on one slide as well)
Daniel: God is my judge. Belteshazzar: Bel, protect his life.
Hananiah: The Lord shows grace. Shadrach: Under the command of Aku.
Mishael: Who is like God? Meshach: Who is like Aku?
Azariah: The Lord helps. Abednego: Servant of Nabu.
Daniel 1:8
✅ Speak their language. ✅ Serve their nation. ✅ Change your name. ❌ Eat their food.
Daniel 1:8
Theories:
1 = Kind of food. 2 = Use of the food. 3 = Whose food it was.
Is this going to get between me and God?
Is this crisis going to challenge my faithfulness to God?
Daniel 1:8
Integrity
Daniel 1:8
Courage
Daniel 1:8
Humility
Daniel 1:8
Discipline
(Tomb of the Unknown Soldier-On it’s own slide please.)
(Could you put these two lines all on one slide?)
Faithfulness is decided before it’s necessary.
Integrity - Courage - Humility - Discipline.
Which area of faithfulness are you most deficient in?
Are you willing to be faithful?
Will you pre-decide to grow in Integrity, Courage, Humility, and Discipline?
Who is influencing your view of sex?
Romans 12:1-2 Genesis 2:23-25 1 Corinthians 6:9-20
God draws lines that are lifelines for us if we trust Him.
Draw the Line Hold the Line
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 1 John 1:9
Who is influencing your view of sex? What lines do you need to draw/hold? What are you going to start fighting for today?
1 John 4:7-12
What step do I need to take to allow God to love me? What step do I need to take to love someone? Who am I going to share this with?
Numbers 14:3
Numbers 14:26-32
“Young people are abandoning the church because older people are abandoning the mission. Church has become something they do, rather than who they are.”
Paradigm shift- a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.
“Do” to “Be”
Joshua 1:1-9 Joshua 2:10-11
Are you living the life you are meant to live right now? Where are you “Doing” church instead of “Being” the church? What are you investing in now that will outlive you?
Numbers 13:1-3 Numbers 13:26-33 Numbers 13:28 Numbers 13:31
What are the loudest voices in your life?
Paradigm shift- a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.
Numbers 14:1-9
Will we be more focused on the obstacles in the invitation or the opportunities in it?
New Service Times (Starting October 17) 8:30 AM 10:30 AM
Planting a church within the church.
Where do you need to fight to see the opportunities in the obstacles?
What opportunity is God calling you into that you need to step into in spite of the obstacles?
If you’re like the rest of the world Your Image IS Your Identity If you live in the world but aren’t of it Your Image IS NOT Your Identity
4 areas culture puts it's identity in it's image: 1. Career/position - Matthew 20:25-26 2. Wealth/possessions - Ecclesiastes 5:10 3. Body/attractiveness - Philippians 2:3 4. Social status - James 2:1-4
What part of my image will I surrender to God?
Matthew 10:1-20
Action Steps: 1. What’s my first step in my harvest field? 2. Thank Jesus for being with you every step of the way.
Matthew 9:9-13
Slavery is binding ourselves to our desires. Freedom is binding ourselves to God's desires for us.
Will we allow ourselves to be freed by him so that we can follow him?
Pursue God for God! Not to impress others.
Matthew 6:1-4 Giving
Matthew 6:5-15 Praying 4 things Jesus knew: 1 - You never outgrow God 2 - it’s a Heart Engaged Relationship 3 - “Our” is a bigger family 4 - God shapes life through Prayer
Matthew 6:16-18 Fasting
A. Law 1. God loves me and created me to know Him personally. Law2 Man is sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love. Law 3. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him alone, we can know God personally and experience God’s love. Law 4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience his love. B. Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” C. Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” D. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Necessary Tools for Climbing: - Harness - Rope - Carabiner
Necessary Tools for Life: - Bible - Prayer - Discipleship
Lost - Separate from God. Still playing God. Learn - Discovering who God really is. Live - Our response to God. Where I put into practice what I’m learning. Lead - Byproduct of how we live. Help others become more like Jesus.
Matthew 22:37-39 John 13:34-35 John 13:1-17
What does your leadership look like? Who can you pick up a towel for and serve this week?
What is the end result of learning?
Learning Process: - Read - Obey - Share
Live - Our response to who God is. - Where we exercise obedience and put into practice what we are learning.
Matthew 7:24-27
Calendar If someone followed you around for 1 week, what would they say you believe about God?
Finances If someone saw your bank account, what would they say you believe about God?
If your life is the only Bible someone is reading, what are they learning about God? How can you change the way you live to match your understanding of who God is? How can you show someone who Jesus is this week?
Necessary Tools for Climbing: - Harness - Rope - Carabiner
Necessary Tools for Life: - Bible - Prayer - Discipleship
Live - Our response to who God is.
1 John 4:19 Acts 8:26-38
What will your response to God’s love be today? How will you allow your understanding of God to change the way you live? Who will you share who God really is with? Who will you baptize next?
Rom. 3:23, 6:23 John 14:6
Necessary Tools for Climbing: Harness Rope Carabiner
Necessary Tools for Life: Bible Prayer Discipleship
Bible-Harness 2 Tim 3:16-17 John 10:10
Prayer-Rope John 14:26
Discipleship-Carabiner Matthew 28:18-20 Matthew 4:18-20 Luke 9:23
VENTURE-A risky or daring undertaking involving uncertainty as to the outcome.
Hebrews 11:1-Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Will you join us on The Climb of Your Life? Will you engage in God’s Word daily? Bible Will you start a conversation with God and grow in intimacy with Him? Prayer Will you invite someone to join you along the way? Discipleship
Luke 23:32-33 Romans 3:23 Romans 6:23 Luke 23:34-41 Luke 15:11-32
What will your response to Jesus be today?
Luke 23:42-43 Luke 24:1-8 Romans 5:8 John 3:16
What will you do with Jesus today? Will you keep looking for life among things that lead to death? Will you swallow your pride and humbly admit that you are not God and He is?
Luke 19:29-40
Who are you expecting Jesus to be that he truly is not? Would you be okay with Jesus being who he is, rather than who you want him to be? Who are you going to invite into this conversation about who Jesus really is?
Romans 3:10 Romans 3:23 Romans 6:23 Romans 5:8 Romans 10:9-10 Romans 8:1-2 Romans 10:13
Matthew 17:1-8
You need an Encounter with Jesus. Don't Camp Out when God's called you to Climb. When you're facing something hard, whose voice do you hear? And what does Jesus say? It matters what you see.
Holy sexuality consists of being sexually abstinent and fleeing lustful desires in singleness while fighting for innocence and purity, then being sexually and emotionally faithful to your spouse of the opposite sex while continuing to flee lustful desires in the Covenant of marriage.
Genesis 2:18 Genesis 1:27-28 Genesis 2:15 Genesis 2:23-25 Mark 10:6-9 Matt. 5:6 Genesis 2:25 Hebrews 13:4
God doesn’t want you to have the best marriage. God wants your heart! Marriage is about God, not you!
Ephesians 5:21-31
What sin are you selfishly fighting for that is destroying your life? What can you do this week to start fighting for God’s dream in your relationships?
Your Mission is Bigger than your Relationship Status.
John 10:10 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Mark 7:21-23
What wise decisions do I need to start making to honor God in purity? Where do I need to repent? Where do I need to embrace God's definition of my worth?
Holy sexuality consists of being sexually abstinent and fleeing lustful desires in singleness while fighting for innocence and purity, then being sexually and emotionally faithful to your spouse of the opposite sex while continuing to flee lustful desires in the Covenant of marriage.
Hebrews 4:15
Hebrews 2:18
The power of sympathy lies not in the mere capacity for feeling, but in the lessons of experience. And again, sympathy with the sinner in his trial does not depend on the experience of sin but on the experience of the strength of the temptation to sin which only the sinless can know in its full intensity. He who falls yields before the last strain. B.F. Westcott
1 Corinthians 10:13
The difference between a test and a temptation is found in the motivation of the tester.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (I’m going to come back to this same verse)
James 1:13-15
Romans 13:13-14
Genesis 3:6
Matthew 5:27-28
If the end is wrong, the desire is wrong. If the desire is wrong, then everything in between is wrong as well.
Where do you need to raise the bar in sexual purity?
What temptation am I allowing to simmer in my mind too long?
How can I raise the intensity in which I fight temptation?
Who am I?
Romans 3:23 Genesis 1:26-27 Genesis 2:15-17 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 John 3:16 Romans 5:8
Heterosexuality vs Homosexuality vs Holy Sexuality
How have I allowed what I do to attach itself to my identity? How have I attached what others do to their identity? What sin have I been justifying by claiming it as part of my identity?
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 6, 8-18 Nehemiah 9:1-3, 6-8, 9-21, 22-33
How do you react when you hear the commands of God? Remember who God is, who you are, and what he has done for you. What has the Lord done in your life that you need to remember today?
Nehemiah 4:6, 10, 13-23
We must develop a wartime mentality and raise the intensity.
John 10:10 Matthew 28:18-20
Where is God asking you to develop a wartime mentality in your life? Who is God asking you to disciple and baptize?
Nehemiah 2:11-18, 3:1, 3:5 Matthew 28:18-20
How will you partner with God in rebuilding what’s broken? Who is God asking you to disciple?
Nehemiah 1:8-11 Nehemiah 2:1-10
How will I seek God’s Kingdom over mine this week? What relationship is God wanting me to leverage for eternity?
Nehemiah 1:1-9
What is God breaking your heart for? Will you commit to praying for forgiveness and faith?