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A New Year reminds us of new beginnings. God desires to bring you more into the New You in this New Year!
Prov 20:24 A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way? (NIV)
You didn’t make yourself so you can’t tell yourself why you were made. Your purpose isn’t decided it’s discovered. This is the basis for New Year’s Revelation instead of Resolution. We must constantly revisit our need for God & God’s wisdom.
I heard about these arrogant scientists once who got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. They picked one scientist to go and tell God that they were done with Him.
The designated spokesperson told God, "We've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things ourselves through science, so take a hike."
God listened very patiently and kindly to the man. After the scientist was done talking, God said, "Why don’t have a man-making contest like it all started from the beginning.
The scientists gathered to discuss and decided this was a good way to make a clean break. Answering the challenge from God they began gathering dirt.
God said, “Hold on a minute! Go get your own dirt!"
We need God’s wisdom at work in our lives. God sees things in you that you don’t see - He put them there! He’s calling to the eternal purposes of God in our hearts.
This is really what our Congregational 2017 Revelation is about. Pray and discover your individual revelation that this compliments in your life.
2017: LOVE IS OUR SOURCE: Love is the force that causes our lives & our world to flourish. It's easy to be kind when others are giving you kindness. When they're unkind that's when you must give them what God has given you instead.
If anyone or any thing can steal your joy you've given them/it too much power in your life. A.W. Tozer said, “When I understand everything happening to me is to make me more like Christ, it resolves a great deal of anxiety.”
All of us must resolve that the #1 reason we are here doing what we do is so we become more like Christ as we help others become more like Christ.
Phil 3:10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him... (AMP)
Palm trees find it very difficult to grow in OK - the climate just isn’t conducive. It is very difficult for love to grow in a climate of stress & busyness.
We must learn to make time for the important things in life!
Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. NKJV
There is a difference between change and transformation. Change typically focuses its efforts on surface things while transformation reaches more toward the core.
The pathway to purpose is always filled with pain. Purpose pushes you through the pain.
- Frustrated with job? Don’t Change jobs. Transform the position.
- Frustrated with church? Don’t Change churches. Transform area that frustrated you.
- Frustrated with marriage? Don’t Change spouse. Transform the marriage.
The easy way out is normally not the easy way out. Running from problems only positions you to find them again in the next situation.
Getting your rhythm right is essential to being transformed more into the image of Jesus over time. Rhythm is more powerful than encounter but encounter has the power to change your rhythm for the rest of your life.
You are destined to repeat the history of your life until you reform the history of your mind.
As I read David’s words, “That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD” (Ps 102:18 NAS), I was stricken. What is God doing in our lives that will make an unborn generation look to Him?
Over the past few years I’ve become a huge advocate of an idea that has transformed the culture of our home into an environment where we embrace God’s Word with deeper affection. We tried so many ways to have an effective family devotion time and at various ages some things worked better than others.
When our daughters were about twelve years old we introduced them to an idea I’d been doing for years. We talked about the value of God’s Word and how it not only renews our minds but how it nourishes our spirit. When we understand our minds are being renewed but even when we don’t our spirit is being nourished if we are engaged and experiencing The Author as we read The Book.
The goal was to start in Genesis and read at least one page a day writing the date at the top of the page. On special dates like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, etc mentions could be made converting our Bibles into keepsakes and even heirlooms for future generations to hold.
I found this picture of a man who was almost 100 years old holding the Bible he carried in World War II. It struck me when I thought about how valuable this treasure would be to his grandchildren, their children and so on.
Friends of ours who live in England posted this picture holding Smith Wigglesworth’s Bible. Again I was taken by the priceless treasure this Bible had become to future generations.
My college roommate, Todd Teeples, came to visit Oklahoma City and my daughters met him and his family for the first time. He had been my first Christian friend and actually bought me my first Bible. I marveled to see my daughters perused the sacred Scripture with almost a sacred enthusiasm as they looked over all my dates, writings, highlights and thoughts. I took my daughters to buy Todd a nice Bible. At lunch I shared my Bible now more than quarter of a century old held together by radiator tape I used when it started falling apart. Then I made the presentation to Todd explaining how much he’d impacted my life.
I’m so glad Todd didn’t merely forward me a reading plan but actually bought a physical, tangible Bible that will impact my grandchildren’s grandchildren one day long after Todd and I are celebrating in heaven together.
No generation can effectively disciple itself. A single generation simply cannot contain God's eternal legacy. We must effectively hand off the baton to the next generation both while we live and after we die.
Below are some verses I find meaningful in regard to inspiring and empowering the next generation church. Below those verses are a number of pictures to provide creative ideas of how you might inspire your children and your children’s friends. My wife, Tracy, has now hosted classes helping young teens learn how to illustrate their faith creatively in Scripture. Their work is breath-taking and one Sunday after I finished speaking I discovered a post from one of her students. The young teen had taken the text from my message and interacted with it on a creative level expressing the ideas in art form. It was an “over the moon” moment for me to see someone get what I felt was in God’s heart for us that day.
You can simply search #illustratedfaith to find tons of these illustrations. It has quickly become a movement among this next generation. Thank you, Tracy, for introducing it to our church family last year when God put this in your heart.
I’m believing for a legacy to be established through our surrendered lives that awakens the call of God in our children for the next generation!
Ps 48:13-14 …that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever. ESV
Deut 3:28 But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see. (NIV)
Commission, encourage and strengthen the next generation.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf of this guide
Icebreaker: What task would be most frustrating if your right and left hand refused to work together?
Proverbs 20:24 A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way? (NIV)
You didn’t make yourself so you can’t tell yourself why you were made. Your purpose isn’t decided it’s discovered.
Discussion Question:
Some of you already have your New Year’s Revelation; if so, share it with the group.
* Next week, come prepared to share your New Year’s Revelation.
2017: LOVE IS OUR SOURCE - Love is the force that causes our lives and our world to flourish.
It’s easy to be kind when others are giving you kindness. When they’re unkind that’s when you must give them what God has given you instead.
If anyone or anything can steal your joy you’ve given them/it too much power in your life.
A.W. Tozer said, “When I understand everything happening to me is to make me more like Christ, it resolves a great deal of anxiety.”
Discussion Question:
How does Knowing/Understanding everything happening to you is to make you more like Christ make you feel relieved?
All of us must resolve that the #1 reason we are here doing what we do is so we become more like Christ as we help others become more like Christ.
Phil 3:10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him... (AMP)
Discussion Question:
Share specifically something practical you can do this week to prefer or honor someone in your life. (Perhaps this will be a person you find difficult to deal with at times.)
GP4RL:
Make time this week to pray and listen for your 2017 New Year’s Revelation.
* Next week, come prepared to share your New Year’s Revelation.