Saying something is one thing but doing it is another. For years we have focused on the idea of being outrageously loving people as a church community.
We are OUTRAGEOUSLY LOVING people who PASSIONATELY PURSUE the Lord with IRRATIONALLY GIVING lifestyles as we CONSISTENTLY SUBMIT to God’s desires and EFFECTIVELY DISCIPLE others to do the same.
As we journey into the 2024 year together our desire is to become more spiritually AWAKE and more fully ENGAGED in the practices we see modeled in the life of Christ. As we are awakened to the principles of God’s Kingdom, we must choose to become more engaged in the practices.
Please purpose to pray Philippians 2:13 over your heart, your home and over all of us to be more responsive to the work God is doing in our hearts as he is giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. NLT
Legacy isn’t born from what we believe alone. There must be a consistent rhythm of behavior to model for the next generation the things we say are important. The church has grown weary with sitting still and listening to principles. Jesus commissions us “to obey” or to put the principles we believe into action!
Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” NIV
One of the practices we must devote ourselves to growing in is the practice of Sabbath. There is not one way to do this but each person in each season of life with each set of circumstances must discover how to honor God and God’s Word by embracing God’s command to rest. This is extremely counter cultural and the common reaction to the conversation is to resist the idea all together. After all we are just to busy to do that. But in essence this is saying you’re too busy to obey God.
You can’t go deep if you don’t slow down.
There is such an interesting verse found in Job in reference to the “busyness” of life.
Job 9:25 My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy. NIV
This Hebrew word that translates “without a glimpse of joy” also translates in other Bible translations as “without a glimpse of happiness” or “seeing no good”. You can dive deeper in the Word of God by exploring the original languages and learning what the literal meaning of words used in the translation. This isn’t as complicated and difficult as you might think. A great resource I use online is biblehub.com and I suggest you slow your pace of life enough to dig deeper in the Bible.
Anthropologists are now studying how hurried lifestyles are having an impact on the human race.
Hurry decreases joy.
The faster you move the less you enjoy your surroundings. The experience of driving by a park isn’t the same as walking through the park.
Hurry lessens productivity.
Hurry increases stress.
Hurry keeps me from hearing God.
“Lord I have five minutes here I need you to tell me the plan for my life. If you don’t have quiet space devoted to your relationship with the Lord you are simply not a person who will learn to hear God.”
An experiment took place at Princeton Theological Seminary. Students were informed that they would be recorded when speaking on an assigned topic in another building. On the pathway they would walk the students encountered a "victim" slumped in a doorway. Half of the students were assigned to talk on the Good Samaritan Parable. Some were told they were late and should hurry; some were told they had just enough time to get to the recording room; and some were told they would arrive early.
The variable that made a difference was how much of a hurry they were in. 63% of those who were in no hurry stopped to help, 45% of those in a moderate hurry stopped, and 10% of those that were in a great hurry stopped.
It made no difference whether the students were assigned to talk on the Good Samaritan Parable. The way we structure our schedules has a profound impact on how we translate beliefs into behavior.
Hurry is an enemy to love.
This is why we must start with the PRACTICE OF SABBATH to grow and become more OUTRAGEOUSLY LOVING PEOPLE. Once we learn to slow down the practice of anonymous service will come easier as there will be more room for compassion.
Sabbath isn’t a legalistic requirement but it is part of the 10 Commandments just like we shouldn’t lie we shouldn’t keep an unhealthy pace of life. It’s simply a law that has been built into all creation. You can resist the Law of Gravity but it won’t serve you well.
Sabbath is a way to live more deeply in God. You don’t have to buy it or order it online. All you have to do is stop and enjoy a rhythm of rest.
1. Lighting candles
2. Blessing children
3. Eating a Sabbath meal
4. Gratitude
5. Singing
6. Worshipping with your community
7. Walking
8. Napping
9. Making love to your spouse
10. Reading scripture
11. Spending time alone with God
12. Spending time with family and friends.
This is not a to do list but a description of patterns that are commonly included in Sabbath. Making room for Sabbath will help us slow down and be more mindful of God and others. This leads us to the second practice of OUTRAGEOUSLY LOVING PEOPLE, ANONYMOUS SERVICE. This is about sacrificing or even suffering with or for someone in your five-foot circle by selflessly serving them as unto the Lord.
The more God reiterates a word or idea in Scripture the more we should pay attention:
Pray = 371 times (more than one a day)
Love = 714
Give = 2,152
The Bible mentions “Give” three times for every one mention of “Love”, emphasizing the importance of an actionable practice. For God so loved that He gave! (How’s your giving?) Let’s purpose to live generous lives like never before in 2024. Tithing breaks that spirit of materialism in our lives and that unlocks something of a greater degree of generosity in the way we love others well. Let’s tip generously out of a heart of loving others. Studies show how those who give generously are happier, healthier, and experience more fruitful lives.
How are you going to slow down and serve others?
May the God of rest fill you with his peace as you slow down to pursue his heart and discover the joy of serving others!
Everywhere we go....
We Bring GP2RL: Do something to begin exploring the idea of Sabbath. Serve someone sacrificially and anonymously this week.
Outrageously Loving Practices
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Every year we devote the first 40 days to focusing on foundational truths that speak to our identity, as a church family. We are OUTRAGEOUSLY LOVING people who PASSIONATELY PURSUE the Lord with IRRATIONALLY GIVING lifestyles as we CONSISTENTLY SUBMIT to God’s desires and EFFECTIVELY DISCIPLE others to do the same.
Peter endorses the idea of rehearsing foundational things with the intention of leaving them firmly planted in the heart of the next generation.
2 Peter 1:12-15 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in (them), I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live…and I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. NIV
Great encouragement comes from rehearsing God’s Word. It is God’s plan is for us to spend time drawing close to his heart and hearing his voice together as a family. This is why we start each meeting with this question first:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
Ask each person in your group to answer the discussion questions below after reading the verses. Realize there is great power in just reading the Bible together and allowing the Holy Spirit to awaken his conversational nature in the group.
1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all. AMP
• Good News Translation says, “If I have no love, it does me no good.”
• The Message says, “I’m bankrupt without love.”
1 Corinthians 13:3-8 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. ESV
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2. Have each person give a 60 second summary of what these verses are saying, in their own words.
3. What do these verses teach us about God?
4. What do these verses teach us about people?
5. What should you do this week in response to what we are reading and what God is revealing?
6. Who comes to mind when considering a person you might share this with this week?
Everywhere we go....
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Slow down and make room to love God and to love others this week.