Acts 8:1-4 “…on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria… 4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.” NAS
Notice the church was scattered and went about preaching the word! Pressure resulted in purpose when the church was spiritually well and equipped to proclaim God’s Word.
Ideas surrounding progressive Christianity have weakened the church. The basis for progressive Christianity is to accommodate everyone’s viewpoints except for God’s resulting from an absence of the truth of God’s Word.
In a day where so many challenges have come to our faith, we need to be firm in our faith and established in God’s Word.
Covid revealed how the church had become much better at gathering crowds in buildings for services than we had at making disciples.
Pressure produces spiritual diamonds when we are spiritually well. Millions of Christians around the world wasted the pressure that came from the challenges of Covid. Instead of purposefully growing stronger in the Word and in prayer many have drifted into a spiritually sleepy state.
A huge shift has taken place spiritually for many Christians. In many ways the church has become spiritually lethargic. Christians embraced a new normal that was less engaging and less connected. Convenience of church in my pajamas should never be the reason for you to stop gathering together. If you feel called to help with our online campus don’t just be a consumer. Reach out. Contribute to the ministry there and help make disciples. Lead an online group.
It’s as if the church is slowly falling asleep while the world is getting woke. We have so pollinated our theology with worldly philosophy that we don’t know where theology ends, and philosophy begins. The cultural narrative is trending against our faith and against our freedom and we must wake up.
Woke Christianity, progressive Christianity, enlightened Christianity: it’s all about a tolerance instead of repentance Christianity.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind… NIV
Don’t just hear what everybody else is hearing and respond how everybody else is responding. Get with God and discern that which is true and false.
When we are awake our perspective is influenced by the things we see in the spirit and this speaks of a transformed mind. Being woke is embracing a perspective that is conformed to the world and influenced by carnal attitudes and pursuits.
The church is slowly embracing toxic perspectives that originated from people who don’t follow Jesus. You should not be following somebody who isn’t spiritually alive, doesn’t have the Spirit of God and doesn’t believe in Word of God and you certainly should never become one of their evangelists promoting their agenda.
If we’re not careful we get swept downstream with the common ideology of society in our day. We should love God and hate wickedness. Progressive Christianity says to love God and be tolerant.
Jesus wasn’t some effeminate sheep stroker who just perpetuated ideas of world peace & harmony to humanity.
They didn't kill Jesus because he loved the poor. He was crucified because he's politically incorrect & unbending when it comes to the truth.
We must be unbending when it comes to the truth. But please hear me we can be unbending without being unloving or unkind.
In the Old Testament we read how you are blessed if you obey. In the New Testament we read how you’ll be persecuted and hated if you obey. The closer we get to the end the more we will encounter a way of thinking that comes from the spirit of antichrist – and will deceive many into becoming the apostate church the Bible says will emerge.
Are you spiritually well?
· Established in the Word
· Devoted to prayer
· Connected to your church family?
· Serving the heart of God as your way of life.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Purpose very intentional time this week in God’s Word, in prayer and in community with your church family.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— 10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”But we have the mind of Christ. NIV
SPIRITUAL WELLNESS: MOBILIZED AND AWAKE
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
God’s plan is for us to hear the Father’s voice together as a family. This is why we start each group with this as our first question:
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God in this season of your life?
2. On a scale of 1-10 how spiritually well are you and why do you rate yourself there?
Acts 8:1-4 “…on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria… 4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.” NAS
When you restrict the water on a hose water shoots out everywhere because of more pressure. When the enemy puts you under more pressure it will cause you to go further.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
3. How do you describe the difference between a human reaction or a spiritual response to pressure?
As believers we are equipped by God to thrive in every crisis, circumstance and situation. No force that is working against us can compare to power of God at work within us!
Exodus 1:12 “the more they were oppressed, more they multiplied and spread…” NIV
Notice in Acts 8:1-4 that when the church was scattered, they went about preaching the word as a result! Pressure resulted in purpose when the church was equipped to declare God’s Word.
The church of our generation in many ways has so pollinated our theology with worldly philosophy that we don’t know where theology ends, and philosophy begins.
They didn’t kill Jesus because he loved the poor. He was crucified because he’s politically incorrect and unbending when it comes to truth. We must be unbending when it comes to truth but we must never be unloving. You can be unbending without being unloving.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. NIV
God is mobilizing the church in a powerful way in this next season. We must be deeply devoted to Truth as this begins to take place. Instead of a room full of consumers listening to a minister we need to be a room full of ministers listening to God. We all need to be in the word or we’ll be easily sifted into damaging philosophies of this world. Conclude by making time to read the following verses asking God to bring them to light in all of our hearts and lives.
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? ”But we have the mind of Christ. NIV
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Purpose very intentional time this week in God’s Word, in prayer and in community with your church family