DANGER ZONE
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
Every church has a culture and it is created and nurtured, intentionally or unintentionally.
The world is watching how Christians—and especially Christian leaders—conduct themselves. They notice when a celebrity pastor in New York City who famously baptized Justin Bieber is caught cheating on his wife.
They notice when the pastor of a megachurch in Seattle resigns in disgrace because of a pattern of heavy-handed leadership and even emotional abuse toward staff members.
They notice when the pastor of a Chicago megachurch who leads not just that church but a nationwide network of churches is fired for misappropriating church funds as well as several other notable character issues.
People notice these things. I believe it’s even fair to say that the way these people and others like them have conducted themselves has done more damage to the church’s witness than perhaps any other single factor.
Balanced people don’t change the world. Passionate people do. (BOTTOM LINE)
Balanced people don’t change the world. Passionate people do. (BOTTOM LINE)
MAIN POINT
MAIN POINT
AS YOU KNOW WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THE OVERARCHING THEME OF EVIDENCE THIS YEAR AND MORE SPECIFICALLY IN THIS SEGMENT - DANGER
I THINK THAT WE SHOULD HAVE THE THEME SONG OF TOP GUN PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND.
HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE!!
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT COMING TO AND BELONGING TO A FAITH GROUP COULD BE DANGEROUS AND EVEN DEADLY.
THIS IS WHERE WE PICK UP THE STORY FOR THIS WEEK, IT BEGINS WITH PAUL ENDING HIS 3rd MISSIONARY JOURNEY, HE HAS LEFT EPHESUS AND FINDS HIMSELF AT A PLACE CALLED MILETUS.
MILETUS, IS ON THE WEST COAST OF MODERN DAY TURKEY - KNOWN FOR ITS RICH GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, AND ESPECIALLY, TO BE A PLACE OF EDUCATION. NOW PAUL LANDED THERE AS HE NEEDED TO BE IN JERUSALEM FOR PENTECOST.
THAT IS WHY HE TOOK THE BOAT THAT STOPPED IN MILETUS INSTEAD OF EPHESUS - HE IS DELAYED THERE A WHILE, SO HE SENDS FOR THE ELDERS AT THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS TO COME TO HIM FOR A FAREWELL, AND A PEP TALK.
MILETUS WAS 36 MILES = 58km give or take
trevelling southwest when you reach Brantford, that is how far it was for the Elders to travel to Paul.
IT WAS A COUPLE OF DAYS JOURNEY FOR THEM
PAUL NEEDED TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO THEM THAT THEY COULD NOT GET COMPLACENT IN THEIR FAITH.
THERE WAS DANGER AND THEY NEEDED TO BE AWARE OF IT.
SO LETS JUST READ THE TEXT FOR TODAY TOGETHER;
CAMP HERE - TAKE TIME TO READ AND UNDERSTAND TOGETHER
BREAK IT UP SECTION BY SECTION.
17-21 CULTIVATE
17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.
18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,
19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews;
20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,
21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
SECOND SECTION - CELEBRATE
22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there,
23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.
24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.
26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all,
27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
TAKE NOTE - COLLABORATE
27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
AND LASTLY - CROSS POLLINATE
31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.
32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.
34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me.
35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him,
38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.
Balanced people don’t change the world. Passionate people do (BOTTOM LINE)
Balanced people don’t change the world. Passionate people do (BOTTOM LINE)
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
CULTIVATE
to promote and improve growth by labour and intention.
4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable,
5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.
6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.
8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
CREATE INTENTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
--
IN OUR FAMILIES
++HAVE DINNER TOGETHER AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN++STOP AND PLAY TOGETHER++SERVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER
++AT WORK
++ PRAY FOR YOUR CO-WORKERS (DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT THEM)++BE AWARE OF THE IMAGE YOU ARE PROJECTING++GO ABOVE AND BEYOND BUT HAVE HEALTHY BOUNDARIES.
++AND IN OUR COMMUNITY
++ STOP BEING A BELLY BUTTON GAZER++ PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE IN YOUR STREET (TAKE A WALK AND PRAY)++INVITE SOMEONE YOU DON'T KNOW OVER FOR A MEAL++ FIND A PLACE YOU CAN SERVE
CELEBRATE
Why is it important to practice the discipline of celebration?
christ entered into the world oh a high note of celebration
10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
he left the world giving us joy as our inheritance
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Jesus began his public ministry proclaiming the year of the jubilee
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
COLLABORATE
++RESOURCES
++ENCOURAGEMENT
++PARTNERING
++ABILITIES
++RECEIVE HELP
++EQUIP
16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
CROSS-POLLINATE
INTERCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE, IDEAS ETC (WHAT YOU HAVE AND KNOW) FOR MUTUAL ENRICHMENT
ENRICH - ADD GREATER VALUE OR SIGNIFICANCE TO...
ADD VALUE
POLLINATION IS NEEDED TO REPRODUCE
TAKE NOTE;
TAKE NOTE;
I AM NOT SURE IF YOU ARE AWARE THAT BEES POLLINATE 80% OF THE WORLDS PLANTS
OVER 90 FOOD GROUPS.
SO 1 OUT OF EVERY 3-4 BITES OF FOOD YOU HAVE IS THANKS TO BEES
CROSS-POLLINATION IS IMPORTANT IN PLANTS AND FOODS BECAUSE IT ALLOWS FOR DIVERSITY:
APPLES
PUMPKIN
DAFFODILS
GRASSES
MAPLE TREES
MOST FLOWERING PLANTS.
WE DONT SEE THE POLLINATION HAPPENING IN A FLOWER UNLESS YOU HAVE A TIMED CAMERA POINTED ON THE FLOWER AND ARE ABLE TO CAPTURE IT.
BUT THE FRUIT IS PROOF OF IT.
FROM FLOWER TO FRUIT TAKES TIME
IN POLLINATION ONCE THE POLLEN TOUCHES THE OVULE IT BECOMES A SEED AND THAT SEED GROWS INTO THE FRUIT
BUT THAT MEANS THE DEATH OF THE FLOWER
THE FRUIT GROWS AND RIPENS/MATURES
SO YOU SEE THE OLD PASSES AWAY AND THE NEW HAS COME
A BIT OF YOU IS LEFT BEHIND TO ENRICH THE OTHER PERSON
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
WHEN THE BLOOD OF JESUS TOUCHED ME, I WAS CHANGED FOREVER
Balanced people don’t change the world. Passionate people do.
Balanced people don’t change the world. Passionate people do.
CULTIVATE
to promote and improve growth by labour and intention.
COLLABORATE
work jointly on an activity, especially to produce or create something
CROSS-POLLINATE
INTERCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE, IDEAS ETC (WHAT YOU HAVE AND KNOW) FOR MUTUAL ENRICHMENT
ENRICH - ADD GREATER VALUE OR SIGNIFICANCE TO...
Balanced people don’t change the world. Passionate people do (BOTTOM LINE)
Balanced people don’t change the world. Passionate people do (BOTTOM LINE)
DONT ALLOW THIS CHURCHES CULTURE TO BECOME A VULTURE
VULTURES FEED ON THE DEAD CARCASSES OF WHAT OTHER ANIMALS HAVE KILLED.
THEY DONT HAVE THE FEET OF OTHER RAPTORS LIKE HAWKS AND EAGLES
VULTURES HAVE LONG HOOKED BEAKS DESIGNED FOR TEARING PIECES OF FOOD.
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FINISH WITH TAKE 2 MINUTES:
WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO YOU TODAY? - ONE THING
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THAT?
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
PROMISES
PROMISES
GRACE
3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
ENCOURAGEMENT
7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
INHERITANCE
18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.