Best Year Ever: Growing as we discover and develop

Vision Planning

....mailing on Monday…check the box

50 Days of Prayer

…Acts 29…cycle 2

God Moving…story of gas pump...

Best Year Ever

I want to explain things…i’m curious…when faced with a problem, I usually dig in and try to figure things out. For the last several weeks I haven’t been sleeping well…I’ve been trying to figure out what was wrong. Started exercising…but that not helping. Wondering if I needed some kind of sleeping vitamin…not sure if God makes those or not.

normally…she goes to bed, and I stay out in the living room in my same old chair until i’m falling in and out of sleep…then sneak in and crawl into bed and quietly fight to get a few inches of the sheet.

Michelle is away this weekend. She went to Michigan to be with Katherine for her birthday. So the last couple of nights I've had the bed to myself. and you know what…I've slept great.

Not sure why. it doesn’t makes sense…there has to be a reason....

Occam’s Razor

The simplest reason might just be the reason. Maybe I just need to go to bed earlier.

Overlooking the obvious

Often times we overlook the obvious when we try to figure things out

You ask why you keep getting speeding tickets (why me God?!?) when the simple truth is you usually speed.

You ask why your friendships are so conflicted when the truth is you gossip.

You wonder why your kids don’t talk to you when the truth is you haven’t been around to build a relationship in the first place.

Often problems whose origins seem mysterious to us are really not that mysterious to others. We just can’t or don’t see the truth....painfully obvious truth.

We want there to be some grand explanation that scientists have just discovered that will make sense of the problems of this world, but I believe often times the most obvious are often the best place to start.

Review: 2 wks ago - Best year ever starts with knowing God and connecting our life to others …particularly Christians people who have similar priorities....in fact if you only gather on Sunday, you are actually only accomplishing part of what God has for you…the other part is in small groups with other Christians.

I wanted to introduce these as elements of the life of a disciple. First, gathering-connecting…then Growing.

Your church leaders often get together to talk about the reality of Why our church isn’t growing....we will come up with all sorts of ideas about why THEY don't come....but often we fail to consider that WE aren’t inviting. ..that's the most obvious answer…and it just might be true.

It’s just like the another question…one that many of us don't ask ourselves, but probably should. “Why am I not growing spiritually?”

The answer to this question I’m going to try to help you ask and answer today.

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John 10:10 NCV

A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life—life in all its fullness.

Remember the focus of the series....the best year ever…or as Jesus said Life in all it’s fullness.

Now if this is what Jesus came to provide, is this it? If you aren’t a follower of Jesus…this may come as a surprise to you. You thought Jesus came to get us to heaven. Actually Jesus changes our lives the moment we come to know him.

IF you are a Christian, let me ask you…are you living life in all its fullness? Where ever you are in your relationship with Jesus…is that the fullest life?

I don’t know?

Do you think it is? Do you feel full?

Some of you are saying…yea I have troubles, but I love Jesus and Jesus is all I need. Let me ask you a question.

Some of the people in scripture,

Are you full like the apostle Paul?

2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV84

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This came after his reminding us of the list of his hardships.

Are you full like the widow who gave her last 2 coins?

Are you full like Peter who sang in prison?

If you aren’t, it’s good to realize it.

Like me you get take things personal…remembering we are a work in process.

Phrase by Andy Stanley...

Jesus makes your life better, and following Jesus makes you better at life.

We are not left to ourselves to figure out life…how to be holy.

That’s exactly what happens as we experience sanctifying grace.

Sanctification is a progression

2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

John Wesley referred to this becoming like Christ as Christian Perfection. Not perfection like mistake free but being made perfect in love…loving God with all you heart mind, soul, and strength…and loving your neighbor as yourself.

This perfection that Wesley taught of wasn’t a mistake free life....but a life that is being transformed by the power of God’s grace.

What does this transformation look like?

Other ways you might experience this transformation…this spiritual growth:

You are learning new things about God…new graces

You are digging deeper into deeper theology...

You are not relying on others to teach you

You are learning…and teaching

You are showing grace to others

You are looking to obey God

You’re experiencing the fruits of the spirit

YOU’RE LESS WORRIED ABOUT PERSONAL PREFERENCES AND MORE CONCERNED ABOUT UNITY

YOU’RE WILLING TO SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE

YOU’RE ENGAGED IN COMMUNITY

These are things that are evidence of spiritual growth in our lives…Hear this…these things are the proof that a change is taking place.

Now, If you pick up an magazine this time of year you would probably find an article that explained how to have the best year ever…often in 3 easy steps.

3 Steps for the Best Year Ever:

set a goal…make a plan…get to work…new friends, new tools, new progress

But sanctification…being made holy…is something that God does in everyone who surrenders their life to him.

It’s not what we do…its something done to us…in us

It happens as we live in relationship with Jesus....It’s this thing called grace.

HOUSE

John Wesley used the image of a house.

Porch - Prevenient grace…inviting us into a relationship with God…the porch is where God’s grace meets everyone…drawing them closer…just like a real porch - inviting them out of the sun or rain - sit a spell - rest - but you aren’t in the house…you are out there with the UPS guy

Door - Justifying grace…coming to know God - entering in -

Inside - Sanctifying grace…all the rooms where we get to experience the life with God.

It’s in the house…in God’s grace…that we learn to live life in all it’s fullness. It’s in the house that we grow.

As we explore different rooms, different views

Rooms for rest…sabbath

Rooms for connection....fellowship

Rooms for ministry…service

Rooms for study....discipleship

God gives us these as means to help our faith grow.

Our faith grows as long as we live in the house.

Romans 12:1–2 NLT

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

What is it about being in the house that changes us?

Being near God we change.

“Renewing of your mind.” - developing the character of God IN you

Jesus described it in his most famous sermon

Matthew 5:3–9 GW

“Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Blessed are those who mourn. They will be comforted. Blessed are those who are gentle. They will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God’s approval. They will be satisfied. Blessed are those who show mercy. They will be treated mercifully. Blessed are those whose thoughts are pure. They will see God. Blessed are those who make peace. They will be called God’s children.

Dependent, Humble, Seek Justice, Merciful, Pure hearted, Peacemakers

How do we develop the character of God?

First you have to know the character of Jesus

Study of scripture

Time in prayer…time listening and obeying

Christ like Character is developed as we read the bible and do what it says.

Second, being in the house we learn more about ourselves

“...God’s will for you.” - discovering God’s call ON us.

God’s call on our lives us unique to each one of us…God calls us according to our SHAPE

I’ve told you about this before, but many of us don’t know what it is....

God has given you spiritual gifts? do you know what they are

What is your heart? what is it that moves you?

What is your personality?

God uses your experience?

If you don’t know your shape, you don’t fully understand your calling. That’s why in our FOLLOWERS MADE small group we spend a lot of time discovering our calling as we discern our SHAPE as we learn God’s will for us.

Back to our question…Why am I not growing in my relationship with Jesus? It’s not because God doesn’t want it...The most obvious answer is that I’m not engaging the relationship. I’m not in the house…I crossed the threshold of faith, but I have gone out on the deck.

I’m not committed to a small group, I’m not reading scripture, I don’t understand his Character, I don’t understand his call on my life.

Maybe you are just sitting in the same chair you have been in all night. You need to experience a different part of the house this year.

Fast forward to the end of the year...

Spiritual growth...Parable of the talents…squandering an invitation to grow in our relationship with him.

God has invited us into a relationship with him grounded in a love that we can’t imagine the width, height, breadth, or depth beyond what we can imagine.

Where are you going to be next year?

Yes Jesus makes life better…and he wants to make us better at life as well…will you let him.