This Present Moment

A GOSPEL SHAPED LIFE ROMANS 8:26-27 OCTOBER 11, 2020 THIS PRESENT MOMENT We have an opportunity before us unlike any we've had before. Though there is lots of talk about 'returning' to normal, that is pre-COVID routines, it's not going to happen - even the way we do 'church' A revival of the kind of Christianity we have had in America in the last 50 years would be the greatest tragedy which would take the church a hundred years to get over.* GOSPEL SHAPED PEOPLE ARE THOSE ARE SPIRIT-ENABLED PRAY-ERS WHO CONFIDENTLY AND PAITIENTLY WAIT FOR THE FINAL UNVEILING OF GOD'S UTLIMATE PURPOSE. ROMANS 8:26-27 Lean into our weaknesses Matthew 8:1-3 Mark 9:21-27 "IF" you are willing, "IF" you can...both of these individuals had come to the end of themselves, the end of any possible cure, any possible rescue. The kind of prayer that moves mountains and changes lives is marked by a deep acknowledgement of our absolute helplessness in the face of impossibility. This present moment - In the midst of these massive changes... Lean on the Spirit John 14:16-17 The Father, Son, and Spirit are "persons" who interact with one another and with us in distinct ways. Because each person of the Trinity is fully God, they share the same purpose and activity, but the ways they think and act are distinctive to each.* John 14:25-26 John 15:26 John 16:12-15 A GOSPEL SHAPED LIFE ROMANS 8:26-27 OCTOBER 11, 2020 THIS PRESENT MOMENT We have an opportunity before us unlike any we've had before. Though there is lots of talk about 'returning' to normal, that is pre-COVID routines, it's not going to happen - even the way we do 'church' A revival of the kind of Christianity we have had in America in the last 50 years would be the greatest tragedy which would take the church a hundred years to get over.* GOSPEL SHAPED PEOPLE ARE THOSE ARE SPIRIT-ENABLED PRAY-ERS WHO CONFIDENTLY AND PAITIENTLY WAIT FOR THE FINAL UNVEILING OF GOD'S UTLIMATE PURPOSE. ROMANS 8:26-27 Lean into our weaknesses Matthew 8:1-3 Mark 9:21-27 "IF" you are willing, "IF" you can...both of these individuals had come to the end of themselves, the end of any possible cure, any possible rescue. The kind of prayer that moves mountains and changes lives is marked by a deep acknowledgement of our absolute helplessness in the face of impossibility. This present moment - In the midst of these massive changes... Lean on the Spirit John 14:16-17 The Father, Son, and Spirit are "persons" who interact with one another and with us in distinct ways. Because each person of the Trinity is fully God, they share the same purpose and activity, but the ways they think and act are distinctive to each.* John 14:25-26 John 15:26 John 16:12-15 Lean towards the will of God Far too often our prayers are nothing more than wish lists dressed up in religious language. What is God's will for us? Daniel 9:11-12 Daniel 9:17-19 Any prayer, request to God is to be based on His nature, His character not our own. The Holy Spirit must intercede for us so that our prayer reflects the truth of who God is - not the nature of the one praying. _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ I am persuaded that this present moment is one of the most exciting opportunities I've ever experienced. The world in which we lived in 2019 no longer exists. Almost everything familiar to us in that year has changed - radically. We can mourn the loss of those patterns of life. But let's not miss the opportunity to be used of God to shape the new ways of life that lie before us. How do we turn this time of confusion and uncertainty into a time of seizing opportunities? We can come to the end of ourselves We can cultivate a deeper dependence on the Holy Spirit - Listening in prayer more than speaking - Allowing God's Word to be our resource rather than the latest opinion grabbing our attention via the media - Carefully attending to how God is at work in our own lives This present moment demands more of us that we can give...but through His indwelling presence, we can, to paraphrase a favorite author, 'do all things through Him who strengthens me' (Philippians 4:13) We cultivate this relationship as we confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, as we deepen our roots into the new life He gives as we admit our sin, believe in Him, and confess Him as Lord to our family, to our friends, to our church family We nurture these relationships as together we watch God at work and participate in all He is doing in and through us... Lean towards the will of God Far too often our prayers are nothing more than wish lists dressed up in religious language. What is God's will for us? Daniel 9:11-12 Daniel 9:17-19 Any prayer, request to God is to be based on His nature, His character not our own. The Holy Spirit must intercede for us so that our prayer reflects the truth of who God is - not the nature of the one praying. _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ I am persuaded that this present moment is one of the most exciting opportunities I've ever experienced. The world in which we lived in 2019 no longer exists. Almost everything familiar to us in that year has changed - radically. We can mourn the loss of those patterns of life. But let's not miss the opportunity to be used of God to shape the new ways of life that lie before us. How do we turn this time of confusion and uncertainty into a time of seizing opportunities? We can come to the end of ourselves We can cultivate a deeper dependence on the Holy Spirit - Listening in prayer more than speaking - Allowing God's Word to be our resource rather than the latest opinion grabbing our attention via the media - Carefully attending to how God is at work in our own lives This present moment demands more of us that we can give...but through His indwelling presence, we can, to paraphrase a favorite author, 'do all things through Him who strengthens me' (Philippians 4:13) We cultivate this relationship as we confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, as we deepen our roots into the new life He gives as we admit our sin, believe in Him, and confess Him as Lord to our family, to our friends, to our church family We nurture these relationships as together we watch God at work and participate in all He is doing in and through us... * Quoted by Jim Eliff, https://www.ccwtoday.org/1997/04/reformation-or-revival/, accessed 10/8/20. * Bray, G. (2018). The Trinity. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. * Quoted by Jim Eliff, https://www.ccwtoday.org/1997/04/reformation-or-revival/, accessed 10/8/20. * Bray, G. (2018). The Trinity. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------