Personal Covenant

Personal Covenant

Bro Blash having the whole church fill out an entertainment vs Kingdom survey...

I knew that I was lacking in that area with my social media use… The issue wasn’t the existence of social media… the issue was that according to my calendar I worshipped it more than God. I gave more time to it then my spiritual development.

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RQ: Think about it for a moment… have you ever felt convicted by the amount of time that you spend on social media? Anybody every start watching a show and 5 hours later there goes your whole night?

I remember during my first few years living in St. Louis binge watching Netflix until the early hours. When I finished I felt like I had wasted so much time. Not because I should have been out conquering the world. Not even bc of over due homework (though that probably existed), not even bc my apartment was a mess and could have used that time cleaning. But I felt convicted bc I knew that I wouldn’t give God that kind of time that I gave media.

I was a Christian, but for 7 or 8 hours I was a disciple of Netflix in a way that I had never been a disciple of Christ.

When was the last time you sat and read your bible for more than 30 minutes or prayer for more than 20 minutes? This isn’t about guilt. This is about self reflection… Have their been times where you felt closer to God then you do now? Have there been times where you were more committed to daily prayer and bible reading? How do you feel after prayer and spending time in God’s word verses after watching a show?

I am not anti-entertainment. I love storytelling. I enjoy good movies, etc. I can still binge watch stuff (I try and schedule time for that now so that I can handle first things first).

But, my point is if we don’t take time to consider how we spend our time we will grow off balance. We will become better at breaking down our favorite movies then at breaking down scripture. We will end up with a deeper understanding of our favorite tv shows then God’s will for our lives.

English Standard Version Chapter 28

19 jGo therefore and kmake disciples of lall nations, jbaptizing them min2 nthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them oto observe all that pI have commanded you. And behold, qI am with you always, to rthe end of the age.”

We are called to be disciples who make disciples.. That is to be the center of our lives. Pastor Brent made the comment when Preaching that when we live in alignment with our purpose that are parts of use that come alive fully bc we are doing what we are designed and purposed to do. We will still need to work or go to school or have relationships. But none of those things can fulfill us in the same way that living our a Christian calling can. And all of those areas of our life are made better when we live out our Christian calling.

I was a better person in my 20’s bc I taught Sunday school.

It kept me accountable knowing that each week I would stand before a group of young people who entrusted me to share the Gospel with me. I was far from perfect and made many mistakes but serving in the local church kept me from making a real mess of my life. I went to a very liberal school and my connecting to ministry helped me stay focused and at times regain focus

RQ: Why does making sure that we are living out our calling matter?

Imagine teaching a bible study to someone and they ask:

If God is good then when did my dad get sick? Or why did my mom leave? Or why did my cousin grow up in a home with abuse?

How do you begin to answer these questions?

Never forget that we live in a hurting world. Our world is not composed of what we see on TV and social media or entertainment news. People have hearts that ache for something that only Jesus can fill. They may not know it, but they are searching for something. Some publicly express that desire for something more, others, while silent, are hoping that there is more to life than just work and a relationship and bills, and to do list of stuff. That somewhere out there, there is a greater purpose, not just for their pain, but for their life. It is to these kinds of people. That Jesus says, come follow me.

But, he’s using you to give the invitation. So, how do you answer these questions that a hurting, broken world might have? Well, we are to speak what we’ve seen, heard and experienced. For we all have brokenness that we put into the nail scared hands of Jesus. A part of putting that in his hands is learning what it means to be a Christian. To understand how God ordered the world knowing that it would be full of broken people. This is why doctrines or worldviews matter. It’s important to know that God made people for a purpose. Their pain, loss, suffering and sin do not take away their purpose. Do you feel comfortable walking through scripture with a friend or a family member or with a classmate, or a co-worker? Are you ready for their hard questions?

English Standard Version Chapter 28

19 jGo therefore and kmake disciples of lall nations, jbaptizing them min2 nthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them oto observe all that pI have commanded you. And behold, qI am with you always, to rthe end of the age.”

“Design your Calendar and ask is God first”

- Work, school, friends, church

o Responsibilities and the pressures of life make it easy to find reasons to put calling/purpose lower on the list

o Who has time to think about their spiritual diet when there is so much to do?

§ Homework won’t do it self.

- What’s your mission?

o Does it match Matt 28:19-20? Does it ignore it? Does it put something else in its place?