07 DEC Series Ideas for 2008

December 29, 2007

Re: Message series for 2008

Pastor Brooks,

In September at our Strategic Prayer sessions you asked each associate pastor to prepare a four message series for Wednesday nights. I have more than four ideas, so I will give you a list of the best ideas and you can call on me anytime you need to.

1.      On being a good follower – how to submit to authority, be engaged in a positive way for the organization’s success. This applies to job, church, community, etc.

2.      Financial principles:

a.       Investing – Parable of the talents

b.      Ownership – stocks (Jn. 10 compare the owner vs. the hired hand)

c.       Lending – bonds (be a lender not a borrower)

d.      Entrepreneurship – Jacob and Laban in Gn. 30

3.      Kingdom of God. I have been on a months long study of Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God. It was his central teaching – no other subject gets more red ink in the gospels. There are dozens of aspects to uncover:

a.       Understanding the kingdom as “the realm of God’s effective will” (where what God wants done gets done).

b.      The present reality of the kingdom

c.       The not-yet reality of the kingdom

d.      The imperceptible growth (yeast, plants)  of the kingdom

e.       The coming with power aspect

f.       The keys of the kingdom are in the earth

g.      God wants to give every believer a kingdom

h.      The open-to-everyone nature of the kingdom

i.        The reality that you must do some things to enter the kingdom (become like a child, obey God, become born again, put on the wedding garments, etc)

j.        Kingdom requires righteousness

k.      Religion has the power to keep people out of the kingdom

l.        Kingdom is not of this world

m.    The preaching of the kingdom is validated by miracles, healing and signs

n.      Kingdom requires an immediate response

o.      Kingdom is to be called in

p.      Kingdom is to be sought above all else

q.      Kingdom is entered by faith, not birth

r.        Kingdom is coming violently

s.       Kingdom is mysterious, secret

t.        Kingdom comes in word form

u.      Kingdom requires sacrifice and discipline

v.      Greatness in the kingdom requires becoming a servant

w.    Kingdom requires radical forgiveness

4.      Another area of great interest for me is spiritual disciplines. (“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”) I practice and would like to teach on disciplines as a way to build faith, hear from God better, and become more like Jesus.

a.       Prayer

b.      Study

c.       Fasting

d.      Service

e.       Secrecy

f.       Giving

g.      Etc.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve God, you, and our church at CLC.

John Knowlton