First Saturday Session
Friend of Pastor John from college.
James story: Investment in his dads life by the Rowse family.
Humility, let's join together and talk about discipleship. "I've heard a million talks about this 😂"
John 15:1-
Story: people who you know on Facebook, you feel like you are not close with them at all, but they feel like you guys are best friends? Or maybe you thought someone was like that for you?
Story: going for a kiss with a girl in her BMW, "by the way I have a boyfriend." What? I thought I knew you?!
Like our relationship with Jesus, we want to be in a relationship with Him, but we don't actually know Him. Ask yourselves if you actually know Jesus. Is it your parents faith, or your pastors faith?
This weekend is for reevaluating if you know who Jesus.
Excuses, things that aren't bad but they distract us,
On our phones, Netflix, insta, distractions that can remove us from focusing on Jesus.
Three primary things:
- Disappointment: a time where you're hyped up on the spiritual high! But you go home and nothing happened. We did what the preacher said, and it didn't happen and I'm disapponted. Ten year old James story of being disappointed with his asthma faith healing. "I am not goona go there again because I don't want to be disappointed again." Didsppointment leads to laziness.
- The devil. Without sin, without Adam and Eve. Our relationship with God would be so much more tangible. We would be i the garden, free. But it isn't God who tempts us.
- Temptation: REALLY? Like God flip a switch in my life. I've gotta go through this again?! Wtf? Ima do all the Christ-like things, skinny jeans, goona go through all the motions. But without relationship... I could have intimacy and get the benefits of that relationship without _______. How do I go from being a follower to being a disciple. When temptation and apathy comes in we don't run from God, we run TO God. Story about having a fragile relationship, worried about earning God's love.
When was the last time you led someone to Christ outside of the church? What is your reputation with outsiders? Do people in coffeeshops and sports teams know you're a follower of Christ?
"If you remain in me you will bear much fruit"
...then all of your desires will be given to you.
But are you in Me? Am I in you?
They will know you by your fruit, but are you showing them the love of Christ?
Be honest with yourselves, are you in Christ or are you just following Him?
What has your heart? Your job? Your relationship? Your sports? Church?
A Good Good Father: showing that He just wants to be with us.
There is always a level that you can go deeper, there is so much more to who He is.
You'll never get there if you don't be with Him, if you don't spend time in Him.
...
...
You can't earn your place in heaven.
You don't need to try.
God says that He loves us because we are His sons and daughters. Step one is to be with Him, remove any hindrances that are stopping that and just be.
Discussion time.
What did God say? Where you at with Jesus? What you feeling, let me help you journey with this.
Session 2 Saturday
Praying
Wrote my other post, talking about expressing things.
Praying and encouraging Matt and Nikki
Pastor James:
Being with Jesus, spending time.
Story: James and spending time with his wife.
The most important thing to do in your life is spending time with Jesus
Second step to becoming a disciple is becoming like Jesus. Representing Him as best as we can.
Practice the things that He practices
1 Corinthians 9:24-
Like an athlete would train for their event, we need to train as
Stressed: kids ministry, gray hairs. Driving? Yeah.
"Dude you gotta control your emotions" being a hypocrite.
At work? Boss/coworker driving you crazy?
College/Uni? Homework is the killer.
Stress is tossed around pretty easily these days.
Burning out is real.
Renovations no permits basement suite, new super pastor at work worried about jobs, wife forgetting birth control,
When we try to follow Jesus we think of it as a sprint, more like a marathon. If we don't lived a balanced life... stuff happens, but if we don't have practices in place we will one day give up and just throw in the towel.
Jesus was sweating blood, "can this cup be passed of me?!" Not my will but Yours.
You can't try your way to be like Jesus, you need to train your way to be like Jesus.
What were the spiritual disciplines. Jesus gave up His deity when he came to earth.
I don't say anything that u don't see the Father saying.
- Get away from the crowd. Jesus, afterwards his ministry. A place of solitude, a place of silence. Get alone with the Father. 1 on 1 time.
- Fasting. Jesus did this a lot. He was anointed into ministry and immediately went into the wildernesss and fasted for 40 days. That moment for Jesus wasn't his weakest but his strongest. He wasn't relying on a natural strength but the spiritual strength. You access supernatural resources when you fast.the point of fasting is that the time you would be doing X, you supplement it with prayer.
- Reading your Bible. The power and presence that you can tap into simply by meditating on scripture. Reading the matriarchs and patriarchs of the faith. Read case for creator, case for the bible. This book is legit.
- The art of Sabbath. It was initiated in Genesis when God rested. An important principle to take a 24 hour period when you just rest.
- Community and food. After the Holy Spirit came down they broke bread, they gathered around and had food. Doing life outside of community is not the life Jesus called us to live. Coinenia Greek word meaning fellowship. Doing life together.
- Sunday gathering and worship. Jesus sent to the synogogue once a week at least. Where we can get together as a family and get fed and get sent back out.
- Serving. In and outside the church. "I did not come to be served but to serve." When I become more Christlike is when I go help somebody move. Jesus washing the disciples feet. Peter protested because Jesus was Doing the thing that nobody else wants to do. Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Don't tell anyone that you're serving, redding the Bible. Don't do it for recognition or as a popularity contest.
- Gratitude. Stopping, taking a moment and just thanking God for what he's done in your life. So much power to tap into, potential is off the charts. Pray for your leaders. Thank you for _______. Bless them. God you love them, God I love them.
- Celebration. I'm Jesus and I like to party. The year of jubilee, Passover, weddings, massive party. Mazeltov, Jesus' culture knew how to party.
Of these, probably focoud on the one that you are neglecting. Don't change your personality, don't become an extrovert/introvert, but come find Jesus in a place that is uncomfortable to you. Do something you've never done before. Invite God into moments in your day. Work these things into your daily routine, practice the things that Jesus practiced. Do the things that Jesus did to get filled with the spirit.
Liturgical audit: public worship, taking inventory of Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat. Does this do my heart well? Is this tapping into the Holy Spirit? Is it an addiction? Train towards the pain?
Try these 9 things one at a time.
Just start practicing.
If you don't replace a habit you'll fall into that habit again.
I'll be honest I don't have any right now. I do need to do this once I'm in Montreal.
That's all for now.
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