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This year as a church we’re going to look at finding out who God has made us to be and how He has gifted us and how to get activated in using those gifts.
BUT before you get activated – and even if you’re on the journey of finding out who you are and what you’re called to – you need to have your own authentic real connected in love fired up passionate full on committed relationship with God.
It’s a what came first, the chicken or the egg?
It has to be real and it has to be your heart motivation to know and love Him and make Him known.
You may be uber talented but if you have no relationship with God you will not be serving His kingdom and prob will not get picked for promotion and adventure.
Disclaimer: we’re all flawed and we’re all human and we’re all sinners but a consecrated committed disciple is different from a oh yeah whatever Christian.
But we want to be a person who embrace the call and purposes of God, who believe He is real and that He is the hope of the world
A person who pursue Him and find Him
A person who will dream and live and be marked for eternity, not just breathing and living but living with purpose and destiny
Determined to know Him
Determined to keep knowing Him
Determined to live to please Him
Life is a journey and we’re all at different places spiritually and all that but THIS – housegroup – is a place where we have fun, make friends, eat a lot and where we press in and press through, into something greater than just hanging out and having a good time, where we learn and step out and are challenged and encouraged, and are ignited by a very real personal alive mighty God.
In the face of seemingly impossible odds God is up in heaven, not stressed at all. God is confident of His work in and through us.
I have to confess, I don’t want you to live ordinary lives.
I want you to be used by God so that you have the greatest adventure and so that you experience the greatest love and greatest satisfaction.
Ordinary is not enough.
Any ministry and service and adventure you have with God needs to come out of the overflow – out of the heart and core of who we are… otherwise its not sustainable.
Or pleasing in the sight of God.
First love: in revelation 2: 2-5 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
The Ephesians were doing plenty of work and using their giftings. They were pursuing the call of God and active in their church and community.
But it wasn’t been done from a place of overflow in their lives. It wasn’t originating from love for God.
You see, God isn’t after your behaviour. He is after your heart.
Behaviour and change and transformation and obedience flows out of love from God and love towards, love for God.
Those that are in love with God and know His love for them respond with love.
You see the most important thing to realize in the world is that God loves you.
“God loves you simply because he has chosen to do so. He loves you when you don’t feel lovely. He loves you when no one else loves you. While we may theologically and intellectually understand the transaction, motivated by love, that took place at Calvary, the reality must reach our hearts in order to complete its course. We are loved. Let the words linger in our ears. We are loved.” ~ Max Lucado
Out of knowing that everything else will flow.
Security instead of insecurity
Peace instead of fear and worry
Hope instead of hopelessness
Righteousness by love instead of compromise
Vision instead of disorientation
You are loved. Loved.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 john 3:1
My prayer for you all for this year is that you will encounter God like never before, that you will know that He loves you and has done everything needed to save you and that His promise is that He will complete the good work He has begun in you and that nothing can separate you from His love, that He will never leave or forsake you and that you are created and called to draw near to God.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right) , and all these things will be given to you as well.
We’re going to spend some time worshipping now and I encourage you to join in and participate, even if you don’t know the songs.
When I became a Christian I was 16 and had gone to youth group to meet the boys – and when I was there they had some worship and at the start a guy prayed, a real simple prayer, and at that moment I knew God was real. It was like my heart and eyes were opened and all of a sudden I knew that God was real and I could know Him.
Worship is a great opportunity for us to turn ourselves towards God, to ask Him to reveal Himself and for us to thank Him and honour Him and surrender ourselves to Him, so we’re going to take this moment to draw near to God. And His promise…that He will draw near to us. I believe that amazing things can happen in worship, that life can change in worship… because we’re not just singing songs but we are drawing near to our Heavenly Father who loves us and created us for this very purpose.
WORSHIP SET:
one thing remains – the loft sessions
came to my rescue – hillsong united
fall afresh – the loft sessions
the stand – hillsong live in miami
housegroup notes from Wednesday 15th Feb 2012
this month in our young adults housegroup we’re doing a series on RELATE – we’ve looked at romantic relationships and difficult people. coming up we’re having a BEST ADVICE night, we’re they’ll draw out of a hat/box/receptacle a topic to give advice on. these are some of the ones i’ve been thinking of… they’re all related to relationships, either with people or with God… so how would you answer??? give me YOUR best advice!
What’s your best advice on getting the most out of the Bible?
What’s your best advice on drawing close to God?
What’s your best advice on starting an “exclusive relationship”?
What’s your best advice on getting to know someone you are interested in?
this week at housegroup we’re on the topic of RELATE. last week we did heaps of random questions about romance and relationships (how do you know you like someone, how do you know someone likes you, how to let someone down easy, good ideas for first dates, how far is too far etc) and this week we’re talking DIFFICULT PEOPLE.
i read this somewhere, so cant remember where sorry.
is this our default position when it comes to dealing with difficult people in our family, workplace, social group, church, class, flat etc…?
How I deal with difficult people:
1. First I take a deep, calming breath and think about puppies.
2. I sew an entire blanket to keep my mind off the trouble.
3. I eat two bags of burger rings.
4. I adopt a Vietnamese child.
5. I eat bacon.
6. I kick the difficult person in the groin.
i did find lots of other useful stuff and am figuring out how the night will look, but thought i’d share some of the stuff that has come across my screen this week…
Have you ever tried to keep the peace by avoiding confrontation and just stuffing down the issue? I have. And it hurts.
It hurts me. It hurts them. And it certainly hurts relationships. Instead of keeping the peace, it actually slowly erodes the relationship…
Boundaries, as opposed to barriers, provide safe passage ways for communication to flow. It may be tough for some to stay within the boundaries you’ve set but at least there is clarity on what works and what doesn’t.
THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO OPPOSITION by Cultivate Her
The reality is that I don’t often take that opposition to God first; I try to deal with it on my own. I get frustrated when they can’t be convinced and then I may just give up on that person. If they need to be changed, God is going to be the one to change them. And we also have to be ok with the fact that they may not need to be changed. I may be the one who was wrong all along and need changing.
DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE by Think Simple Now
Can you recall the last time you had to deal with a negative or difficult person? Or the last time someone said something with the intention of hurting you? How did you handle it? What was the result? What can you do in the future to get through these situations with peace and grace?
THE BAIT OF SATAN by John Bevere
In reality in day-to-day life with all its challenges, we are tempted to be offended by other people. They hurt us. Life does not turn out as expected. People misunderstand us or don’t treat us as we think they should. I read a story from a highly respected intercessor and author, Francis Frangipane, who had a great
opportunity to get offended when he was not recognized and greeted at a conference by the main leader. All the other ministers and their wives were personally greeted but Francis and his wife were bypassed. He was embarrassed and was tempted to be offended. But he learned through that offending situation to know how others feel when overlooked and to turn the offense into an opportunity to become more Christlike. He said this: “The occasions for taking offense are practically endless. Indeed, we are daily given the opportunity to either be offended by something or to possess an unoffendable heart. The Lord’s promise is that He’s given us a new heart: a soft, entreatable heart that can be filled with His Spirit and abound with His love.”
WHERE FORGIVENESS STARTS by Steven Furtick
Forgiveness doesn’t start with the other person. It starts with you and Jesus.
Forgiveness is far more about your response to the gospel than it is about the repentance of the person who hurt you. It’s about believing that the cross of Jesus Christ is a sufficient payment. Not only for everything you’ve done. But also for everything that’s been done to you. It’s about daring to believe the sometimes scary but unchangeable truth: Jesus Christ loves and died for the person who hurt you just as much as He loves and died for you. No exceptions.
PRE-FORGIVENESS by Rick Thomas
We must, by the grace of God, filter the events of our lives through the filter of God’s sovereignty. We then humbly accept those events as part of His good work in our lives. If we do this then we have a mature understanding and practice of biblical forgiveness…
When bad things happen to me, the only way I can process and accept them correctly is after I have gained “sovereign clarity” on my troubles. Joseph had sovereign clarity.
- Do you have sovereign clarity on the disappointments in your life?
- When you review the tape of your life, can you now see with sovereign clarity?
If you cannot, then you’re a candidate for harboring such things as bitterness, anger, anxiety, discouragement, worry, criticism, resentment, cynicism, and even hate. And more than likely the person who offended you will feel some of these things from you. It is very easy to look at the person who hurt you and become bound by the pain, anguish, and frustration of it all. If this happens, then your heart is not anchored in God’s sovereignty. You will be like a kite in the wind. Your response to the offender will depend on how you’re feeling, the type of sin sinned against you, the kind of relationship you have with the person, their attitude, your attitude, and the cravings of your heart. There is a 99.9% chance you will not respond humbly to the person if this is how you’re processing the disappointments they caused.
so what are the tips you would give when dealing with difficult people???
Sometimes after a camp we can be feeling a whole range of feelings. Two of the most common, and polar opposites are:
- refocused and ready for action
- stirred but unsure of the next step
so its good to press pause and consider a few things, tonight from the life of Nehemiah, as we consider the position we are in and the what’s next.
What is nehemiah’s backstory?
The background story: Nehemiah
Nehemiah was serving a king in exile. His nation lay in ruins. The Babylonians put the people of Israel into exile nearly 70 years previous and then they were taken over by Persia. The people of Israel were given permission to go back to Israel to begin a partial rebuild.
He was involved in the rebuild of the walls of Jerusalem. A contemporary of his is Ezra who was in charge of rebuilding the temple. Zechariah and Haggai are prophets in this timeframe as well.
As a side note: the rebuilding of the walls should have taken years, but they did it in a supernatural time frame – 52 days Nehemiah 6:15
Nehemiah 6:16 all the nations were amazed and recognized the work of God
Don’t we want our lives to be “something” so that people look at us they will see what God has done through us – so that they can draw no other conclusion other than it was God.
See the need, be the answer
Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.
Nehemiah was visited by people who had visited Israel. He heard about the need. But he refused to just be sad about it or talk about it or be worried about it… He became the answer. He positioned himself for God to use Him to bring change. He was open to serve and do something. We are not just saved, we’re called. We’re not just redeemed, we’re recruited.
What is the need you see in your life?
In the people around you?
What is it that you have overcome with the grace and power of God that can help in the church and in the world?
What can you get involved in now?
What are you working towards?
What are your giftings?
Eg
William Booth – not only was the Salvation Army about getting people saved it was about transforming a society. They were involved in child labour laws and alcohol reformation.
George Washington Carver, who Peter talked about on Saturday at the Weekender, was a scientist, and was passionate about discovering products that would make life better for the poor. His discoveries with the peanut, that God gave him, created 300 products that revolutionized the food industry. He’s also responsible for the invention of instant coffee!
I’m passionate about young adults knowing who they are and what God has called them to be and do because in my early 20s they were the big questions in my life.
the most important thing about you is that you fulfill your purpose. There is SOMETHING already in you – your spiritual DNA. you are wired and created and purposed.
Nehemiah heard about the ruins of Jerusalem and it stirred his heart. but what he really saw instead of a ruin, was the potential of rebuilding. he was looking ahead and he saw what this could be, what God has for the city. He later walked all around the city by night and then he shared with all the people of power what his vision was. And they said yeah, let us arise and build, let us complete this work.
though technically for me today is thursday, i really first discovered this song yesterday. and really, most of the rest of the world is wednesdaying so i dont seem late at all. i always say i see tomorrow first.
anyway, back to the song.
this is another on HERE ON EARTH by bryan and katie torwalt.
its a bit more mellower but has a beautiful gospel message in it… so you know, i’m gonna love that.
thank you for the cross you have carried, thank you for your blood that was shed, took the weight of sin upon your shoulders, sacrificed your life so i could live
now nothing is holding me back from you, redeemer of my soul, now nothing can hold me back from you, your love will never let me go
thank you for your death and resurrection, thank you for the power of your blood, i am (awed) by your affection, the kindness and the greatness of your love
i played it last night in our worship time for housegroup. one of our chicks had shared about the extravagant love of God and how God had been at work in the most difficult of times of her life to draw her closer to Himself. i knew the topic she was sharing on and so felt to have worship after she spoke so that we could worship and hear from God and get more of a revelation and understanding of His love (Eph 3:16-19) i had been listening to this song earlier in the day and felt a real nudge on it. like God was saying, play this song. it just communicated in the perfect way something God wanted to say to us last night. i love how He does that.
and i just love the song. i love the lyrics. thank you for the power of your blood. thank you for your sacrifice. beautiful. humbling. we love God because He loved us first (1 John 4:9-10) and my life is a response to His love. He makes all things new, His grace is amazing. He will never let us go, His love is everlasting and wide, deep, high, powerful. and because of His great love, poured out upon the cross, i can draw near, without reservation or fear because NOW i am His child. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 john 3:1)
do you know He loves you?
do you know how much?
ps the other song that i felt a nudge on to play last night was UNENDING LOVE by Hillsong on the GOD IS ABLE album… worth a listen to as well…
i so love our housegroup… have i mentioned that before?
“Small groups are the place for people to get on the scale and reveal how intentional they have been to pursue transformation into the image of Christ. William Paulson writes, “It is unlikely that we will deepen our relationship with God in a casual or haphazard manner.” I think he understates it. People do not drift into full devotion to Christ. People do not drift into becoming loving, joy-filled, patient, winsome, world changers. It requires intention and effort. Today small groups have the privilege of loving and accepting human beings for whom Christ gave his life. In these groups we can supply the love, encouragement, and embrace people need to continue their journey of transformation.” John Ortberg
last night i did a mini share about how we’re called to walk together and care for each other and stir each other to know God and make Him known and follow Him. i shared about the feelings of disappointment i’ve been having lately about my 20s and how i didn’t want them to go through things like that, how when we obey and follow Jesus we have nothing to regret. but the real purpose of the night was to break into pairs or small groups of 3 to talk and pray for each other. the big question of the night was “WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT STIRRING IN YOUR HEART?” and from there the instruction was to talk about their life, be open, be real and talk about their struggles, needs, dreams etc and then pray for each other.
i’m always impressed with how these nights go. we did it a few times last year with a different group of people and it worked really well. again it was a good night, a productive night. bonds formed. hearts shared. prayers prayed. walls let down a little bit. the fantastic thing about small groups (and smaller groups within small groups) are that we can be real, we can unmask, we can encourage and be encouraged, we can ask for help and give wisdom, we can walk with each other. these moments of sharing, talking and laughing and praying are moments of transformation. we are opening the door into our lives for someone else to see and speak into. and letting God in more. its just so good!
for the heart behind this type of night check out this post on UNMASKING
last night at housegroup one of our housegroup chicks did the message – i had given her the topic I AM EXCITED (its been a series we’ve done with different people in the group sharing their passions – a few weeks ago we had one of them talk about her missions trip to israel which she had just been on) – i hadnt had an opportunity to touch base about her topic, but knew it was going to be awesome, just because i so love seeing each one of them step out and for passion and vision to be ignited.
she shared the testimony of why she is studying what she is at uni and how God has brought her that place and demonstrated faithfulness each step of the way to her.
at the age of 12 she got a passion and a vision and a purpose for her life. 12. and planned her life out. mapped out what courses to take. decided what degree she wanted. decided she wanted to get a scholarship and the specific one she was going to aim for. at each step of the way she made choices to advance the success of her vision, also fully aware that it was God opening the doors and giving favour to her to make the way.
impressive testimony.
impressive because you so see how God has been working and speaking and ordering her steps and you so see how she has partnered with God to fulfil His calling.
i so so so love it!
a few things jumped out last night as she was speaking:
- Vision defines the parameters of our life – it guides our choices and decisions, and restrains us from other choices and decisions
- Hold on to the promises of God no matter how long it takes
- God is able
- Work hard but keep trusting God each step of the way – partner with Him
- Be open to the leading of God
i love seeing God at work in peoples lives. and i love how this young woman had used the opportunities God had given her and was running with them to make a difference and be exactly who she is made to be by Him. i cant wait to see the next door open and to see her continue to live out her destiny!
and each one of us can take hope that God is at work in our life and if we seize the opportunities and step out in obedience He will guide us and we will live out the dreams He has planted in our hearts.
i love serving God as a housegroup leader and seeing first hand His work in peoples lives.
apart from wednesday nights most of my housegroup connecting is done over coffee or having our peeps round for dinner.
today i had coffee with a relatively newbie and really got to some heart issues.
i love how God speaks.
i love seeing His hand at work throughout someones life and forward looking into their future.
i’m so priv’d to be in this position.
to see grace outworked.
to see love outworked.
to see transformation outworked.
and i was really blest, i’m such a word of affirmation chick, and this young woman really blest me. i preached sunday night and it was at the end of 2 weeks school holiday (aka not much alone time and not the usual time i would take for prayer and preparation before hand) and she said how relevant it was to where she was and how many times she know God is speaking to her because she reads in her bible or hears somewhere else (radio/book etc) what is then preached on at our church and that i had so preached on something that God was really challenging and encouraging her in and that she had heard/read just that day. such good confirmation for me!
i so love how God works and speaks.
i’m so hungry to see Him move and be real in peoples lives.
He is good!
last week something caught my eye…
it was a competition for small group awesomeness.
“My small group awesomeness contest” at Life & Theology by Ben Reed, who is an awesome small groups guy with an awesome totally useful blog and who i also follow on twitter. love his stuff. love the comp.
esp when i saw the prize!
“Let me tell you about a new site, Only144.com. It’s like Groupon, but for churches. They’re a brand new company, trying to get word out about what they do. They’ll be offering phenomenal deals for churches on various resources. This has the potential to really help local churches out in a huge way.In fact, they’ll be offering some small group curriculum that has the chance to shape your church culture in a huge way.
And in order to help get the word out about their new site, they’re willing to give away $600 worth of curriculum here through my blog!
If you win, you’ll get:
- Philippians small group study, by Matt Chandler
- Love Life small group study, by Mark Driscoll
- Song of Solomon small group study, by Tommy Nelson
ooooh matt chandler… oooh philippians… ooh mark driscoll…. ooohhhhhh.
i oohed a lot.
so i entered.
because we have the best housegroup in the world.
seriously.
thats what we call ourselves.
its in our dna and ethos. we love our group. our group loves our group.
and i’ve been looking for some resources. something new and fresh. something like the above.
so i entered.
and i won!
got a message from @benreed this morning before dashing out to our awesome mums group that WE HAD WON!
YAYZERS!
i was so excited i could have imploded, exploded and peed all at the same time.
i feel really blest and feel blest on behalf of our group! i reckon it was just a God moment type thing… that He has done something cool. and yay for Ben for being the catalyst!
so now… we’re officially the most awesome housegroup in the world. we won a comp to prove it. stoked!
this week @ housegroup we’re looking at Luke 10:38-42 – mary and martha, with the big question being WHAT IS THE ONE THING THAT IS NEEDED.
i knew mars hill (mark driscoll) was going through Luke so looked up his message and transcripts and found an excellent unpacking on this encounter with Jesus so am filing it here as additional notes for our housegroup chat on wednesday night:
Some of you are like Mary, some of you are like Martha, okay? And you’re gonna need to pick a team. Who are you?
For those who are like Mary, Mary’s more contemplative. For those of you who are like Mary, you will gravitate toward the contemplative disciplines, silence, solitude, prayer, fasting, journaling.
For those of you who are more like Martha, active. You’re gonna do things. You’re a driver and a doer. You’re gonna gravitate toward those spiritual disciplines that are not contemplative but active: preaching, teaching, serving, healing, administrating, fighting for justice, getting things done.
Now, Mary is more Word based. She sits at the feet of Jesus, “Teach me the Bible. Instruct me. I want to grow in my knowledge of the Word.” Martha’s work based. Do something, get up, make something happen.
For Mary it’s all about being, being with Jesus, being teachable, being humble, being present, getting her time with Jesus, getting her connection with Jesus. It’s about being.
For Martha, it’s doing. Gotta do the dishes, do the laundry, you gotta do the chores, do the task. We’d say that Mary is Type B, Martha’s Type A.
Mary is worried about, to quote Brother Lawrence, “The presence of God.” Being in the presence of Jesus, growing in love with Jesus, listening to Jesus, being taught by Jesus, enjoying the presence of Jesus. She’s in the living room.
Now, Martha’s in the kitchen. What she’s working on is not enjoying the presence of God, but preparing presents for God. “Hey Jesus, I have a clean bed. Hey Jesus, I made dinner. Hey Jesus, I made a cake for you. I have a lot of presents for you. I don’t enjoy the presence of you, I’m creating presents for you.”
Mary worries a lot about the relationship. “Did I get my time with Jesus? Did I sit at his feet? Did I listen? Did I learn? Was I humble? Was I teachable? How’s my relationship with Jesus?”
Martha’s more worried about her responsibilities. She’s the gal with the never-ending checklist of things to do.
Now, how many of you gals, earnestly and honestly, you would be freaked out, like Martha, if you lived in a small village and, sort of unannounced, you heard Jesus is in town along with a whole lot of people, maybe eighty or a hundred of ‘em, and he needs a place to stay and they need something to eat? And you realize that probably is going to be your house. How many of you gals would freak out? Short notice, you would say, “Jesus can’t come over. I haven’t had a shower, I’m in sweats, we don’t have anything to eat, the house is not clean. There’s no Costco here, you know? I can’t just go pick up wontons, you know? This is very complicated, you know? A hundred people, you know? How are we gonna pull off dessert?” All of a sudden, she’s doing Dinner: Impossible. Right? This is a lot to ask of a gal, and all of a sudden she’s going through her cupboards, “I don’t have enough plates. I don’t have enough soup spoons. I don’t have enough napkins. Oh, it’s Jesus. I can’t give him food poisoning. If I kill him, what happens to the universe?” I mean, this is a lot of pressure. All right? And you don’t have a lot of extra food. This is a simple, rural village. Ahh! So she’s all worried about her responsibilities.
Mary’s all about a full heart. “Jesus, teach me, pray for me, love me, serve me, encourage me, help me, fill my heart.” Martha’s about a full schedule. “We could do this, then we could do that, and at 10:07 we’re gonna chop cucumbers and at 10:11 we’re gonna start making flan.” I mean, she’s just got this all figured out.
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