Review of Week 2

The work of the Holy Spirit, that work that He was sent to do, is done in places we could never reach without Him.

Our eyes are opened, and we are sent to open others eyes.

Our obedience will cost other people.

It’s aloneness with God which puts us in a teachable position.

When we spend time with our God, we become aware of His call, and just what we can volunteer for.

Jan 15 - DIE

Rom.6:4 “...Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life...”

1 Peter 3:18 “...For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;...”

Romans 6:11-13 “...Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God...”

O.C.’s “white funeral” can be a controversial topic, but the basics are this:

If self rules, Jesus is not Lord

Striving to make Jesus Lord is a frustrating experience

Dying to self allows for resurrection into the life of Christ

Everywhere you look in our world there are opportunities and encouragement to live for self [self help books, glamour magazines, TV shows and advertisements]

God calls for “set apart” people. Death seems like a morbid business, but burial of self is at the heart of God’s intentions for us

Is there value to your life apart from God?

- to others? But what good are we to them in the big picture.

- to fantasy? Imagine a world in which we play a particular role (a particular appetite is filled), but it is transient and can’t be maintained [celebrities, etc]

Die to self (old man) and live a life of godliness (new man)

Jan 16 - CALL

Isa.6:8 “...Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"...”

Many voices call for our attention and allegiance. The call of the sea, the mountains, the world, are heard by those whose natures line up with the caller

The call of God comes to those whose hearts are lining up with His.

How can a person distinguish between, and decide which call to heed?

What is the nature of calls from this world? [appeal to our appetites, which were created by this world in the first place - inward spiral]

What is the nature of calls from the deceiver? [manipulative, destructive, freaky, derail]

What is the nature of calls from God? [bigger picture, purposeful, appropriate, righteous]

How is the call of God different for each person?

How does this differ from the call of a club of like minded people [not a call to conform, but a call to be what a creative God intended from the beginning]

The majority of us have no ear for anything but ourselves ...we cannot hear a thing God says.

Jan 17 - SERVICE

Gal 1:15,16 “...But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,...”

The call comes from God’s very nature. The call comes from the One who knows us thoroughly.

Does answering the call always mean service in a specific way? [Service is the outcome of what is fitted to my nature ...the overflow of super abounding devotion]

Ex. you have dinner at some friends - 4 couples. After dinner you have your small group and share the fellowship of people you truly care about. On the way out at the end of the meeting you see the dirty dishes stacked to the ceiling. When you decide to help with the dishes before you leave it isn’t because you are called to do dishes. Your call is to relationship and the service is a natural outflow.

How can overly defining service lead to a small and limited church? How can conformity lead to a small and limited church?

How does loving Him and communing with Him lead to a large and expanding Church

Was God extravagant in His creation of our world?

Doesn’t it seem obvious that His purposes for humanity would be broad?

Jan 18 - FEALTY

John 22:28 “...Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!...”

Do you recognize the Lordship of Christ? [It’s easy in this world to lose sight of it]

Few Americans understand fealty. [the duty and loyalty owed by a vassal or tenant to his feudal lord]

“Long live the King” just doesn’t have a place in the language of a people whose leaders spend as much time, energy and resources on campaigning as they do on leadership.

We’re a mixture of fiercely independent people and fiercely dependent people, with neither group understanding fealty.

- One group struts proudly, storing water.

- The other group demands its water.

News flash!

- Jesus is Lord.

- He can’t be voted out.

- “...there will be no end to the increase of His government...” Isa 9:7

We don’t need to embrace the best “cause” we can find on earth. We need to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ and pour out our lives for Him.

What is the difference between “satisfying God” and “doing something for Him”

Are you most devoted to self, service or the Lordship of Christ?

Jan 19 - TRUST

Gen !5:12 “...Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him...”

Abraham, after going out, is now having the covenant installed.

Communion with God results in a person seeing parts of the bigger picture.

Visions of “what is to be” create enthusiasm and expectation”.

God’s timing rarely coincides with our timing. What is the appropriate thing to do when God gives a vision and darkness rolls in? [WAIT]

What happens during the waiting?

- confusion, frustration.

- self sufficiency is destroyed.

- dependence on an all sufficient God takes the place of the common.

What are the dangers during the waiting?

- attempts to do God’s part for Him.

- loss of enthusiasm and expectation.

- abandoning the bigger picture [go to a different church]

Are we are all being disciplined to know that God is real?

Is our confidence in God alone? [History of Ogemaw Hills Christian School]

Jan 20 - FRESHNESS

John 3:3 “...Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God..."

Being born again is not just trying something new. “I thought I’d try religion because it seems to satisfy some people” [It doesn’t. He does]

Being born again is a different dimension, a whole new life. You can’t see it until you’re in it.

O.C. says “being born again is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning” [It’s the start of forever]

Describe the difference between a Fresh and a Stale approach to life.

Can you create freshness? [yesterday’s donut may still be okay, but last year’s is nothing to get excited about].

Obedience is not freshness [in fact, it can seem quite stale] but it puts us in position for the freshness that comes from the Holy Spirit.

The difference between death and life is the breath of God. The difference between staleness and freshness is the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Comment on the statement ....”If you are depending on anything other than Him you will not know when He is gone.”

This is actually an interesting contrast with yesterday’s devotional. [patiently wait for the unfolding promise contrasted with an expecting fresh surprises from the Holy Spirit]

Jan 21 - KINDNESS

Jer 2:2 “...Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the Lord, "I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown...”

God’s word for Jeremiah to proclaim to his people.

Are we spontaneously kind to God, or are we only looking for His kindness to us?

How can we be kind to God? [Matt 25:31-46 inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me]

What was the Revelation message to the church of Ephesus? [you have lost your first love, do the deeds you did at first]

“The love of your betrothal” gives the picture of a marriage situation. In the beginning - full of attention and devotion to a spouse. Then a careless drifting into selfishness.

What causes first love to be lost? [shift from ‘delight to serve’ to ‘expectation of being served’]

Why/how does this happen? [entropy]