Weekly Challenge: Philippians 4:1-17

Life Group,
After Paul told us to stand firm, be unified, pursue Christ, grow through the journey, and imitate Paul's example, he tells us to:

• Rejoice in the Lord
• Share your patience and gentleness with everyone
• Do not be anxious about anything
• Accept the peace of God as you pray about everything.

Jesus spoke about anxiety in Matthew 6 where he stated the most common causes of anxiety: physical attributes, clothing, food and drink, and the future.  Our list we made during Life Group probably could be lumped in those categories. 

But when we learn to trust God, to worry about nothing, to get along with others.....  The result is inexplicable peace. 

My challenge to you this week is to make a list of what makes you anxious.  What are you worrying about?  Then spend time with God every day rejoicing in the Lord.  And give it all to Him.

Be intentional.
Travis

Weekly Challenge -Philippians 3:15-21

Life Group,
Paul told the early Christians (and us) to:
1. Continue maturing (pursue God the Son)
2. Watch Paul, imitate Paul, and follow the example of other growing believers
3. Avoid the practices of the enemies of the cross
4. Live as citizens of Heaven

Can people listen to you talk and know that you are a citizen of Heaven? 
Can they observe your actions and recognize that "you are not from around here"?
Reminds me of the clip we discussed in LG...  How Ya Doin'.  Everyone in the bar knew that guy was not from around here!

Challenge: Identify who is watching you (your children, spouse, other family members, co-workers, younger believers, etc.) and adjust your living so you they can imitate you.

Be intentional this week.
Travis

Weekly Challenge -Security through the Trinity

LG family and friends:
You have been chosen, redeemed, and sealed!  Amen.  In our study of Ephesians 1:3-14, we learned:

• God the Father chose you
• God the Son redeemed you
• God the Spirit sealed you

Your salvation is a done deal.  God's desire now is that you participate with Him.  He wants you to live a holy and blameless life, be intentional, and make a difference for Him today.  This goes back to our challenge last week regarding Ephesians 4.

The challenge this week is talk to someone this week about the security you have because of what the Trinity has done for you.  Describe the hope, joy, and peace you have and how your life is different. 

People are naturally seeking.  As the news story we read in LG, some people will believe in Jediism to give them some type of higher power.  But they will not find security.

Be intentional.

Travis

Weekly Challenge: Be Like Joe

LG Family and Friends:
Our passage of study last week was Isaiah 61:1-9.  We read how God the Son was stating He was Anointed (Hebrew -Messiah, Greek -Christ) by God the Spirit and will bring good news to the poor, bind and heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, release the prisoners of darkness, comfort mourners, etc.

It is a great passage of hope and encouragement.

This is the same passage Jesus read in church as described in Luke 4:14-21.  Someone handed Him a scroll to read, he read this passage out of Isaiah (of His own words), and then told the audience that He read about Himself!  Awesome.

We ended with a story about a guy named Joe who lived a very hard life.  Then he decided to follow Jesus, changed his life, had a new purpose, and began serving others.  The people he served did not know Jesus.  But they knew Joe and they saw how he changed and they wanted to be like Joe. 

My challenge to you this week is to be like Joe.  When you are around your family, friends, and enemies during Thanksgiving, be like Joe.  Help people see Jesus through you.

Be intentional.
Travis

Weekly Challenge -Isaiah 43

Life Group family:
Those were comforting words from God to the Israelites, and us, in chapter 43.  Words of protection, love, steadfastness, comfort, control, holiness, etc.

Those words were for a group in captivity (Israelites) back then, and are for groups in captivity today such as the 30 million people involved in human trafficking today.  80% of them are female.  50% of them are children.  God can deliver them as he delivered the Israelites. 

I enjoyed the discussion on the trial imagery that God and Isaiah brought in this chapter.  We are His witnesses and must tell others about God.  We can do this by the way we live, but that has to be combined with us telling people how God loves us and how we have been changed by living for Him.

We can also do this by how we live and act while being tested by the water and fire (as Isaiah described in verse 2).  We should have hope, living for the eternal, and still finding ways to love and help others.

My challenge to you this week is to spend some quiet time and ask God to show you the worries (water/fire) which you need to give away to your sovereign Lord.  Then share with your spouse and family.

Be intentional.
Travis