Weekly Challenge: Are we Immature?

Life Group family and friends:

We studied 1Corinthians 3:1-4 and Hebrews 5:11-14 during LG on Saturday.  Many Christians were not growing.  Paul called them immature and still babies in the faith.  They were jealous, lazy, selfish, living in fear, not teaching others, and not applying what they have learned.  Other Christians were being intentional and growing.

During LG, we came up with these words to describe the maturing Christian:

Connection, training, authenticity, bible studies, self-discipline, sacrifice, action, community, mentors, and choosing to be intentional.

We read a paragraph from For the Love of God, by D. A. Carson written in 1999.  This is the excerpt:

People do not drift toward holiness.  Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.  We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith.  We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.

 

My challenge to you this week is to read this excerpt every day.  Make it your call to action and maturity.  We will not drift into Christian maturity.  We must make a decision.  It will take an effort on your part.  We have to be intentional.  

 

Travis

Weekly Challenge : Family Values

This week's challenge comes from Clay York...

Develop with your wife and family the values you will live by. Back these with scripture. Keep these handy and refer to them often. 

Example of a few the ten values we developed:

1. I am who the Bible says I am. I can do what it says I can do. I can have what it says I can have. A faithful man will abound with blessing. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Now draw near and discover His love for you. (Rom 10:17, Hosea 4:6, Prov 28:20, Col 2:8)
2. Make a living by your giving. (Malachi 3:8-11 and Proverbs 19:17) He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord and He will pay back what he as given. (Prov 21:13)
3. God loves righteousness over sacrifice. (1 Peter) For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Honor all people, Love the brotherhood, Fear God, Honor the King.

I hope this is a valuable exercise for everyone!!

Weekly Challenge: Serving Others

Weekly Challenge: Serving Others

Life Group Community:

Awesome discussion on Saturday.  The theme was USING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS TO SERVE OTHERS

Our study was on Romans 12:1-8.  We discussed some different kinds of spiritual gifts and how our individual gifts fit together to make up the body of the church.  It is only when we work together that the body works as a whole to further the kingdom of God.

My challenge to you this week is to conduct this brief audit of where you stand when it comes to using your spiritual gifts to serve others.

MY PLAN FOR SERVING

Life Group Involvement: “All to service; some to leadership.”

            If God has gifted and called you to be a leader, where are you leading?

            If God has gifted and called you to be a servant, where are you serving?

Action steps                                                                                                                           

Participate in another church ministry.

•             What is a need in your church that is important to you?
•             How can you passionately invest your time, energy, talents, resources, skills,                   personality, spiritual gift(s), etc. to help meet this need?

Action steps                                                                                                                           

Participate in a community service project.

•             What is a need in your community that is important to you?
•             How can you passionately invest your time, energy, talents, resources, skills,                   personality, spiritual gift(s), etc. to help meet this need?

Action steps                                                                                                                          

Participate in a mission trip.

• What is an area of your world that is important to you (local, national, or international)?
• How can you passionately invest your time, energy, talents, resources, skills, personality, spiritual gift(s), etc. to help meet this need?

Action steps                                                                                                                           

Do an anonymous, random act of kindness for someone.

•             What can you do for someone in your family?
•             What can you do for someone in your neighborhood?
•             What can you do for someone in your workplace?
•             What can you do for someone in your church?

Action steps                                                                                                                           

GET BUSY LIVING LIFE ON MISSION!

Weekly Challenge: Information + Application = Transformation

Life Group Community:

Great discussion on Saturday.  The theme was Information + Application = Transformation

Our study was on Proverbs 3:1-2.  Every two verses, we are told to do something (or not to do something) followed by a promise.  It is useful for us to read the bible, but we have to be intentional about applying the information we have learned.

My challenge to you this week is to finish the handout we started in LG.  List the exhortation and the promise.  Then complete the application and the steps you will take. 

 

Verses	Exhortation	Promise	Application	Steps
v. 1-2	Don’t forget God’s teaching and keep his commandments in your heart.	Long life and prosperity	God promises me long life and prosperity if I make his teaching and commands a part of my life.	1.     I will practice a personal Bible study and prayer time daily. 2.     I will make my Life Group and Growth Group a top priority.
v. 3-4
v. 5-6
v. 7-8
v. 9-10
v. 11-12

 

Weekly Challenge -What does it mean to produce Fruit as a Christian?

Life Group family and friends:

The question we worked through on Saturday was "Are you producing fruit?".  We also read through Mark 4 where Jesus was talking about seed falling on the path, on rocky soil, on thorny soil, and on good soil which produced 30x, 60x, and 100x multiples.

But what does all that mean for us?

As believers, the result of a spirit filled life should be fruit.  If you put it in context with Galatians 5, we should be producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
But when you look at the Mark 4 parable, several questions come to our attention. 
The rocky soil example are believers who hear the good news, believe, but don't have the strong roots or maturity.  They drop out when trouble or persecution arise demanding suffering and sacrifice.
The thorny soil example are believers who get choked out by worry, wealth, and materialism and fall away from their commitment to follow Jesus and grow. 

How are you tending to your soil?  Are you growing roots and going deep?  Are you removing the weeds that choke you out or distract you? 

And finally, what fruit are you producing?  The apple tree does not produce fruit for its own benefit.  The fruit is for other people. 

How are you using the fruit of the spirit to benefit your family, your co-workers, your Life Group community, and for unbelievers?



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

Happy New Year Life Group!!!

As we start a new year and a new series, it is time to review the purpose of our Life Group.
There are several phrases we like to use in our LG such as:

• Be intentional
• Community of Unity
• Be authentic
• Relationships are messy
• Grow and help others grow

These phrases all came from Ephesians 4.  As we read each verse, Andi wrote the words or phrases which Paul used for the new believers in Ephesus. 

This is a beautiful picture of what we are as a community of believers.  We can live this way because of Jesus. 
In our lesson, we learned that Jesus told all his followers that they will fail.  They said they would not.  But they all deserted him. 
Jesus knew this of them and of us, yet He still died for all of us.  We will fail, but God will redeem. 

Challenge:   Pick a couple of the words/phrases below and meditate and pray on them this week.  For you, in your family, and in our LG.

Be intentional.

Travis