Pastor Dave’s Teaching Notes

The Good Life (Week #5, May 12-13^th, 2012)
Living the Good Life

The Good Life is a quality and of life – it is not a destination.

Luke 13:34 (GNT)
Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets, you stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!

Psalm 16:11 (NKJ)
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore

Joy is vital to living The Good Life.

Proverbs 15:13 (CEV)
Happiness makes you smile; sorrow can crush you.

Proverbs 15:13 (Message)
A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.

Proverbs 15:15 (CEB)
All the days of the needy are hard, but a happy heart has a continual feast.

Proverbs 17:22 (NKJ)
A merry heart does good, like medicine,but a broken spirit dries the bones.

Galatians 5:22 (NKJ)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJ)
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Psalm 118:24 (NKJ)
This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

To get into the presence of God and into the good life requires a certain attitude of the heart

Psalm 100:1-2, 4 (NKJ)
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

1. Practice gratefulness

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJ)
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Psalm 27:13 (NKJ)
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

2. Stop grumbling

1 Corinthians 10:10-11a (CEB)
Let’s not grumble, like some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example…

3. Forgive

Matthew 18:21-35 (NKJ)

Philippians 4:4-5 (NKJ)
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

4. Mind your own business

1 Thessalonians 4:11 (GNT)
Make it your aim to live a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to earn your own living, just as we told you before.

Proverbs 16:28 (CEB)
Destructive people produce conflict; gossips alienate close friends.

Ecclesiastes 10:20 (NKJ)
Do not curse the king, even in your thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;
for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter.

5. Stop looking at what you don’t have

Philippians 4:11 (NKJ)
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.

6. Grow your own marriage

Ecclesiastes 9:9 (Message)
Relish life with the spouse you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God’s gift.

Proverbs 5:18b-19 (NKJ)
….rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love.

Ephesians 5:25-29 (NKJ)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

7. Stay in the spirit

Romans 14:17 (NKJ)
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The Good Life (April 28th & 29th, 2012)
Pastor Dwayne Deskins

John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Recap
“Jesus went around enhancing & improving the lives of others around Him!”
“The first step to the good life is believing (and experiencing) Jesus loves us & wants to bless us!”
“The good life is a quality of life, it’s not a destination!”
“The good life is not what we consume but what we produce!”

Luke 17:20-21 (NLT)
One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is! ’ or ‘It’s over there! ’ For the Kingdom of God is already among (within) you.”

Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Righteousness: Right (legal) standing with God. Knowing God Loves me & wants to bless me!
How?
•Right thinking
•Right acting
•Right feeling
•Righteousness is not my doing but my receiving!

Ephesians 3:19 (NKJV)
To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Extra Reading: John 3:3, I Corinthians 4:20, I Thessalonians 2:12, Hebrews 12:28, Isaiah 32:17

How do I know that I’m living in that righteousness?
1. Do I hide when I fail?
2. Do I blame when things go wrong, or I have pain.

Peace: To join, exempt of rage or have of war, security. Prosperity. (peace makes & keeps things safe & prosperous)

Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

•When you have Peace within you can speak peace to circumstances around you!

Extra Reading: Matthew 5:9, Mark 4:37-39

Joy: Cheerful, calmly happy; with, in the midst of or behind!

John 15:11
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

I could be happy if…
*Right house
*Right spouse
*Right lottery numbers
*Right job
*Right children

Psalms 16:11 (NKJV)
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

John 12:38 (MESSAGE)
This proved that the prophet Isaiah was right:
God, who believed what we preached?
Who recognized God’s arm, outstretched and ready to act?

2 Corinthians 4:16 (NLT)
So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.

1 Timothy 6:6 (NKJV)
Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

Capital Life Group Discussion Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2. What are you most looking forward to this week?

Discussion Questions:

1. What is something that impacted you from church this past weekend?

2. Read John 10:10. How does this verse impact you?

3. This week, we remembered that ”The good life is not what we consume but what we produce!” How have you seen this to be true in your own life?

4. Read 14:17. With Righteousness being defined as, “Right (legal) standing with God. Knowing God Loves me & wants to bless me!” What are some practical ways to put right thinking, right acting, right feeling into action? Give an example (or even a personal example) for each.

5. Read John 15:11. Where do you think people that don’t have a relationship with God look for joy? Where do you think believers should find joy?

6. What’s one thing you are going to do this week to put this discussion into action?

The Good Life (April 21st & 22nd, 2012)
“The Good Life is a Quality Life!”

John 10:10b (NKJ)
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The good life is a quality of life – it is not a destination

Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJ)
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Proverbs 6:23b (NKJ)
…Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

How did you come to God?

Galatians 3:1-5 (NKJ)
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—

Galatians 3:1-5 (Message)
You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough. Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up! Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Don’t these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God.

What is the law? The standard by which I am measured.

• The Gift of Righteousness

• The Gift of Grace

1. The Gift of Righteousness: My legal standing with God

Romans 5:17 (NKJ)
For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

2. The Gift of Grace: The ongoing flow of His favor

Romans 5:1-2 (NKJ)
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJ)
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Wherever you are right now, come to Him

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJ)
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Come boldly, Come humbly.

James 4:6 (NKJ)
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NKJ)
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Revelation 22:17 (NKJ)
And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Revelation 3:20 (NKJ)
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Capital Life Group Discussion Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2. What are you most looking forward to this week?

Discussion Questions:
1. How would you define a “Good Life”?

2. In Proverbs 6:23, it says, “…reproofs of instruction are the way of life…” Why do you think that is? How have you found this to be true in your life?

3. If you have a relationship with God, how did you come to Him? If you don’t, what encouraged you to join the life group today?

4. Read Matthew 6:33. What does this verse teach you personally?

5. Read James 4:6. How have you found this to be true?

6. This week, Pastor Dave taught that, “Wherever you are, come to God now. And when you come, come bold and humbly.” Have you done this in your life? If so, what was that like? What’s a practical way to do that in your daily life?

7. What’s one thing you are going to do this week to put today’s conversation into action?

The Good Life (April 14th & 15th, 2012)
“The Good Life is a Quality Life!”

John 10:10b (NKJ)
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The Good Life is a quality of life – it is not a destination

Luke 12:15 (NKJ)
And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Jesus went around enhancing and restoring the quality of life of people who were around him.

Matthew 9: 12-13 (NKJ)
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

Woman caught in adultery John 8:2-12 (NKJ)

The leper Mark 1:40-42 (NKJ)

The demon possessed Mark 5:1-20 (NKJ)

The woman at the well John 4: 4-30 (NKJ)

Fishermen to follow Him Matthew 4:18-20 (NKJ)

Man with infirmity John 5:1-15 (NKJ)

Feed the hungry Matthew 15:32-39 (NKJ)

Fishing success John 21:1-6 9 (NKJ)

Restoring relationships between parents and children Matthew 15:21-28 (NKJ)

Luke 4:18-19 (NKJ)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

The first step to the good life, believe that God loves you and wants to bless you

1. They could not receive because they could not believe God loved them

Deuteronomy 1:27 (NKJ)
…the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

Exodus 3:7-8 (NKJ)
And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.

Deuteronomy 1:30-33 (NKJ)
The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.

2. They could not receive because they could not believe God wanted to bless them

Numbers 13:27-28 (NKJ)
Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.

Numbers 13:31-33 (NKJ)
But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Joshua 2:9-11 (NKJ)
“I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

3. They could not receive because the issues of their lives prevented them from getting a clear picture of God

Exodus 6:2-9 (NKJ)
And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’” So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

Romans 5:8 (NKJ)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Capital Life Group Discussion Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2. What are you most looking forward to this week?

Discussion Questions:
1. How would you define a “Good Life”?

2. Read John 10:10. How do you think God would define a “Good Life”?

3. Read Luke 12:15. What does this verse speak to you?

4. One reason people don’t experience the Good Life is because they don’t believe that God loves them. Why do you think that this belief can prevent people from experiencing the Good Life?

5. Another reason people don’t experience the Good Life is because they didn’t believe God wanted to bless them. Why do you think that this belief can prevent people from experiencing the Good Life?

6. Read Matthew 11:28-30. What are some practical ways to put this verse into action?

7. What is one thing you are going to do to put this discussion into action?

Easter Weekend (April 7th & 8th, 2012)
“The Good Life”

When you step into the glorious life of salvation you step into the good life

Psalm 27:13 (NKJ)
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living

John 10:10b (NKJ)
…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Everything about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus is a message from God

John 3:16 (NKJ)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 5:8 (NKJ)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:19 (NKJ)
We love Him because He first loved us.

1 John 4:10 (NKJ)
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The gift of righteousness

Romans 8:1a (NKJ)
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,….

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJ)
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJ)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

The gift of grace

Ephesians 2:8 (NKJ)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

2 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJ)
For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Matthew 9:12-13 (NKJ)
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

Luke 4:18-19 (NKJ)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Capital Life Group Discussion Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2. How did you celebrate Easter? Any special traditions?

Discussion Questions:
1. What’s one thing that this weekend’s teaching spoke to you personally?

2. Read John 10:10. If you are a Christian, what’s a practical way that Christ has given you an abundant life.

3. If you are a Christian, what’s your story about how you became a believer?

4. Read 1 John 4:19. What does this verse mean to you personally?

5. Read Romans 8:1. What does this verse mean to you.

6. Read Ephesians 2:8. Why is this an incredibly important verse?

7. What is one thing you are you going to do this week to put this discussion into action?

The Kind of Church We See (Week #13 // March 31 & April 1, 2012)
…is an Uncommon Church!

1 Samuel 2:26 (NKJ)
And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the Lord and men.

Luke 2:52 (NKJ)
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Speak God’s favor over your life.

Romans 10:8-10 (NKJ)
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

1. Our words set the course of our lives.

James 3:4 (NKJ)
Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

Proverbs 18:21 (NKJ)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 12:6 (NKJ)
…the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

Proverbs 13:3 (NKJ)
He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

2. Our words create the cocoon that our faith lives in.

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJ)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

Hebrews 11:3 (NKJ)
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Romans 4:17-22 (NKJ)
…God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Joel 3:10b (NKJ)
Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJ)
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Psalm 8:2 (NKJ)
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger. Seek God for the words He would have you say

3. Seek God for the words He would have you say

Zechariah 4:6-7 (NKJ)
So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’”

Ephesians 6:17 (NKJ)
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…

1 Samuel 17:38-40 (NKJ)
So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:45-47 (NKJ)
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

1 Samuel 17:50 (NKJ)
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.

2 Corinthians 4:13 (NKJ)
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,

Realize your words not only shape your life they also can shape the lives of those under our influence.

Romans 10:17 (NKJ)
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2. What’s your favorite vacation spot?

Discussion Questions:
1. Read James 3:4. How would you say this is true?

2. Read Proverbs 18:21. What’s a time in your life where you’ve seen someone use the power of their tongue to speak life and it impacted you positively?

3. Read Hebrews 11:1. What’s something you are using your faith for right now?

4. How do you think your words have an impact on what you are using your faith for, positively or negatively?

5. Have you ever sought God for the right words to say? If so, how did that go?

6. What’s one thing you are going to do this week to put this discussion into action?

The Kind of Church We See (Week #12 // March 24th-25th, 2012)
…is an Uncommon Church!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJ)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJ)
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Increasing in Favor:

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (NKJ)
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez,saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

John 16:33 (NKJ)
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

To walk in God’s favor…

1. Enlarge your vision

Genesis 13:14 (NKJ)
And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward;

Genesis 13:15-17 (NKJ)
All the land which you see I give to you and your descendantsforever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.

Genesis 15:1-3 (NKJ)
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”

Genesis 15:5-6 (NKJ)
Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

John 4:35 (NKJ)
Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

2. Raise the level of your expectancy

Psalm 27:13 (NKJ)
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJ)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Luke 5:36-39 (NKJ)
Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

3. Be grateful and declare His favor

Psalm 23:6 (NKJ)
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23:6 (Message)
Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2. What’s your favorite thing to do with your friends?

Discussion Questions:
1. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. Would you say this is true in your life? If so, how so?

2. Why do you think it’s important to “Enlarge your Vision” to experience God’s favor?

3. Have you ever “raised your level of expectancy” and seen God do something great? If so, share it! If not, how do plan on changing that?

4. To experience God’s favor, it’s important to “Be grateful and declare His favor.” How have you experienced God’s goodness and favor in your life lately?

5. Read Psalm 23:6. How do you think the first part of that verse relates to the second part of that verse?

6. What is one thing you are going to do this week to put this discussion into action?

The Kind of Church We See (Week #11, March 17th & 18th)
…Uncommon Love // Pastor Dwayne Deskins

John 3:16
For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:5
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Romans 2:4
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

•Goodness: Usefulness, employed, to handle, to furnish what is needed, to touch. HIS TOUCH!

1 John 3:18
Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).

1 John 3:18
My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love.

Jude 1:20-22
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference:

•In: A fixed position or state of mind.
•Compassion: Help given in word or deed.

When Gods Love touches (through us) it:
•Wakes up
•Opens up
•Looks Up
•Connects Up

2 Corinthians 4:3-7
if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God……For God, who said “ Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

Galatians 5:6
The only thing that matters is faith working through love.

Ephesians 4:16
As each one does its part, the body grows in love.

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2. What’s your favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant?

Discussion Questions:
1. Read 1 Corinthians 13:13. Why do you think that is?

2. Read 1 John 3:18. What are some practical ways to put this verse into action?

3. What’s a personal example of how experiencing God’s love has changed your life?

4. What do you think is an effective way to show God’s love authentically to others?

5. Read 2 Corinthians 4:3-7. What does this verse speak to you personally?

6. Read Galatians 5:6. What’s a practical way to put this verse into action?

7. What’s one thing you are going to do this week to put this week’s discussion into action?

The Kind of Church We See (Week #10 // March 3rd-4th, 2012)
…is an Uncommon Church!

Acts 10:10-15 (NKJ)

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJ)

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJ)

The Uncommon Favor of God’s people.

The Power of Prayer
The Power of Partnership
The Power of Generosity

Favor: Kindly regard or consideration shown towards someone by someone in authority.

Exodus 3:21-22 (NKJ)
And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians

In this hard place:

God has a plan to deliver
God has a person to lead the way
God gave His people favor to prosper

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJ)
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Hebrews 7:7 (NLT)
And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.

A Kingdom Builder is someone who honors God through:

Tithes
Offering

Malachi 3:8-10 (NKJ)
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

Step into favor by looking to Jesus.

2 Chronicles 20:1 (NKJ)
It happened….

2 Chronicles 20:12b (NKJ)
….for we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

2 Chronicles 20:20 (NKJ)
So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

2 Chronicles 20:22 (NKJ)
Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

2 Chronicles 20:25-26 (NKJ)
When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day.

If you want the favor of God in your life you cannot look with the natural eyes, you must look with the eyes of faith.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NKJ)
…while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Psalm 27:13 (NKJ)
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Psalm 123:1-2 (NKJ)
Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us.

Luke 10:23 (NKJ)
Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see;

Psalm 119:18 (NLT)
Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.

Psalm 119:37 (NKJ)
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.

Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJ)
I will lift up my eyes to the hills— from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Step into favor by letting the grace of your ministry determine your destiny and ability.

2 Corinthians 4:1 (NKJ)
Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NKJ)
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Psalm 89:17 (NET)
For You give them splendor and strength. By your favor we are victorious.

1 Samuel 2:26 (NKJ)
And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the Lord and men.

Luke 2:52 (NKJ)
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Daniel 1:9 (NKJ)
Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.

Luke 1:30 (NKJ)
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Genesis 39:4 (NKJ)
So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.

Genesis 39:21 (NKJ)
But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2. What’s your favorite type of music?

Discussion Questions:
1. Have you seen God’s favor in your life? If so, how so?

2. Read Hebrews 7:7. How would you say this verse is true?

3. Pastor Dave taught to, “step into favor by looking to Jesus.” Have you ever done this before? What was that like for you?

4. Pastor Dave taught, “If you want the favor of God in your life you cannot look with the natural eyes, you must look with the eyes of faith.” Have you done this before in your life? If so, what was that like for you?

5. Read 2 Corinthians 4:18. What does this verse mean to you?

6. What’s one thing you are going to do this week to do to put into application this week’s discussion?

The Kind of Church We See (Week #9 // February 25th-26th, 2012)
…is an Uncommon Church!

Acts 10:10-15 (NKJV)
Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Acts 10:38 (NKJV)
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

The Uncommon Church is generationally connected.

Psalm 145:4
One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.

Genesis 17:5-7
No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

Psalm 71:17-18
O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.

Malachi 4:6
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

Joshua 14:7-12
I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God. So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ and now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”

The Uncommon Church is furnished with power.

Acts 10:38
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Acts 4:33
And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

Acts 1:8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

God will people the power to prosper who have a heart to establish His Kingdom.

Deuteronomy 8:18
“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

God has the power to release the favor to prosper regardless of your situation.

Exodus 3:21-22
And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

Exodus 35:4-5
And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying: ‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze;

Exodus 35:21
Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.

Exodus 36:5
and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.”

Malachi 3:8-10
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Genesis 28:20-22
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

1 Chronicles 29:12-16
Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. “Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope. “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own.

Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Discussion Questions:
1. This weekend, Pastor Dave taught that The Uncommon Church is generationally connected. Why do you think that the Kind of Church We See must be a generationally connected church to be thriving and healthy?

2. Referring back to the previous question, what’s a practical way you can play a role in that?

3. Read Psalm 71:17-18. What does this verse speak to you personally?

4. Read Deuteronomy 8:18. Have you seen God do this in your life?

5. What do you think is possible when you truly believe that God has the power to release favor to prosper regardless of your situation? Is there a situation you are in now where you are believing for God to release His favor in your situation?

6. Read 1 Chronicles 29:12-16. What does this verse speak to you personally?

7. What’s one thing you are going to do this week to put into action this discussion?

The Kind of Church We See (Week #8 // February 18th & 19th, 2012)
…is an Uncommon Church!

Matthew 16:13-23 (NKJ)

Acts 10:10-15 (NKJ)
Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat. But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”

1 Peter 2:4-5 (NKJ)
Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Acts 10:38 (NKJ)
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

•An uncommon church is generationally connected.

Judges 2:10 (NKJ)
When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.

Psalm 71:17-18 (NKJ)
O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.

Psalm 145:4 (NKJ)
One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.

•We must make the connections between the generations to have God’s favor.

Mark 10:10-16 (NKJ)
In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Ephesians 6:2-3 (NKJ)
Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

•An uncommon church reaches across the divide in the generations and builds a connection.

Matthew 12:25 (NKJ)
But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

What do you look for in a mentor?
1. Someone who understands me
2. How they talk (They ask questions that draw me out.)
3. They are inviting
4. Open to diversity
5. They earn my respect
6. They challenge me

•We must turn hearts to fill the gap.

Malachi 4:6 (NKJ)
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

2 Samuel 9 (NKJ)

Ephesians 5:1-2 (Message)
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

Mark 6:4 (NKJ)
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

(Noah)
Genesis 7:1 (NKJ)
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

Hebrews 11:7 (NKJ)
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

(Moses)
Exodus 2:3-7 (NKJ)
But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”

(Timothy’s mother)
2 Timothy 1:3-7 (NKJ)
I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Proverbs 30:11-14 (NKJ)
There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2. What’s one thing that probably nobody in the group would guess or know about you?

Discussion Questions:
1. Read 1 Peter 2:9. What’s something you are praising God for?

2. What’s something you learned personally through the Message this past weekend on the Uncommon Church?

3. Read Psalm 145:4. What’s a practical way to put this verse to action?

4. What do you look for in a mentor?

5. Why do you think it’s important for a mentor to be able to ”understand you, ask questions to draw out of you, invite you, celebrate diversity, earn your respect, and challenge you” like Pastor Dave was talking about?

6. Have you ever been a mentor or been mentored? What was that experience like?

7. Read Psalm 71:17-18. What does this verse mean to you personally?

8. What’s one thing you are going to do this week to put this week’s Message into action?

The Kind of Church We See (February 11^th & 12^th, 2012)
Vision Weekend

Acts 10:10-16 (NKJ)
Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

1 Peter 2:4-6 (NIV)
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJ)
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Matthew 16:13-23 (NKJ)
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJ)
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:11a (NKJ)
He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Proverbs 16:9 (NKJ)
A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

The church we see is passionately in love with Jesus

John 12:32 (CEB)
When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.

The Student Ministry we see…

Matthew 18:1-4 (CEB)
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then he called a little child over to sit among the disciples, and said, “I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 10:13-16 (CEB)
People were bringing children to Jesus so that he would bless them. But the disciples scolded them. When Jesus saw this, he grew angry and said to them, “Allow the children to come to me. Don’t forbid them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people like these children. I assure you that whoever doesn’t welcome God’s kingdom like a child will never enter it.” Then he hugged the children and blessed them.

Ephesians 6:1-4 (NKJ)
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

The Church Community We See…
Psalms 92:13 (NKJ)
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

The Kind of Church We See (Week #6 // February 4th & 5th, 2012)
“The Kind of Church We See…Shares God with the Lost”

Psalms 65:11
You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.

The Kind of Church We See:
•Loves God through Worship
•Knows God through Fellowship
•Grows in God through His Word
•Serves God by Serving Others
•Shares God with the Lost

Matthew 6:33 (NKJ)
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Psalm 127:1-5 (NKJ)
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Helping people come into a relationship with God is our greatest assignment on this planet.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJ)
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go thereforeand make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen

The church God sees must…
•NEVER STOP REACHING OUT

Colossians 4:5-6 (CEV)
When you are with unbelievers, always make good use of the time. Be pleasant and hold their interest when you speak the message. Choose your words carefully and be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions.

Proverbs 11:30 (NKJ)
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.

Luke 2:49 (NKJ)
….Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

John 19:30 (NKJ)
….“It is finished!”…

John 20:21-22 (NKJ)
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:38 (NKJ)
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Our mission is to be His ambassadors and GO!

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (NKJ)
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:14a (NKJ)
…For the love of Christ compels us

Matthew 8:8-10 (NKJ)
The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

1. GO to the lost people you know.

Matthew 10:6 (NKJ)
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel

2. GO to your friends and family.

Mark 5:19 (NKJ)
However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”

1 Peter 3:15 (NKJ)
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

3. GO to Samaria.
John 4:4 (NKJ)
But He needed to go through Samaria.

John 17:6 (NKJ)
I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

Psalm 145:4 (NKJ)
One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.

4. GO and compel them.

Luke 14:23 (NKJ)
Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

John 1:41-42 (NKJ)
He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).

John 4:16, 28-30 (NKJ)
“Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman then left her water pot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

5. GO into the world.

Mark 16:15 (NKJ)
….Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

The Kind of Church We See (Week #5 // January 28th & 29th, 2012)
“The Kind of Church We See…Serves God by Serving Others”

Psalms 65:11
You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.

The Kind of Church We See:
•Loves God through Worship
•Knows God through Fellowship
•Grows in God through His Word
•Serves God by Serving Others

We were created for something good.

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJ)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Jeremiah 1:4-5 (NKJ)
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.

Jeremiah 1:11-12 (NKJ)
”Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree. ”Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”

Mark 10:43-45 (NKJ)
Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

1. Servanthood makes God look more attractive.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJ)
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Mark 6:34-44 (NKJ)

2. Servanthood puts me on the path to greater meaning in my life.

John 13:13-17 (NKJ)
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

John 12:24-26 (NKJ)
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

3. Servanthood starts with a different way of thinking.

Numbers 14:24 (NCV)
But my servant Caleb thinks differently and follows me completely. So I will bring him into the land he has already seen, and his children will own that land.

Psalm 100:2-4 (NKJ)
Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Philippians 2:4-7 (NCV)
Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others. In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. Christ himself was like God in everything. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own benefit. But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born as a man and became like a servant.

Deuteronomy 15:13-17 (NKJ)

4. Servanthood helps me find my place in life.

Proverbs 18:16 (NKJ)
A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

1 Peter 4:10 (NKJ)
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

1 Corinthians 1:26-28 (NKJ)
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.

5. Servanthood brings me into a more intimate relationship with Christ.

John 15:14-16 (NKJ)
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

Luke 12:37 (CEB)
Happy are those servants whom the master finds waiting up when he arrives. I assure you that, when he arrives, he will dress himself to serve, seat them at the table as honored guests, and wait on them.

Luke 12:43-44 (NCV)
When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed. I tell you the truth, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns.

Acts 4:29-31 (NKJ)

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was the highlight of your week?
2.What’s your favorite hole-in-the-wall restaraunt?

Discussion Questions:
1. What’s the Vision and 5 Values of Capital Christian Center? (See below for the answer).

2. Read Ephesians 2:10. What does this verse mean to you personally?

3. Why do you personally think that “Servanthood makes God more attractive”?

4. If you volunteer or serve in God’s House, what has your personal growth experience been like? If you don’t serve or haven’t served, what are some of the barriers you need to break through to get there?

5. Read Psalms 100:2-4. What does this verse mean to you personally? How do you make this intentional?

6. Read Luke 12:42-43. Have you found your life to be blessed as a result of serving God?

7. How has someone else “Serving God by Serving Others” impacted or blessed you personally?

8. What is one thing you are going to do this week to “Serve God by Serving Others”?

Answer to #1: “Gather in the unchurched and disciple them into devoted followers of Christ.” “Love God through Worship, Know God through Fellowship, Grow in God through His Word, Serve God by Serving Others, Share Christ with the lost.”

The Kind of Church We See (Week #3 // January 21st & 22nd, 2012)
The Kind of Church We See is…Growing in God through His Word

Click Below to Download the “Growing in God through His Word” Bible Reading Plan!
Bible Reading Plan: Part 1
Bible Reading Plan: Part 2

Psalms 65:11
You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.

•God’s ultimate goal for our lives is not comfort but Christ likeness.

Romans 8:28-30 (NKJ)
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

•First step towards spiritual growth is renewing our minds.

Romans 12:1-2 (NKJ)
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Joshua 1:8 (NKJ)
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Romans 8:5-6 (NKJ)
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

For us to grow up spiritually:

1. We must desire spiritual growth.

1 Peter 2:2-3 (NKJ)
…as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

2. You must fill your heart up with God’s Word.

Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJ)
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

Isaiah 55:11 (NKJ)
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

•Read It.

Hosea 4: 6 (NKJ)
…my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.

•Sit under and hear the Word.

Romans 10:17 (NKJ)
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJ)
…that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

•Meditate and internalize the Word.

Revelation 10:9-10 (NKJ)
“Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NKJ)
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Psalms 119:105 (NKJ)
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

•Memorize the Word and stand on It.

John 6:63 (NKJ)
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Ephesians 6:13-14 (NKJ)
….having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness

Psalm 119:11 (NKJ)
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

Matthew 4:4 (NKJ)
….Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

•Apply the Word and walk It out.

James 1:21-25 (NKJ)
…receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Matthew 7:24 (NKJ)
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:

John 8:32 (NKJ)
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 16:13-14 (NKJ)
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

John 14:23-26 (NKJ)
If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. The Gift of His Peace, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was your favorite part of last week?
2. What’s something you are looking forward to doing this year?

Discussion Questions:
1. Read Joshua 1:8. What does this verse speak to you personally?

2. What has been your experience with reading the Bible?

3. Read Hosea 4:6. Why do you think that is?

4. Read Romans 10:17. Do you have a personal experience of how this was true for you? If so, share it!

5. Read Matthew 4:4. How has God’s Word been a source of life for you personally?

6. Read James 1:21-25. If you feel comfortable sharing, what is something God is challenging you through His Word to be a “doer” of lately?

7. What is your habit of reading the Word? Daily, weekly, monthly, never? What do you want it to be? If where you want it to be is different than what you are currently doing, what are you going to do this week to change that?

8. What is something you are going to do intentionally this week to “Grow in God through His Word”?

The Kind of Church We See (Week #3 // January 14th & 15th, 2012)
The Kind of Church We See is…Knowing God through Fellowship

“The Year I See…”

Psalm 65:11 (NKJ)
You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths drip with abundance.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJ)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

The Kind of Church We See…
1. Passionately Loves God though worship
2. Is learning to Know God through fellowship

Matthew 22:37-40 (NKJ)
…You shall love the Lord our God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NKJ)
… Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Gods plans are perfected in our lives by learning to love people.

1 John 4:7-8 (NKJ)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:12 (NKJ)
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

1 John 4:20-21 (NKJ)
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

God desires family and wants you in it.

Psalm 68:5-6 (NCV)
God is in his holy Temple. He is a father to orphans, and he defends the widows. God gives the lonely a home. He leads prisoners out with joy, but those who turn against God will live in a dry land.

Ephesians 2:19 (NCV)
Now you who are not Jewish are not foreigners or strangers any longer, but are citizens together with God’s holy people. You belong to God’s family.

Psalm 92:13 (NKJ)
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Proverbs 27:8 (NKJ)
Like a bird that wanders from its nest is a man who wanders from his place.

Galatians 4:7 (Message)
…Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.

Ephesians 1:8-11 (Message)
Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.

God desires family and He wants you to identify with it.

Matthew 28:19 (NLT)
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

John 13:34-35 (NKJ)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. God desires that we are as committed to His family as He is to us.

John 3:16 (NKJ)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1 John 3:16 (NKJ)
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

1 Peter 2:17b (Message)
…Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God.

Galatians 6:10 (NCV)
When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers.

He wants His family…
Put together
Join together
Built together
Members together
Heirs together
Fitted together
Held together
Caught up together

He also wants us to…
Pray for one another
Encourage one another
Admonish one another
Greet one another
Love one another
Honor one another
Forgive one another
Submit to one another
Bear with one another
Be devoted to one another

It takes…
Sharing
Risk
Time…Acts 2:4-6 (NKJ)
Humility
Trust…Proverbs 16:28 (NKJ)
Care and nurture
Mercy and forgiveness

God’s family will help keep you on he path He has for you.
Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

James 5:19-20 (Message)
My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

1 Corinthians 12:25-27 (NKJ)
There should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

1 Corinthians 12:18 (NKJ)
But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.

Romans 12:4-5 (Message)
In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What has been your favorite moment of the weekend?
2. What’s one fun or interesting thing about yourself that nobody in this group probably knows about you?

Discussion Questions:
1. Read Matthew 22:37-40. Have you ever found “loving your neighbor as yourself” to be a challenge? How have you overcome that in the past?

2. Do you have a story about how you’ve “Known God through Fellowship”? Maybe someone inspired, encouraged, or challenged you? If you feel comfortable, why don’t you share that story.

3. Read 1 John 4:7-8. What does this verse speak to you personally?

4. Read Psalm 92:13. How have you found this to be true personally?

5. Read Matthew 28:19. Who is someone that you think God is asking you to apply this verse to?

6. Read James 5:19-20. How does this verse impact you personally? Have you done this for someone, or maybe has someone done this for you, or maybe God is asking you to do this for someone?

7. What has this Capital Life Group meant for you personally?

8. What is something you are going to do intentionally this week to “Know God through Fellowship”?

The Kind of Church We See (Week #2 // January 7th & 8th, 2012)
The Kind of Church We See…Loves God Through Worship.

Psalm 65:11 (NKJ)
You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJ)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

The kind of church we see loves God passionately through worship.

Mark 12:30 (NIV)
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

2 Chronicles 31:21 (Good News)
He was successful, because everything he did for the Temple or in observance of the Law, he did in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to his God.

God is looking for true worshipers to show Himself strong in.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJ)
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

John 4:23-24 (NKJ)
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

1. God is looking for heartfelt worship.
To worship God in spirit is to put your heart into your worship.

Psalm 27:8 (NKJ)
When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Mark 7:6b (NKJ)
…‘ This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

Heartfelt worship brings manifested presence of God.

Revelation 4:10-11 (NLT)
The twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 (NKJ)
Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good, for His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

2. God is looking for people who will worship Him in truth.

John 17:17 (NKJ)
…Your word is truth.

Romans 2:4 (NKJ)
….not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance.

Luke 22:42 (NKJ)
“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Luke 1:38 (NKJ)
…Let it be to me according to your word.

Luke 5:5 (NKJ)
But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”

1 Corinthians 15:31b(NKJ)
…. I die daily.

Matthew 6:24 (NIV)
…You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:21 (NKJ)
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

3. Your worship will be tested.

Matthew 4:9-10 (NKJ)
And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. How have you been doing on your New Year’s Resolutions?
2. If you had unlimited money and space, what’s one thing you would add to your bedroom?

Discussion Questions:
1. Read Proverbs 3:5-6. What does this verse mean to you personally?

2. Read Mark 12:30. What are some practical things you can do to make this happen?

3. What does “worship” mean to you? What are some ways you can show God you love Him through worship?

4. In Mark 7:6 it says, “…this people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” What does this verse speak to you about what God is looking for in our worship?

5. How do you keep worship heartfelt and authentic for you personally? Do you ever find yourself just going through the motions? If so, how do you break that cycle and get back into heartfelt worship?

6. Read John 4:24. In a practical way, what does it mean to worship God in “spirit and in truth”?

7. Read Matthew 6:21. Being honest with yourself, where would you say your “treasure” is? Where do you want your heart to be?

8. What is something you are going to do this week to make Loving God through Worship a lifestyle? If it is already a lifestyle, what is one thing you are going to do to take it to the next level?

The Kind of Church We See (Week #1 // January 1^st, 2012)

•GOD HAS A PLAN FOR THIS YEAR!

Psalm 65:11 NKJV
You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.

Matthew 6:33 NKJV
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 NKJV
I returned and saw under the sun that The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.

Ecclesiastes 9:12a NKJV
For man also does not know his time…

Ecclesiastes 10:10 NKJV
If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.

WHAT SEASON ARE YOU IN AND WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS TIME?

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

Acts 1:6-8 NKJV
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And He said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT
So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

Ephesians 5:15-17 NKJV
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

GET ALONE WITH GOD TO SEEK HIS PURPOSE FOR THIS TIME

Mark 1:35 NKJV
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

Luke 5:16 NKJV
So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

Luke 22:39, 40 NKJV
Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, Pray that you may not enter into temptation.

BE AWARE OF YOURSELF WHEN YOU COME TO SEEK HIM

1 Kings 19:11-18 NKJV
Then He said, Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, What are you doing here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life. Then the Lord said to him: Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.

1) God was not in the wind.
Resist the pull of things that might look like God but isn’t.

2) God was not in the earthquake.
Resist the temptation to crumble when you have been shaken to your core

3) God was not in the fire.
Resist setting in for what is comfortable and losing your focus.

4) What does His delicate voice say to you?

2 Corinthians 6:1, 2 NKJV
We then, as workers together with His also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

2 Chronicles 31:21 GNT
He was successful, because everything he did for the Temple or in observance of the Law, he did in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to his God.

Numbers 6:22-27 NKJV
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace. So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What did you do to bring in the New Year?
2. What is one major goal you have for 2012?

Discussion Questions:
1. Read Matthew 6:33. As you start the new year with goals, dreams, and plans, what does this verse speak to you personally about the connection between seeking God and your goals?

2. Read Ecclesiastes 3:1 and then Ephesians 5:15-17. What season do you think you are in? How can you wisely take full advantage of this season?

3. Practically speaking, what does “spending time with God” mean to you? What have you found to be beneficial in doing that?

4. Read Mark 1:35 and Luke 5:16. What do these verses speak to you personally about spending time with God.

5. In 1 Kings 19:11-18, the Bible says that God was not in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but spoke with still small voice. How do you resist the pull of things that might look like God, but aren’t? How can you tell the difference?

6. Referring back to 1 Kings 19, how do you (or how did you) resist the temptation to crumble when you get shaken to your core?

7. Referring back to 1 Kings 19, how do you (or how did you) resist settling for what’s comfortable and losing your focus?

8. What are you going to do this week to get alone with God, seek Him, and hear His still small voice this week?

“How to Reach Secular People” (Week #2) – December 17th & 18th, 2011
Every believer is called to be pro-active in gathering people to Christ.
Luke 19:10 (NKJ)
….the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 14:23 (NKJ)
….GO out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Mark 5:19 (NKJ)
….GO home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.

Mark 16:15 (NKJ)
….GO into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Proverbs 11:30 (NKJ)
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

There are people waiting on the other side of your obedience.

Acts 8:27-38 (NKJ)
So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NKJ)
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

1. We must be bold and proclaim the gospel message to secular people.

Romans 10:14-16 (NKJ)
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”

Mark 16:15 (NKJ)
….GO into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mark 5:19 (NKJ)
….GO home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.

Acts 4:29-30 (NKJ)
Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 5:19-20 (NLT)
For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

2. Help secular people overcome their barriers and sense of alienation.

Image
Cultural
Gospel
Commitment

Exodus 6:9 (NKJ)
So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

2 Corinthians 5:14A (NKJ)
For the love of Christ compels us….

3. Help secular people understand it is okay to be a Christ follower before all of your doubts are resolved.

Mark 9:24 (NKJ)
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Romans 10:17 (NKJ)
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

4. Help secular people find meaning and dignity.

John 10:10 (NKJ)
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Matthew 4:19 (NKJ)
Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Isaiah 55:11 (NKJ)
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

5. Recognize the receptive season in secular peoples lives.

Luke 19:5-6 (NKJ)
And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.

John 4:39 (NKJ)
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”

Acts 10:24 (NKJ)
And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.

6. Invite secular people to dedicate their lives to Christ.

Romans 3:23 (NKJ)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 (NKJ)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Revelation 3:20 (NKJ)
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What’s your favorite/least favorite T.V. or Radio commercial of all time?
2. What’s your favorite holiday food…that you already know you shouldn’t eat…but will probably eat too much of anyway?

Discussion Questions:
1. How did it go inviting someone to church last week?

2. What is something you felt God was speaking to you personally during the message this past weekend?

3. Read 2 Corinthians 5:19-20. What does this verse mean to you personally? What’s a way to put that verse into action?

4. This past weekend, Pastor Dave talked about helping secular people overcome their barriers (such as image, culture, the Gospel, etc.). What helped you first overcome those barriers? What do you think is a practical way of helping others overcome those barriers?

5. Sometimes, even as Christians, we can have doubts or questions about our faith. Read Mark 9:24 and Romans 10:17. What do these verses speak to you about dealing with questions and doubts?

6. Read John 4:39. It can be very meaningful sharing your personal of story about how and why you came to Christ. Have you ever had the opportunity to share your story with someone who didn’t have a relationship with Jesus? How did it go?

7. If you feel comfortable sharing, what is your personal story about how you came to Christ?

8. Who is somebody you are going to invite to church this week?

“How to Reach Secular People” (Week #1) – December 10th & 11th, 2011
Every believer is called to be pro-active in gathering people to Christ
Luke 19:10 (NKJ)
….the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 14:23 (NKJ)
….GO out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Mark 5:19 (NKJ)
….GO home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.

Mark 16:15 (NKJ)
….GO into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

2 Timothy 4:5 (NKJ)
(GO) ….do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Matthew 28:19 (NKJ)
GO therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…

Proverbs 11:30 (NKJ)
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

How do we win people?
Be spirit contemporary

Luke 2:52 (NKJ)
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Luke 15:1 (NKJ)
Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.

Luke 5:27-32 (NKJ)
After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

A Profile of Secular People:
1. Secular people are basically ignorant of the Gospel Message.

Romans 10:14-16 (NKJ)
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”

2. Secular people have a negative image of the church

3. Secular people have multiple alienations

4. Secular people are untrusting and struggle with fears

5. Secular people struggle to find meaning for their lives because of low self-esteem.

6. Secular people feel life is often out of control

7. Secular people are driven by their own wills and the values of the cultures around them.

Colossians 2:8 (NKJ)
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

8. Secular people struggle to find the door that connects them to God.

John 10:9-10 (NKJ)
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 3:2-8 (NKJ)
This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

To Fulfill Our Call to Reach Secular People:
1. See our calling as a “Divine Mandate”

Romans 1:14-15 (NKJ)
I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

2. Be bold.

Proverbs 28:1 (NKJ)
The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NKJ)
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

3. Proclaim

Romans 10:14-15 (NKJ)
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

4. Invite to connect

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. Any unique Christmas traditions?
2. What are your plans for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day?

Discussion Questions:
1. Have you ever invited someone to church? If so, how did it go?

2. Read Mark 5:19. Why do you think this is important? Do you have a personal example of how doing this has helped people see Jesus?

3. What do you think are effective ways of helping Secular People overcome their barriers to coming to church?

4. Read Luke 14:23. What are some ways you have “compelled” people to come to church?

5. How did you first start coming to church? What was your experience like?

6. Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. What does this verse speak to you personally?

7. What’s a practical way to put 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 into action this week?

8. Who is somebody you are going to invite to church this week?

Repositioning for the Future (December 3rd & 4th, 2011)
“For our families, business and church”

What is Repositioning? To place or put in a new position, positioned again
1. Why Repositioning is so Important?
•We have been positioned in life already

Position= place, situation, the manner in which anything is arranged, posture

•Our families and kids affect the next generation.
Psalm 22:30, 48:13, 71:18, 78:4
1. God wants to partner with us in our place of business for growth. I Corinthians 3:1-9
2. Church is a place where growth happens. Matthew 6:33

II. What Hinders us from Repositioning?
1. It’s uncomfortable & we’re not open.
Matthew 13:53-58, Luke 4:14-30
“Which leads to…”
A. We don’t spend time with the Lord
B. We don’t allow others to help us. Ecclesiastes 4:10

2. Offenses & Wounds.
Proverbs 18:19

3. Busyness.
Exodus 5

“Busy”ness= constant state of being busy
A. Make time early. Psalm 5:3

4. Acting on emotions.
Matthew 16:21-23; 26:51
A. Our emotions are a gauge to tell us something

III. Choices that WILL Reposition you.
•Choose to be open. Matthew 8 & 9

Open= Not shut up or blocked up, allowing passage in or out, not covered, not fenced in, without restrictions, available & exposed.
A. To the things of God
B. Communication with family
C. New ideas, new ways of doing things in business

Future= About to happen, that is to come, time to come.

•Choose to spend the time building relationship. John 15
A. With God
B. With family, and new people in business

•Choose to forgive.
Matthew 6: 14-15, Colossians 3:13

4. Choose to get help & partner.
Philippians 1:5, Genesis 2:18, Ecclesiastes 4:12

5. Choose to respond to the invitation.
Matt 9:9, Mark 2:13-14, Luke 5:11

Small Group Discussion Questions:
1. When have you been in a place of personal or professional Repositioning?
*What was the outcome?

2. What have you noticed gets in your way of ‘repositioning?
*As a result of today’s message, what will you do differently?

3. When have offenses or past wounds kept you from making different choices?
*What will you choose to do differently as a result of this message?

4. How are you with asking for help?
*Who would be a good ‘go-to’ person for you to seek out for help in your time of repositioning?

5. When have you noticed your emotions have gotten in the way of your decision making?
*What happened? *What did you learn?

6. What are three things you will commit to do as you look to reposition yourself with your relationships, work and/or family?

7. Who will be your accountability partner for your repositioning? Have you invited them?

“I Was Made For This: Faith” (November 26^th & 27^th, 2011)

1. Faith allows us to experience God’s very best for us.
Mark 9:23 (NKJV)
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Mark 9:23 (Message)
Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”

James 5:15
And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Mark 11:22-24
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

II. Let’s Define Faith

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

1. Faith is the Prelude to Reality
-Prelude: an introduction to something more important.

2 Corinthians 5:7
We live by faith, not by sight.

2. “Faith is not the denial of reality, but the active acceptance of a greater one.”
-Faith is not just hope or optimism. Faith is a passionate, active acceptance of something greater.

III. How Do We Live by Faith?

1. Faith is action.

James 2:26
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without action is dead.

James 2:14-18
Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

There’s no such thing as “faith in action”, because faith IS action. They cannot be separated!

•Faith without works is just optimism.

•Works without faith is just a sore back.

Matthew 7:22-23 (Message)
“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance— isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’

For it to be effective, faith and works must be active together.

James 2:19-20
Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?

James 2:21-24
Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham “made right with God by works” when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are “works of faith”? The full meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?

2. Faith allows you to experience your true DNA as a child of God. – You were born to be an overcomer!

If you believe that God loves you, God cares about you, and God wants to help you, then embrace your dreams with faith!

1 John 4:4b
…greater is He who is in me, than he who is in this world!

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Capital Life Group Questions:
Ice Breaker Questions:
1. What was your favorite (or strangest) thing you ate for Thanksgiving?
2. What do you do to get in the Christmas spirit?

Discussion Questions:
1. What are you believing God for?

2. Has there been a time where you’ve seen God come through in your life in a meaningful way? If so, share it!

3. Read Hebrews 11:1. How would you define faith after reading this verse? Does this change the way you may have thought of faith before?

4. What have you found to be effective ways of “stirring up” or “activating” your faith personally?

5. Read James 2:14-18. Does this verse challenge you? If you feel comfortable enough, share how so.

6. Read James 2:21-24. What does this verse speak to you personally about faith?

7. Read 1 John 4:4, Philippians 4:13, and Matthew 19:26. What does these verses speak to you personally? Is there a situation you are going through now that these verses encourage you for?

8. What is something you are going to do this week to align your faith & actions?

Breaking Free, Final Week (November 19th & 20th, 2011)
•Remember regardless of your situation, God loves me, God cares about me, God wants to help me.

Isaiah 48:17 (NKJ)
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “ I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.

Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJ)
And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

This is Thankful Week!

Psalms 107:1-8 (NLT)
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. ”Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.

1. Gratefulness should never be silent or invisible.

Psalms 105:1-2 (NLT)
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.

Tesitify: To make a statement based on personal knowledge or belief.

Joshua 4:5-6 (NKJ)
and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’

2. Gratefulness lifts your thinking.

Psalms 27:13 (NKJ)
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Psalms 100:2-4 (NKJ)
Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Matthew 21:14-16 (NKJ)
Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” and Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’?”

Psalms 8:2 (NKJ)
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength, because of your enemies, that you may silence the enemy and the avenger.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (Message)
My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

Philippians 4:8-9 (CEV)
Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJ)
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

3. Be grateful for the people who support you.

Ephesians 1:16 (NLT)
I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly…

2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NLT)
As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.

Hebrews 12:28 (NLT)
Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.

2 Corinthians 9:15 (NLT)
Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

Breaking Free, Week #8 (November 12th & 13th, 2011)
•Remember regardless of your situation, God loves me, God cares about me, God wants to help me.

Isaiah 48:17 (NKJ)
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “ I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.

•This is Success Week!

•What will it take to be successful?

James 1:22-25 (NKJV)
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

1. Create the plan then work the plan.

Proverbs 15:24 (NKJV)
The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below.

Proverbs 16:9(NKJ)
A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

Habakkuk 2:2 (NKJ)
Then the Lord answered me and said: “ Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.

2. Don’t get discouraged.

Mark 4:15 (NCV)
Sometimes the teaching falls on the road. This is like the people who hear the teaching of God, but Satan quickly comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them.

Galatians 6:9 (NKJ)
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Hebrews 6:11-12 (NCV)
We want each of you to go on with the same hard work all your lives so you will surely get what you hope for. We do not want you to become lazy. Be like those who through faith and patience will receive what God has promised.

Hebrews 10:36 (NKJ)
For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

Matthew 4:1-2 (NKJ)
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

3. Get an accountability partner.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT)
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

4. Keep learning.

Proverbs 19:27 (NIV84)
Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

Proverbs 24:14 (NLT)
In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short.

Proverbs 24:5-6 (NKJ)
A wise man is strong, yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; for by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

5. Honor God.

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NKJ)
Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

1 Chronicles 29:16-18 (NKJ)
“O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You.

Luke 16:10-13 (NKJ)
He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Leviticus 27:30 (NKJ)
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 16:2 (NKJ)
On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

Malachi 3:8-10 (NLT)
Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!

Breaking Free, Week #7 (November 5th & 6th, 2011)
•Remember regardless of your situation, God loves me, God cares about me, God wants to help me.

Isaiah 48:17 (NKJ)
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “ I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.

•This is Value Week! (Part 2)

•We bring increase into our lives by adding value to others

To Create Greater Value:
1. Practice Godliness.

1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV84)
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

2. Do excellent work.

Colossians 3:23-24b (NKJ)
In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people. Remember that you will receive your reward from the Lord…

Proverbs 22:29 (NKJ)
Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.

3. Be productive.

John 4:35-38 (NKJ)
Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

Matthew 20:13-16 (NLT)
He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

John 15:2 (NKJ)
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

John 15:8 (NKJ)
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

4. Get wisdom

Proverbs 16:16 (NKJ)
How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Proverbs 4:7-9 (NKJ)
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

1 Kings 3:5-10 (NKJ)
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

Proverbs 13:20a (NKJ)
… He who walks with wise men will be wise.

5. Be trustworthy

Proverbs 28:20 (NKJ)
A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 25:19 (NKJ)
Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint

Luke 16:10-12 (NKJ)
He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

6. Stay positive

Matthew 12:35 (NKJ)
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

7. Develop your gifts and talents

1 Peter 4:10 (NKJ)
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Proverbs 18:16 (NKJ)
A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

Matthew 25:14-29 (NKJ)
For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

8. Be generous

2Corinthians 9:6-8 (NKJ)
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Proverbs 11:24-25 (NKJ)
There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.

Breaking Free, Week #6 (October 29th – 30th, 2011)

•Remember regardless of your situation, God loves me, God cares about me, God wants to help me.

Isaiah 48:17 (NKJ)
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “ I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.

•This is Value week!

Psalms 35:27 (NKJ)
Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

Deuteronomy 1:27-33 (NKJ)
…you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.

•To create value in the world and your life practice Godliness.

1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV84)
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Proverbs 10:22 (NKJ)
The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.

Joshua 1:8(NKJ)
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Proverbs 13:19 (NLT)
It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.

1 Timothy 6:17 (NKJ)
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 (NKJ)
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.“Godliness with contentment is a great investment.”

•Having Godliness is the most valuable asset you can have

Genesis 37:10 (NKJ)
“What is this dream that you have dreamed?

Genesis 37:5 (NKJ)
Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.

Genesis 39:1-5, 9, 20-23 (NKJ)
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

Genesis 47:20 (NKJ)
Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s.

How can I add value?
1. Work unto the Lord

Colossians 3:23-24 (NKJ)
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Ephesians 6:5-8 (NKJ)
Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

2. Focus on getting results

3. Get wisdom

Proverbs 3:13-18 (NKJ)
Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.

4. Be diligent and develop your gift

Proverbs 10:4 (NKJ)
He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 18:16 (NKJ)
A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

Proverbs 12:24 (NKJ)
The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor.

Proverbs 13:14 (NKJ)
The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.

5. Be self motivated

Proverbs 6:6-8 (NKJ)
Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

6. Be trustworthy

Proverbs 25:19 (NKJ)
Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.

7. Stay positive

Matthew 12:35 (NKJ)
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

Pastor Dave's Tweets

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