2/12/2012 - The Great Joy pt 2 with P.Ryan
• Gods plan is for us all to work together
• not just people who are credentialed, pastors, perfect Christians
• He calls the broken to reach the broken
• Simply listening to the pastor won’t bring you joy
• Making Jesus a priority and putting him in your life will bring you joy
• Joy isn’t bout circumstances, situations, how you feel
• It’s about putting your trust in Him
• Jesus = Great Joy! Share Him!
• Luke 2:1-20
• First thing the shepherds did when they saw Jesus was run to tell everyone about Him
• Is that the first thing we do on Christmas?
• They didn’t just take off running, they began to worship and glorify God
• They put their lives on hold to share Jesus
• We only make Him our priority when it’s convenient or when we need him
5/12/2012 - Leadership (Recognizing Jesus) with P. Thad
When you receive a revelation, your life changes and you will have great joy
There is NO difference between student and adult ministries
The same adults grow up with the same problems they had when they were young
We get so hungry for the “big thing” that we miss seeing Jesus
We expect Jesus to do awesome things in a big scene (revival, hundreds of people getting saved)
Luke 2:12 - the sign of The Messiah is a baby in a manger (lowly, poor, unexpected)
We always expect miracles, but Jesus shows up in small happenings (still small voice)
We have to quiet ourselves down in order to hear the still small voice
How do we recognize Jesus?
1. We have to know his voice
Follow him, be in motion
When a sheep wanders off, the shepherd finds it and breaks its legs. The shepherd then carries the sheep around and takes care of it until the leg mends itself. Then the sheep will know the shepherds voice and not wander
When we wander, sometimes God has to break our spiritual leg (hardships)
2. Spend time with Jesus
He can’t tell you anything if you won’t listen
We need more worship music than any!
Not Christian music, worship!
We need daily worship time!
30/12/2012 - Confidence with P.Ryan
Philippians 1:27-30
1 Samuel 15:10-23
confidence = obedience to God
Deuteronomy 1:37
Moses’ fear and intimidation was greater than his confidence in God
+He didn’t get to share in the promise land because of it
10 of the 12 spies didn’t put their trust in God, look what happened!
God never changes! HIs promises never change!
the bigger our problems are, the bigger our God is, and the bigger the miracle He’ll do
Ephesians 1:19-2:10
If we aren’t obedient, we will experience fear and intimidation in that area of our lives
+If we don’t tithe obediently, we will be scared that we wont be able to make ends meet
We have to be greedy! We have to want to be apart of God’s promises for our family, church, community, etc.
+Don’t wait 40 years to see His promise happen
6/1/2013 - Prayer with P.Ryan
there is no formula to prayer
there is no specific thing to say in order for your prayer to get answered
you don’t have to pray like the pastor, or like Paul
make it personal
amen = so be it, we are in agreement
prayer is involved with anything great in the Bible
reading the Bible will never truly come alive unless you are having a one on one with God
1. God already knows
Matthew 6:7-8
“…Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him”
we never inform God!
we need to be active!
“what do I need to do so that you have an active role in this situation?”
do I need to fast, get on my hands and knees, worship, tithe?
don’t pray unless you are willing to be apart of the solution
2. Praying with faith
Matthew 21:21
“…You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it”
faith is confidence in who you are, who God is and what he is capable of
true prayers of faith mean we are relying on God’s power and ability, not our words
that’s why speaking in tongues is so amazing; we don’t know what we’re saying, but it’s so powerful
we could say the same prayer and it can still be powerful
3. Don’t stop praying
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“…Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
we need to make prayer a lifestyle
pray everywhere you go
you don’t have to bow your head, close your eyes, etc.
just talk to God!
James 5:16
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results…”
our prayers become more powerful when we decide to be apart of the solution
just complaining to God isn’t going to fix everything
20/1/2013 - Perspective with P.Ryan
Acts 9:15-19
Paul had all the knowledge: he knew the Bible, law, scriptures
His perspective is what changed
When you allow the power of Jesus to dwell in us, our perspective changes
We if we look at what’s in front of us, we’ll get fearful, discouraged
But if we look up, our entire perspective changes
John 9:35
We need the sight that only Jesus can give us
We have to walk with Him, day by day. It isn’t an instant process
1 Samuel 14:6
“…Perhaps The Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder The Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”
1 Samuel 14:12
Jonathan didn’t see that hill as a hill (obstacle); he saw it as a ramp (opportunity)
Don’t look at yourself, at your circumstances and feel sorry for yourself; look up at God
God has never been into the sorry-for-myself mentality
Humble doesn’t mean you are defeated or pity yourself
There will be down days, we are only human
The longer you walk with God, the more it becomes who you are instead of just an attitude
Sometimes we think of God as what he saved us from (our deliverer) and we need to focus instead on what he has in store for us (our savior)
Our armies may not last forever, but God does
3/2/2013 - Boldness with P.Ryan
Your personality doesn’t dictate how God uses you
Boldness isn’t an act, its an attitude
2 Corinthians 3:7-18
The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
1 John 3:18
Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.
Hebrews 4:14-16
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Bold is a noun, not an adjective or verb
Boldness comes with who we are when we receive Christ
It’s about who we believe in, not our abilities or weaknesses
Based on who He is inside us
We can’t allow the view of Jesus to be small, and still be bold
Boldness of this world offends people, God’s boldness doesn’t
We must hold firmly to God to get that boldness
To hold firmly is to go to Him FIRST!
Everything else will fail us, fade away
There’s death, weakness, selfishness
We aren’t limited by our abilities, our portfolio
Society today is all about hiding our weaknesses and our vulnerability
Businesses that show their vulnerability, their truth, will thrive
Christians that show their vulnerability will be blessed
Christians that accept their flaws will become stronger
If we keep hiding stuff away and stuffing stuff away, it’ll be that much harder for Him to reach us
DON’T BE A SPIRITUAL HOARDER!
We have to clean up our act
Vulnerability brings honesty, trust, unity, and boldness!
His grace is bigger than our sin and our weaknesses
Because of that, we should come boldly to His throne!
We are worthy because of Him
Mercy = not getting what we deserve
Grace = getting things we don’t deserve
10/2/2013 - Relationships with P. Thad
you can’t love anybody until you love everybody!
1. Where your friends go, you go
Proverbs 13:20
“walk with the wise, and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble”
you don’t have to be identical, you just have to have the same values
when you need someone to help you through a situation, they’ll give secular advice
associate with people who love God
fool = use advice “if I were you…”
2. always tell the truth
no room for lies in relationships
3. always be selfless
selfishness = loneliness
constantly looking for what THEY can get out of a relationship
4. always communicate
don’t pray and read the bible because you feel like you have to
communicate with god!
as your relationship grows and you come closer to God, then you’ll want to pray and read the bible more!
17/2/2013 - Decisions with P.Thad
The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the L ord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” “O Sovereign Lord ,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.” (Ezekiel 37:1-3 NLT)
We think that we make the call, when God is the only one to say when it is finished
We have to give God the authority in our life and let him make the call
God’s word is greater than the magnitude of our problems
GW > MP
The Bible is just a book until you let it work in your life
We have to be doers, not just read the Bible
So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. (Ezekiel 37:7, 8 NLT)
Being all together > being alone
You can’t do it on your own
You aren’t a failure, God designed us this way
It’s an “us” thing, not a “me” thing
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign L ord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’” So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army. (Ezekiel 37:9, 10 NLT)
Spirit > Death
The spirit of God is greater than sin
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the L ord . I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the L ord , have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the L ord has spoken!’” (Ezekiel 37:11-14 NLT)
Revive > Bound
He wants to revive us in areas of our lives where we are bound
(sin, challenges, obstacles, etc.)
17/3/2013 - Not On Your Own pt 2 with P.Ryan
If we have a desire for God to do great things, He’ll do them!
Whether you go through a difficult time or a good time, God is still there!
God is always working in our lives, no matter the circumstance
We are never alone!
His promise rises over our circumstances of this world and overcomes whatever we are going through
It’s realizing that his promises are always yes or amen
It’s realizing that our next step is better than our last
It’s realizing that being a christian is so much more than an obligation or religion
We aren’t here because we are a religion
We are here because we want to live out the life God has for us
1 Kings 18:22-40
“my God isn’t limited by earthly or heavenly things” - Elijah
1 Kings 19:1-9
Elijah becomes very human
Gets scared by one woman and loses his trust in God, forgets that he’s not alone
Our high times can’t be the only times where we trust God
17/3/2013 - You, Me and Jesus with P.Thad
How you leave a relationship is how you’ll enter another relationship
If you end a relationship badly, then you’ll start a relationship badly (rebound)
All of your bf/gf’s baggage they bring to the relationship is something that you’ll deal with
It will slow you down to get to where you’re going (is it worth it?)
Don’t let things fester
like a splinter under your nail; it will hurt so bad when you try to pull it out but if you leave it in it will fester and ooze puss = not good!
Everyday we let people take withdrawals on our confidence and let it slide
like if a bank took money from you
Proverbs 4:23
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
if you have your heart set on a certain look or style of a person you’re looking for
make sure that what you’re looking for lines up with the Word of God
if you have your heart set on something thats wrong and leads you away from God’s word, you’re in a bad relationship
even friends who make you be someone who you aren’t (your friends party, cuss, don’t go to church, etc.)
in order to have a true relationship, you have to be true to yourself
you can’t change who you are to be in a relationship
you get into a relationship and messed up, now what?
1. realize that your mistakes are not bigger than God
“he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”(Titus 3:5 NLT)
virginity and purity are two different things:
you can’t ever be a virgin again; but you can be pure again
don’t let that define who you are
Don’t let anyone define you or what you think is fun or healthy (drinking, drugs, etc.)
“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24 NLT)
He’ll give you a new definition, no matter what other people and society is trying to do
This world doesn’t define you, God does
Fault and guilt are the two tools the Enemy uses to try to define you
2. Don’t go back when you make a mistake
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. (Galatians 5:1 NLT)
in two weeks after a break up, that person didn’t change
3. Rely on God for your strength
There’s so many thing we look to: friends, family, academics, horoscopes, substances
God created a hole in our hearts for a husband or wife
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:15, 16 NLT)
have accountability in every area of your life
God uses people more than anything to help you
21 Apr 2013 - Faith to Endure with P.Ryan
When you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. (James 2:14-26 NLT)
Our works reflect our faith
Our words, our actions, should reflect what is already in our heart
Baptism is a reflection of what’s in your heart, of your salvation
Produce:
We cannot produce actions that are faith-based, if our faith in God is small
If God is big in our sight, our actions will be big
If sin is in our heart, we can’t produce godly actions
Producing something requires passion and drive
Complete:
God knows our limitations- he will stretch us, but one step at a time
Like when a runner hits their stride, everything flows
If you aren’t hitting that stride, your faith and your actions most likely aren’t lining up
When you hit that stride, our life has balance and alignment
Actions:
Like Abraham, god will ask us things that are hard
Abraham wasn’t like “come on God, you know I trust you! I don’t have to prove it”
Abraham knew that his actions needed to line up with his faith
Our faith should PRODUCE COMPLETE ACTIONS!
Your actions show what’s really in your heart
Are you gossiping, telling bad jokes, bringing people down?
