Archive for October, 2008

Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble.” No ifs, ands, or buts. You will face sickness, death, divorce, temptations, failures, rejection, peer pressure. You will have trouble that you won’t see coming. And no one is exempt. Not the young, not the old, not the good. Even Jesus had trouble. He was tempted, persecuted, beaten, crucified. He could’ve taken an easy way out, given up, and gone back to heaven. Instead, He decided it was worth it to stay and finish what He’d started, being “obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8, NIV). Despite His trouble, Jesus had the determination needed to keep doing what God said. If our attitude is to be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5), we will need that same determination. The kind of determination that will keep us doing what God says even if it’s hard, and even if others don’t, so that we don’t miss something really good. Yep, we will have trouble in this life, but grit your teeth and don’t give up because God will not give up on you. You can be sure that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, NIV).

So for October, 252 Basics is all about DETERMINATION, which is deciding it’s worth it to finish what you’ve started. Here’s the line-up:

October 5 - Keep doing what you should do even if it’s hard. We’ll be talking about Paul and how he was determined to finish right (2 Corinthians 11:23b-27; Acts 20:24).
October 12 - Keep doing what God says even if others don’t. This week is about Noah and the great flood (Genesis 6:6–7:7).
October 19 - Keep doing what God says because He is God. The focus is on the Israelites leaving slavery in Egypt (Exodus).
October 26 - Keep doing what you should do so you don’t miss something really good. Sort of a continuation from last week, we’ll be talking about 40 years in the wilderness (Numbers 14:1-39).

GODVIEW: What comes to mind when you think about God? Who do you believe God is? How do you believe God interacts with you personally and with your world? These are questions we are going to be addressing over the next three weeks. You see, every one of us has a Godview whether we think about it or not. For many of us, it’s just a vague impression formed when we were younger. For some, it’s an image of Someone against whom we have a strong resistance. For others, God is personal and mysterious, offering an adventure to anyone ready to pursue a relationship with Him. While we can never really know everything about God—because He’s that big and that mysterious—the things we can learn about Him shape the way we respond to whatever life brings. That’s why author A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Week One (September 28)

No matter who we are, we all have a Godview. And the way we think about God affects how we interact with our world. Many people struggle because they have a negative or distorted view of God. This first week, we will take a look at the life of one of Jesus’ closest followers who struggled for the very same reason. In the end, we want to challenge students to begin to see how their view of God shapes the way they live.

Week Two (October 5)

Many of us have a distorted Godview because we think God’s primary goal is either for us to be good or for us to be happy. While there may be some truth in those statements, if we see those as His primary goals, then we walk through life with remarkable–and self-made–expectations. Then, when those expectations aren’t met, our faith is shattered and destroyed. This week, we want students to see that following God is bigger than our expectations. Following God requires surrendering control.

Week Three (October 12)

The tendency for each one of us is to think we have God all figured out. But this week is about one simple truth—we don’t. This week we want students to see how the more they come to know God, the more they will realize they’ll never really know Him completely. There is always more of God to know. He’s that big, that mysterious, that amazing. At the close of this series, we hope your student will walk away with the desire to pursue a relationship with God and to know God more every day.

EXPERIENCE:

Each one of us is “about” something. Something is going to define your life and mine. It will. I know that when I die, my kids are going to stand around and say many things, but inevitably it will get reduced to a sentence or two that begins this way: “Dad was . . . “

You WILL be defined.

The reason I love to think about the now is because we still are able to change and influence what our lives will be about. The sad part is that too many people don’t think about what their lives will be about. We just kind of live it, and in the end, we hope it will be good enough. And I know my drift (when I’m not intentional) is to make my life about things that matter less, not more.

So what’s it going to be about for you? Who do you want to be?

Take some time this month to think about what you want your life to be about. Think big. Think small. And then be intentional about not letting this summer sneak by without your notice. Your life will be about something. So will mine.

What will define your life? You can either decide what your life is about, or your life can drift towards something. But either way, your life will be defined by something or someone.

(Inspiration taken from Cary Nieuwhof http://connexuscommunity.typepad.com/carey_nieuwhof/2008/05/you-will-be-def.html)

WE overview:

In following Christ, there is one truth that most of us forget—we were never meant to do this alone. We need other people. It’s critical not just because we need friends, but also because in community we understand more about who God is. We see how He is working in other people’s lives. We learn things that God has taught them, and we get an opportunity to love and serve others. The WE series helps us discover the “WHY” behind community—why we need it, why we should pursue it.

WE: Week One (October 12- Erol Morgan Communicating)

We need other people. We get that when we feel lonely, don’t we? But the reality is that there are times when the last thing we want is someone around—whether it’s our own grumpiness or because we just don’t want to be hurt again. But God made us in such a way that people fill a very specific need in our lives. And while God does supply all our needs, He created us to need other people, too.

WE: Week Two (October 19- Ray Lines Communicating)

We talked last week about how we need people, and if we’re honest, we all have realized that at some point or another. But there’s a reluctance to take that next step because it’s risky. It’s scary. And most of all, it’s messy. True community costs us something. But if we don’t have it, it will cost us a lot more.

WE: Week Three (October 26- Ray Lines Communicating)

People’s stories are powerful, aren’t they? There’s something about hearing what’s going on in another person’s life that puts things in perspective for us. We may be thinking that God has forgotten us, that He doesn’t care about what’s going in our world, but then we hear someone share how God showed up when they really needed Him. And because of that, we begin to think that maybe, just maybe, He can be there for us, too. That’s the power of community. It’s how we see God at work in our world. It’s how we grow closer to Him. And it’s an important part of growing in our relationship with Him.