These things will keep you out of the Kingdom - Eph 5:5-7
Stop thinking about the things of the flesh - Rom 8:5-6; Rom 13:14
Put them off until later (e.g. delay that first drink/hit/sexual encounter)
Stay away from problem situations
e.g. young couple who wouldn't take advice and got pregnant
Base your decisions on God's Word rather than on personal pain relief
Spiritual: "What does the Father want me to do today?"
Carnal: "What will make me feel good today?"
Be a conduit for God's light - Eph 5:8-21
Expose deeds of darkness - Eph 5:8-14
Find out what the Spirit wants - Eph 5:8-10
Pray
Read your Bible
Set your mind on what the Spirit wants - Rom 8:5-6
Choose to focus your thoughts on these things
Live a life that shines light on darkness - Eph 5:15-21
Overcome temptation
Recognize that God is helping you - 1Cor 10:13; Heb 2:18
Faithfully hide God's Word in your heart - Psalm 119:9-11
Fight - Heb 12:3
Submit to spiritual authority - Heb 13:7; Heb 13:17
be accountable
be transparent
Guidelines for key roles we play
Wives
Husbands
Children
Masters (bosses)
Slaves (employees)
Rely on God's power - Eph 6:10-20
Your fight is not just for yourself!
Bring resurrection power to your brothers and sisters!
Help your brothers and sisters - Rom 15:14; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:24-25
Your are your brother's / sister's keeper - Gal 6:1-2; James 5:19-20
Pray for your brothers and sisters
If, when you pray for someone, all you can pray is for God to bless him/her then you’re not maximizing your effectiveness. You must learn enough about the people you pray for to make your prayers for them effective.
Believe that you receive. Change the way you view (visualize) the people you pray for. Leaders must lead in prayer first!
Admonish and encourage your brothers and sisters
Don't leave this to the pastors!
We will always have new spiritually immature people coming church.
Some people develop defenses against the Bible because it's been used as a weapon against them in the past.
What to do when your brother fails
If your brother sins against you . . . - Mat 18:15-22
Restore your brother gently - Gal 6:1-5; 1John 5:1-18
Don't leave this burden to your pastors or life group leaders.
We are a fathering ministry.
Everyone must do 2Tim 2:2
Teach sanctification for disciple makers.
We focus on leaders!
The faithful must do more than just hold on;
They need to multiply themselves.
They must identify faithful people who they can mentor - 2Tim 2:2
You should either be mentoring someone, or praying for God to show you someone to mentor.
Doug Hall's "Chaos Code" ministry model
Steps
Observation
Positive Regard (fall in love with the people)
Relevant Communication
Meet Perceived Needs
Meet Basic Needs
Multiplication
This has many applications:
Breaking into new cultures / sub-cultures
Breaking into new groups within your own culture / sub-culture
Ministering to your brothers and sisters
The fruit of your victory
Not because of your righteousness - Deut 9:1-8
Only the faithful / believing will enter God's rest - Heb 4:1-11
Don't miss God's grace - Heb 12:1-29
Sanctification: Becoming like the Father
Hang out with God like Enoch. - Gen 5:21-24; Heb 11:5
Resurrection and Faith
Faith is essential to pleasing God - Heb 11:6
Supernatural expectations - Heb 11:1 and rest of chapter
Glider pilot
Sources of lift: thermals, ridge lift, mountain wave, convergence
Glide ratios: 30:1; 50:1; 70:1
A very special glider: The Gimli Glider
New Material
Preparation
Main Passage
NIV
Hebrew Study Bible
KJV
The Message
NASB
RSV
Exegetical Idea
Subject
Tools: How, Who, What, When, Where, Why
Complement
Developmental Questions
Explain It: What does this mean?
Prove It: Is it True? Do I believe it?
Apply It: What difference does it make? So What?
Homiletical Idea
Purpose of the Sermon
Make it plain
Use accessible language and modern parables
Make sure people do something with the word God gives you for them.
Power Serve
Prayer target for this week: Establish the prayer ministry of Life Church Prepare to proclaim a fast - for leaders or congregation?
Resurrection and the Life Church Vision - exponential growth
Elijah's Ministry - 1Kings 17 - 19
Introducing Elijah - 1Kings 17:1
No background
Speaks truth to power - pronounces judgement
Ahab - King of Israel
Married to Jezebel from Sidon (in modern day Lebanon)
Worships Baal
Elijah on Mount Carmel - 1Kings 18:16-46
Spectacular demonstration of God's power.
This is a later stage of ministry - we need stepping stones to get there.
God's Provision in Sheltered Seclusion - 1Kings 17:2-6
Government hostility triggered by Elijah's obedient action
We don't serve in a vacuum - God usually allows us to be affected by the circumstances of those around us.
Protected from attack by corrupt national leadership
Provided with water, bread, and meat
Food provided by ravens (an unclean bird): Lev 11:15
Water - often symbolic of the Holy Spirit
Bread - often symbolic of God's Word
Meat - symbolic of doing God's will
Bread and meat twice a day - morning and evening.
Elijah had to humbly depend on God.
God's Provision Through Others - 1Kings 17:7-9
Drought affects the brook - time to move on
When your brook dries up find the next source of provision that God has prepared for you.
Some people keep hanging out at a dried up brook.
God often provides for us through others
God tells Elijah what type of person but not who - we often only receive just enough information to take the next step in God's plan
Enter the Widow - 1Kings 17:10-16
Elijah was sent to a widow in Zarephath in Sidon - the territory that was the source of Israel's latest apostasy - Luke 4:25-26
God sent Elijah to bless her by allowing her to give.
Giving releases resources - Luke 6:38
"Make me a cake first" - God's cut is from the top - Ex 23:19; Num 15:17-21; Num 18:25-32;
Elijah moved into an upper room at the woman's home
God wants us to be connected to the lives of the people we serve
Elijah was in position to meet her greatest need - the restoration of her son's life - 1Kings 17:17-24
Her experience of "resurrection" moved her towards full faith
Moving In Your Ministry
Don't try to discover your ministry based on traditional labels
The ministry labels in Rom 12, 1Cor 12-14, and Eph 4 are functional labels.
Discover your ministry by noting
Whom has God placed in your life?
Who responds to your ministry? Who has told you that what you've done blessed them? Write it down.
Who is drawn to you?
Follow the steps:
Seek a Word from God that will "get you in trouble"
Put yourself in a place where God can get you by yourself
Faithfully serve the people to whom God sends you.
Demonstrate God's power from a place of personal involvement.
Faithfully bear witness to the community around you
Demonstrate God's power on a larger scale
Discussion Questions / Topics
Reflect on 1Kings 17:1-4; 18:1-19
Do you know professing Christians who also follow other religions?
What happened the last time you spoke up on God's behalf?
Reflect on 1Kings 17:5-7
Have you ever depended only on God for your needs?
Has your brook ever "dried up"? What did you do?
Reflect on 1Kings 17:8-24
Has God ever provided for you through someone else's sacrifice?
Have you ever made a sacrifice to support God's work or God's servants?
Why did Elijah ask the widow to make him a cake of bread first?
Has God done anything interesting when you served someone else?
Has God ever made you an "Elijah" to someone in need like the widow?
What patterns do you see in the way God connects you to others?
Reflect on 1Kings 18:20-46
Has God ever demonstrated his existence to you in a miraculous way?
Works Activities For This Week's Life Group Meetings (repeated from last week)
Review the current prayer partnerships in your life group.
Make sure that everyone has someone to pray with on a weekly basis.
These can be long-term assignments or your can rotate them.
If you rotate them, the assignments should last at least one month.
Review the list of people you are praying for in your life group.
Make sure that everyone knows who to pray for and how to pray for them.
Make sure that the people who need salvation are getting prayed for every day by the members of the group.
Review each person on the list of people you are reaching out to.
Has anyone invited him/her to lunch/dinner or some other informal activity along with at least one other life group member?
Has anyone invited him/her to a life group fun event?
Has anyone invited him/her to a life group meeting?
