Community – 4 of 6 Spiritual Disciplines

Community – 4 of 6 Spiritual Disciplines

Hebrews 10:19-25 NLT… And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Introduction: Building Christian community is a worthwhile work that is difficult but doable. It is difficult because of humanity’s rebellion toward unity, but it is doable because of the blood of Jesus that changes our nature.

Transition: Community is not so much where you live, as much as it’s about how you live.

Exposition: When we live into the discipline of Christian community, we exchange ‘I, my, and me’ for ‘we, our, us’ which is covenant language.

–Let us (verse 22) approach… faith

We have access because Christ cleansed us with his blood (Hebrews 9:22; Romans 5:1-2), and we’ve been publicly claimed by water baptism.

–Let us (verse 23) hold fast… hope

Our confidence in God is secure, because God’s promises are yes in Christ (II Corinthians 1:20)!

–Let us (verse 24) motivate one another… love

Our intelligence should be used to invest in each other (I Corinthians 13:4-8a). #GoodVibesOnly

–Let us (verse 25) gather together… obedience

Your presence makes the difference!

Challenge: Connect with a member of our faith community this week (call, write, text, meet) to motivate them, and do some random and unselfish for someone.

Devotional song of the week: Jesus At The Center (Israel & New Breed)

Fasting – 3 of 6 Spiritual Disciplines

Fasting – 3 of 6 Spiritual Disciplines

Matthew 6:16-18 NLT… “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Introduction: Western civilization is so addicted to opulence, that it frustrates us to hear the word no; even worse, we don’t know how to say no to ourselves.

Transition: Fasting is voluntary and deliberate deprivation; a physical action with spiritual implications.

Exposition: Considering fasting and prayer are twins, we should understand how we should think about it. Think of fasting as praying with your body.

–Why should we fast? For humility. REFERENCE Deuteronomy 8:3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

–When should we fast? While seeking clarity and course correction.

–How should we fast? Without the need of public praise, but comfortable with parental pride.

Challenge: This Thursday (March 7), I am calling us to fast from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Coffee, water, and fruit are permissible and please continue what is necessary for your medical needs.

Devotional song of the week: Give Me A Clean Heart (Fred Hammond)

Reset (LENTEN DEVOTIONAL)

Reset *This Lenten devotional was prepared and presented for the 2024 Lent Lunch series, of Spring Hill Avenue U.M.C. in Mobile, Alabama. PastorAEW was honored to be their pulpit guest.

Acts 1:8 NLT… But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Introduction: Reset means to set again/differently; nuance that is innovative and creative.

Transition: These forty days of Lent are intended to be a rest for the church of Jesus Christ, to focus on the main thing (the will of God).

Exposition: Jesus explains what a reset looks like…

–A true reset makes you stronger

–Resets involve a shift in purpose

–When resets occur, you don’t get stuck where you were meant to start

Conclusion: Our hands are too small to handle this work, but God’s hands are just the right size to give us what we need to live out God’s purpose for our lives.

Prayer – 2 of 6 Spiritual Disciplines

Prayer – Spiritual Disciplines 2 of 6

Matthew 6:9-13 NLT… Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today the food we need, 12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

Introduction: Prayer is the most underutilized tool in the Christian’s toolbox.

God is the only constant in our relationships, and we present the variables of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual distance.

Transition: Our relationship with God suffers when we fail to make prayer a priority.

Exposition: Prayer must be central to the life of a Christian.

–Divine Centrality (verses 9-10) your name, your Kingdom, your will
REFERENCE Matthew 16:42 My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.

–Communal Petitions (verses 11-13) Give us, forgive us, rescue us
REFERENCE 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.

Challenge: Secure a prayer partner, and pray with and for each other at least twice this week. Do so audibly, and pray unselfishly based on conversation with your prayer partner.

Devotional song of the week: Sweet Hour of Prayer Meditation (Rev. James Cleveland)

The Choice is Yours (LENTEN DEVOTIONAL)

The Choice is Yours *This Lenten devotional was prepared and presented for the 2024 Lent Worship and Dinner series, of Dauphin Way U.M.C. in Mobile, Alabama. PastorAEW was honored to be their pulpit guest.

Matthew 16:24 NLT… Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me”.

Introduction: When you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.

The Christian (who claims to be on the way to meet God) must know that the road is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14).

Transition: Who Jesus is (vs. 13-20) gives way to what Jesus does (vs. 21-28).

Peter voices the typical posture of humanity, which is escapism. So, Jesus uses this as a teachable moment on what it means to be a disciple of and for Jesus Christ.

Exposition: If you’re going to make the right choice about following Jesus, then there are some questions you should consider…

–What do you want? (Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any of you wants to be my follower)

In the middle of life is an ‘if’.

–How bad do you want it? (you must give up your own way)

Lay it down!

–What are you waiting for? (take up your cross, and follow me)

Pick it up and live it out!

Conclusion: “He is no fool who forsakes what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose”. ~Phillip James Elliott

Study – 1 of 6 Spiritual Disciplines

Study – Spiritual Disciplines 1 of 6

II Timothy 3:16-17 NLT… All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. [17] God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Introduction: The Christian holy canon has been intricately compiled, is intimately constructive, and is interestingly provocative.

Transition: To study means the devotion of time and attention to acquiring knowledge.

Exposition: Paul is pointing his protégé Timothy in the direction of biblical fidelity (faithful to a code; honoring a promise), and divine usefulness (partners instead of pawns).

-Be good (verse 16)
Studying scripture is important to our development because we are imperfect. Reference Philippians 3:12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

-Do good (verse 17)
Studying Scripture is God’s channel to not only develop us but to deploy us. Reference Luke 10:36-37 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Challenge: Steal Away Time… READ 5 minutes, MEDITATE 5 minutes, JOURNAL 5 minutes.

Fifteen minutes of focused reading, intentional thought, and logging your overwhelming observations, will help develop the discipline of study. ***You can find the passages for your Steal Away Time on this site, under the tab Reading with the Rev.

Devotional song of the week: Steal Away to Jesus (Zo! Gospel Choir)

Moving On

Moving On

Mark 9:2-9 NLT… Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, [3] and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. [4] Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. [5] Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials-one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [6] He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified. [7] Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.” [8] Suddenly, when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus with them. [9] As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Introduction: We must learn how to enjoy moments of celebration for what they are, instead of getting caught up in euphoria, and forgetting that moments are never meant to be monuments.

Transition: Moving on is not dismissive of mountain moments, but it does means that the moment of celebration should be motivation to confidently play whatever hand life deals you for the next round.

Exposition:

-Moving on is healthy.

-Moving on is a sign of being a good follower.

-Moving on means not to talk too fast.

Conclusion: On our Lenten journey, we will be moving on from mortal mountains, with our sights set on falling for, and following Jesus the messiah.

The God of Dry Places

The God of Dry Places

Exodus 17:1-7 NLT… At the Lord’s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sin and moved from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. 2 So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded. “Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?” 3 But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?” 4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!”

5 The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. 6 I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

7 Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”

Introduction: The previous chapters of our life story, should fuel our faith, so that we don’t hit the panic button every time trouble arises. Reference Exodus 14:11-12; 15:23-24; 16:2-3.

The story is always the same, our problem becomes God’s platform to display his power. We grumble, then God gives us what we don’t deserve; grace so sweet and amazing!

Transition: Moses asked two questions during the argument… why are you mad at me and why are you testing God’s patience?

Exposition:

–Impaired Vision… verse 3
Israel can’t see for looking! The situation has caused them to focus on the opposition, without any regard for the opportunity before them.

-Impassioned Prayer… verse 4
“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

–Incredible God… verses 5-6
The people wanted to stone Moses, so God took a rock they would’ve used for murder and gave them water. God specializes in doing something ‘super’ with our ‘natural’!

Conclusion: “Is the Lord here with us or not?” Yes, he is!

The Tie That Binds 3 of 3

Building the Future

Objective: To explain, promote and embrace the core values of our faith community, for individual and collective spiritual growth.

Romans 8:18 NLT Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

Introduction: You can be optimistically enthusiastic about the future of the church, once you understand that it develops by choice and not chance.

This is an exciting time to be a part of the church, because it is the hope of the world and it’s being revived, revitalized, and is more relevant than we know.

Transition: The best way to honor the past, is to live into the future!

Exposition: Since we are Bound by Faith and have been Bonding as Family, Building the Future requires…

-A sensible perspective (suffer now)

Struggle makes you stronger, and the implication is that it is temporary.

-God’s sovereign power (glory…later)

It’s God who sustains and celebrates us.

Conclusion: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Psalms 126:5

The Tie That Binds 2 of 3

Bonding as Family

Objective: To explain, promote and embrace the core values of our faith community, for individual and collective spiritual growth.

Romans 8:14-17 NLT For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Introduction: Being a member of a family unit requires intentional effort to strengthen and sustain the relationship. The titles mean little to nothing, when there is no tenacity to tighten the tie that binds.

Transition: God’s family is focused on health/sanctification, that allows us to progressively become more like Christ because of the Spirit’s power.

Exposition: To be a member of God’s family means…

-We are Spirit led (verses 14-15a) Reference John 8:44. God’s children yields to the will of God.

-We have been Divinely adopted (verses 15b-16) We have been intentionally chosen by God!

-We are the heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus (verse 17) Reference I Corinthians 15:57. Our posture is privilege not pity!

Conclusion: Our inheritance is inseparable from the vicissitudes of life.