Building Authentic Relationships

*Acts 20:7:

Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas

⁷ On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

*where do we position God in times of trouble or joy?
*God is our point man in all situations to open the way for us
*when God is good,we must show our goodness towards each other
*discipleship is relational with God and people
*people are helpful to our growing and learning
*2 peter 1:3-5,10:

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

*mutual encouragement,love and grace to keep our flame alive and growing
*signs of authentic relationship through disciplining,bonding and serving-expressed in praying and remembering one another
*doing well in christian life does not mean we will not stumble
*we must have the support and encouragement from people in the same community
*bonding with one another in good and bad times
*how do we know if we have authentic bonds and relationship?
*Acts 12:12-¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.- evidence for authentic relationship
*we are here for one another
*Acts 20:13,36-38-

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

¹³ We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot.

³⁶ When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷ They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. ³⁸ What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.-speaks about disciplining, bonding,serving

*who can we be for each other?
*in bonding,there is loving,praying and serving

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Bonding, Discipling, Serving

*Matthew 10:1-2:

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

*John 13:

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

¹⁸ “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’
¹⁹ “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. ²⁰ Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
²¹ After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
²² His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. ²³ One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. ²⁴ Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
²⁵ Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
²⁶ Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷ As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” ²⁸ But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. ²⁹ Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. ³⁰ As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³¹ When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. ³² If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
³³ “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
³⁶ Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
³⁷ Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
³⁸ Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

*what is bonding?
*moments of bonding was comforting to him before the sacrifice on the cross
*when comfort is needed there are people for you
*significance of bonding with each other
*taking a step of bonding a little further by disciplining
*he described how disciplining was about by washing his disciple's feet-a job of a servant and act of humility
*he thought his disciples servant hood and to serve with humility
*"as i have loved you,you must love one another"
*disciplining is to learn as much as we can about God
*but besides that disciplining is about positioning God in times of temptation
*is He real in your life?
*there is such thing as a point blank-must be positioned strategically his soldiers in war to win the battle(it is the same with us)
*we must decide between truth and falsehood-faith in God or idols
*some people maybe saved if they have the right people to guide them

*Micah 6:8: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

*in moments of decision making,positioning God to what is good with just and mercy
*"in changing times,we learn from unchanging principles"
*the advantage of being counseled and pointing to the truth
*though we might not see with their own eyes,they sense it in their hearts-the importance of bonding and serving
*the one thing Jesus taught more than anything else was prayer from all forms of bond-ages

*Mark1:23: ²³ Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out,
 
*at the start of ministry,Jesus prayed
*Mark 2-restoration of paralyzed man(he with God
*do not collect grudges because there is power in prayer that can forgive
*Matthew 5:

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The Fulfillment of the Law

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Adultery

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce

³¹ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’³² But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Eye for Eye

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

*power of prayer is setting God in control
*prayer is partnership with God
*the power of prayer comes from God to us
*God is at work in our church as much as any other church
*sometimes we dont talk or share answered prayers but this is hindering the work of God
*whatever is bound and release on earth is bound and release in heaven
*exercising power of prayer
*we should discipling,bonding and serving in our families,not only in church-through dynamics of small group and prayer
*Mark 3:

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Crowds Follow Jesus

⁷ Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. ⁸ When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. ⁹ Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. ¹¹ Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” ¹² But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

Jesus Appoints the Twelve

¹³ Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have authority to drive out demons. ¹⁶ These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), ¹⁷ James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law

²⁰ Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. ²¹ When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
²² And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”
²³ So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. ²⁷ In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
³⁰ He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”
³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

*Acts 5:42: ⁴² Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
 
self thoughts
*we don't need to go all out to preach the gospel,just merely showing an example is enough to show our Christ-likeness just like how God disciple his disciples by just showing servant hood of washing their feet felt the relief even before the restoration)
*let us not burden our remembrance

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Covet

Deuteronomy 5:21: ²¹ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
 
*its the hardest commandment because it deals with the heart
*we often wish we could be better and more talented
*what does the commandment prohibit
*"covet""hamat"-a lusting after belongings and posessions of our neighbour
*provokes jealousy and greed
*we can see it
*we just wanna have more and more and there is no stopping

*Matthew 15:19: ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
 
*Matthew 6:21: ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
 
*James 4:1-2b:

Submit Yourselves to God

4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

*the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart
*this commandment tells us to introspect ourselves
*Jeremiah 17:19:

Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

¹⁹ This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the Gate of the People, through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem.

^*foundations for covetousness
*the get what i have not got will bring me happiness
*the idea that things and persons can bring happiness
*the idea that self has to be pleased and satisfied
*God shaped vacuum can only be filled with by God
*this commandments brings us back to the 1st and 2nd commandment
*this big cells needs to be satisfied but we know its not true
*what breeds covetousness?
-our environment
-the advertisement
-the multimedia
-the modern financial facilities
*some of the company we keep
*discontented heart
*demanding spouse
*were good enough if we have this certain body shape,hair style,sports car
*we should be aware to be each others watch dog
*consequences about our covetousness
*story bout Judas and king David coveting Beersheba says so much about the consequences
*we must learn to be contented

*Phillippians 4:10-13:

Thanks for Their Gifts

¹⁰ I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

*even ministers can be so calm outside but their heart of covetousness is always there
*10 commandments is there for us and our
*it works very subtly among us
*focus on relationships not things
*"love people,use things"
*life is meaningful because we have a relationship with God
*we trust God to be the all wise God and will give us what we need so that God can use us
*God will provide
*choose to be a giver and give more and more
*evaluate our priorities
*"our want is not our need"
*cultivate the discipline of fasting
*covetousness in the end destroys us

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Buddies!

^{1 Corinthians 12:12-29, v 18:}

Unity and Diversity in the Body

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?

^{*God wants to see us fulfill the greatest potential in him}

^{*We need each other as brothers and sisters in Christ}

^{*Our relationship with God and each other is really important}

^{Eccesiastes 4:9-12} Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

^{Mark 6:7: 7} Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

^{*We should serve God is pairs}

 ^{*We will be easily discouraged if alone but with a team, we can encourage each other}

^{*We should have the initiative and intentional heart in knowing each other and building ourselves up} 

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Count your blessings

We would be a people of Gratitude

4 aspects why people are meant to worship God

1. Gratitude towards his healing grace

Isaiah 53: Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

Psalm 34:18: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

*We might feel anger with the problems but God is there to set you free
*God gives us a new hope
*He molds us to be someone beautiful and bold
*God's healing grace does tremendous things in our lives
*Nothing is too impossible for God to do and heal us

2. Gratitude towards his wondrous power and infinite wisdom (v4-6)

*He knows us all by name
*We are not here by accident
Psalms 139:13-16:

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

Hebrews 4:13: ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

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

*He will come and help you
*We have experienced him
*Keep a humble heart
*God is a circumstance for our heart
*We can be in the great commission for God's ministry
*Our heart must firstly be with the Lord
*God will use anyone who is willing
*We look at the heart and God will look at that and use you much more

3. Gratitude towards His wonderful provision (v7-9)

Psalm 37:25: I was young and now I am old,
    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
    or their children begging bread.

Phillippians 4:19: ¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

*There is always sufficiency
*Always rely on the Lord and He will provide
*If we come before Him with our request with sincerity, He will bring down his presents to us
*Everything is well provided for

4. Gratitude for security and safety (v10-14)

*God looks after us so well! with the finest of wheat
Psalms 33:20: We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.

Psalms 46:1: God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.

*We wants to be in control
*There are things we can't
Jeremiah 17:7-8: “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

*God always have our best interest at heart
Psalms 91: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

*No harm and disaster will come before you

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Leveraging your career

September 2 2012

*Don't know what your career is?
*What God wants to say

1. What is work?

Full time job-mom, dad, student

*God has a plan for each of us

2. It doesn't define who you are

*Work is going to change
*Identity of yourself is found in Christ alone
*Galatians 4:6-7: Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

*Only sons are heirs in the past
*But now sons and daughters can be heirs
*We are going to fail if we put work in front of God

3. God created us to work

*God has an identity for us
*Genesis 2:15: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
*This was before the fall of man
*We have the responsibility to work

4. It is important to find something we like and do it well

*2 Thessalonians 3:10-12: For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
¹¹ We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. ¹² Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.

*It is not a choice to be lazy

5. Work can be difficult

*It can be discouraging going through difficult times
*We all like success but we have no choice but to have struggles along the way too
*Genesis 3:17-18: To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
    through painful toil you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.

*God IS PATIENT

"We are a microwave generation serving a crack-pot God" - Jentezen Franklin-

*If only we'd be patient to wait for his plan for us

6. Work with others can be difficult

1st- home
2nd-work
love- command, not necessary like
*We are called to show grace to the ungrace and lovable to the unlovable
*Philippians 2:5-6: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

*It may not be in the workplace
*Maybe tonight we should let our grudge and anger go because His grace is sufficient for us

*We should just let God take charge

7. Work can be rewarding

*Find something we like doing
*John 10:10:  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

*There are times we do not have a life because we hate our work
*We should like what we do- tie it to the kingdom of God
*We should share a abit of our faith in our workplace

8. Work can be eternity-changing
*It should not be something we do from monday to friday and shut off

How can we be missionaries at our workplace?
*We should be challenged to be Christlike at our workplace
*Ecclesiastes 3:11: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

There is something out there for each of us
Who is it in my life that I have to work my relationship with or just let grace reveal through me?   

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Righteous desire

What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted....... 

- Proverbs 10:24 -

Thoughts on This Verse... The wicked fear the triumph of goodness, holiness, and righteousness. They fear not being in control. They fear death's overtaking them. The righteous desire the triumph of goodness, holiness, and righteousness. They offer their lives to be controlled by the Holy Spirit of God. They recognize death is an enemy, but one that has been conquered by their Savior. In times like these, isn't it comforting to know that the things that the wicked fear are really things that they can be sure of receiving!
 
**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**