Journey Community Church

Key Points: Team One (Winning): "The Lord's servants." This team is pursuing God. "Good Team Player" qualities: sincere faith, love, peace, righteousness, purity of heart, kindness, knowledge, gentleness, selflessness Team Two (Losing): "Opposers of truth." This team is pursuing pleasure. "Bad Team Player" qualities: lovers of self & money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, etc "Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Tim. 3:4-5) "Be what you need" Accountable Discipleship: Christian formation where believers join small groups to mutually encourage, support, and hold one another accountable to living out their faith in daily life Mothers are "Generation Shapers." Reflection Questions: Is your home team pursuing God, or pursuing pleasure? Are the people in your life pursuing God, or pursuing pleasure? Scriptures: 2 Timothy 1:3-5 2 Timothy 2:22 - 3:9 Proverbs 22:6

Key Points: - Build on the solid foundation of knowing God's Word and knowing God. - Avoid quarreling words, godless chatter, wicked behaviors and unholy work. Reflection Question: - Is my desire to spend time with God and in God's Word increasing? If no, what do I desire more than I desire God?  Scriptures: - 2 Timothy 2:14-21 - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Bible - Believer Affirmation: This is my Bible. I am who it says I am. (Matthew 5:16) I can do what it says I can do. (Philippians 4:13) I am going where it says I will go. (John 14:3) God’s Word is milk for my soul. (1 Peter 2:2) God’s Word is seed for my faith. (Luke 8:11) God’s Word is light for my path. (Psalm 119:105) God’s Word is power for my victory. (Hebrews 4:12) God’s Word is freedom for my life. (John 8:32) When I read God’s Word, it brings me joy. (Jeremiah 15:16) When I study God’s Word, it keeps me from shame. (2 Timothy 2:15) When I memorize God’s Word, it purifies my heart. (Psalm 119:11) When I quote God’s Word, it defeats my enemies. (Ephesians 6:10, 17) When I meditate on God’s Word, it brings me success. (Joshua 1:8) When I abide in God’s Word, it gives me confidence. (John 15:7) I am a Bible-believing follower of Jesus Christ!  

  Key Points: - Every disciple of Jesus is called to multiply disciple-making disciples. - Multiplying disciples flows from grace and power in Christ Jesus. - Multiplying disciples is a relational process. Only disciples can make disciples. - Multiplying disciples is intentional, sacrificial, and eternal work.   Scriptures: - 2 Timothy 2:1-13 - Matthew 28:18-20 - 1 Corinthians 11:1

Key Points: We are called to SALVATION in Christ. We are called to SANCTIFICATION in Christ. We are called to SERVICE (ie. mission and ministry) We discover our unique purpose as we surrender to God's purposes in salvation, sanctification, and service. Suffering brings clarity and conviction to our unique identity and calling.   Scriptures: 2 Timothy 1:6-14   Sermon by Pastor Blaine Keene Scripture Reading by Mark Goode

Key Points: Invitation #1: Redefine your legacy centered on the promise of life in Christ Jesus. Invitation #2: Rekindle the gift IN you by walking in power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy is all about receiving and sharing (or multiplying) the promise of life in Christ. Reflection Questions: Who is your Paul? Identify the people who helped you receive the promise of life in Christ, and send them a word of thanks for their legacy of faith passed on to you. Who is your Timothy? Prayerfully consider who are the people God has called you to influence with a legacy of life in Christ Jesus. Scriptures: 2 Timothy 1:1-7 (CSB)

Key Points: Death does not get the final words for those who trust in the resurrected Jesus. Rejecting the resurrection is the death of hope. Trusting in the resurrected One is the doorway to hope. Jesus's resurrection power replaces tragedy with triumph, selfish fear with selfless love, isolation with family, and sorrow with joy. Scriptures: Matthew 28:1-10 1 Corinthians 15:12-58 Romans 5:3-5

Key Points: The mystery of our faith becomes the reality of our lives by the power of God’s grace. Because Christ has died, we have died to sin and our old life. Because Christ is risen, we are raised to new life in Christ.  Because Christ will come again, we will reign with God in his eternal kingdom, which has already begun.  We are motivated and empowered by grace to participate in the mystery of our faith becoming reality. Grace is NOT opposed to EFFORT; but Grace IS opposed to EARNING.  Reflection Questions: How are we putting grace-motivated and grace-empowered effort into living out the mystery of our faith? Dying to sin and self? Living in the power of resurrection? Participating in the coming of God’s Kingdom? Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 1:2 AMP 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 50, 52 Romans 6:1-3, 12, 14 Ephesians 2:1-5 Colossians 3:1-10

Key Points: Not only is God speaking to and leading us, but we can grow in our confidence that we are accurately and consistently discerning God's will for our lives. Receiving REVELATION through God's Spirit is distinct from acquiring INFORMATION / KNOWLEDGE. The Holy Spirit reveals who God is in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit reveals what God has done in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit reveals who we are becoming in Jesus Christ. Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 Romans 12:2 Ephesians 1:17-19

Key Points: The wisdom and power of the world exalts self-sufficiency, worldly wisdom, impressive power, and freedom to do whatever we want. The wisdom and power of the gospel is Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Living according to the wisdom and power of the cross is mutually exclusive with living according to the wisdom and power of the world. Being made righteous in Christ is mutually exclusive with earning a right relationship with God. Receiving the gift of holiness (ie. transformation) in Christ is mutually exclusive with pursuing self-centered happiness. Receiving the gift of redemption in Christ is mutually exclusive with slavery to the familiar bonds of sin and its consequences. Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 1:26 - 2:6 Romans 3:21-25 Romans 8:1-4, 10-11, 28

The key to clarity, unity, and growth toward maturity among God’s people in divisive and tumultuous times is surrendering to the gospel of Jesus Christ, by focusing on the cross and empty tomb.   Obstacle #1 is OFFENSE because God does not meet our expectations of miraculous deliverance.   Obstacle #2 is NONSENSE because God’s way of salvation seems foolish compared to the wisdom of the world.   "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV

Fundamental error #1: Progressive Christianity exchanges the authority of the Creator for the created. Fundamental error #2: Progressive Christianity eliminates the need for repentance, reconciliation, and salvation. Fundamental error #3: Progressive Christianity falls prey to the same problems as secular humanism, including logical inconsistency and moral relativism. Fundamental error #4: Progressive Christianity redefines love as acceptance and affirmation. Fundamental error #5: Progressive Christianity exchanges Christ-centered identity for self-centered identity. What we believe matters. Truth can be known because God has revealed the truth in Jesus Christ. "The dominant conclusion among progressive Christians is that love means affirming whatever journey a person wants to be on, such that they don’t feel judged….Whereas Christians with a biblical worldview should understand love to be the act of wanting for others what God wants for them, progressive Christians tend to understand love as the act of wanting for others what they want for themselves." -Natasha Crain, Faithfully Different “Love, I have come to learn, is not God. Flip that. God is love. The God revealed in Jesus Christ is the definition of love. This difference changes everything...The cross is where that strange and holy God most clearly reveals his love...The cross is God’s intimate act of self-giving, his gentle way of critiquing our love of money, sex, self, romance, fame and power. These weaker loves, these idols we raise in our own image, could never compare with his infinitely greater love...It sounds like heresy in our culture, but romantic and sexual love are not the deepest expressions of our humanness. Unconditional love – God’s love- is.” - David Bennett, A War of Loves A Prayer: “Jesus I trust in you as the Son of God, my Savior, and Lord over all creation. I confess and repent of any known sin in my life. I surrender to your love and lordship in my life. I receive your grace to save me and continually transform me as I follow you one step at a time. I rely on your love to empower me to participate in the coming of your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.”

Progressive Christianity Fundamental Errors: 1. Exchanges the authority of the Creator for the created 2. Eliminates the need for repentance, reconciliation, and salvation "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:9-14 NIV

Any form of adherence to or acceptance of “Christian” Nationalism is a threat to our Christian faith and the witness of Christ’s church in the world. "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." - Philippians 3:20-21

Guiding Principle #1: We share much in common with Roman Catholic Christians, which can create bridges for connection and partnership. Guiding Principle #2: There is broad diversity in beliefs and practices across all Protestants and Catholics. Guiding Principle #3: There are significant differences between Protestant and Catholic beliefs that could impact a person’s salvation and sanctification.   Protestant Christianity Foundation #1: Sola Scriptura - “Scripture Alone” – The final authority for faith and practice is scripture alone. Protestant Christianity Foundation #2: Sola Fide – “Faith Alone” - Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. Protestant Christianity Foundation #3: Solus Christus – “Christ Alone” – Christ alone is the sufficient mediator of the blessings of the new covenant.   Scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Ephesians 2:1-10, Romans 3:21-25, James 5:16, 1 Peter 2:4-10

In this message, our guest speakers share about the 5 Pillars of Islam and compare them to the core beliefs of Protestant Christianity. They also offer encouragement and challenge in sharing the gospel with Muslims in our own neighborhoods.   "It is God’s mercy! The nations are here, all around us."

Three Critiques of Secular Humanism:  Secular Humanism is a logically inconsistent worldview. Making the self "god" is Satan's oldest and most destructive tactic. Secular Humanism leads down the slipper (and dangerous) slope of moral relativism. A Biblical Worldview: When we embrace objective truth and moral authority in Jesus Christ (and His revelation to us), it leads to flourishing, freedom, and life.

The Goals of this Sermon Series Are: To gain deeper understanding that will lead to deeper connection with God for each of us. To equip disciples of Jesus to engage more courageously, intelligently and lovingly in conversations with people of other faiths and worldviews. “If someone could provide reasonable answers to the most significant questions and objections you have about Christianity—reasonable to the point that Christianity seems true beyond a reasonable doubt—would you then become a Christian? - Geisler & Turek, I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist To learn more about this sermon series & access resources on each religion / faith worldview we are exploring, visit www.discoverjourneycc.com/currentseries

Jesus came to bring light, life, and hope to all those who trust in Him as the Son of God and Savior of humanity. Jesus came for those who are distant.  Jesus came for those who are devoted. Jesus came for those who have drifted. Prayer of Salvation: "Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God, who died on a cross and rose from the grave. I confess my sins to You and trust in Your forgiveness. I trust You to bring light, life, and hope by grace through faith. Teach me how to be Your devoted disciple one step at a time. Amen."   "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." - Colossians 1:19-20 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:1-5 NIV  

Disruptions are opportunities to encounter and trust God in new ways. Disruptions are a direct assault on our sinful inclination to assert our will in any and every situation.   Sometimes when nothing is going according to our plans, everything is falling into place for God’s plans.   Reflection Questions: How is God revealing His presence? How is God inviting me to trust Him and His good plans? What step can I take to trust and obey God?   “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means 'God with us')." - Matthew 1:23 

The Good Shepherd came to Refresh and Restore Weary Sheep. (Matthew 9:36, Psalm 23, Isaiah 40) The Good Shepherd came to Rescue and Redirect Lost Sheep. (Luke 2:10-11; 15:3-7; John 10:1-4,9-10; Ezekiel 34, Zechariah 9) When we trust in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, it leads to JOY in heaven and in us. (Luke 2:10-14, 20; Luke 15:5-7, John 15:11) Reflection Questions: 1) Are you ready to trust Jesus to bring refreshment and rest to your weary soul? 2) Are you ready to trust Jesus to rescue or redirect you? 3) How could you share this good news with someone in your circle of influence?

God still speaks to unlikely people in unlikely places.   4 Practical Tips to Hear God Speak to YOU: Create space and pace to listen. Submit yourself to God’s purposes – even when you are troubled or afraid. Know God’s promises through God’s Word and God’s Spirit. Listen for good news that increases joy, peace and power. “For no word from God will ever fail.” - Luke 1:37 

This Advent, we are praying that we'll keep our focus on THE GIFT in the midst of all the other gifts.   The greatest gift we can offer Jesus is who we are becoming.   An Advent Prayer: Lord God, we want to keep our focus on THE GIFT, and to become more like Jesus during this Advent season. Please convict us of sin and reveal how we need to change. Holy Spirit, we invite you to change us from the inside out. Lord Jesus, we want to offer you the gift of our surrendered and transformed hearts this Christmas. Amen.

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus invites us to: Repent Rest ReSurrender Receive The freedom, healing and transformation which we all need – the spiritual awakening and liberation for which we long is not found in a program, but a person. His name is Jesus. How is Jesus inviting you to trust him? How are you choosing to respond? “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." - Matthew 16:24-27 

The fruit of spiritual awakening is a new Community, new identity and new mission.   AA Step Twelve: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.   Wesleyan Covenant Prayer: “I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are mine, and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”

The goal of the Gospel is communion with God in Christ by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.   Communion with God gives GRACE for honest SELF-EXAMINATION. Communion with God helps us KNOW God and God’s WILL. Communion with God gives POWER for constant GROWTH.   AA Step Eleven: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.   "Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” - John 4:13-14 NIV  

This week's worship gathering looked a little different as we welcomed guests Carl & Alyssa Adkins and invited them to share more about Alyssa's recovery journey and sobriety, what it's like to walk through recovery with your spouse, and how to invite your kids into the process. We also held some space to walk through Alcoholics Anonymous Step #10: "Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it" "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." - Romans 12:2  

AA Step Eight: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.   AA Step Nine: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.   Forgiven people are forgiving people.   "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." - Colossians 3:12-14  

Step Six: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Step Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Celebrate Recovery, Principle 5: Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. The Gospel invites us to be active participants in a process of transformation that can only happen by God’s grace and power working in us. The goal of the Gospel in us is our complete transformation into the likeness of Jesus Christ – now and for eternity. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” - Romans 12:1-2 The Serenity Prayer written by Reinhold Niebuhr: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen.

The Gospel declares that confessing our sins is necessary for our healing, forgiveness, and transformation in Jesus Christ. “Bland confession is like taking a shower with your clothes on: you avoid the embarrassment of nakedness, but it’s hard to get clean. Often in church groups the only sins that get confessed are vague and respectable — almost virtues...Where the practice of confession is superficial, the experience of grace will be superficial." - John Ortberg, Steps "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." - James 5:16

There is no path to freedom and wholeness outside of vulnerability. Yet, we spend most of our lives choosing to be invulnerable.  What did vulnerability and in-vulnerability look like in the life of King David? Let's dive in together. "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.' And you forgave the guilt of my sin." -Psalm 32:5

The Gospel declares we are set free from sin by surrendering our lives to the grace and power of God offered through Jesus Christ. AA Step Three: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God." - Romans 8:13-14

Step Two: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. The Gospel declares that we are rescued, healed and transformed by God’s power in Jesus Christ. “The Set Aside Prayer": God, Please help me set aside everything I think I know about myself, my sinful idolatry or spiritual workarounds, my spiritual recovery journey, and especially You; So I may have an open mind and a new experience of all these things. Please let me see the truth. Amen. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." - Romans 7:15-20

The Gospel of Jesus Christ confronts us with our powerlessness to overcome our sin and brokenness. “Let me sum up, then, the foundational ways that I believe Jesus and the 12 steps of AA are saying the same thing but with different vocabulary. We suffer to get well. We surrender to win. We die to live. We give it away to keep it.” – Richard Rohr, Breathing Under Water “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.” - Ephesians 2:1-3  

Listening to AND obeying Jesus's teachings is the strong foundation for our lives.   Reflection Questions: How am I working the words of Jesus into my everyday living? What words of Jesus am I hearing, but not obeying? Am I building my life on the rock or on the sand? Am I on the broad road that leads to destruction, or the narrow road that leads to life? “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” - Matthew 7:24-27 MSG

The Test of Inside-Out Consistency – Is there integrity between what they say or do on the outside, and who they are on the inside? The Test of Good Fruit – Do they display the fruit of the Spirit and the character of Christ (especially when it seems no one is watching)? The Test of Lordship rooted in Relationship – Do their words/actions overflow from deep abiding in Christ and surrendered obedience to Jesus’ Lordship? The Test of Biblical Authority - Are they using the Bible to make their point, or are they highlighting the point the Bible makes? “Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other.” - Matthew 7:15-16 MSG

Principle #1: We only judge (ie. provide loving accountability) through the lens of righteousness that comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Principle #2: We only judge (ie. provide loving accountability) AFTER confessing and repenting of our own sin. Principle #3: We only judge (ie. provide loving accountability) when people want help with the speck (or log) in their eye. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” -Matthew 7:1-2

"Seek first His Kingdom" - We let the REALITY of God's Kingdom transform our everyday living.   "Seek first His righteousness" - We let the LOVE of God's Kingdom define our value.   "...and all these things will be given to you as well" - We let the PROVISION of God's Kingdom fuel our faith.   "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." -Matthew 6:33

Forgiveness is birthed from COMMUNION with God. Forgiveness is fostered by HUMILITY before God. Forgiveness is practiced in OBEDIENCE to God. "This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." -Matthew 6:9-15 NIV

"The goal of prayer is to become a friend of God." "We don't fast to impress God, but to be impressed by God." “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." -Matthew 6:5-8 ESV  “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." -Matthew 6:16-18 ESV

Callout #1: Giving with the right heart is a narrow road Callout #2: The ditch of pride = "I'm the hero. People need  me " Callout #3: The ditch of guilt and shame = "If I don't give, I'll feel bad." Callout #4: Jesus IS the reward Callout #5: The Litmus test for your giving posture = What drives you? Who's the hero? What do you see? Callout #6: When we fix our eyes on Jesus -That's what we get.  “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." -Matthew 6:1-6 NIV

“Personal insult will be the saint’s occasion for revealing the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.” -Oswald Chambers   “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 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. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." -Matthew 5:38-42   Reflection Questions: 1. What is the most loving response in this situation? 2. Have you fully surrendered to receiving the love of a perfect heavenly Father? Do you need receive a fresh outpouring of God’s love today? 3. What is it you need to surrender that is hindering you from walking in the freedom and power of love for God, yourself and others – especially your enemies? 4. How is the Spirit of God in you prompting a creative, loving response to your enemy?

Jesus’ teaching elevates the sanctity of love, sex and marriage for men and women alike.   Matthew 5:27-32   Lust is a heart problem that requires heart solutions, which can only be found through our continual surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.   “As long as lust is present, love cannot be. Lust is about consumption. Love is about communion. Lust is about taking. Love is about giving. Lust uses. Love honors. Lust diminishes the other. Love cherishes the other.” - Rich Villodas, The Narrow Path   “...God invented the first divorce recovery program. It's at a place called Calvary. The price for the course is one bloodstained cross–and Jesus paid it. He was the first to go through the program, and it's still in session...” John Ortberg, Insurmountable   “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’  and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” -Matthew 19:4-6   Jesus’ vision for love, sex and marriage is a narrow road, but it is holy, beautiful, and better than anything this world has to offer.

For Pharisees, the fulfillment of the law was about following the rules. For Jesus, the fulfillment of the law was about following him. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift." -Matthew 5:23-24

"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. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." -Matthew 5:13-16 NIV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." -Matthew 5:3-12

Bold Witnesses, compelled by love, represent God by being who they really are. Reflection Questions: How can I trust the perfect love of God to cast out the fears that are hindering my bold witness for Jesus? What are the specific relationships or places where God is calling me to be a bold witness? What specific step can I take this week to be a bold witness for Jesus? "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." -2 Corinthians 5:14-15

What does it look like to give God the best of us?   "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." -Acts 2:42

Bold Witnesses live generously with their time, talents and treasures. Generosity overflows from lives changed by God’s grace.  How is God inviting you to trust the generosity of God’s grace toward you? How is God inviting you to live generously with your time, talents and treasure? "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them." -Acts 4:32-34

What does it look like to share the gospel with the people around us?  Keep it Simple: Tell the story of JESUS' crucifixion and resurrection. Keep it Real: Tell the story of YOUR crucifixion and resurrection. Keep it Current: Live a lifestyle of crucifixion and resurrection. “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” -Acts 2:38-39

The Holy Spirit is the active, indwelling presence of God who enables Christians to live in obedience and victory each day. Our Bold Witness hinges on being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.     "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." -Acts 2:1-4