Date: June 10th, 2012 Everyone gets angry, but not everyone get angry about things that matter.
"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." James 1:19
Abiding in Christ
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
The Christian life is not meant to be experienced on human power. Without the power of God within a believer’s life, there would be no growth. The goal of sanctification is to grow in becoming more like Christ each day. Abiding in Christ is to simply find rest and relationship intimately with Him. Fruit will begin to grow in a trusting relationship with Christ. Believers can not grow on their own power just as a tree cannot bear fruit without being rooted in good soil. Good soil is what builds a strong tree. Many times, leaders try to fertilize bad soil, expecting to receive a good harvest. The true believer brings forth the fruit of a new lifestyle, a lifestyle that is pleasing in the sight of God.
Warren Wiersbe says, “Hard hearts must be 'plowed up' before they can receive the seed, and this can be a painful experience.”
God Produces:
Fruits of the spirit. "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23
Fruits of repentance. "Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God." Matthew 3:8
Fruits of gratitude. "Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name." Hebrews 13:15
God uses each day to work in and through us to build godly character in our lives. The good soil produces fruit that will remain and multiply. The grace of God is with believers every day to empower us to move beyond mediocrity and towards godly character. Abiding in Christ is an ongoing process of releasing the rights of living our own way and obeying God’s way. The fruit is not for one’s own glory but is to reflect glory to God (Matthew 5:13).
People are looking for authentic followers of Christ. Abiding in Christ builds healthy fruit that remains and brings glory to God.
Source SM Review: Volume #2
Teaching series: “Focus”- Why we are here and what God has called us to be as a ministry!
Main Teaching point: God wants us to live a sacrificial life of worship.
Length of service: 55 minutes. 2 separate services for middle and high school.
Message Explanation: Jared did a great job explaining the importance of living a life of worship. It is much more than music but a daily sacrifice to God in all areas of life. Key scripture: Romans 12:1-2 – “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you."
Element of fun: We showed a video of one of our leaders named Jason. He has a great sense of humor and did a great job making a video of some guidelines for the student ministry! This is only the beginning of creating videos for the ministry!
Music Set: Our God, Mighty to Save, Awakening, Heart of Worship (closing).
Favorite Moment: Seeing students worship God freely. One great moment was seeing brothers embrace and pray with each other at the altar. It is amazing to see God's Spirit moving in the student ministry.
Next week: We are off for Memorial Day weekend. We are beginning a new summer series called "Doin Work" starting on June! We will be teaching through the book of James in June and July. We are looking forward to the lives that will be changed this summer!