Slaying the Giants in Your Life

Slaying the Giant of Resentment

What do you think of when you hear the word Resentment?
How do you detect resentment in others?
How do wounds shape us in the person that we are? Is it true that “Hurting people hurt people”?

What is your definition of "Wound"?
Webster says:
an injury, usually involving division of tissue or rupture of the integument or mucous membrane, due to external violence or some mechanical agency rather than disease.

Defending ourselves from the Giant of Resentment
See 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
To understand how to defend yourself against the giant of resentment, we must understand that LOVE is the only thing that keeps from being a captive of resentment. Love and Resentment can not co-exist in the life of the believer.

To forgive or not to forgive
See Ephesians 4:31-32
As a Christ follower, what right do we have to choose to NOT forgive someone?

I hope that you find the study notes helpful as we approach the Son with the issue of resentment. The notes can be found at http://www.lifesongchurchonline.com/ “Discipleship”.

Gather, Grow, and Go
Tim

Slaying the Giant of Anger

Slaying the Giant of Anger

Ever said “That makes me so angry”? Is it possible that we are angry people already, meaning that the anger was already is inside of us. I know of some people that just seem to lust after an opportunity to be angry. Sinful Anger is self generated and is very selfish in its nature. James chapter 1 explains that it is easy to be deceived in thinking that our anger is someone else’s fault, but according to James, sin comes from our own evil desires. In short, the desire to be angry comes from inside ourselves. Giving in to that desire leads to ruin. That ruin, leads to spiritual and emotional death. Can you count how many relationships in your life that has been destroyed by the Giant of Anger… by you or someone else that was convinced that you were justified in the anger?

The Bible Study notes for this lesson can be founds at http://www.lifesongchurchonline.com/ “Discipleship”

Gather, Grow, & Go
Tim

Slaying The Giants of Your Life

Slaying the Giant of Worry

Sgt. Sid Ayres was a tail gunner on a bomber during WWII. As a member of the 456th Bomber Group, he flew 50 missions over Europe in 1944. His ride? A B29 named Worry Bird.

Not too many years ago I met a tail gunner of a B29. He told me that he was a nervous wreck for 4 years as a tail gunner. His job allowed him to be the first one on the crew to see the enemy coming. According to Pat, most tail gunners would be out of ammunition by the time the enemy would finally get into shooting range.

It would be a difficult thing to live in constant worry for 4 years, but the fact is that some of us spend our entire life in a state of worry. Take a few minutes and read Matthew Chapter 6

The outline for this bible study as well as others can be found in the Discipleship tab of http://www.lifesongchurchonline.com/


Gather, Grow, & Go
Tim

Slaying the Giants of Your Life

Slaying the Giant of Discouragement

What are some things that contribute to The Giant of Discouragement? In the book of Nehemiah chapter 4, we are shown an example of the Giant of discouragement and how God’s people being lead by Nehemiah, was able to defeat this Giant through prayer and obedience.

The outline for this bible study as well as others can be found in the Discipleship tab of http://www.lifesongchurchonline.com/

Gather, Grow, & Go

Tim

Slaying the Giants in Your Life

Slaying the Giant of Fear

The following is my outline for the series that we are studying on Sunday nights. This study was written by Pastor David Jeremiah. Fear is a Giant that Satan keeps on a leash and releases this Giant when we don’t expect it. FEAR can be a life saver or a life taker. If we wade in a small pond that most likely has snakes in it, we should have fear. It could save our lives. If we wade in the shallow end of the swimming pool, and have fear, then we would say that FEAR is a life taker. An event in the Old Testament gives us a snap shot how fear can paralyze a nation. Take a moment to read Deuteronomy 1:19-40

The outline for this bible study as well as others can be found in the Discipleship tab of http://www.lifesongchurchonline.com/

Gather, Grow, & Go

Tim

Church: Part 2

What are the most common excuses people give for not being part of a church family? Being in Church leadership, I have heard quite a few. Those excuses come from family, work, and the grocery store. The one I love to hear is “the church is full of hypocrites” and (in my mind) I say “yes” you are right, and we have room for one more, so when can you come?

When I think of church family, I think of unity. In the past I have experienced people that claim to be a disciple of Christ, that have done some very destructive things that disrupt unity, which a true Christ follower would not do.

God’s word has a lot to say on the subject:
Ephesians 4:3
3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
In short, as Christ followers we have unity, and Satan seeks to disrupt it or to remove it. The scripture didn’t say “create” it said “KEEP”.

Who is responsible for the unity of the church?
For the answer read Colossians 3:12-14

Tips worth keeping

Focus what we have in common, not our differences.
Matthew 28:18-20

Be realistic with your expectations
Ephesians 4:2

Choose to encourage rather than criticize.
Romans 14:4-10

Refuse to listen to gossip
If you are not part of the problem or part of the solution and you are talking about it then that is GOSSIP. And listening to gossip is like receiving stolen property.

Practice God’s method for conflict resolution.
Matt. 18:15-17

Support your pastor and leaders
Hebrews 13:17 / 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

Side Note:
Other believers WILL disappoint you and let you down, but that is no excuse to stop fellowshipping with them. And Divorcing your church at the 1st sign of disappointment is a mark of immaturity.

Gather, Grow, & Go

Tim

Church: Part 1

How is being a member of a church like being a family member? Wow, if you are like me at all, you would have a lot to say about family and church. I think that there some similarities between the two. Key word here is “expectations”. We all have them, and when the church or the family, doesn’t meet our expectations, we are pretty quick to defend why our expectations are what they are, and even try to make them sound biblical. Sometimes we place expectations on people without ever verbalizing it to them. Example, most people believe that the church exists “to meet their needs”, when in fact the church does meet needs, but it is the result or the by-product of being a group of people who desperately want to see the lost to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The soul purpose of the church is not to meet needs, but to meet souls.

So in reality there are 2 types of misplaced expectations:
1. The unspoken expectation:
“Well, he is a Pastor, he should come and knock on my door.”

2. The unrealistic expectation:
“Why isn’t the church doing more for the marching band fund raiser?”

Using an analogy that a good friend shared with me, kind of sums it up concerning expectations, “at a football game, you have 10,000 people (in need of exercise) not in the game, but complaining what the 11 on the field, (that needs rest), should be doing in order for us to win”

Remember this, you can’t place an expectation on a family member that only the church can fill, because as a Christ follower you were created to have Christ community, and you can’t place an expectation on the church that only God can fill, because without a growing relationship with Him you will forever be dissatisfied, regardless what a family member or a church does or doesn’t do.

Paul said in Ephesians 4:1-2
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Side Note:
As a family member the expectation is to Love and be Loved. That does not exclude you from washing the dishes.

As a Church member our focus is Him and not us, and we don’t earn the right not to serve.

Gather, Grow, & Go

Tim

I am Protected and I do Fall

The past 4 years I have enjoyed mountain biking. There is a sense of freedom and accomplishment that comes from a fast ride though the woods with creeks and wildlife. Riding fast does create a problem. Very hard falls are a reality. I have a scar or two that proves it. The one single thing that has protected me has been my helmet. I never think about my helmet while I’m riding. But after getting my bell rung from a hard fall, (while trying to be superman) I always take a moment and look at my helmet, and think, “Wow, this helmet was expensive, but it just saved my life or kept me from a serious injury.

Ephesians 6:17-18 says:
17. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

The Spiritual helmet that we wear was expensive. As a Christ follower, I have found my self getting up from a fall. And just like biking, the fall always came when I least expected it. I was not alert. And just like biking, I don’t think about my spiritual helmet until I fall.

Helmets are expensive but worth it. Riding a bike or as a Christ follower choosing not to wear it, is ill advised. Not only did my bike helmet protect my skull from being cracked, but kept objects (stuff) from entering my head.

LifeSong Discovery
This is our New Members class, and our next one is this Sunday after worship. The following is just a few “Tim” thoughts about church membership:

1. Belonging to a church can help develop Spiritual Strength, and not belonging to a church is an unnatural state for a Christian.
Eph 2:19
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,

2. A church family helps you develop Spiritual Muscle.
2 Cor. 4:15
5All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

3. You will share in Christ’s mission in the world.
Eph. 2:10
10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

4. Church is a place for Encouragement
Heb. 3:13
13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Gather, Grow, & Go
Tim

Warfare

When someone says "Spiritual Warfare", what immediately comes to mind?

Have you ever sensed that you were in a Spiritual Battle?

There are 5 basic truths concerning Spiritual Warfare:

There is an invisible world
2 Kings 6:15-18
Ephesians 6:12

We are involved in an invisible world
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
2 Corinthians 4:4

Our foe is formidable
1 Peter 5:8

We must respect our foe but not fear him
2 Corinthians 2:10-11

We do not fight for victory, we fight because we have victory
1 John 4:4
1 John 5:4-5
James 4:7

When conflict erupts in your life, what is your response?

Why do we struggle? We struggle because we forget that a battle is going on.
The battle is raging in our homes, our church, and our community, and we have forgotten,

Ephesians 6:10-18 (The Message)
10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
13-18Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

If you are like me, I seem to find myself in "battle" most weeks. My prayer for you this week is that you will embrace God's word for us and be reminded that we fight because we have victory already.

Gather, Grow, & Go
Tim

Can someone live a joy-filled life in isolation from others?

Today, I spent some time with some friends from LifeSong as we worked together on a community transformation project. It was hot and sometimes overwhelming. I noticed a common element. All that participated was just happy being together. They were experincing community. 4 year old Jack kept us in Icey Pops and elbowed his way into any group of people that made eye contact with him. As we prepare for "In Home" small groups, I have been reading "Creating Community" by Andy Stanley. WE are built to be in each others lives.

Here is a short insert:

"Lost Perspective - When we live in isolation, we can easily lose perspective on life. That's because there is no objective voice calling us us toward balance. Our lows tend to be lower, and our highs tend to be higher. Our point of view becomes clouded and things tend to seem worse (or better) than they really are. Simple decisions can appear bigger than life and decision making can become more impulsive when we don't have others to point us back to "True North" And lest we forget, we can lose the perspective that, as believers in Christ, we are in a battle. We can forget that we have a very real enemy and he plays for keeps. We can lose sight that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, and our enemy's most successful strategy is to isolate us so he can attack and destroy us."

What is NOT good? See Genesis 2:18

Gather, Grow, and Go!

Tim