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Deliverance

Posted by Matt Broadway on October 3, 2011 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Sailboat-1

Romans 8:1-22
Last week, we discovered that God's law (the rules and commands given in the Bible) does not kill sin (all the bad stuff we do). It exposes and provokes the sin that lives in us so we'll see how horrible our situation is and run to the Deliverer (Jesus). This passage examines what the Deliverer does.
 
Justification
The Deliverer justifies those who trust and follow him. To be justified means to be made innocent in light of the law. God sent Jesus in the likeness of sinful flesh to fulfill the requirements of the law for us, like the inventor of your favorite video game coming to your house to play the perfect game, logged in as you. His perfect fulfillment of the law can be transferred to you if you trust and follow him, accepting the gracious gift, allowing you to claim the promise that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
 
But your sin must also be paid for. This is where the cross comes in. Many people live a counterfeit version of Christianity that does not require a bloody cross because they do not understand that their sin must be paid for, or else God is unjust. Jesus not only lived the life we've failed to live but also died the death we deserve, taking the condemnation for our sin. And he is the only one who could do it because he comes from outside the system, so to speak.
 
I get regular calls from people in need of emergency financial assistance. Part of the discussion I have with these folks is about their family and friends. Is there no one they know who can help them? The answer is invariably that all the people they know are in their same financial situation. They need someone outside their system to reach in and deliver them. In other words, as people aboard the same sinking ship cannot rescue each other, humanity cannot solve its own sin problem. We need a Deliverer from outside our system to make us innocent. We have that Deliverer in Jesus Christ.
 
Sanctification
The Deliverer doesn't just set us free from the law of sin and death to leave us on our own. He also sanctifies us. If justification is being made positionally innocent, sanctification is being made practically innocent – transformed over time into the holy person that we already declared to be, like a baby growing into his new humanity.
 
How does the Deliverer do this? With the Holy Spirit. The law of the Spirit of life has set you free. What follows is a description of what these free people look like, presented in the form of three questions:
 
1. Is your experience with Christianity increasingly exhausting or exhilarating? (v.4)
The word flesh in this passage refers to our human nature apart from God in all its weakness and proclivity toward sin. The word Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit and connotes powerful wind. Think of it in terms of a row boat versus a sailboat.
 
Are you moving forward in following Jesus? If so, is your progression all work, like rowing a boat? Or are your sails filled with something supernatural, propelling you along?
 
2. Is your thinking increasingly drawn downward/inward or upward/outward? (v.5)
Is your thinking more naturally absorbed with the things of the world and the concerns of yourself or the things of God and the concerns of others? Nothing about the gospel pulls us downward or inward. It frees us to love God and other people like never before.
 
3. Is your life increasingly characterized by death or peace and liveliness? (v.6-7)
This refers to eternal death and life; but also to daily deathliness and liveliness. Are you experiencing a growing peace that is disconnected from your circumstances, founded in God himself? Or are you frail and deadened by going it alone? (See Galatians 5 for a more extensive look at the fleshly lifestyle versus the Spiritual lifestyle.)
 
But in all these things, remember: the Christian life is not a straight arrow toward holiness. It has ups and downs, mountains and valleys. So think overall trajectory when you evaluate yourself based on this passage. And run to the Deliverer!
 
Discussion Starters

1.       What did you find most interesting/challenging about this passage?

2.       What does it mean to be in Christ Jesus? (See Romans 6:3-11 and Galatians 3:25-28)

3.       Work together to list what God does for us according to this passage.

4.       Think through verses 3 and 4 together and put it in your own words.

5.       Read verses 5-8: Do your thoughts increasingly draw downward/inward or upward/outward?

a.        Is your life characterized by deathliness or peace/liveliness?

b.       Is your experience of Christianity increasingly exhausting or exhilarating?

6.       How can we serve one another in light of this passage?

7.       How can your group pray for you this week?

The Law and the Deliverer

Posted by Matt Broadway on September 26, 2011 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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Romans 7:7-25

Bad News
Sin will make you miserable until Jesus returns or you die.

Sin is all the bad stuff we do, from grumpiness before our AM coffee to nuclear warfare. But note that I’m not just saying societal sin will make you miserable. I’m saying your own sin will make you miserable, even if you are a Christian. In fact, especially if you’re a Christian.

What makes me think this? Paul’s testimony in Romans 7:15-23. Even though his salvation story is better than ours (Acts 9), his position was higher than ours (apostle!), his knowledge of the law was better than ours (2 Corinthians 11) and he sacrificed more for the gospel than we do (2 Corinthians 11 again); he was still miserable from his own sin.

This obliterates the notion that we can reach a level of Christian maturity that will immunise us from sin. The bad news is that we can expect to experience confusion (v.15), helplessness (v.17-21), and inner turmoil (v.22) because of our sin, even as we’re growing toward Christ.

So why do so many find that their sin doesn’t evaporate after becoming a Christian; but often seems worse? Figuring out how the law works is a big piece of this puzzle.

The Law
Law is the rules, the do’s and don’ts like the 10 commandments.

Does the law kill sin? No. It exposes and provokes it (v.7; 8-12).

Why would God use the law to expose and provoke sin in his people? In order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure (v.13).

The law exposes and provokes our sin so we’ll see it for what it is: a hideous monster inside that we cannot contend with alone. It makes us cry out like Paul, Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

You can’t cope with sin. Pills can medicate its symptoms; but sin remains a festering presence inside. You can’t manage it. Accountability partners, Covenant Eyes, and self-restraint might suppress certain expressions of your sin; but it’ll pop up somewhere else like a horrible game of whac-a-mole.

Good News
The good news is that we have a deliverer (v.25). The law exposes and provokes our sin so we’ll cling to the arms of Jesus Christ. That’s why we’re Christians. We follow a man, not a moral code. It’s good news about what Jesus did, not good advice about what we need to do.

Jesus lived the life we’ve failed to live and died the death we deserve so that we can be saved by clinging to him – believing in and following him as a disciple.

We need this good news on the 800th day as a Christian just as much as we needed it on our 1st day, because we’ll be needing the Deliverer until the very end.

Implications

1. Sinners need not despair. Go to the Deliverer. Repent. Believe. Be baptised. Learn from the Teacher. Grow. And go make more disciples.

2. Expect a mess within the church. This is not a place for cleaned up people to bask in their moral glory. This is where sin is exposed and provoked so that we can be rid of it by clinging to the Deliverer.

3. Don’t act when with the church. It is the one gathering in which all participants know they’re sinful and in need of help.  

4. When evaluating your relationship with Jesus, put more weight on your desires than your morality. While Paul wrestled with sin, he hated it, desired good, and delighted in the law. You will wrestle with sin. But do you hate it? Do you desire to do good? Do you delight in God’s law?

5. Offer deliverance, not condemnation to others. What Christians have to offer the world is not a better moral system. We have the Deliverer! So talk to people about Jesus. Ask your friends where they are with Jesus.
 

Sermon_Audio_9-25-11.mp3
Listen on Posterous
Discussion Starters

1.       What did you find most interesting about this passage?

2.       Those who are comfortable, share your testimony with the group.

3.        Read verses 15-22. Which aspect of Paul’s testimony do you relate to most? How so?

4.       Do you find Paul’s struggle with sin reassuring or disconcerting? Why?

5.       Within Dulins Grove, is our struggle with sin obvious (messy) or hidden (clean)? Why? Should this change? If so, how?

6.       Describe the difference between embracing the law and embracing the Deliverer (v.24-25). How can we point people to Jesus rather than the law as we make disciples?

7.       How can we serve one another in light of this passage?

8.       How can your group pray for you this week?

House to House Invitation

Posted by Matt Broadway on in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus Christ. Acts 5:42

I’m writing to invite you to House to House. Three reasons being a part of a group is important for your spiritual health:

1. It helps you digest Scripture
Undigested scripture, like undigested food, doesn’t make you healthy. It makes you sick. H2H centers on discussion of the scripture preached the previous Sunday, helping you to think through it and respond.

2. It connects you to people
True Biblical fellowship involves the ‘one anothers of scripture”:
comfort one another
forgive one another
build one another up
serve one another
bear one another’s burdens
encourage one another
welcome one another
care for one another
minister to one another
show hospitality to one another
pray for one another
teach one another
confess sins to one another
admonish one another
consider one another
submit to one another
grow close to one another
edify one another
and more…

We cannot experience these things shoulder to shoulder in a big gathering. We need smaller clusters of deep relationships to experience true Biblical fellowship.

3. It provides an opportunity to bring people to Jesus
Surveys suggest that there are many eager to discuss the things of God, but hesitant to enter a church building. Meeting outside the walls of our building, in your neighborhood offers a unique opportunity to include these folks in a casual, real discussion of the Bible.

If you’re not currently involved in a group, I invite you to visit several groups over the next six weeks and see if one is a fit for you:

1. Dulins Grove Church on Mondays @ 10am
704-545-5893
11100 Arlington Church Road
Charlotte, NC 28227

2. Ron and Jan Thomas’ House on Mondays @ 7pm
704-573-3579
10926 S Hampton Drive, Charlotte, NC 28227

3. Matt and Amy Haigler’s House on Tuesdays @ 6:30pm
704-888-1504
3111 Wallace Road
Midland, NC 28107

4. Dulins Grove Church on Wednesdays @ 6pm

5. Wil Boston’s House on Wednesdays @ 7pm
704-858-0855
8627 Brookgreen Drive, Charlotte, NC 28227

Growing with you,
Pastor Matt

Top Ten Takeaways from Revival so Far

Posted by Matt Broadway on September 19, 2011 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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God is working beautifully through his word as presented by Justin Nash this week. I wouldn't dare try to recap his nuanced messages; but I will share my top ten takeaways so far:
 
1. Revival is a supernatural act of God. Our excellence cannot achieve it and our failures cannot thwart it.
2. Revival is a unilateral work of God. It is always God who changes people, not sermons or singing or anything else.
3. If you want revival, ask God for it; because that's the only way you'll get it.
4. Revival is a sovereign work of God. Giving life is his business. Our job is to seek it.
5. Revival is a God honoring event. It is about God, not us.
6. A question for us: Do we want the blessings of revival over the God of revival?
7. Sin prevents revival; but laws won't change hearts. God does that.
8. "We'll never meet God in revival until we meet him in brokenness."
9. Another question for us: Do we mourn when we see sin in people's lives, or do we judge? This reveals our humility or our pride.
10. Ezra's breathtaking picture of Jesus, taking on the sins of his people.
 
How has God spoken to you so far during our revival services?
 
Please join us tonight at 7pm,
Pastor Matt

Seeking Revival and Seeking the Welfare of the Poor

Posted by Matt Broadway on September 12, 2011 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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Premise

Seeking revival is seeking God, who sought us in Jesus Christ. Seeking God includes seeking the welfare of the poor. Disregard for the poor indicates a heart dead to God.

We’ll examine this with the same template we’ve been studying for weeks: humility, prayer, and repentance/seeking God (drawn from 2 Chronicles 7:14).

Humility and the Poor
In Isaiah 58, God explains to his people why their humble fasting hasn’t “worked”. It hasn’t worked because they’ve substituted a religious form of fasting for the form of fasting God chooses.

Is this not the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor in to your house…
Isaiah 58:6-7

Humility is escaping self to worship and trust God and serve other people, especially the poor.

Prayer and the Poor
God goes on to say that once his people take on the lifestyle of freeing the oppressed, feeding the hungry, and housing the poor, then they can expect answers to their prayers.

Then shall you call, and the LORD will answer:
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
Isaiah 58:9

Have you ever noticed Jesus’ train of thought in Matthew 6, where he lays out the famous “Lord’s Prayer”? His line of thinking moves from giving to the needy (v.1-4) to praying (v.5-15) to fasting (v.16-18) to laying up treasure in heaven rather than hording earthly treasures (v.19-24) to trusting God for your own provision (v.25-34). Generosity to the poor, praying, fasting, and trusting God are all connected in the mind of Jesus. And so they should be in the lives of his followers.

Repentance and the Poor
In Isaiah 1, God expresses his displeasure with his people who had become ingrown religious hypocrites and needed to repent. But he doesn’t demand that they do so via different or purer religious acts, but through valiantly fighting for vulnerable people. He instructs them to:

…learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.
Isaiah 1:17

The startling fact is this: concern for those in need identifies us as Christians. Lack of concern for those in need identifies us as non-Christians.

Read Matthew 25:31-46. In the end, Jesus will return and all the nations will stand before his judgment when he will separate the sheep and the goats. The sheep get to enter the kingdom of God. The goats get damnation. Which are you? How can you tell? How does Jesus distinguish the two? Just as sheep look different from goats, so do the saved from the unsaved.

The blessed ones are those who feed the hungry, water the thirsty, welcome strangers (vulnerable foreigners, like immigrants), clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned. The cursed ones do not. That’s how Jesus identifies the sheep and the goats.

The Aroma, Not the Recipe
Does this mean that we are saved by our good works toward the poor? No. Care for the vulnerable is not the recipe for Christianity, it’s the aroma of Christianity. Hearts transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ carry his concern for the poor.

So use this to examine yourself, not to save yourself. If you’ve read all this and remained unmoved toward the poor, you need to consider Jesus carefully.

He claimed to be God’s son, sent to atone for our sins and establish the kingdom of God under his rule. Christians believe he is who he claimed to be and follow his rule and in return receive new hearts and new lives (2 Corinthians 5;17). The first question to ask is this: Am I a Christian? And if you’re not sure or the answer is no, I urge you to trust and follow Jesus Christ. If you have questions that stand between you and this decision, please contact me (matthewbroadway@gmail.com or 704.545.5893).

If you are a believer and follower of Jesus and a deep desire to serve the needy is awakening in your heart for the first time, you just need to know where to begin. This post isn’t the place to dive into it, but here are a few pointers: Start close to you. Is there a vulnerable person in your family that needs care? A single mom? An elderly person? A household with both parents out of work? Can you reorganize your budget to give more to your church or organizations like Crisis Assistance Ministry? Can you buy extra groceries to donate to food pantries like Loaves and Fishes? Are you a business owner who needs to rethink how you do business to better fight for the rights of the poor? Does your line of work directly oppress anyone – and you know you need to make a change?

Also, educate yourself on the incredibly complex issues associated with poverty. Two books I recommend: Generous Justice by Tim Keller and When Helping Hurts by Korbett and Fikkert.

But whatever you do, do not spray some donations or volunteerism over your life like Febreze. Go to Jesus and be transformed into an advocate for the vulnerable.

Sermon_Audio_9-11-11.mp3
Listen on Posterous

Discussion Starters

1. Do you agree that ministry to the poor is an inextricable part of seeking God? Why or why not?
2. What aspects of ministry to the poor make you uncomfortable?
3. Read Matthew 25:31-46. Why does this particular list so identify sheep? Why not other things, like reading the Bible a lot or praying a lot? (See James 2:14-26 for help)
a. Work together to list the identifying marks of sheep.
b. What would this look like for you as an individual? What’s your next step toward seeking the welfare of those in need?
c. What would this look like for your family?
d. What would this look like for our church? Your H2H group?
4. What do you think is the church’s role in serving the poor (think programs and organized activities)? What is the role of individual Christians operating as the scattered church?
5. How can you best serve each other in light of these passages?
6. How can your group pray for you this week?

Note
Keep an eye on the website for a new page coming soon. It will be devoted to opportunities to serve those in need through organizations outside the church. This will be a great resource for you, your family, and your small group.

Crisis Assistance Ministry Discussion: Recap

Posted by Matt Broadway on September 2, 2011 in Uncategorized | One comment

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A big THANK YOU to the Crisis Assistance Ministry team that came out for the discussion last night: CEO Carol Hardison, Director of Financial and Housing Stability Services Men Tchaas Ari, Chief Advancement Officer Michelle Hamilton, and the wonderful Laura Thompson, Development Specialist. They were great. The more I get to know the C.A. team, the more strongly I feel that partnering with them is the best way for us to start serving those in need in Charlotte. They’re smart, dedicated, and passionate about people.

For those who missed the discussion, here’s a brief recap of my top takeaways (in no particular order):

- C.A. began as a collaboration between Charlotte churches who loved the poor.
- They have experienced a 100% increase in traffic in the last three years, 30 thousand of which were first timers.
- Some Charlotte kids missed their first day(s) of school because their parent’s couldn’t afford school clothes.
- One major need in Charlotte is mattresses. It’s illegal to sell used mattresses; but not to give them away.
- Another major need is men’s clothing, especially work clothes such as boots.
- Everything C.A. does is designed to “clothe people in dignity”.
- Goodwill has a program for training/placing people into jobs. It has an 80% success rate.
- There are volunteer opportunities for anyone from five-years-old and up. Many volunteer as a family.
- When helping those in need, if it’s fast it’s probably not helpful and if it’s helpful it’s probably not fast. People need people, not programs – and each person’s situation is highly unique. Poverty alleviation is messy, long term work and I’m impressed with how the C.A. folks are wrestling with the deeper issues of poverty.

Though they were reluctant to say so, their primary need is funding. Secondarily there are many volunteer opportunities such as working in the Free Store production area, bringing food for the folks waiting in line, and donating clothing/furniture.

Dulins Grove currently gives 10% of the deacon’s fund to C.A, which honestly doesn’t amount to much. Since we refer an average of one person per week to them, each person with an average need of around $500, I think we need to find ways to give more. Along with greater financial giving, what do you think we should do to help? 

And for those who attended, please share your number one takeaway in the comments section below.

Seeking Revival: Worship

Posted by Matt Broadway on August 29, 2011 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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Worship.mp3
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Seeking Revival
Our church has been seeking revival by attempting to align with 2 Chronicles 7:14. We’re pursuing humility, prayer, and repentance. Along the way it has become clear that seeking revival is actually seeking God.

Seeking God
The phrase seek my face in 2 Chronicles 7:14 means pretty much what you’d expect: To pursue a deeper relationship with him, experience of him, understanding of him, obedience to him, etc. The Bible uses many verbs to express this basic idea: love, fear, walk, serve, follow, observe, return, obey, and so on. However, a common thread emerges when you study these commands to worship throughout scripture. Here are a few examples:

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5

… and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive… 1 Kings 8:48

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. Psalm 119:2

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

…return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Joel 2:12

Jesus replied, love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37

All
Here’s the startling fact: 99% devotion to God is 100% rejection of God. 99% obedience to God is 100% disobedience. 99% love for God is 100% disregard for God. He has not left us the option of mild pursuit. It is all or it is nothing.

Designed for Wholehearted Pursuit of God
This makes sense when you think about it. In a chronically dissatisfied culture, Psalm 107:9 says For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

We’ve never been more entertained and informed, yet we’re still not satisfied. We carry the world in our pockets, and it’s not enough. Anti-depressants remain some of the highest prescribed medications in America. Why? Because we’re designed for something bigger than this world.

My five-year-old son had a birthday party recently and within 24 hours he was dissatisfied with his new toys and desperate to go to Wal-Mart to spend his gift card on the next toy. I told him we’d get a new toy, but warned him not to expect this toy to satisfy him because he’s made for something bigger. (He just looked at me…) The same lesson is instructive for adults.

- Drive a car, but don’t expect it to satisfy your soul. You’re made for something bigger.
- Get a job, but don’ expect it to satisfy your soul. You’re made for something bigger.
- Get money, but don’t expect it to satisfy your soul. You’re made for something bigger. 
- Make a home, but don’t expect it to satisfy your soul. You’re made for something bigger. 
- Get married, but don’t expect your spouse to satisfy your soul. You’re made for something bigger.
- Have kids, but don’t expect them to satisfy your soul. You’re made for something bigger.
- Join a church, but don’t expect it to satisfy your soul. You’re made for something bigger. 

We end up hating these things when we make them our ultimate pursuit because they can’t satisfy us. We HDTV ourselves crazy. We jump from spouse to spouse, job to job, church to church – looking for something to satisfy us in an all consuming way.

What can we do?
So how in the world do we change this? We’ve failed to obey God’s most central command, to seek him with all our hearts. Beyond that, we’re incapable of this kind of pure devotion to God.

Here’s where it gets beautiful. All we’ve talked about so far is law (commands). But God reveals in Romans 7:7-13 that the law is diagnosis, not cure. The command reveals our inability to live up to our design and God’s desire. But we cannot cure ourselves through trying really hard to do something of which we’re incapable. We need a savior. This is where Jesus steps in.

Revival is God seeking us.
We’ve said that seeking revival is ultimately seeking God. But it turns out that none of us is capable of seeking God (Romans 9:10-18). Here’s the good news: as you turn your head toward God, trying to figure out how to solve this predicament, you’ll see that he is aggressively seeking you. Like the prodigal son, we see our Father running toward us as we return to him.

We try and fail to seek God in humility. Yet God sought us in humility when Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

We try and fail to seek God in prayer. Yet God sought us, speaking first and then coming as the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ (John 1:14).

We try and fail to seek God in repentance. Yet God sought us while we were yet sinners. (Romans 5:8) And in Jesus, we finally find the power to truly change (Romans 6:1-14).

To seek revival is to give in to God’s pursuit of us. It is to go, weary and heavy laden, to Jesus and finally receive rest (Matthew 11:28). It is to trust in and follow Jesus Christ.

Seeking Revival: Repentance

Posted by Matt Broadway on August 24, 2011 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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Repentance.mp3
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Click here for more on seeking revival.

Repentance leads to revival
2 Chronicles 7:14 shows that God revives those who turn from their wicked ways. In Acts 3:19-20, Peter tells the crowd of religious people to repent so their sins may be blotted out and times of refreshing may come.

What does repentance look like?
Repentance is not just turning from sin. It’s turning toward God. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God says he’ll revive those who seek my face and turn from their wicked ways. Peter says in Acts 3:19-20 to repent, seeking times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. The word translated refreshing carries the idea of breathing easy. Just turning from sin doesn’t bring revival; it brings spiritual suffocation. It is not enough for a drowning man to fight the water; he must find air.

Think of the Pharisees. They were aggressive at turning from sin; but passive at turning toward God – and they were spiritually deformed and unhealthy. This type of Christianity is like going on a no-bad-foods diet. It’s true that McDonald’s and Oreos will kill you. But it is not sufficient to stop eating McDoland’s and Oreos. You have to eat healthy foods. Repentance is not just turning from the bad; it’s turning aggressively toward the good. Not just fleeing sin, but seeking God.

How do we repent?  
We need to see our sin clearly so we can turn from it, but in determining our sin, we have to be careful. It’s easy to drown in morbid introspection or to be consumed by the enemy’s accusations. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For Christians, the path of repentance, though arduous, doesn’t feel like condemnation (there is no condemnation for those in Christ). Rather it feels like the shedding of regret.

The Bible teaches that our hearts are deep and hard to understand (Jeremiah 17:9). It’s best to ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and reveal our sin, leading us to truth, convicting us so we can repent (John 16:4-15). When the Holy Spirit convicts, there is specific sin to confess and turn from, not a vague guilt.

Walking in the Spirit in this way also gives the resources to change. Those struggling with habitual sin, remember that self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). It’s easy to feel so guilty over our sin that we never move forward. But in Christ, we’re already cleansed and forgiven. We have to move forward, toward God; forgetting what’s behind and pressing on toward the goal of the upward call God has given us (Philippians 3:13).

Turn from specific sin, confessing clearly to God and the appropriate people. Then turn toward God in specific ways. Turn from your sin toward scripture. Turn from your sin toward prayer. Turn from your sin toward serving your spouse, kids, coworkers, etc. Turn from your sin toward worship (more on worship next Sunday).

Discussion Starters

1.       In Acts 3:19-20, how can we find times of refreshing? Where is the refreshment found? What might this look like for us as a church?

2.       Divide Luke 15:11-32 and read aloud.

a.        How does this parable portray repentance?

b.       Contrast the brothers and how they related to their father.

c.        What does the father character reveal about our Father?

3.       How does Jesus’ teaching about repentance (see Luke 5:27-32) effect his choice of company?

a.        How then are we as Christians to relate to sinners and the righteous?

4.       What is the difference between feeling guilty and repenting? (See 2 Corinthians 7:10-11)

5.       Questions for personal reflection, to be shared with group at your discretion:

a.        From what specific sins do you need to turn?

b.       In what concrete ways will you turn from your sin toward God?

6.       How can we serve one another in light of these passages?

7.       How can your group pray for you this week?

Seeking Revival: Prayer

Posted by Matt Broadway on August 15, 2011 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
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Click here for more on Seeking Revival .
 
Prayer is connected to humility
Last week we looked at humility. This week's look at prayer will overlap because prayer is part of the process of humbling oneself. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
 
Peter says to humble yourself, casting your cares on God. This is like saying, bake cookies, turning your oven to 350. As turning on the oven is part of the cookie-baking process, casting anxieties on God is part o the humbling-yourself process.
 
But here's the kicker, prayer divorced from humility is invalid. God doesn't listen to prideful prayers. James 4:2-3 says You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
 
The big two commands are to love God and other people. Prayers that reflect no regard for God or other people, but are only fueled by our own passion for ourselves (our comfort, our desires, our plans) are expressions of disobedience. This means that prayer can actually be an expression of disobedience. This happens when prayer comes from pride rather than humility.
 
We see this in Isaiah 58, when God defines true fasting as radically self-sacrificial service to other people:
 
Is this not the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house:
when you see the naked to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
…Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say 'Here I am."
- Isaiah 58:6-7; 9a
 
There are prayers that God ignores. But there are prayers that he answers. He answers the prayers of the humble.  
 
Some practical advice
As we seek revival, let's not lean on prayer lists or plans. Think of it as a conversational relationship with a real God. Maybe you've seen 'How to Converse with Your Spouse' lists, full of questions to ask each other to nurture conversational intimacy. They don't work because anything done by list is cold and mechanical. You grocery shop by list. You don't romance your spouse by list. Yet in your marriage you'll never find romance without conversation. And in our church we'll never find revival without conversation with God.
 
If you were to have a face-to-face conversation with someone very powerful, say President Obama, you would most likely let him take the lead. So it is with prayer. Let God take the lead with what he speaks to you from his word. Prayer lists often cause us to inadvertently talk to God like we talk at a fast food drive through, speaking our requests to him as clearly as we can, hoping he gets it right by the time we reach the window. Instead, let's approach prayer as response to God's communication to us. Let's think of prayer as response language, not initiating language.
 
If you flip your Bible to the middle, you'll find the book of Psalms. Right at the heart of the Bible, in the middle of all the action of epic history and passionate prophecy is this huge book of prayer. And these prayers follow no format or list. They are the day-to-day burstings of human hearts, bubbling with joy and misery, confidence and terror. They are the response of men who listened to God.
 
How do we know they listened to God before speaking? Psalm 1:1-3 introduces the book with a description of the blessed man who meditates on God's law day and night. In Psalm 4:4 and 63:6, David mentions that he meditates on the things of God in his bed at night. Psalm 19:7-14 he praises God's word. Psalm 119 is a 176 verse explosion of Scripture based prayer.
 
It's been said that Scripture is the soil and nutrients for vibrant prayers. Praying rooted in lists and methods soon dries up and becomes disciplined drudgery. But planted in God's word, prayer finds ample room to grow deep and healthy.
 
Conclusion
So, if we are seeking revival, we must humble ourselves and pray. If we're weak in prayer (which we are), our first step is to listen to God's word.
 
Discussion Starters

1.       How would you define prayer?

2.       How would you rate your prayer life on a scale of 1-10? Why?

a.       How would you rate the prayer life of our church on a scale of 1-10? Why?

3.       Read 1 Peter 5:6-7. Why is casting all your anxieties on him part of humbling ourselves? What does this casting look like?

4.       Read James 4:2-3. What passions typically lead people to pray wrongly?

5.       Read Isaiah 58:6-11. Brainstorm what it might look like for Dulins Grove’s light to break forth like the dawn, etc.? Dreaming big, what might God be able to do through our church in our community, nation, and world?

6.       Read Psalm 19 together and pull out everything David says about God’s word.

a.       What are some practical steps we can take to meditate on God’s word more as individuals and as a church? (See Psalm 1:1-3; 4:4; and Psalm 119 for more on meditation/prayer)

7.       How can you serve one another in light of these truths?

8.       How can your group pray for you this week?

Seeking Revival: Humility

Posted by Matt Broadway on August 8, 2011 in Uncategorized | One comment

Revive_humility-1

Seeking Revival
Dulins Grove has planned revival meetings September 18-21. Justin Nash will be speaking. But take note: we are not having revival like you have chicken fingers at Chili’s. We are seeking revival by Biblical means, some of which are:

1. Humility
2. Prayer
3. Repentance
4. Worship

And we’re not just seeking revival for one-hour blocks for a couple of days in mid-September. We’re seeking revival now.

Think of these four as wheels on the van that we’re steering toward God in hopes of revival. I got them from various places in the Bible, but the clearest is the old standby revival passage, 1 Chronicles 7:14, in which God says, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”

God said this through his prophet to his people at a particular point in history, so we can’t take it as a direct message to us today. He’s not going to heal America’s economy or make your squash plants grow really well. But it does work together with the rest of Scripture to display how God is toward his people. He is gracious to those who humble themselves, pray, seek his face, and turn from their wicked ways.

In Isaiah 57:15, God says, “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the heart of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Humility
So what is this lowliness and contrition? What is humility? Is it wimpiness? Is it doormatism? Is it naiveté?

When you picture humility, don’t think pre-transformation Steve Rogers, the Stepford wives, or Forrest Gump. Think Jesus.

Philippians 2:5-8 says that Jesus humbled himself by emptying himself. And it is this self-emptying mindset we’re called to as Christians.

“Humility isn’t thinking about yourself in a low way but not thinking of yourself at all. Humility is thinking less about yourself, not thinking less of yourself.” (Kreeft, Back to Virtue)

In the Bible, humility is often contrasted with pride, which is viewing self above others. Our culture is poisoned by prideful selfishness, preaching that the unsure need self-confidence, the timid need self-esteem, the ashamed need better self-image, the undisciplined need self-control, and those making destructive decisions need self-respect.

But the gospel doesn’t pull us inward. It yanks us out of ourselves so that we trust God and we live for the benefit of other people. The gospel signals our escape from self.

How to Seek Revival through Humility

1. Get the gospel: There is only one way to be saved and find life: Jesus. Trust him and follow him.
2. Unload yourself in specific ways. What specific selfishness do you need to repent? What relationships has your selfishness fractured? (James 4:1-6) What specific sins do you need to kill? (James 6-10) What specific worries do you need to trust God with? (1 Peter 5:6-7)
3. Apply yourself to the interests of others in specific ways. (Philippians 2:3-8)

You may be thinking if I live this selflessly, who will watch out for me? I might lose myself altogether. Exactly! Jesus said it is those who lose their lives that find it. (Matthew 16:24-26)

Discussion Starters

1.     Share with the group why you want to seek revival.

a.     What do you hope revival will look like in your life?

b.     In the life of the church?

2.     Read James 4:6. How does God oppose the proud? (See Deuteronomy 8:2, 16 for one example)

a.     How does he give grace to the humble? (See 1 Peter 5:10 for help)

3.      Read 1 Peter 5:6-7. How is casting your anxieties on God an expression of humility? How then does pride factor into our struggles with anxiety?

4.     How can we serve one another in light of these passages?

5.     How can your group pray for you this week?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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