The Path to Death

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”‭‭

Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬

‭“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.””

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬-‭7

‬ ‭“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭34‬

‭To know God, we have to die to self

How do we destroy the idle of self?

When you have the right voices, you make the right choices

You can’t disciple others, if you’re not discipled.

Acknowledge Him= Know Him

His Kingdom cannot come, until our Kingdom goes.

Walking with God will destroy the idol of self

How to Cultivate a path to death

1. Go Home and grow

2. Find strong community

3. Serve.

Are you bearing fruit? fruit that lasts?

Are You Frozen or Chosen?

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”1 Peter 2:9

“But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.””‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬

‭“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬

‭“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬

‭Authority-1. Ugh definition- The power to give orders and make decisions the power or right to direct or control someone or something.

2. Ahh definition- The common quality of someone who knows a lot about something, who’s respected or obeyed by other people.

Authority-

It can be assumed

It can be earned

It can be delegated

It can be received

It can be rejected

It can be revoked

God calls everyone not just special people.

“So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.” Genesis 41:41-42

“The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. “ ‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.””‭‭Haggai‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬-‭23

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14

‬“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”2 Corinthians 1:21-22“

“As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.” Jeremiah 22:24

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.”‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬

How is the temperature of your life?

How are you serving in authority in ministry?

Only through the promise of the Holy Spirit are we gifted to serve

All called fully surrendered believers have authority, and the Lord has need of you

You didn’t choose him he chose you and appointed you to bear fruit, fruit that will last.

http://bible.com/events/49011655

Church of the Nazarene

Mission in Action: God

“God, I need you. You alone are worthy of my worship, my life.”

“Our mission statement says “Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ”.

We believe this concise, yet powerful statement gives light and guidance to our purpose as the church and as individual believers.

This teaching series, called Mission in Action, is not just to help us understand our mission more deeply, but to engage in the mission in these days.

As we continue in our series, we want to understand, and affirm, that God is central in our mission.‭‭

Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬-‭6

‬‬And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The Lord speaks directly to his people, saying that in covenant relationship with Him- he is the exclusive one to whom we give ourselves. He is to be the center and the focus of our lives- and there is to be no other.

If we are in relationship with God- we cannot be worshiping or giving ourselves to another- that’s not covenant.

Our world is full of false gods: wealth, power, prosperity, self-sufficiency, freedom, my sin-of-choice, my rights, etc.But our mission statement points us to the one and only God, existing in the nature of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, Jesus the Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.

Nazarene Article of Faith #1:

We believe in one eternally existent, infinite God, Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe; that He only is God, holy in nature, attributes, and purpose. The God who is holy love and light is Triune in essential being, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭40

‬‬Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

We can’t reach others with hope until and unless we are being transformed. And we won’t be truly transformed until He takes His rightful place in our lives. As we surrender completely to Him, He transforms us.We are transformed by God!

A prayer of response:

God, I need you. You alone are worthy of my worship, my life.

Verses for further study/reflection:

Deuteronomy 5:1-10

Isaiah 40:28

Revelation 1:8

Psalm 18:30

Isaiah 44:6

Jeremiah 51:15

Zephaniah 3:17

Genesis 1:1

Giving at COTN

If you have ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in the Kingdom of Christ!

Giving

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

Mission in Action Part 2: God

Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ.

Our mission statement says “Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ”

We believe this concise, yet powerful statement gives light and guidance to our purpose as the church and as individual believers.

So, this teaching series- called Mission in Action is not just to make sure you know the mission statement, but so that you understand it more deeply, find excitement in its possibilities and desire to engage with us to see this mission lived out.

As we continue in our series, we want to understand, and affirm, that God is central in our mission‭‭

Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬-‭6‬‬

And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Everything we engage in our world comes with choice- it’s the air we breathe and perhaps more than that- it’s the comfort and control we expect to engage everything with.

But that’s not how we interact with God- With Him- there is, nor can be any other.

The Lord speaks directly to his people, saying that in Covenant relationship with Him- he is the exclusive one to whom we give ourselves to. He is to be the center and the focus of our lives- and there is to be no other.

That’s why this command is relational at its core- it wasn’t a command given to just anyone- but to those who had said YES to God and expressed their desire to be in covenant with him.

If we are in relationship with God- we cannot be worshiping or giving ourselves to another- that’s not covenant.

As you follow the story of the children of Israel from this point forward- you will see that at times they did trust God, they did worship him exclusively, but you will also find they did struggle with worshipping false gods. They would grumble, try to do things their own way, and they would trade exclusive covenant relationship with God for worship of Baal or some other form of pagan worship.

It may be hard to see at first but, we still struggle with this today.

Just because we don’t call them Baal or bow before a golden statue, doesn’t mean we aren’t subject to worshipping other gods. An idol or false god can be anything we prioritize over our exclusive relationship with God.

Our world is full of these false gods: Money, success, fame, our phones, relationships- the list is endless.

One of the difficult things with idolatry is that many of these false gods start out as good, healthy realities, blessings even, that we can experience in our lives- the danger comes when WE give them priority over our allegiance to God who explicitly says “Have nothing before me…nothing”

One function of a mission statement is to hold us accountable- to make us ask the hard questions.

Questions like: “Is God really the center of my life?”

We can’t experience transformation apart from himWe won’t engage our world with hope without him as the source of hope in our own lives-Friends, God is God alone- There can be no other.

Will you make him the center of your life today?

Giving at COTN

If you have ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@abeaconofhope_pbz6m2Thank you for your partnership in the Kingdom of Christ!

Giving

http://bible.com/events/49007994

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

Mission in Action: Transformed

Lord, transform me by your power to make me everything you want me to be.

Let’s know our mission, but even more, let’s engage in the mission together!

Our mission at church of the Nazarene is:

Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ.

We start the new year with a focus on the first word of our mission: transformed.‭‭

Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬‬

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.

The Greek word for transformed is where we get the word ‘metamorphosis’ from. It means “a complete and total change”.

The story of God is a story of transformation.

But transforming us from what?

According to Paul, we no longer conform to the pattern of the world.

What are we being transformed into?His image. Reflecting His glory.

His transformation is not a “one-time thing”.

Yes, God can and does change us in a moment. But He’s also in the business of continuing to transform us, moment by moment and day by day.

Each week we will introduce a one sentence prayer as a way to focus on engaging the mission and responding in obedience.This week’s prayer:”

Lord, transform me by your power to make me everything you want me to be.”‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭6‬‬This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.

Verses for further study/reflection:

Psalm 51:10-12

Romans 5:1-21

Colossians 3:10

2 Corinthians 3:12-18