http://bible.com/events/7186638
April 12 – Easter Sunday
Free From Yesterday, Part 1: Shame

Many of us are prisoners of our past
o the things we have done
o the things that have been done to us
o Some would say, “I’m free of everything, except my past.”  The truth is, if you can’t get free from your past, you can’t get free of anything. 

The statement we will continue to come back to throughout this series:
Your past has no more power over you than what you give it.

Philippians 3:10-14 (NIV) 
Paul wants to know Christ in two specific ways:
o The power of His resurrection – The resurrection was not a past event, but rather it was a present reality in the life of the believer
o The participation in His sufferings – Jesus did not come as a conquering king, but rather His power was found in serving, in humility, and in weakness, even if it led to suffering

Knowing Christ in this way means we identify with Christ:
o Identify with his death – a death to self
o Identify with his resurrection – a resurrection to real life

The Easter message connects directly with power over your past
o Paul is forgetting what is behind, and He is moving forward
o It is removing the power of what’s behind to hinder him in the now. It is not removing the actual memory of the past, but its weight
o Easter holds the promise of freedom from your past – “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1)

For many the burden of shame seems to heavy for true freedom to be possible  
o Shame is the belief that we are flawed and therefor unworthy of love and belonging
o Believing that “I’m unlovable” and “I don’t belong”

John 8:2-11 (NIV) 
o The message from the religious leaders to this woman was clear: “Shame on you”
o For Jesus there is a clear difference between conviction and condemnation
o Conviction corrects…condemnation shames….

Romans 8:1-2 
Our church’s definition of The Gospel:
The Gospel is the good news message that God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. He was raised to life, victorious over the power of death. In choosing to live for Him, we can be free from the power of sin and experience abundant life today and eternal life in Heaven

The Gospel message is not a message of condemnation
o Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins
o On Easter he roster again, overcoming death, conquering sin and shame
o No matter what our past is, we can experience freedom in Christ today

The power of God overcame the power of shame.

Other Verses for Study & Reflection:

Galatians 5:1 
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Isaiah‬ ‭54:4‬ ‭
Romans 10:11

https://bible.com/events/7167361

Title: Perspective MattersJohn 14:27 (NIV)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
At the start of this Holy Week there is good news that our visible eyes cannot see:
EASTER ISN’T CANCELED

The promise of Easter, that offers new life, also offers new perspective and peace that the world cannot take away
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

• We WON’T fix our eyes on
  • The flood of fear in the media and our world
  • Political banter that causes division
  • The hard hit financial portfolios
  • A rising death toll clicker

• We WILL fix our eyes on 
  • The peace he offers
  • The promise that He is working out things for our good
  • The prize of resurrection life
  • The people in need of hope that is found only in Him

The truth this Holy Week and throughout the entirety of this pandemic + beyond in our lives is this:

“Your heart will follow where your eyes are fixed”Where are your eyes fixed?

Let’s pray for perspective

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (MSG)

16-18 So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

Some practical ways to “fix your eyes”:

-Read God’s word, start a new bible reading plan on the YouVersion Bible App

-Set a time to pray regularly

-Stay connected to others, even if its virtually

-Turn on some worship music and turn the television off

-Tune into the Holy Week Daily devotional reflections this week + Midweek every Wednesday night.

Additional Texts: Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20, Colossians 3:1-4

http://bible.com/events/7154608

Youversion  – March 29
Drifting, Part 4: The Hurried Life

Luke 10:38-42

o The problem was not related to the difference in Mary and Martha’s temperaments
o This encounter gives us a clear picture into the heart that Jesus desires
o Jesus was concerned about focus….and clearly Martha was distracted (verse 40)
o Jesus was concerned about attitude…and clearly Martha was worried/anxious (verse 41)

If Jesus was suggesting that only one thing was needed, then it begs the question: what is the one thing?
o “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.” Matthew‬ ‭22:37-40‬ ‭NIV‬‬
o Jesus is ultimately describing a life of worship- “love the Lord with ALL”
o What we do WITH Christ is far more important than what we do FOR Christ
o Mary was adamant about being WITH Christ, giving Him her undivided love

Perhaps the single greatest obstacle you face in pursing the life God has for you is busyness.
o If loving the Lord with ALL is the most important thing, then the greatest obstacle is a life that beckons us to do MORE
o Many of us end up like Martha…busy but not blessed
o “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.” Dallas Willardo Busyness and sin have the same effect: they cut off your connection to God, to others, and to your soul.  
o “Money has created a culture of too many options. And the more options we have the busier we get and the busier we are the more anxious we become.” John Mark Comer  

The bottom line:
Worship won’t grow in a garden of hurry.
Signs of ‘hurry sickness’….
1. Irritability….annoyed too easily
2. Hypersensitivity….a small comment throws you into major emotional events
3. Restlessness…you don’t even know how to rest, even when you have a chance
4. Workaholism….you don’t know when to stop, and you can’t stop
5. Emotional numbness…you have no empathy
6. Out of order priorities….you get sucked into the urgent but maybe not the important
7. Lack of care for your body…you don’t take time to value your own health
8. Escapist behaviors…overeating…binging on entertainment…using them to escape from reality
9. Slippage from spiritual disciplines…you begin to drift from God’s best
10. Isolation…you feel disconnected from God and others

Two practical ways to counteract a life of busyness:
1. The Discipline of Silence & Solitude
o This discipline involves taking intentional time in the quiet to be alone with God. is the practice of our “waiting for God”
o Jesus modeled this throughout his ministry (Luke 4:1-2, Matthew 14:1-13, Luke 6:12-13)
o This is NOT isolation, but instead learning to be still, learning to listen to God, and learning that prayer is about connecting with his presence.
2. Sabbath
o Sabbath is a day blessed by God for rest and worship
o In Genesis 2, God saw all that he had made, it was good, and he rested.  
o Many people, when they think of Sabbath, point to the 10 commandments, but Sabbath actually predates the law
o Sabbath was intended to be a day set aside for worship, for rest, not another day for busyness, not another day to accomplish things

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Additional resources:

Great resource on developing the spiritual discipline of Silence & Solitude
https://practicingtheway.org/practices/silence-solitude

Great resource on developing a rhythm of Sabbath
http://bridgetown.church/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Sabbath.pdf

http://bible.com/events/7138791

Drifting, Part 3 – The Lure of Isolation

Hebrews 2:1

2 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

***

Debbie McDaniel writes:

We see it all around us, in headline news stories, or from the lives of those we know and maybe once trusted. And even so often, in our very own lives. Sometimes it happens before we realize what’s occurred. It’s unintentional. We don’t plan it. Lulled by the slow pull away, swayed by other things we start deeming more important, we wake up one day and realize things seem different. We find ourselves in a place we’d never intended to go.

The drift. Happens.

Sometimes out of busy-ness.
Sometimes out of hurt.
Sometimes because things are bad.
Sometimes because things are good.
Sometimes because we’re overwhelmed.
Sometimes because it’s hard to forgive and move forward.

And often because we begin to stumble. Temptation is fierce. The enemy waits for one wrong move. Sin crouches, ready to devour, as we head down a slippery slope. We can’t find a foothold, and begin to lose our way. By definition, to drift means “a continuous slow movement from one place to another.” It doesn’t happen quickly. It often takes us unaware. It’s simply the natural process that occurs, when we lose our bearings, and stop moving in the right direction.

And one thing is sure, it rarely happens because we intend for it to. 

***

Jesus did something curious when facing His darkest hour:

Mark 14:32-34

32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

Ephesians 4:16

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

ISOLATION: To become spiritually and emotionally disconnected from God or community so that secrets grow and spiritual growth stops. 

Sarah Kinzer writes

*** 

Consider the experience of plugging your phone in and going to bed at night and waking up in the morning, picking up your phone only to find it hasn’t charged at all. You check the connection on the phone end, and it seems good, but as you move the cord, the charger port falls out of the outlet because it had become loosened from the wall. Not so loose that you noticed the night before. Not so loose that it didn’t LOOK plugged in. But loose enough to render it ineffective and loose enough that it barely takes any nudge at all to completely knock it out. And unless the port is plugged back in, the phone will continue to drain battery until it is entirely dead. 

There are Christians who say “This is my church,” and yet don’t attend regularly, don’t serve, don’t give, don’t study the Word, don’t go out on mission. Their connection to the church, to the faith, to Christ, is tenuous at best, and ineffective at worst. And it will take very little nudge at all to make it apparent to all that they have drifted, have disconnected, and have lost all charge. 

The great news is that the opportunity is still open to reconnect, to come back not to an entity but to your faith and to your community, and your Savior and your community are waiting and welcoming return. 

***

When we drift into isolation, we put ourselves at great risk.

But the problem with isolation is more than that. When we disconnect we violate the design and will of God Himself.

We tear away at what God has built – hurting His plan and the ones beside us.

We’re not now living in a time of isolation, but a time of overcoming isolation.

This is the perfect time to hear this message because we’re faced daily with the need to overcome isolation and restore connection however we can. 

Supplemental Texts/Materials

Five signs that you may be drifting:

• You have less intense passion for God – His word, His worship, His heart.
• You don’t regularly practice a biblical sabbath.
• You are often emotionally or spiritually disconnected.
• Your schedule is out of control.
• Technology doesn’t serve you, it runs you.

Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.Romans 12:3-5

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizenswith God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundationof the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy templein the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

http://bible.com/events/7134645

March 15

Drifting, Part 2: The Two Sides of Technology

Hebrews 12: 1 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The writer of Hebrews is calling for us to “throw off” two things set up as distinct:

o              “Everything that hinders” and

o              “Sin that so easily entangles”

“hinders” is onkos in Greek – or literally something that weighs us down. A burden that has the effect of dragging us down until it stops us

If we are called to throw off everything that hinders….What is it today that is hindering you? 

This series addresses three specific things that can hinder us 

The truth is technology is a neutral

-There is nothing about technology is inherently destructive or evil

-Technology is like any other other medium – paper, music, images

-It is neutral in that it can be used in positive ways and be extremely helpful, but it can also be destructive 

We begin to drift when we don’t possess technology, but when it possesses us. 

-The issue is not technology in and of itself, but rather how we use technology 

-It is critical to examine the role we allow it to play in our lives 

Two things that happen when technology causes us to drift

1. It changes us…

-Much of the technology being created today is being designed for distraction and addiction

-Biologically, something happens in our brain as we are actively engage in technology

-When it comes to technology, many of us are at least at the level of compulsion (“I have to look”), but many are at the level of addiction 

-Technology also impacts our perception of ourselves and others through constant comparison (social media) 

-We begin to drift when technology changes us from the inside out  

1. It consumes us…

-Technology is not just changing us internally, but it is also consuming our time, energy, outward habits, and practices 

-Our media has no clear “stopping cue” as we just keep scrolling, watching and consuming

-Unlimited access means we often have no margin, and don’t know when enough is enough

-We begin to drift when technology consumes our time, energy and focus 

Bottom Line:

We don’t have a technology problem, we have a worship problem. 

In Luke 12:34 Jesus said our hearts will follow after our treasures…

-Treasures are not just possessions and money, but also our attention 

-There is a restlessness in our hearts that God alone can will 

-Our problem ultimately isn’t technology, it’s that technology becomes what we turn to in place of God  

“The root problem is not technology. It is the gaps we are trying to fill in our hearts with technology.”

John Mark Comer 

We know our use of technology is healthy when…

…it doesn’t interfere with a lifestyle of worship 

…it isn’t an obstacle to learning the practice of silence and solitude  

…it prevents us from seeking God’s wisdom and guidance first 

…it is not a constant distraction (something we possess, not something that possesses us)

We know our use of technology is unhealthy when…

…we create no boundaries 

…we lack intentionality 

…we mindlessly consume, not aware of its impact on us

…we allow technology to numb, instead of allowing God to fill us 

What do we do? 

Focus….

-Pay attention to what’s happening in your heart and commit to reorienting your focus on worship 

Urgency….

-Intentionally pray, intentionally set boundaries, not out of legalism but out of a renewed desire to worship fully 

Other Verses & Resources to Consider: 

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 

Hebrews 2:1

“I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 7:35 

Excellent resource by John Mark Comer called “How to Unhurry”

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58431a7603596e3099e87531/t/5dcd82a34474a007a68a3b47/1573749412344/How+to+Un-Hurry+Workbook.pdf