Intervention: Spiritually Empty
- "I want to line my life up with Truth"
- Don't wish a day away... all we have is today and to make the most of it
- "What would the church look like if your vision for the church came true?"
- The day of casual Christianity is behind- we're going to do whatever God calls us to do
- Jesus Christ will move our lives farther and faster than you'll ever imagine... like being pulled by a Maserati
- The day you gave your life to Christ you signed on for full-time ministry no matter where you are.... in your businesses, your neighborhood, your school....
- "When you start focusing on the things that important in life, the things that aren't important start disappearing...." - Bruno DeJesus
No matter what you've done, no matter where you've been, you matter to God. You have been designed to live a life of purpose.
Intervention: The Intellectually Disconnected
Are you frustrated with the discourse that's out there on faith these days? Does it seem like the church has settled for sound bites rather than have an engaging, intelligent conversation?- Ever have a thought pop in your head that you never asked for?
- "I'm not sure I even believe in God"- has that thought ever been on your mind?
- Following Jesus will stretch your brain as much as it will stretch your heart
- "As I got older, the more I started reading the Bible deeper and started creating more questions.."
- Has it ever freaked you out that there are people that are happy that don't know Jesus?
- We have to find some way to engage our brains to find a life of meaning and where Jesus is leading us in our purpose
- "It's been said that you have to check your brains at the door to be a Christian, actually, it's quite the opposite- we all should be engaged in digger deeper into Truth & questions..." - Chad Meister- Bethel College
- There's some kind of "truths" that keep the universe to be together and maintained.... Like 1+1= 2
- Jesus has been described as this, "logos"- core truths that hold all things together
- We can easily forget the ridiculous intelligence and Master of all things that Jesus really is...
- Greatest commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength" - you've seen the obnoxious Christians that beat people over the head with the Bible
- We should engage in conversations with love, understanding, and insight- not battles
- Are we becoming smart in our study or fat on TV? (in areas of faith)
- When's the last time people have said of Christians, "They are a wise, understanding people..."
- Action items: #1 Ask questions, don't be quick to shove answers down people's throats
- #2 Work hard to understand where people are coming from
- Beginning of human civilization to 2003... as much information has been created from 2003 to present- lots for us to understand
- #3 Live a life of prayer - Makes sense to tap into the greatest Intelligence
Think Global.
I often live my life with my head conveniently buried in the sand. My reality is what's right in front of me and if I don't look past that, I turn a blind eye to the problems in the world. What's also true is that I am also turning a blind eye to the potential opportunity and purpose God is placing right before my eyes.
Rob Wegner has led the charge at Granger in expanding our vision of a global reach as a church. While we can't "save the world" we can focus on a particular place to bring "up there down here" and thanks to technology, we can actually bring "over there (India)" right here (Indiana, USA or any other part of the world).
To get a taste of this in case you missed it, watch it with others here at 12:00, 6:30, or 8:30 EST today (August 8th) or catch it on demand later this week here. A few notes:
- Every generation has the opportunity to make a historic "intervention"
- "Extreme Poverty" : 1.4 billion people live on less than $1.25 per day
- We are in a generation where we can eliminate extreme poverty- we have the means and technology to get it done
- Granger has been investing in this area of India for several years now, training leaders, drilling wells, building homes and churches
- "No longer do we think of ourselves as the people of darkness, but now view ourselves as the people of the Light"- quote from a changed life in India
- Dec 26, 2004 the deadly tsunami hit- at that point we had been there for about 3 years... we were contacted by multiple organizations to help- same force as 23,000 Hiroshima equivilent bombs
- Imagine a tsunami that when it recedes, poverty is wiped out, people have hope in Christ, and all disease is wiped out- this is the new Heaven and new Earth we get to look forward to...
- It starts with small interventions- it starts with a cup of water, a small gift, a helping hand
If you had the means to feed 10 people in your country or 50 in another, which would you choose? If the same investment of funds could grow your local church 20% or grow a movement overseas 200%, which would you choose? In God's economy, it's yes and yes. In looking at our individual purposes here on earth, we need to think global purpose with a global church carrying out God's global plan. Think Global. The world has gotten much smaller.
Granger Notes 101
GCC attendees:
How many of you use the Granger Notes? Show of hands.... anyone? Okay- you there.. one in the back.. couple on the left. Got it.
I have to admit, my learning style involves a need to write things down. My Bible uses all four colors of highlighter. It has scribbles, notes, references all written inside. It is my textbook for living, so you should take some notes, right?
The Granger Notes are provided for the in house audience a few different ways. If you show up in person, the bulletin contains them. If you use your phone, the GCC YouVersion reader lists them for you, and if you do church online, then they are at the bottom margin when the Auditorium is open as we are live.
But what to do with them?
I find they are a fantastic way to go back and refresh yourself on what the message discussed every week. Not to say I am poring over them, but just as you don't eat just once a week, you also may feel a need to continue your spiritual feeding through the week. A quick review. Maybe a refresher of a particular key verse to share with a friend or coworker.
The Granger Notes let you do just that. When the Online Campus is active, simply click on the tab, type in the notes as the series progresses...and get this- you can print them out right there in the tab! What a great resource to help you get organized and interact rather than staring at the monitor.
Give it a try and see if it doesn't help you out too!
Things to do
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