GRACE IN THE REAL WORLD

Transcription

1 GRACE IN THE REAL WORLD challenges, striving, change, and hope in daily living During The Peace 20 years ago, I woke up to the problem. Present Grace lesson 1 1

2 Ministry Gap Casual Relationships Everyday Life Formal Ministry Gospel Gap Past Forgiveness Everyday Life Future Hope lesson 1 2

3 Christian Externalism: things that fill the gap Formalism Rule Keeping Mysticism/ Emotionalism Activism Biblicism Psychologism Socialism What is right about those things? What is wrong about those things? lesson 1 3

4 Gospel Gap Past Forgiveness Everyday Life Future Hope Grace in the Gap. In the Real World The class is designed to help us understand: How does grace apply to mundane experiences of life Why we do the things we do? How God changes us by conforming our hearts into his likeness, right in the middle of every day stuff lesson 1 4

5 Here s Where God Is Taking You We are meaning makers We yearn for some kind of change We often dream about what could be We dream about change in it, while God is working in the midst of it to change us. lesson 1 5

6 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 2 Peter 1:4 ESV Philippians 1:3-11 What is the source of Paul s confidence? What growth does Paul pray for? Ill home buying What do you see as you look at your life? Problems with no solution or with hope lesson 1 6

7 Revelation 7:9-17 A picture of your final destination Certain hopes and promises are directing your life. What are they? Are those hopes, plans, goals, and promises worthy of your true calling as a child of God? Christianity s change process does not revolve around a system of redemption but around the Person who redeems. Focusing on Christ and our final destination has a major impact on our responses to problems in the present. lesson 1 7

8 Here s Where God Is Taking You It is crucial not only to know your end point, but to hold it constantly before you. lesson 1 8

9 Grace & Change are a Community Project I thought this would be an opportune time to advise that we have not been attending SPEP for the past 3-4 months. Jill and I both felt that we needed a real home group. As you know we tried both the midweek and dinner groups without success. We really wanted to become part of the church community but we just couldn t seem to find the right mix. lesson 1 9

10 Change is something God intends his people to experience together. It s a corporate goal. Grace & Change are a Community Project God himself is a community! Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." lesson 1 10

11 Grace & Change are a Community Project Ephesians 2:14-22 What is God seeking to produce in us, his people? A people who move toward each other. We can t become the Christians we are meant to be by being alone with God What we become, we become together. Grace & Change area a Community Project Obstacles to developing relationships that are deep enough to help you grow and change? The busyness of life Immersed in activity-based & happiness-based relationships Avoidance relationships too messy One-way ministry-driven relationships Theology as a replacement for community lesson 1 11

12 Big Picture: HEAT THORNS-CROSS-FRUIT FRUIT: Respond in love & grace HEAT: what is your situation THORNS: How do you react Good Root: Faith & repentance CROSS: Who is God & What has Jesus done? Bad Root: heart idols lesson 1 12

13 NEXT WEEK = HEAT How do we look at situations Burdens, pressures, pains are real Why does difficulty derail us? Why do we minimize hardships? Grace in trials Ps 88, James 1:1-18, Num11 lesson 1 13