God s Heart For His Church

! Spiritual Growth Pathway God s Heart For His Church Part #1 Pastor Stan Lubeck Stanlubeck.com

Spiritual Pathway Spiritual Growth Map I - PDF* DOC DOCX LifeGroup Covenant: LIFEGroup Covenant - PDF Basics of the Faith Authen>c Faith (four weeks) PDF DOC DOCX Spiritual Discipline - Values Climbing Essen>als - 2 Weeks - PDF* Spiritual Maturity - FAT - 5 Weeks - PDF LiMle Communi>es in the Kingdom of God - 5 Weeks - PDF Jesus, Teach Us to Pray - 5 Weeks - PDF God s Design for His Church Spiritual GiVs - 2 Weeks - PDF Spiritual GiVs Survey - PDF Seeking God s Heart for Prayer - 4 Weeks - PDF Building God s Church God s Way God s Heart for His Church 1-3 Weeks - PDF God s Heart for His Church 2-4 Weeks - PDF 10 RLC Leadership Values - Doc (ten weeks) Doing BaMle in the Heavenlies - 4 Weeks - PDF Lighthouse of Prayer Guide - Prayer Evangelism - 1 Week - PDF Lighthouse of Prayer - Quick Guide - PDF Freedom in Christ Bookmark PDF Star>ng New Ministries PDF Key ques>ons for launching a new ministry. Guest Assimilation Pathway: First Step (Free lunch, Q&A with the Lead Pastor) Rooted Study 10 weeks on Real Life faith essentials. LIFEgroup (small groups scattered) Serving in a ministry..!2

Day 1 The Center of God's Heart Read Mark 12:28-31 The Power of Values Jesus is communicating with the religious What did Jesus think of them? As you finish reading Matthew 23, you will see that Jesus called them hypocrites because they looked good on the outside, but the inside did not match. Notice verses 13, 15, 23, 25, 27, and 29, Jesus says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!" In verse 33 He goes on to call them: "You snakes! You brood of vipers!" He did not hold them in high esteem. They were two-faced leaders. UNIT 1 leaders of His day, what is most important to "Then Jesus said to the the heart of God the Father. These church crowds and to His leaders had gotten off track in their priorities disciples:`the teachers and Jesus is setting them straight. Their values of the law and the were in conflict with God's values. They had Pharisees sit in Moses fallen in love with, and placed great value in seat. So you must obey things that were less than God's best. Their them and do everything motivation for being religious was a selfish, they tell you. But do not prideful desire to look good to people. They do what they do, for they were setting their own agenda, and had lost do not practice what they focus on the heart of God. preach... Everything The Importance of Values they do is done for men Why are the values we hold important? What to see. '" ever we value transforms our life. We become Matthew 23:1-3, 5a like whatever we treasure. The Pharisees in Matthew 23:1-3, 5a valued most what people thought about them. They were interested in show, externals, what people could see. Their motive was to show-off to others. Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4 Some folks read Psalm 37:4 from a self-centered perspective, thinking, "OK, I will delight in God, so that I will then get what I want." This person is still sitting on the throne of their heart. In!3

essence, the Psalmist is saying, "focus your attention on God Himself. Delight in God alone, and He will place His desires in you." Only when God is on the throne of our lives can we begin the great adventure that He has planned for us from eternity past. We say to God our Father, "You are the Lord of my life. You are the King. You are in control, and I desire to align my heart's desires with what is on Your heart. Let not my will but yours be done. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, it was heart prompted conversation with the God of the universe saying, "Thy kingdom come, T h y w i l l b e d o n e, o n e a r t h a s i t i s i n heaven." (Matthew 6:10) Loving anything more than God is idolatry. Loving anything more than God is idolatry. Values have the power to transform our lives. We become what we value; that is, we live out what we value. What do you value most? Everyone has values, written or not, declared or not, conscious or not. Values are what we treasure most. What is most important. That which is "worth " most to me. Values are what "wins" in my life. What stays consistent when I'm under pressure. They are what take precedence when my back is against the wall. Values are what is really at the center of my heart. What gets my attention and time. Study the following list of values. Select the one you would rank first in your present lifestyle. Write a "1" in the blank next to it. Next, select the value you would rank least important, and write "18" next to it. then rank the rest by selecting the next highest as "2" and then the next lowest as "17", etc., until each item has been given a separate ranking. (This will take some time. If you need to do so, come back to this tomorrow and rethink your answers. You can complete the final day of this unit on one of the two "off days" left in the week. Take this ranking seriously. We will refer to this page again.) Taken from The arrival Kit by Ralph W. Neighbour, Jr. MY VALUE SYSTEM!4

PRIORITY VALUE Being prosperous and wealthy Doing exciting things Accomplishing something big Living without conflict Feeling equal with others Making my family secure Free to make my own choices Being happy, contented Getting away from inner conflicts Having close friends Being safe from crime Enjoying life (travel, movies, etc.) Doing the will of God Having self respect, selfesteem Being recognized and admired Closeness, intimacy with others Making good decisions Desire for power!5

What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life?!6

Day 2 Our Values Have the Power to Transform Others' Lives Yesterday we learned the importance of values. Our study showed us that: Whatever we transforms our lives. Values are what in my life. They are what is really at the of my heart. We become like whatever we. The Pharisees valued most what people about them. Jesus called them because they looked good on the but the did not match. We have learned that values have the power to transform our lives. Whatever we value transforms our life. Values are what "wins" in my life. They are what is really at the center of my heart. We become like whatever we treasure. The Pharisees valued most what people thought about them. they were interested in externals what people could see. But Jesus called them hypocrites because they looked good on the outside but the inside didn't match. Hopefully you took the time to look at your value system. All but one of the values in the list are offered by Satan for us to make a part of our lifestyle. "Doing the will of God" is the only one that belongs in the Kingdom of God. All the others give Satan a handle he can use to get us to focus our attention on false values. He closes our eyes to the consequences of spending our lives chasing after things that bring no peace to our lives. Jesus provides the answer for this concept of values in Matthew 6:33. In verses 31 and 32 He tells the people not to worry about what they will eat or drink. He says that the pagans run after these things and that their heavenly Father knows they need them. What does Jesus tell them to seek first? What reason does He give them for doing this?!7

Our Values Have an Effect on Others Our values have the power to transform others' lives. The Pharisees not only became what they valued, they negatively affected the lives of others. Their misplaced values transformed Judaism into a hollow sham, a frustrating experience and an obstacle to finding God for many people. Are our lives blocking the way to heaven for family members, friends, and others by the values we hold dear and how we live our lives? Judaism is the practice of the worship of Almighty God! Yet the Pharisees were so concerned about looking good to people, that they were not concerned with looking good to God! They rejected Jesus at every turn. Do you see now why Jesus was so strong with them? Read Matthew 23:13-15 and underline the reasons Jesus was upset with them. Image was most important to the Pharisees and they passed this on to the people. Rather than seeking to please God with their lives, they looked for the loopholes as they sought to keep the letter of the law. In this way they were desecrating the worship of God and actually keeping people out of His Kingdom by the way they were behaving. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life?!8

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Day 3 God's Heart for His Church What Do We Value As a Church? We saw previously that what we value we will live. Also, that "how" we live will influence others family, friends and associates: for evil or for good for heaven or for hell for God or for the evil one and the ones he controls How we live has an influence on others What we become either wins people to Christ or turns them away from Him. We must remember that this is God's church and, therefore, we ought to be concerned about what He values. We need to ask ourselves: "What is at the center of God's heart?" "What are God's values?" "What is at the center of all God says and does?" "What is God's heart?" The Center of God's Heart for His Church Let us refer back to our main text in Mark 12:28-31. Circle the word "all" each time it is used in verse 30. We are told to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as ourself. In verse 31 Jesus says, "There is no commandment greater than these." "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30 Do you know what it means to love God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your mind, and ALL your strength? Have you ever slowed down enough to think about this concept? To ponder, to reflect, to define and then do it? If Jesus says this is the most important of God's commandments, maybe we ought to take time to do it. Set aside at least 30 minutes before the end of this week to get alone with God. If the circumstances and weather permit, find a place outside to walk. Spend the time worshipping Him for who He is and what He has done in your life recently. Then take time to think!10

about what it means to love God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your mind, and ALL your strength. After your walk, reflect on your feelings and record them below. The following might aid you as your sort through this experience: How did you feel as you walked and praised God? What did you discover about your love for God in these four areas? Where are you weak? Strong? If you found this exercise to be difficult, why do you think this was? What happened that was meaningful in this experience? What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life?! 11

Day 4 Loving One Another Loving One Another As Jesus Loved Us In Mark 12:31a Jesus tells us to "Love your neighbor as yourself." After we finish this booklet, "Loving God First," we will move on to a booklet entitled "Loving One Another As Jesus Loved Us." It is made up of two parts. The first part is Loving One Another in the Body of Christ and the second is Loving the Lost. Loving One Another in the Body of Christ This series will be made up of three units entitled: Jesus is our 1. "Loving One Another: Jesus Is the Standard" standard This is based on John 13:34, 35 where Jesus says, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this will all men know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." 2. "Loving One Another: You First!" Putting others first This unit focuses on putting others first before ourselves. It is based upon Jesus' command in John 15:12, 13: "My command is this: `Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." 3. "Loving One Another: Somebody Help Me!" This unit is based upon Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have We can't do it alone the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 As you read these verses, reflect on the following questions: What point is Paul trying to make in these verses? Day 5 Loving the Lost!12

The "Love your neighbor as yourself." of Mark 12:31a also includes loving those who, as yet, do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and S a v i o r. T h e "neighbor" in Jesus' parable of "The Good Who is my neighbor? Samaritan" in Luke 10:25-37 referred to anyone around us. In 2 Corinthians 5:14 Paul writes: "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all..." The love of Christ compels us to reach a lost world for Him. The great Bible teacher H. Clay Trumbull was riding on a train next to a man who opened a flask and offered him a drink of whiskey. Dr. Trumbull declined the offer. A few minutes later the man repeated the offer, and again Dr. Trumbull turned him down. The third time the offer was made, the man said to Dr. Trumbull, "I'll bet you think I am a rather evil man doing all this drinking, don't you?" "No," said Dr. Trumbull. "I was thinking what a generous man you are to keep offering me a drink." Before the end of the trip, God used Dr. Trumbull to lead the man to faith in Christ. The love of Christ compelled this man. There are three units in this series, "Loving the Lost." They are entitled: 1. "Loving the Lost: God's Heart on Display" When Jesus looked at the myriads of lost people of His day, what did He see? Do I share Jesus' heart for lost people? 2. "Loving the Lost: Understanding Their Condition" As we come to understand the condition of the lost souls around us, it will help us get beyond the things in their lives that often turn us off. We will begin to see them with the compassion and mercy of Christ. 3. "Loving the Lost: Somebody Help Me!" Acts 2:42-47 shows us the pattern of the early church and what led to its great success in reaching the lost of its day. We will discover what it means to "get real" with those around us. If we love God first, love each other in the body of Christ and love the lost, people will be drawn to Christ as they see Him working in and through us. As His disciples, we need to keep forgiving, loving and giving God's grace to others. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? A generous man!13

Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life?!14

Day 1 Love God With an All Consuming Love Clarifying the Confusion The Cause to the Jews' Problems with the Law UNIT 2 In Unit 1 we looked at the center of God's heart for His church in Mark 12:28-31. The basis for our study was Jesus' response to a Pharisee who had asked Jesus which is the most important of all the commandments. The Pharisees had taken the law of God and arranged it into 248 commandments and 365 prohibitions. This made the law very confusing and cumbersome for their followers. There were times, when a Jew tried to fulfill the requirements of the law according to the Pharisees, that it appeared he would have to violate one law to fulfill another. He would then have to determine which law was the greater so he would only violate the lesser one. In giving His response Jesus not only sums up the 613 precepts into two commandments: love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength; and love your neighbor as yourself He also told them how to fulfill them. In verse 31 He said, "There is no greater commandment than these." This is what God values most. A Quick Review of the Importance of Values In Unit 1 we also discovered that: (fill in the blanks) 1. Whatever we value our life. 2. Values are what in my life. 3. We become like whatever we. Which commandment should I obey? 4. Our values have an on others. 613 precepts reduced to 2 commandments.!15

5. In determining our values, is the standard. We found that the things that we value transform our lives. Our values are the things that win in our lives. We tend to become like whatever we value. Our values an influence on others. We came to realize that in determining our values, Jesus is the standard. Examining the Parts of the Great Commandment If we are going to avoid frustration, we must realize that we will never "arrive" in true love for God in this life. We will fail, and probably often, in our love relationship with God. But it is far better to try and fail in the trying than to fear to try to love Him. The secret of giving our lives to what matters most, above any other pursuit or passion, is to continually pursue loving God with our whole selves. What does it mean to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength? Heart, soul, mind and strength are not clearly independent entities. Though they have their distinctives, they also overlap. 1. The heart describes our entire inner being: emotions, will, personality. It is the control center of our lives. 2. The soul is our inner life. "God breathed into Adam and he became a living soul." (Gen. 2:7 KJV) The word is often used in conjunction with a person's passions. What a person gives their life and energy to is empowered by the soul. 3. The mind describes our thought capacity, our ability to think or reason. We are not to have an independent mind but one that is submissive to God and His Word. He knows more and better than we do. We need to saturate our mind with God's Word give it to the pursuit of God's ways as revealed in His Word. 4. Strength is the expression of our total self as expressed through the body. To love God with all one's heart, soul, mind, and strength is to passionately pursue God to grow in knowing Him, to desire Him, to continually pursue Him, to daily give our lives to Him. Look back through today's lesson. Pray and ask God to identify one or more ideas He wants you to understand, learn or apply to your life. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today?!16

Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. Day 2 An Example of an All Consuming Love, Part 1 Read Luke 7:36-50 Jesus Reveals a Contrast in Attitudes Toward Him Reread the above passage and underline the phrases that show Simon's attitude toward Jesus and circle the phrases that show the woman's attitude toward Jesus. As we read this narrative, we realize that there were two totally different attitudes expressed toward Jesus. These attitudes reflected two different responses to previous encounters with Jesus. It is evident from the story that both the woman and the Pharisee had had a previous encounter with Jesus. The Response of the Woman This sinful woman was probably a prostitute. At some point prior to the dinner Two attitudes reflect two she had heard Jesus speak and had different responses to Jesus responded to His message with repentance and faith in God. Now she shows up at the house of a Pharisee to demonstrate her all consuming love for Jesus. Based upon what you know of Jewish culture of that day, what risk was this woman taking in going to the house of the Pharisee? Why? It was not proper for a Jewish woman to come unattended, uninvited and!17

unveiled to an event like this. She would most certainly experience rejection for her presence there. But her love for Jesus caused her to put her fears of rejection aside and go uninvited to the dinner. Why? She had possibly known or heard of the woman caught in the act of adultery by the Pharisees and how they had brought her to Jesus, demanding her execution by stoning. Jesus had simply said, "let him who is without sin cast the first stone." All the Pharisees had left and Jesus asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:10, 11 Jesus had shown her mercy and grace. This may have caused the woman in our story to see Jesus as a prophet of God full of grace and truth. Maybe the woman had heard Jesus say, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 This would have spoken to her soul about the needs in her life. She wanted what Jesus offered. She wanted real forgiveness and a real relationship with God, not what she saw in most of the religious leaders of the day. Her response to Jesus on this evening shows she had had prior contact with Him that would compel her to show her love for Jesus in such an extravagant way. God had been drawing her, convicting her of sin, and showing her that Jesus could forgive her of her sin and give her a new life. The Response of the Pharisee Prophet of God full of grace and truth Desire for real forgiveness and a real relationship The Pharisee had also probably heard Jesus preach on at least one occasion. Unlike the woman, he neither admired nor sought to know Jesus. Like his fellow Pharisees, his core value was doing things to look good in front of others. He had probably invited Jesus over for show. He was playing both sides against the middle. On the one hand, he appealed to the crowds by inviting Jesus to his home for dinner. This would cause him to seem hospitable and open to the Teacher. On the other hand, he played to the Pharisees by treating Jesus rudely. He had an impure agenda possibly seeking to trap Jesus in something He would say.!18

Unlike the woman, who moved beyond her fear of rejection, to lavishly demonstrate her love for Jesus, the Pharisee did not even show the common courtesies of the day. He did not provide Jesus with water and a towel to wash His feet, did not kiss Jesus when He entered his home, and did not anoint Jesus' head with oil as one would any honored guest. He treated Jesus as having no value. So we see that, even though the sinful woman and the Pharisee had had prior exposure to Jesus, they had different attitudes toward Him that caused them to act differently toward Him. Look back through today's lesson. Pray and ask God to identify one or more ideas He wants you to understand, learn or apply to your life. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life?!19

Day 3 An Example of All Consuming Love Part 2 The True Condition of Their Hearts Was Revealed in the Way They Responded to Jesus Three ways of relating to God are shown in Luke 7:36-50. They are: The Woman's Heart Condition Remember that going to the dinner was a real stretch for this woman. It was alright to go to a home when a teacher was invited, to listen, and even to interact. But it was not right for her to eat or sit at the table. It was a violation of Jewish custom for a woman to let down her hair in public. The woman was a social and religious reject, but loved God with all her being. She had acted in keeping with her new core value: she loved God above everything else and risked even further rejection in order to lavish her love upon Jesus. What did Jesus see in this woman that Simon did not? The Pharisee's Heart Condition The Pharisee was a picture of political correctness. He showed the courtesy of extending an invitation, which caused him to look good to the public. But then he treated Jesus with rudeness when He arrived, to look good to the rest of the Pharisees. He was one of the most rude and cold hearted men Jesus ever met. Notice in Luke 7:39 that he does not rebuke the woman for what she did. Instead he used this as an excuse to find fault with and to reject Jesus. He held true to his core value which was: doing things to look good to people. "Everything they do is for men to see." Matthew 23:5!20

All Consuming Love Common Courtesy Rudeness Sinful Woman What was expected The Pharisee tears to washhair to dry continual kissing of feet (recognized sign of deep reverence; especially toward honored teachers) expensive per-fume on feet willing to stretch or violate social norms to love God fully basin of watertowel to dry kiss of greeting on cheek oil on head (common, inexpensive) keep common standards nothing provided no kiss no oil ignored even the common standards of the day Why do you feel Jesus told the parable in Luke 7: 41-43? To get the focus of attention off the woman. To entertain the people at the dinner. To get a point across to Simon and the other Pharisees. What was the message of Jesus' parable? The perils of loaning people money. Why the woman and Pharisee responded as they did. How to handle people who owe you money. In this account from Jesus' life: What was the concern of the woman? What was the concern of Simon? What was the concern of Jesus?!21

What was the concern of the other guests? Look back through today's lesson. Pray and ask God to identify one or more ideas He wants you to understand, learn or apply to your life. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life?!22

Day 4 Moving Toward an All Consuming Love for God The woman's actions demonstrate her all consuming love for Jesus What was her motivation? The answer to this question informs us as to how we can develop an all consuming love for God one which loves God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. The woman responded in love toward God because her sins had been forgiven. LET US BE VERY CLEAR: She was not forgiven BECAUSE she loved God. She loved God BECAUSE she had been forgiven. Why had they been forgiven? Because: She grasped and admitted the ugliness of her sin. She realized she had a need in her life and came in faith. v. 50 She received the forgiveness Jesus offered. In deep appreciation for her forgiveness and new life in Christ, she expressed lavish, allconsuming love upon Jesus. Time to Look Within Have you come to the place where you have seen the ugliness of sin in your life? Are you willing to quit making excuses for your sin and own up to it? This is called confession agreeing with God about your sin. The Bible is very clear about the need to confess our sins before God and not try to make light of them or cover them up. 1 John 1:9 gives us clear direction! From this passage we see: Our Part: To confess our sins agree with God about them God's Part: He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness Why does He do this? Because He is faithful and just. This is the method God Himself established to deal with the sin in our lives. If we fulfill our part, He is faithful to fulfill His. "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." 48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Jesus said to the woman, 50 "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Luke 7:47, 48, 50 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" 1 John 1:9!23

This does not mean that if you have not lived a life of all-out sin you cannot love God as fully as you could otherwise. It depends upon your personal grasp and realization of your sin. Do you realize where you would be if you had not turned to Jesus, no matter how moral your life may have been? It is one thing for God to offer us forgiveness for our sins. But we must receive it. I could offer you a $100 bill but, until you actually took it from my hand, it would remain in my possession. When we confess our sins to God, we must, by faith, believe that He will keep His promise and forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness. Then we need to act upon our forgiven status and not allow ourselves to be paralyzed by guilt heaped on us by the enemy of our souls. We are now free to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. As Paul tells us in Galatians 6:5b: "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." The Problem with the Pharisee He did not respond in love to Jesus because he had not experienced forgiveness of his sins. In verse 47b Jesus had said, "He who has been forgiven little loves little." This man had evidently heard Jesus preach, just as the woman had, but he chose not acknowledge his sin and therefore did not experience forgiveness. Notice what John has to say about that in 1 John 1:10. If we claim we have no sin in our lives, we make Jesus out to be a liar. Because we have not done our part in confession, God is not able to do His part and forgive us. The Pharisee was so convinced that his life was OK that he could not see his need for forgiveness. His sin was not forgiven and he, therefore, was unable to love Jesus. Look back through today's lesson. Pray and ask God to identify one or more ideas He wants you to understand, learn or apply to your life. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? We must take possession of God's forgiveness "If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our hearts." 1 John 1:10!24

Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life? Day 5 How to Love God with an All Consuming Love How Does All This Work Itself Out in Real Life? Loving God first means that nothing is more important in my life than giving myself to Him. What can we learn from the woman in Luke 7:36-50 about loving God first? 1. She trusted Him with her reputation. She was will-ing to put her reputation, poor though it was, on the line to express her love to Jesus for the forgiveness and salvation He had provided for her. She went against the etiquette and political correctness of her day to express her thankfulness and love for Jesus. I must also learn to trust Him with my reputation. We have many opportunities every day to put our reputation on the line for the glory of God. Some ideas might be: Praying in public, in a restaurant or the school cafeteria, before we eat. Participating in events that allow us to identify with Christ like National Right to Life Day and See You at the Pole. Wearing a Promise Keepers t-shirt or another one with a message that shows your commitment to Christ. Inviting people to a LIFEgroup social or meeting, a worship service, a special men's or women's weekend. Giving up a promotion because you have prayed and God told you to "stay put" for the sake of your family and your spiritual life and then telling your boss the real reason. The idea is not allowing the fear of what others think to stop you in expressing your love for God.!25

2. She gave lavishly to Him. She did not just use water and a towel to wash Jesus' dusty feet. She washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair. She could have used olive oil to anoint His feet but she used the most expensive perfume she had. We too need to learn to give lavishly to God. We want to be like David in 2 Samuel 24:24 who did not want to give God freebies. Since God did not hold back anything but gave up His very best for us, should we be willing to give of our best for Him? For us, giving lavishly would be giving God our time, energy, talents, attention, finances, comfort, etc. I need to lay my life before Him and say, "Here I am, Lord. Use me however you will to fulfill your purposes." 3. She worshipped Him with all her heart, soul, mind and strength. This woman did not hold back anything out of her gratitude for Christ's gift to her. We, too, must worship God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength because He alone is worthy to receive it. Some practical applications of this would be: Coming to worship to meet Jesus rather than to fulfill a religious or social obligation. While worshipping, focus on Jesus and not on the people around you. Allowing God to stretch you out of your standard mold. Realizing that loving God means focusing upon our relationship with Him and not on religion. We need to recognize that what we do reflects our true core values what we truly love. Our response should be love and worship to God. We are only able to love Him because He loved us first. Our love toward Him is a response of His love toward us. And the beauty of it is that, since He loved us first, we know what will happen when we love Him with all our hearts and lives. He will continue to love us. Loving God first means that nothing is more important in my life than giving myself to Him. "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." 2 Samuel 24:24b As we wrap up this unit on Loving God with an All-Consuming Love, there are some questions that should help us bring things into perspective. As you think back through this unit: Would you say your love for God is more like that of Simon or the!26

woman? Why? What keeps you from being more open in demonstrating your love for God? What is the one thing that gets in the way of your loving God first? What in your life demonstrates that there is nothing more important than loving God? In your relationship with others, are you one who forgives "much" or "little"? Why? Look back through today's lesson. Pray and ask God to identify one or more ideas He wants you to understand, learn or apply to your life. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life?!27

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Day 1 Pick Your Passion Obedience From the Heart UNIT 3 The passion we pick will determine the decisions we make and, ultimately, what we become. As believers, our passion should be to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. There is nothing greater than that. A Real Life Story That Illustrates This Point In making this point, one man described two of his relatives whom he had observed in their old age. Each had picked their passion. Each had become what they valued most. He said: Your passion will determine what you become. "Exhibit A is a distant uncle. All his life he did nothing but find new ways to get rich. He spent his last years in senility, living very comfortably, but drooling and babbling constantly about the money he had made. When life whittled him down to his essence, all there was left was raw greed. This is what he had cultivated in a thousand little ways over a lifetime one decision at a time." "Exhibit B is my wife's grandmother. When she died in her mid-eighties, she had already been senile for several years. What did this lady talk about? The best example I can think of was when we asked her to pray before dinner. She would reach out and hold the hands of those sitting beside her, a broad, beautiful smile would spread All there was left was raw greed across her face. Her dim eyes would fill with tears as she looked up to heaven and her chin would quiver as she poured out her love to Jesus. That was edna in a nutshell. She loved Jesus and she loved people. "She couldn't remember our names, but she couldn't keep her hands from patting us lovingly whenever we got near her. When her life whittled down to her essence, all there was left was love love for God and love for people."!29

There is only time in life for one passion. This is a fact of life. When Jesus was asked what was the most important commandment, the greatest thing to which a person could give their life, the one passion to pick, He answered in Mark 12:30, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Looking at your life as it is right now, if it was shrunk down to its very essence, what would be left? What would your life show you had valued? What do you sense God would have you change to get your passion in the place it ought to be? How can the people in your home group pray for you concerning this? Share that with them this week. Look back through today's lesson. Pray and ask God to identify one or more ideas He wants you to understand, learn or apply to your life. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life?!30

Day 2 Love Involves Choosing We are going to look at what love for God really is so we can evaluate the passion for which we are living. We will focus our attention on the Lord's description of how we can know if we love Him. How Can We Love God As He Wants? If you were to go to the Bible and start putting together a definition of "love," very early on you would discover that the Love is a choice definition would have to include that love is a choice. It is not forced. We choose who we will love and we choose whose love we will receive. That is, love involves choosing to love. We are not talking about the kind of love that is primarily a love of affection the warm feelings that come when we are attracted to someone or enjoy their company. This is phileo love or brotherly love. It is personal preference, liking someone. The kind of love which describes God and the love He calls us to have for Him and one another is agape love. It is a love of choice. There is an intentional, conscious and deliberate choice to be devoted to someone else, even if we do not feel they are worthy of our love and devotion. God loves us in this way and desires us to love Him like this in return. But, He gives us the choice. A Lesson From the Garden Read Genesis 2:8-9; 15-17 The command to not eat the fruit from that one tree became the way and the opportunity for Adam and Eve to express their love for God by obeying Him. Jesus said in John 14:21, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." Adam and Eve had the command of God but they did not obey. They were seduced by a selfish, sinful type of self-love. God gave them the freedom to choose to love Him or to choose not to love Him. Instead of choosing love for God, they chose God is love a perverted self-love that led to self-gratification. That was their choice. In essence they said, "I want what I want, so I am going to do what I want to do. Hang God!"!31

God could have chosen not to give them the command. He could have chosen to make them love Him and make them feel good about Him, but love involves choosing. Since God is love, He allows people to choose whether or not they will love Him. We do need to recognize that our choices have consequences. We can choose to exercise or not exercise, to go to work or not go to work, to obey our parents or not obey them. But every choice we make has consequences. The same is true in our relationship with God. We can choose to love and obey Him or we can choose not to. But each choice carries consequences with it. Some people think this is unfair of God. But love involves choosing. Look back through today's lesson. Pray and ask God to identify one or more ideas He wants you to understand, learn or apply to your life. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? Our choices have consequences Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life?!32

Day 3 God's Commands Are For Our Good God Is Not on a "Power Trip" God is God and knows what is good for us. He lays down His commands that we might walk in what is good, best and fulfilling for our lives. In Deuteronomy 6:1-9 the children of Israel are getting ready to cross into the Promised Land. Moses has been their leader but, because of personal sin, he will not be able to enter the land. This is his last parting shot to them. Read Deuteronomy 6:1-9 God's Commands Express His Love for Us God loves us and so He tells us how to live lives that will return great blessing to us. The last part of verses two and three show us the purpose behind God's commands. God loves us and desires to bless us in this life. Verse 2c says, "... so that you may enjoy long life." He wants us to enjoy life and find it to be meaningful. He desires for us to have relationships that are fulfilling and intimate. But He does not want us chasing rainbows. Verse 3b says, "... so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey." If we obey the Lord, it will go well with us. We will have a fulfilling life and increase greatly. This speaks of a life of quality and with quality relationships not just things. It is a life that is free to worship God and bless people. God Lets Us Choose God wants us to enjoy life When we choose to obey God, we will live a long and fulfilling life. But when we choose to disobey God, and rebel against His commands, we are really declaring that we know just as much as God does or even more. Often our own selfish inclinations or the devil will try to divert our focus from our personal obedience and onto something else: "That's just his interpretation of the Bible." "I can do that later." "Is that what that really means?" "It's not my fault."!33

This is like the man who lived with his dog in a two-story house. Every night when he went upstairs to bed, the dog would curl up on the landing to sleep. Each morning, while groping his way downstairs seeking his coffee, the man got to the landing, tripped over the dog, and fell the rest of the way down the stairs. Telling his friends about it, this man always said, "You would think after all these months that dumb dog would learn better!" IT IS A CHOICE! It all goes back to who we really think has the right to call the shots. Who really knows what is best us or God? Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." God's commands are for our good. They are an expression of His love for us to give us a good and satisfying life. Look back through today's lesson. Pray and ask God to identify one or more ideas He wants you to understand, learn or apply to your life. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? Rewrite this Scripture or statement into a prayer request to God. How can you apply today's study to your life?!34

Day 4 The Proof of Loving God What Is the Proof of Our Love for God? How are we to know if we really love God? Since loving God is the most important thing in the world, Jesus clarifies what it means to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He makes it very clear. He does not give any wiggle room at all. My love for God is shown by my obedience to His commands. John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will obey what I command... 21 Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him... 23 If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." In verse 21 Jesus says "... this is the one who loves Me." He is EMPHATIC! "this is the one..." Who is the one who loves Jesus? Jesus says he is the one who: has my commands keeps them This is where the rubber meets the road on the issue of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. "Having" Jesus' Commands The word "have" here communicates the idea having something within one's grasp. To "have Spending time in Jesus' commands" would be growing in your grasp God's Word on a of God's Word spending time in God's Word on a regular basis regular basis. It is staying in the Word to seek answers when confronted with challenges, questions, sin, or direction for life. We should not just fall back on what we know because we are not sure where some of our knowledge was obtained. How do you measure up in this area? When you hear the Word taught or preached, are you attentive, listening or just a spectator? Do you have your Bible open, engaging your eyes, mind, ears, and spirit, seeing if what is said is so? Understanding where the speaker is coming from?!35

Do you sit back and evaluate based only upon what you remember or what you think about something? This is not static. This is not religion. It is a relationship. God reveals His heart to us in His God reveals His heart Word. Please understand, I am not asking if to us in His Word you are a Bible scholar. But I am saying that Jesus says we must have a growing grasp of His Word if we are going to know His commands and obey them. Beware of Syncretism In missions work they talk about syncretism. What this means is that sometimes people take the Word of God they are receiving, respond to it, and appear to be Bible-believing Christians. But what they are really doing is blending Christianity into their previous customs, cultural laws, idolatrous religions, worship of spirits and other things. They interpret the Word through these things as well. They blend it all together so it looks like Christianity on the surface, but it really is not. Syncretism does not just exist on foreign mission fields. It crops us in American Christianity and churches as well. We tend to blend in our past beliefs, prejudices, culture Who really knows and practice whether it is biblical or not. We call it what is best? tradition. In some churches and denominations people will all but die for their traditions. It is these very things that destroy the unity of Christ's body. In Isaiah 29:13, "The Lord says, `These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men.'" This is syncretism and we must beware of it. The only way we know if we have God's commands is to regularly spend time and engage our heart, soul, mind, and strength in God's Word. The mid-week home groups are an essential dimension to this because they take what we teach on Sunday mornings and discuss it together what it means, questions, how to apply it, etc. Group members wrestle with the Word so they can grow in their grasp of God's commands, His expressions of love to us. Do you spend regular time in God's Word? If not, you need to start somewhere 5 minutes a day and let it grow from there.!36

Describe your current practice of studying God's Word. What could you do to strengthen this important area of your life? Day 5 Obeying Jesus' Commands Commands? Why Is It Important to Obey Jesus' In John 14: 15, 21, 23 and 24, the word "obey" has the meaning of cherishing, holding something as a treasure, taking pains not to lose or let others violate something. When we apply this to obeying the Word of God it would then mean to cherish or treasure the Word, to take pains not to lose or violate it. Do you really cherish God and His Word? If so, then you should obey (cherish) Him and His Word. This is not a surface or superficial kind of obedience just going through the motions, doing one thing on Sunday and doing something else the rest of the week. The idea is to communicate by our obedience, "I love the Word of God because, through it, I meet Him." "If you love me, you will obey what I command... Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him... If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching." John 14:15, 21, 23, 24 An Illustration Obeying God in this manner is like the teenager whose friends decided to throw a party at one friend's house whose parents were out of town. There was going to be alcohol, drugs and other immoral behavior. They!37

had planned this party and kept inviting one high school girl, who kept declining their invitation. Finally one of the friends said, "What's wrong, are you afraid that your dad is going to get mad at you?" The girl replied, "Yes, he might get mad at me. But the reason I don't want to go is that it would hurt him if I did. And I don't want to hurt my Dad." This is obedience from the heart. We choose to obey God, not because we fear His anger, but because we cherish and treasure Him too much to hurt Him by our disobedience. One morning in Sunday School a young girl was asked if she had a favorite passage of Scripture. Expecting to hear John 3:16, the teacher was surprised when the girl told her her favorite passage was Romans 12:9-21. This passage is a series of one sentence commands. The teacher asked, "Why is this your favorite passage?" The girl replied, "This tells me how to make God happy. And that is what I want to do." Obedience from the heart is doing that which makes God happy because I cherish or treasure Him. Jesus said that the one who had His commands and obeyed them "this is the one who loves me." What do my responses to God's Word say about my love for Him? Based upon what Jesus said love is, do you love God? It does not have to be a sinlessly perfect love. But have you set your heart in one direction alone? Is this your passion? Remember this is your choice. God lets you choose because that is the nature of His love. But remember there are consequences if you choose not to love Him. This is a unique relationship with God that is reserved only for those who love Him. At one time there was a large billboard just outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It stands high above the city just as you start across the Mississippi River bridge. On it was a picture of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross of Calvary with His head bowed. The caption underneath read in bold letters: "It's your move!"!38

God says it is also your move. God has already shown us that He loves us. He has given His Son to die for our sins. He has given us His Word so we can know Him and how to live a full and joyful life here on earth. Remember, NOT TO CHOOSE, IS TO CHOOSE. Share a time in your life when you chose to go with God against all odds. What were the results? Loving God is a continual process. What are some of the hindrances you face in loving Him as you should? Share about an area within your life in which it has been difficult for you to obey God's Word. Seek prayer from your home group for victory in this important area. Look back through today's lesson. Pray and ask God to identify one or more ideas He wants you to understand, learn or apply to your life. What Scripture or statement spoke to you today? How can you apply today's study to your life? Pastor Stan Lubeck Stanlubeck.com 2016-02-18!39