CONNECT NOTES. FN12 MESSAGE SUMMARY 24TH JUNE 2018. THE CHOICE TO HONOUR.DEUTERONOMY 14:22-23 & MATHEW 6:24-26 The Father in Heaven can t help himself but honour those who honour Him (1 Samuel 2:30). When we honour Him, He rewards us with more of himself. He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Honour is a prerequisite to delighting more in the person of Jesus. We honour God with our whole lives, but the tithe is a key mechanism by which we can do this. Key Points. 1. God does not want your money - he wants your heart. 2. If you don t want to tithe - don t tithe. 3. Do you have financial pressures? 4. The tithe is a demonstration of faith. 5. Don t ask the net or gross question. 6. Honour God with the first and the best. 7. Jesus did speak into the tithe. 8. Under grace? 1ST JULY 2018. THE CHOICE TO WORSHIP. ROMANS 12:1 We are called to follow Jesus. The very definition of a Christian is to be "little Christs". Jesus is worthy of worship. A revelation of who Jesus is, what He has done, and His redemptive work on the cross thrusts us, propels us towards worship of Him, whatever that physical expression or outpouring of gratitude may be. Choosing to abide, bless, feed, listen, rest, proclaim, be generous and tithe is all worship. It is rendering due worth to God and placing our lives before Him as an offering (Romans 12:1). This message explores 3 key moments in the life of Jesus during His last day, and shows that He chose to worship, despite the fiercest of pressure. When the truth is revealed about who Jesus is, the choice to worship is easier. There is no need to be legalistically prescriptive regarding whether sit or stand, to kneel or to bow. One thing, however is for sure. It demands a response. If there is no response, the reality of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ perhaps is lost on you. Key Points. -The importance of the word in worship (John 1:1) -Jesus worshipped at the meal (Matthew 26:30) -Jesus worshipped in the garden (Luke 22:39) -Jesus worshipped on the cross (Matthew 27:46, Psalm 22) 1ST JULY 2018. THE CHOICE TO CONFESS. PSALM 51 Psalm 51 teaches us that sin is serious, offensive, far-reaching and persuasive. It was serious problem in the life of David and it is a serious problem in the life of you and I. We might judge it to be small or slight but according to an infinitely awesome and holy God sin is deadly serious. How can you and I be clean before God? How can the full penalty for all our sins be wiped completely away? Psalm 51 shows us the answer to this question. Confession. Because of Jesus, confession leads us to real relational worship with the living God. Key Points. Confession requires being completely honest with God and yourself and requires humility Confession is important because it restores us to God. How? - God recreates our heart (Psalm 51:10) - God restores our joy (Psalm 51:12) - God witnesses to the world through our testimony of forgiveness (Psalm 51:13) FN12. PAGE 1 OF 5
DISCUSSION & APPLICATION QUESTIONS These following questions are to help guide your discussion time - tools to help facilitate discussion. Please don t feel as though you need to address every question. Simply choose the questions that you feel would be most appropriate for your group. DISCUSSION/APPLICATION POINTS THE CHOICE TO HONOUR Are there any in the group who have a testimony to share in relation to tithing? Read Deuteronomy 14:22-23. This is just one Old Testament verse that speaks of the tithe but this verse also contains an explanation of why the tithe is important ( so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. ). Discuss how the giving of the tithe is a powerful way to revere and honour God? Read Matthew 6:24-26. Have you found yourself in a place where you know you are serving money before serving God? How did God help lead and guide you out of that place? Were there any particular truths about his character or promises from his Word that He illuminated or made real to you? In 1 Samuel 2:30 God says Those who honour me I will honour. Being honest, does the way manage, give and spend your money reflect a heart that honours God above all else? If not, what fears or circumstances are standing in the way? THE CHOICE TO WORSHIP Read Romans 12:1. How have you experienced God s mercy? What has his mercy meant to you? We can often think that worship is singing songs about God or singing to God but worship as we learn from this passage involves our whole life. Think back over the past week. In what ways have you worshipped God in your day to day? As you reflect, perhaps consider what ways you ve failed to worship God. Worship is a powerful way of experiencing God s grace and HIs transforming presence. How have you personally experienced this in your own life? THE CHOICE TO CONFESS As you read through Psalm 51 is there a particular verse or passage that stands out to you? In Psalm 51 we hear the desperate plea of a man (David) whose heart has been broken by the realisation of his own sin. How do we see David relating to God in this moment? Have you ever had an experience where you have become horribly aware of your own sinfulness? How did you find yourself relating to God in that moment? In 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 we read the backstory to this Psalm of David s affair with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband. Both sins which were punishable by death under Jewish Law. But in Psalm 51 we see David asking God for mercy and to blot out his sins. What did you think enabled David to ask for these things of God? Read James 5:16. An important and powerful aspect of confession is not just the confession we make to God about our sin but the confession we make to one another. Why do you think this is? Do you have someone that you are able to confess your deepest sins with? Can anyone in the group share their experience of confessing their sins with a brother or sister in Christ? FN12. PAGE 2 OF 5
OPTIONAL DISCUSSION RESOURCE BASIC 2 Extracted from Francis Chan s series entitled Basic. Our optional session is entitled FOLLOW JESUS There is a 15 minute video to view with your group that is located at www.vimeo.com/thereddoorcc/basic2. Please show the video to your group and then use the below questions as a discussion guide. DISCUSSION/APPLICATION POINTS 1. Read Mark 10:17-31. As you read it, try to experience the event. Don t just read over the words, but allow the passage to form a picture in your mind. Pay attention to what each person says and how they respond. Imagine the expression on the first young man s face as the story unfolds. Watch for Jesus expression. What tone of voice does he use when he delivers each line of dialogue? After you ve spent some time in the passage, then continue below. 2. Even though he lived two thousand years ago, try to place yourself in the shoes of this young ruler. He was politically influential and extremely rich. When Jesus called him to leave all that behind and follow Him, he walked away sad. Picture yourself in a similar position. Would you have responded differently? In what way; and why? 3. Let the force of Jesus words impact you: With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God. How should this simple statement change the way you approach the concept of following Jesus? 4. Some of Jesus commands are listed below. For each of these, describe how following this command would look in your everyday life. Try not to think in generalities but rather specifically in relation to your unique life situation. - Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27). - You shall love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:39). - Feed the hungry, show hospitality to strangers, care for the sick, visit those in prison (Matthew 25:35-36). 5. It s not enough to just think about what it means to follow Jesus. We need the very Spirit of Jesus, because this is impossible for all of us. But what is impossible for us is possible for God. Spend some time in prayer. Ask him to change you from the inside out, to remake you into a follower. Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to live the life God has designed you to live. FN12. PAGE 3 OF 5
PRAYER FOCUS PRAYER MEETINGS All are welcome to come to The Red Door Prayer Meetings: Mondays at 6.30pm, Wednesdays at 7-8am, and the whole church is encouraged to come if at all possible to join us at our Call to Prayer meetings on the first Monday of the month from 6.30-8.30pm. God loves to hear us pray. We are His kids! REMINDER - WHAT AREA OF THE CHURCH IS ON YOUR HEART TO PRAY FOR? We believe each member of our Red Door family has a part to play in praying for a specific area of what is happening at Church and in our community. This could be one of many aspects of ministry & community Connect Groups, CAP, Alta-1, Music Team, Business Leaders, Discipleship, Salvations & Baptisms, Marriages, RedKids, Young Adults the list is quite comprehensive. We will be talking about this in the next few weeks and praying that we will all be drawn to particular areas so everyone can be involved in what God desires to see in our midst. Please pray about what area you may feel led to cover as individuals. If you have not yet done so, please consider an area within the Red Door Church that you would be willing to pray for each day and let us know. PRAISE REPORT: FIRST RED DOOR WOMEN S RETREAT 29 JUNE-1 JULY 75 women were able to be part of our Women s Retreat at the Bayview Geographe Resort in Busselton. Ages ranged across the generations from 20 to almost 80, several were new to Red Door, and everyone was able to get to know each other better whilst relaxing in comfortable surroundings and over great meals. There were lots of laughs and time to enjoy freedom from the usual responsibilities that all women have. The presence of God was tangible, as we experienced more of God s love and power during the teaching sessions, devotional time, and hear testimonies of what God had been doing in their lives. Please pray for the women that they continue to hear God s voice and be directed in their relationships and decisions, remembering how greatly loved they are. PRAYER FOR UNITY Many churches are gathering together to pray across Perth, particularly in the area of Youth. Pray for our Youth Leaders as they courageously prioritise their time to seek God s Kingdom for our City. PRAY FOR OUR SPONSOR CHILDREN Many of us have a sponsor child/children in various parts of the world. At Red Door we have many in Kabankalan, Philippines, which is where we have our School Leavers Trip each year. Pray for those children who are sponsored and those who have yet to find a sponsor, in particular: That they will learn well in school and fulfil God s purpose for their life That they will be a great blessing to their families, community and beyond That they understand how much they are loved by God and become effective witnesses for Jesus. For Compassion to have wisdom as they administer this amazing work. FN12. PAGE 4 OF 5
ANNOUNCEMENTS These can also be found on the Red Door app for your phone under Connect, along with the notes that accompany the message each Sunday. 1. CONNECT LEADERS TRAINING COURSE. This 4 week course begins next Monday 9 July, from 7-9pm. This is for existing leaders who would like to sharpen up their skills, as well as for assistant leaders and those who would simply like to know more about what it means to lead a group in the future. 2. FATHER & SON CAMP @ THE PADDOCK When: Friday-Sunday, 20-22 July How: To register, grab a registration form at the Information Bookcase and submit it in by 15 July. Why: Father & Son camp is an amazing adventure created to bring dads and their lads together. A weekend full of memories that will last a lifetime. 3. THE LAB This Sunday at 10am service is our annual Lab Service. This is an all-in family service with a professional scientists ding crazy experiments with a sausage sizzle for lunch for a gold coin donation to raise funds for a Well for Water for Africa. FN12. PAGE 5 OF 5