Coming Home

Father

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 11:1-4 NIV

__________

Luke 11:1-4 NIV

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

Matthew 6:9 NIV

This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

1) THERE'S A FAMILY IN THIS HOUSE

Genesis 2:18 NIV

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

1 John 4:20 NIV

… For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

Ecclesiastes 4:10 NIV

If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Proverbs 27:17 NIV

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Hebrews 10:22 & 25 NIV

let us draw near to God with a sincere heart … 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.

2) THERE'S A FATHER IN THIS HOUSE

Isaiah 59:2 NIV

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

Colossians 1:21 NIV

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.

John 1:12 NIV

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

Luke 15:11-24 NIV

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Coming Home

Teach Us To Pray

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 11:1 NIV

John 14:2-3

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 

Acts 17:27 

God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

1) ACKNOWLEDGE THE DIVIDE

”when He finished, one of the disciples…”

Genesis 3:8-10

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 
 

Luke 5:31-32 NIV

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
 

2) ASK THE QUESTION

“... teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Luke 11:9-11 NIV

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?”

Isaiah 1:18 TLB

Come, let’s talk this over, says the Lord; no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool.
 

Jeremiah 33:3

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

3) APPROACH HIM WITH FAITH

“Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

John 14:6

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
 

Colossians 1:20

and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.
 

Colossians 1:21-22

At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, because the evil you did was against him. But now he has made you his friends again. He did this by the death Christ suffered while he was in his body. He did it so that he could present you to himself as people who are holy, blameless, and without anything that would make you guilty before him.
 

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Romans 10:9-10 NIV

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Contagious: A Radically Infectious Faith, Life, and Church

Depend

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 10:38-42 NIV

Luke 10:38-42 NIV

At the Home of Martha and Mary

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 4:8 NIV

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

Luke 10:27 NIV

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

John 17:3 NIV

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Genesis 3:8-9 NIV

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Psalm 127:1 NIV

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

1) REPENT

Luke 12:22-34 NIV

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Matthew 11:28 NIV

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

2) RESIST THE URGE

Matthew 7:7-9 NIV

Ask, Seek, Knock

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

John 16:24 NIV

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Exodus 33:15-18 NIV

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name. Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

3) ROUTINE

Proverbs 8:34 NIV

Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.

Joshua 24:15 NIV

… then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, …But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Contagious: A Radically Infectious Faith, Life, and Church

Deploy

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 10:25-37 NIV

Luke 10:25-37 NIV

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

John 15:16 NIV

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Ephesians 2:10 NIV

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

James 2:22 NIV

You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

1 John 3:17 NIV

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

Matthew 25:45 NIV

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

1) MAKE ROOM IN YOUR HEART

Luke 10:33 NIV

Romans 12:2 NIV

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2) MAKE ROOM IN YOUR LIFE

Luke 10:35 NIV

2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

 
3) MAKE PLANS TO BE INTENTIONAL

Luke 10:31-34 NIV

2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

4) MAKE SPACE TO LEARN

Luke 10:35 NIV

5) MAKE MUCH OF LITTLE - START HERE, NOW, TODAY!

Luke 10:36-37 NIV

Contagious: A Radically Infectious Faith, Life, and Church

Redeem

Jesse Holcomb

Today’s Scripture: Luke 10:17-24 NIV

Luke 10:17-24 NIV

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you. However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
At that time he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal him.”
Then turning to his disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see the things you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things you see but didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.”

1) RELATIONSHIP IS AT THE HEART OF DISCIPLESHIP

James 1:27 NIV

Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained." – C.S. Lewis

2) REDEMPTION IS ONLY FOUND IN JESUS

Genesis 3:14-15 NIV

So the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this,
you are cursed more than any livestock
and more than any wild animal.
You will move on your belly
and eat dust all the days of your life.
I will put hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.

1 Samuel 17:49-51 NIV

David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground. David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. David overpowered the Philistine and killed him without having a sword. David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they fled. 
 

"Your anxiety exposes your idolatry”- John Mark Comer

3) THIS NEW FAMILY IS STILL AVAILABLE TO ALL

1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV

For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

Contagious: A Radically Infectious Faith, Life, and Church

Reach

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 10:1-16 NIV

Luke 10:1-16 NIV

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Matthew 5:13-16 NIV

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Luke 19:10 NIV

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

1) SEE PEOPLE ACCURATELY

Luke 10:2 NIV

John 3:16-17 NIV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Psalm 139:14 NIV

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

2) ASK PASSIONATELY

Luke 10:2 NIV

James 5:16 NIV

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

3) GO URGENTLY

Luke 10:3-12 NIV

4) TRUST HEAVEN

Luke 10:13-16 NIV

Hebrews 9:27 The Message

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation.

The Unfinished Work

Forward Focus

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 9:62 NIV
 

Luke 9:62 New International Version

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
 

1) KNOW THE DESTINATION

Philippians 1:21 New International Version

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Philippians 3:8-14 New International Version

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

John 14:1-7 New International Version

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus the Way to the Father

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

2) MAKE TRAVEL PLANS

Ephesians 6:13-18 The Message

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
 

Colossians 2:6-7 New International Version

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

3) RECOGNIZE THE RISKS

1 Corinthians 10:13 New International Version

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Matthew 26:41 New International Version

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

4) BRING A FRIEND

Luke 10:1 New International Version

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 New International Version

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

The Unfinished Work

The One Thing: Fire

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 9:57-61 NIV

 __________

John 3:16 New International Version

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 17:3 New International Version

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

John 10:10 New International Version

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Luke 9:57-61 New International Version

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

John 14:6 New International Version

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1) GRATITUDE

Philippians 4:6-7 New International Version

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 5:20 New International Version

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:8 New International Version

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

2) STAY IN SCHOOL

Romans 12:2 New International Version

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Colossians 2:6-7 New International Version

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

3) A RADICAL COMMITMENT TO BECOME

1 Peter 1:3-9, 13-16 New International Version

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay…

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls….

So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

The Unfinished Work

Affinity Wars

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 9:49-56

 __________

Philippians 3:13 NIV

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

Luke 9:49-56 NIV Samaritan Opposition

“Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village.

Matthew 16:18-19 NIV

… I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Revelations 5:9-10 NIV

And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
 

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

John 17:20-21 NIV

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one…

1) JESUS IS THE CENTER

Ephesians 2:19-21 NIV

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

2) GOD'S WORD WINS

Luke 9:50 NIV

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

John 6:68 NIV

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  

3) THE MISSION IS LIVED
Luke 9:56 NIV

Then he and his disciples went to another village.

4) LOVE IS PRACTICED

John 15:13 NIV

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Romans 12:4-6 NIV

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Ephesians 4:16 NIV

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.

The Unfinished Work

Arrow Out: The Call To Humility

Jon Fredricks

Today’s Scripture: Luke 9:43-48

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Luke 9:43-48 NIV Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

Philippians 1:6 NIV

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:3-11 NIV

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Psalm 146:8 NIV

the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.

1) MOVE THE TARGET

Luke 14:8-11 NIV

“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

Mark 10:45 NIV

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 15:13 NIV

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

2) DO IMPORTANT BEFORE BEING IMPORTANT

John 15:16 NIV

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Matthew 9:13 NIV

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Micah 6:8 NIV

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

3) SEEK ONLY HEAVEN'S APPLAUSE

Matthew 25:21 NIV

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’