Grace received must become grace expressed!

People Should Experience Jesus Before They Hear Your Opinions

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.      Titus 3:1-2

Represent, don't react!

Never Forget Who You Used to Be

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.    Titus 3:3

Mercy Changes How We Treat Messy People

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.       Titus 3:4-7

...being justified by his grace.    Titus 3:7

Good Works Are Evidence of Salvation; Not the Cause of Salvation

The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.     Titus 3: 8–11

Challenge for the Week

• Conduct a "Neighbor Audit" & Do One Hidden Act of Generosity

• Pray This Simple Prayer Every Single Morning: “Lord, help someone experience You through me today.”

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.               Titus 2:1

My Ordinary Routine Is My Primary Pulpit

2 Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.         Titus 2:2

3 Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. 4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children.  Titus 2:3-4

5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.       Titus 2:5

6 In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.8 Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us. 9 Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back 10 or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way.      Titus 2:6-10

I am not an island. Someone is Always Watching the Pattern of My Influence.

I Am Soaked in Grace So I No Longer Have to Strain for Approval

11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.       Titus 2:11-12

He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.      Titus 2:14

I Am Anchored in an Eternal Hope That Directs My Today

5...so they will not bring shame on the word of God. 8...so those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.   10Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way.”    Titus 2:5, 8, 10

while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.      Titus 2:13

You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them. You have the authority to correct them when necessary, so don’t let anyone disregard what you say.      Titus 2:15

Action Steps

• CONNECT

• COMMIT

• PRACTICE

The Gospel isn’t just something we believe; it’s something people should be able to see.

Titus 1:1-16

Private Integrity Precedes Public Influence

5 …to complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you.  Titus 1:5

6 An elder must live a blameless life...      Titus 1:6a

He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious.      Titus 1:6b

7 A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money.      Titus 1:7

Healthy Leadership Starts with Healthy Living

must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.      Titus 1:9

10 For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation.       Titus 1:10

Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.  This saying is true.     Titus 1:12b-13a

What We Tolerate Today Becomes Who We Are Tomorrow

…reprimand them sternly to make them strong in the faith.14 They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth. Titus 1 13b-14. 

15 Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.    Titus 1:15

16 Such people claim they know God but they deny him by the way they live.      Titus 1:16

God Wants Your Heart More Than Your Image

Weekly Challenge

o Spend 15 min each day letting God search your heart:

• 5 Minutes of Silence 

• 5 Minutes of Scripture 

• 5 Minutes of Soul-Searching  

o Second: Ask one trusted person: "Where do you see God wanting to grow me right now?" 

My heart naturally loves grace as a shield but demands justice as a sword.

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time.     Jonah 3:1

Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.     Jonah 3:4b

The people of Nineveh believed God.     Jonah 3:5

Who knows? God may turn and relent.      Jonah 3:9b

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.     Jonah 4:1

I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.       Jonah 4:2b (Exodus 34:6)

A right theology can easily mask a ruthless and unmerciful heart.

9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?       Jonah 4:9-11

Who is the Nineveh in your life right now?

Should I not pity Nineveh?        Jonah 4:11c

To experience the fullness of God's grace I must release my grip on human fairness.

Weekly Challenge:  

• Identify Your Nineveh

• Pray for Rain

God sometimes takes us to the bottom so we’ll discover He’s been holding us all along. 

11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. 17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, 2 “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me...”       Jonah 1:11-2:1-3

Rock Bottom Is Actually Holy Ground

Then Jonah prayed... from the belly of the fish.        Jonah 2:1

Your Perspective Shifts When Your Idols Die

Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.      Jonah 2:8

True repentance begins when my counterfeit IDOLS die:

 • The Idol of Comfort

• The Idol of Control

• The Idol of Reputation

Never Forget Salvation Is Always God’s Job

But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!         Jonah 2:9

Salvation is completely a work of God’s SOVEREIGN grace.

And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.    Jonah 2:10

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:40

Weekly Challenge

• Intentionally Shift Your Perspective Each Day:  Salvation belongs to the Lord

• Encourage Someone in the Deep Look around you.

If you run from God’s direction you will run into God’s correction.

1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”          Jonah 1:1-2

3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Where shall I flee from your presence?     Psalm 139:7b

What Is the Anatomy of a Spiritual Runaway?

You substitute personal politics for biblical obedience

I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love...       Jonah 4:2b

You baptize your rebellion in respectable excuses

You pay a high price for a low destination

What are you currently giving up in order to keep your distance from God? 

Jonah went down to Joppa found a ship and paid the fare.     Jonah 1:3b

If you run from God’s direction you will run into God’s correction.

Every Step Away from God’s Will Takes Us Down

The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea.     Jonah 1:4

I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.   Jonah 1:9

Sometimes Your Nightmare Is Actually Your Rescue

If you run from Gods direction you will run into Gods correction.  

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.       Jonah 1:17

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.   Matthew 12:40

How To Stop Running

• Acknowledge the area where you've been disobeying.

• Accept the grace God is offering you right now in the storm.

• Align your next decision with His direction. It starts with complete honesty. 

What area are you running from today?

If you run from God’s direction, you will run into Gods correction

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.      John 1:5

Who do you say that I am?       Matthew 16:15

I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.      John 8:12

This Week, Step Into Light

When Light walks in, darkness walks out

This Week, Decide Who You Say Jesus Is 

When Light walks in darkness walks out.

This Week Remember The Four Ways Jesus’ Light Changes Everything

Light Brightens

You light my lamp; the Lord my God illumines my darkness.    Psalm 18:28

Light Illuminates

When Light walks in, darkness walks out. 

Light Reflects

When Light walks in, darkness walks out. (picture or on screen)

Light Reveals – Showing Us God and Our Purpose

When Light walks in, darkness walks out. 

Jesus, You are the Light of the World! We will follow You! We will walk in Your light! We will reflect Your glory!Thank You for shining in our darkness! 

A Put Together Life with an Unbroken Heart Is Dangerous 

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”      Luke 18:9-14

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.   Luke 18:10

God, I thank you that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.     Luke 18:11-12

God, be merciful to me, a sinner.     Luke 18:13b

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.    Luke 18:14

Being Right Can Blind You to Yourself

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.     Matthew 7:3-5

If We Aren’t Careful Truth Without Love Becomes Violence 

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.      1 Corinthians 13:1-3

The Scary Reality is that Our Pride Pushes Jesus Away More Than Our Weaknesses Ever Could

Weekly Challenge

• Perform a heart audit – Where am I most tempted to feel spiritually superior to others? • Second pause before you speak – Is what I am about to say going to produce restoration and closeness or is it just going to create distance?

True strength is measured by what you sacrifice not what you control. (Slide attached)

Wake Up and Stand Up

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith… 1 Corinthians 16:13a

A man who kneels before God can stand before anything. (Slide attached) 

Grow Up with Courageous Maturity

…act like men, be strong.       1 Corinthians 16:13b

True strength is measured by what you sacrifice not what you control. (Slide attached) 

Show Up in Radical Love

Let all that you do be done in love.     1 Corinthians 16:14

True strength is measured by what you sacrifice not what you control. (Slide attached) 

Weekly Challenge

Challenge Part 1: The Daily Watch (Wake Up & Stand Up) – Where do I need to be watchful and stand firm?

Challenge Part 2: The Agape Move (Grow Up & Show Up) – Make one intentional strategic move driven purely by sacrifice.

 True strength is measured by what you sacrifice not what you control. (Slide attached) 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.             Ephesians 6:10-18

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood...        Ephesians 6:12

Stand Strong In The Lord’s Strength

Suit Up With God’s Armor

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life."       John 14:6

Get Proficient In The Offensive Weapons God Has Given You

If you only open your Bible on Sunday, your sword is already rusted by Tuesday.

Finally, pray in the Spirit on all occasions

Tactical Briefing for the Week (Weekly Challenge)

 The battle is real but the enemy is defeated! We don’t fight for victory we fight from victory!

• Suit up before you sync up - Shield yourself before you expose yourself to the noise of the world.• Sharpen your scriptural machaira (dagger) – Identify Your Biggest Battle and attack it with a verse.• Send the SOS text – Lock shields with a Christian friend.