Roblin Wesleyan Church

Prov. 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

1Sam. 16:7b … The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Rev. 2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands

Rev. 2:2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

Rev. 2:3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Rev. 2:4  Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

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.’

1 Cor 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Rom. 12:1  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.

He deserves to be worshiped.

Rev. 2:5a Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

Rev. 2:5b If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Guest: Dr. Stephen Elliott

Fragile - easily broken or damaged

Resilient - able to withstand or quickly recover from difficult conditions.

Anti Fragile - improves and grows in difficulty

In our relationship to God are we fragile? Resilient? Anti-Fragile?

In our relationship with our people, are we fragile, resilient, or anti-fragile?

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“Watch out,’ replied Jesus. ‘Don’t let anyone deceive you. 5 You see, there will be several who will come along, using my name, telling you “I’m the Messiah!” They will fool lots of people. 6 You’re going to hear about wars, actual wars and rumoured ones; make sure you don’t get alarmed. This has got to happen, but it doesn’t mean the end is coming yet. 7 Nations will rise against one another, and kingdoms against each other. There will be famines and earthquakes here and there. 8 All this is just the start of the birthpangs. … 22 And if those days had not been shortened, nobody at all would have been rescued. But for the sake of God’s chosen ones those days will be shortened.’ Matthew 24:4-8,22

One Minute Pause - a prayer app in your App Store.

“11b Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful….17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” - Colossians 3:11b-17

Link to Pause App:

What are you called to?

“Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus” - 1 Corinthians 1:1

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:2

I appeal to you, brothers by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 1 Corinthians 1:26

So let the one who boasts, boast in the lord. 1 Corinthians 1:31

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, 1 Corinthians 1:2b

called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours - 1 Corinthians 1:2c

“it’s not about gritting your teeth, it’s about falling in love” - Richard Foster on Prayer

2 Cor. 13:11 - Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. - Ephesians 4:1-3

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. - James 1:19-20

2 Cor. 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

“We give offerings and we bring them to God."

How we handle money is a significant indicator in revealing the condition of our heart.

Because we put money toward what we value most.

We give God what is already His.

Giving is an issue of the heart.

1Tim. 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Eccl. 5:10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.

James 4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Malachi 3:7a Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them.

Malachi 3:7b Return to me, and I will return to you,”says the LORD Almighty.

Malachi 3:7b-8a “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.

Malachi 3:8b“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’  “In tithes and offerings.

Malachi 3:9 You are under a curse — the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me.

Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.

Malachi 3:10b Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Honouring God with our tithes and offerings is one way we close the door to Unbelief.

Malachi 3:7 Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them.

Lev. 27:30 A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

1 Cor. 16:1-2 Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

Malachi 3:10b Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Mal. 3:10b see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Mal 3:11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty.

Honouring God with our tithes and offerings is one way we combat fear.

Principle: Firstfruits=Whatever comes to us, we must give the first portion of it back to God.

Prov. 3:9-10 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

1Sam. 2:30b "...Those who honor me I will honor,…"

John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Gen. 3:1 “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Gen. 3:4   “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.

He began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.” Matthew 16:21 NLT

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Matthew 16: 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” Matthew 16:24-28 ESV

If any of you wants to be my follower, there’s 3 steps:

1. You must deny yourself 

and 2. you must take up your cross, 

and 3. you must follow me.

Outcomes:

Whoever would save his life, will lose it.

Whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it.

What good is it to gain much, but lose life?

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God will repay everyone for to what they’ve done.

Discipleship. We know we should do it, but what is it? How do you do it? Dig in with Pastor Brock as we go a little deeper in the practical ideas in discipleship.

Heb. 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul  and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

Num 13:31b“We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”

Num 13:32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. ...

Discouragement - the act of making something less likely to happen or of making people less likely to do something. a feeling of having lost hope or confidence.

Num. 14:1 That night all the people of the community raised their voices and WEPT aloud.

Num. 14:2 All the Israelites GRUMBLED against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!

Num. 14: 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

When a spirit of discouragement takes over there is no hope.

When a spirit of encouragement takes over there is no room for despair!

How Do We Encourage One Another? We Encourage Ourselves!

1 Sam 30:6b but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

2 Cor. 1:3-4   Praise be to the God … God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

We impart desire to one another

1. Words - (speaking into one another’s lives)

Col. 3:16a Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another…

Eph. 5:19a Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. …

Words of encouragement

Words of affirmation

2. Actions (of Love)

Gal. 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

3. Prayer (for one another)

a. Daily We Pray (TAWG)

b. Weekly We Meet - we do the body life

John 13:35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Eccl. 4:9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

Homework: 

Heb. 10:24-25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

1Cor. 13:13   And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Heb 3:13b…encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Heb.12:7 Endure hardship as discipline;…

Heb. 10:32   Remember …when you stood your ground…in the face of suffering.

Heb. 13:3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Discouragement - the act of making something less likely to happen or of making people less likely to do something. a feeling of having lost hope or confidence.

Encouragement - to inspire with courage, spirit, and hope

John 14:16 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever

Prov. 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

Heb. 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing

Romans 1:11 -12 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong — that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

We must not underestimate how much people need you and how much you need people.

Rom. 15:5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,

1 Thes 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

We are not only to encourage one another but to increase it (Heb 10:25 “all the more as the day approaches.” )

Rev. 12:12b …But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

Let’s consider how we can spur one another on toward Love and good deeds.

Connect together in fellowship and worship

Speak faith into one another

Eph. 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Let’s develop a posture of ever increased encouragement

Be encouraged as you encourage.