B.L.E.S.S. | Week 1

[Chad Simpkins] Blessed to Bless

Genesis 12:1-3

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Matthew 22:34-40

Luke 5:1-11

We Make Excuses

We Live In The World of Me

Who Are You Called to Bless?

John 15:5-8

The One | Week 4

[Chad Simpkins] The Lost One (Christmas Eve)

Luke 2:8-11

Shepherds Felt Inadequate: Personally

Shepherds Felt Unloved: By Others

Shepherds Felt Unworthy: Of God

Do You Feel Inadequate: Personally

Do You Feel Unloved: By Others

Do You Feel Unworthy: Of God

“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”

The One | Week 3

[Daniel Roach] Lost Sons

Lost Things of Luke 15

The Lost Sons: Luke 15:11-30

Finances - Fun - Famine - Filth

Realization - Restoration - Resentment

3 Questions:

What's the context?

Where's the searching?

Who's the prodigal?

Prodigal: spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.

Proper Title: The Prodigal Father and His Love For His Lost Sons

The One | Week 2

[Chad Simpkins] Lost Coin

Luke 2:10-11

Luke 15:1-8

Mark 2:1-5

Luke 15:9-10

How valuable is your ONE to you?

How valuable is your ONE to God?

What would you be willing to do to reach the lost ONE in your life?

The One | Week 1

[Chad Simpkins] Lost Things

Luke 2:8-12

Luke 15:1-2

How do you view people who are far from Jesus?

-Indifference

-Isolation

-Antagonism

Luke 15:3-4 - So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?

Who is your lost sheep?

Luke 15:5 - And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.

Galatians 6:2 - Carry each other’s burdens...

Luke 15:6 - When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’

Your ONE is attracted to a relationship and not a system

Your ONE desires to be unconditionally loved and not seen as a project to finish

Your ONE matters to God so they should matter to you

Luke 15:7 - In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Who is your ONE?

Difficult People | Week 4

[Gary Mitchell] The Manipulators

Define Manipulation: to unfairly and unjustly control, influence, or warp, the thoughts and behaviors of others through lies, distortion of facts, or the withholding of information for one’s own personal gain.

Where do we find Manipulators in our lives?

1. At our Job

2. In our Circle of Friends

3. In Our families

4. In the church

5. In our Dating Relationships

How Can We Spot Them?

1. They Cast Confusion & Doubt

2. They’re Good at Guilt Tripping

3. They Take Advantage of Kindness

4. They Spread False Information

5. They Never Accept Blame

6. They’re Two-Faced

7. They LIE

8. They Normalize Their Behavior

9. They Cast Fear and Anxiety

Why is Manipulation So Wrong?

1. God is a God of Truth, Integrity, and Justice

2. Manipulation dehumanizes people made in the image of God

Are YOU a manipulator? God will hold you accountable!

How Can We Fight Against Manipulators?

1. Call Them Out

2. Don’t Engage/Don’t Play Their Game

3. Stand Your Ground (Set Boundaries and Stick to them)

Conclusion: God Desires for us to live FREE from Manipulation.

Difficult People | Week 3

[Chad Simpkins] The Extra Grace Required

John 5:1-9

Give Resources Strategically

Acts 3:1-8

Serve Them Wisely

Mark 1:32-39

We can’t say yes often, if we don’t say no occasionally.

Trust God Completely

Galatians 6:7-10

Difficult People | Week 2

[Daniel Roach] The Downers

Job is a remarkable story about how to suffer

Job is Down But Not a Downer

Job 1:21; 2:10 - The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised...shall we accept good from God and not the trouble?

1 - It's Okay To Be Down

2 - Call In Help

Job 2:11-13

Who Are We Listening To?

Ecclesiastes 7:5 - It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools.

Proverbs 15:31 - Listen to good advice if you want to live well...

Constructive Criticism

Proverbs 15:31-32 NLT - If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise. If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.

3 - Trust In His Plan

Job complains God is silent and distant - Job 13:3

We are not in control

God Speaks - Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!...Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! [Job 38:2-5; 21]

Job Speaks - I am unworthy - how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer - twice, but I will say no more. [Job 40:4]

God Speaks - Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me." [Job 40:6-7]

Job Speaks - I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted…Surely I spoke of things I didn't not understand, things too wonderful for me to know….My ears have heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. There I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. [Job 42:2-6]

Shaped By The Pain

Job 42:12 - The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.

Difficult People | Week 1

[Chad Simpkins] The Christians

Acts 11:26 - (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

Matthew 23:1-7

"The primary reason outsiders feel hostile toward Christians...is not because of any specific theological perspective. What they react negatively to is our 'swagger,' how we go about things and the sense of self-importance we project." -UnChristian, Dave Kinnamon & Gabe Lyons

“Most people I meet assume that Christian means very conservative, entrenched in their thinking, antigay, antichoice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders; they want to convert everyone, and they generally cannot live peacefully with anyone who doesn’t believe what they believe.” -UnChristian, Dave Kinnamon & Gabe Lyons

Stop being obnoxious about your faith.

Where is our humility?

James 3:13 - If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.

Stop being judgmental.

Matthew 7:1-2 - Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

Matthew 23:28 - Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Christians are messy people too.

John 3:16-17 - For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Make your foundation Jesus.

John 5:39-40 - You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want. (The Message)

The Creature Within Series | Week 5

[Chad Simpkins] Greed

"Greed is a snarling monster with a set of razor-sharp teeth on both sides of its head. It devours not only those from whom it takes, but also those who eagerly receive its plunder." -Chris Seay

Matthew 6:19-21 - Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Luke 12:15-21

Your Money Reveals What You Love

Your Heart Will Always Follow Your Money

Generous People are Happy People

Generous People See their Lives as Being Significant

"The success-motivated person tends to measure his or her life in terms of money, power, status, achievement, and recognition. The significant person places emphasis on a more spiritual view of life - generosity, the empowerment of others, service, building up others, and helping them develop solid relationships." -Ken Blanchard, The Generosity Factor

If we Follow Jesus, We are Called to a Life of Generosity

1 Timothy 6:17-19

How Can We Move From Greed To Generosity:

Be Generous

Be Generous In Our Community

Be Generous With the Church

John 6:35 - Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.”

Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.