As we prepare for the Lent Season in a few weeks, we are reminded of the importance of “prayer”. We look to Matthew 6:5-15 for how Jesus taught the disciples to pray. Many of us have a less than vibrant prayer life, but desire to have more. “We learn to pray by praying.” During this time we are reminded of the prayer life of Jesus, King David, and Paul. Part of this time is spent in praying Psalm 23 as we allow a few minutes of personal prayer.

Here is the audio from our big church-wide announcement from our Worship Gathering February 16. We're excited to roll out our vision for a new ministry initiative called The Neighborhood Table. Simply put, we want to share a meal and share Jesus while turning our neighbors into friends by hosting a free monthly community meal at the ROC. This Lent our church is invited to give, to pray, and to fast so that we can feast together for God's kingdom in our neighborhood. Listen to this audio clip to hear more about our vision, our mission, and our strategy going forward. Talk to Pastor Adam if you have any questions, interest in serving, or ideas.

The desire for recognition, attention, and affirmation is a natural one. We want to share and we want to be seen. Religion and spirituality have a way of distorting our desire to be noticed into something self-righteous and even self-destructive. Jesus shows us a better way. In fact, Jesus does what he always does when critiquing our destructive tendencies -- he points beyond our actions and into our intentions. So when it comes to the classic spiritual disciplines of giving, praying, and fasting, Jesus teaches us that our motives matter and his desire is that our actions and intentions are aligned toward the only audience that really counts.

SLIDES/RESOURCES--

// CLASSIC LENTEN DISCIPLINES: Giving, Praying, Fasting

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6.1-4

// FOCUS STATEMENT: Our motives matter. Jesus teaches us to point our intentions and actions to God -- the only audience who counts.

// Religion has a way of squeezing God out. (Why do I need God when others affirm how spiritual I am?)

// Religion has a way of earning what God's already given. (Why should God love me if I haven't done anything to deserve it?)

// The end game of religion & the never-ending quest for recognition is the slow death of "Never Good Enough." Instead, Jesus offers us the abundant life of "Always Loved More-than-Enough."

// Discipline of Secrecy: Consciously refraining from having our good deeds and qualities generally [or publicly] known, which, in turn, rightly disciplines our longing for recognition. -- RENOVARÉ SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES INDEX

// Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and your hands will follow.

We don't have to look far to realize that our world is desperate for peace. In our own minds, families, and neighborhoods we see division, brokenness, and imbalance. To be a follower of Jesus is to enter into the family business of bringing peace into these very places. As we make peace, however, it's important to remember that the our means must always look like God's end when his peace -- or "Shalom" -- will fill the earth at last. TNC is committed to partner with God in his mission to bring his Shalom (holistic peace & well-being) to our neighborhood & world.

SLIDES/RESOURCES--

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” -- Jesus in Matthew 5.9

// 3 OBSERVATIONS:

1. The Beatitudes are not “How-to’s” but Good News

2. Peace isn’t just maintained, peace has to be made

3. Peacemaking reflects God’s image

// FOCUS STATEMENT: Peacemaking – bringing God’s shalom – is our family business

// PRACTICAL PEACEMAKING

 In heart attitude: Blessing persecutors, forgiving enemies, loving all as neighbors…

 In short accounts: Conflict Questions: What do I need to OWN?…CONFESS?…LET GO?

 In sacrificial action:

1. Resolve conflict (Matthew 5.23-25; Ephesians 4.3)

2. Refuse retaliation (Matt. 5.38-42; Romans 12.14; Rom. 17-21)

3. Release hate (Matthew 5.43-44)

// TNC CORE PRACTICE 5: Bring Peace: We commit to partner with God in his mission to bring his Shalom (holistic peace & well-being) to our neighborhood & world.

// {Shalom is the Hebrew word for "Peace" recorded in the Old Testament. Bringing peace is God's work that he shares with his people

to restore balance where there is imbalance.}

// TNC CORE CONVICTION 7: We’re Called to be Peacemakers -- Peace is at the heart of the gospel. As followers of Jesus in a divided & violent world, we are committed to finding non-violent alternatives and to learning how to make peace between individuals, within & among churches, in society, & between nations.

// PASSAGES TO CHECK OUT:

 Ephesians 2.14-18 // Jesus is peace & made peace between enemy people groups

 2 Corinthians 5.14-20 // God has made peace with humanity, our job is to announce reconciliation & invite everybody into new life with him

Continuing our series on the 5 Core Practices of TNC, we focus on “Create Space" - for God and others. Being able to carve out time and a place to totally be available to God, we develop our spiritual discipline and create a time to hear God’s voice.

How do you sum up the Old Testament law? How do you sum up the way of Jesus? In a word: Love. Christians should be known for how we love (sacrificially, like Jesus) and who we love (everybody, even enemies!). But is that what Christians are known for? Of course not. That's why we commit to love others as ourselves regardless of race, background, ethnicity, orientation, or status. But we can't give what we don't have, we've got to stay connected to the Source of Love in order to love our neighbors as ourselves. Listen in as we talk about the kind of love all Christians are called to and how we might show that love to a world in need.

SLIDES/RESOURCES--

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: Romans 13.8-10

// 1. Love is a debt we'll always owe our neighbor

// 2. Love is the true expression of the law

// 3. Love seeks the good of the other

// FOCUS STATEMENT: The love of God is really working in you when love of neighbor is flowing out of you.

// TNC CORE PRACTICE #2: We commit to love others as ourselves regardless of race, background, ethnicity, orientation, or status.

// BEN HARPER, "Picture of Jesus," 2003 -- Now it has been spoken / He would come again / But would we recognize / This king among men? / There was a man in our time / His words shine bright like the sun / He tried to lift the masses / And was crucified by gun

// DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., "The Drum Major Instinct," 1968 -- "If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. I'd like somebody to mention that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I'd like somebody to say that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody."

// DEUT. 6.6-9 (NIV) -- 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

// Jesus has rezoned our neighborhood, now everyone we encounter is a neighbor to be loved.

// Lead with love, not theology – because Christ-shaped love is perfect theology.

At The Neighborhood Church, discipleship is all about relationship. Growth happens when we spend intentional time cultivating our relationship with God and others. In other words, disciples are grown, not manufactured. In this message we drop into the middle of the story of one of the most famous Christian conversions. But how did this famous (and unlikely) convert transform into one of the world's most famous Christians? He needed a community of other disciples as a greenhouse where he could grow in his new life with Jesus. We'll see how a Jesus encounter, a community embrace, and Holy Spirit encounter changed this unlikely disciple's life and how it can change ours, too.

SLIDES/RESOURCES --

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: Acts 9.19b-31

// RHYTHM OF DISCIPLESHIP: 1. Jesus encounter, 2. Community embrace, 3. Holy Spirit encouragement

// Where are you on your journey with Jesus?

// Disciples of Jesus are called simultaneously to 2 relationships, 1.) A relationship with God and, 2.) A relationship with God's people

// We commit to invite people into a relationship with Jesus by baptizing, teaching, and sending them on mission. (TNC CORE PRACTICE #3)

// A community of disciples is the greenhouse where disciples grow in their life with God.

// There are no "lost causes" in the kingdom of God...only those who Jesus misses the most.

// When we become a disciple of Jesus, we're not just converted, we are commissioned.

// What's my part in helping this community invite others into a Jesus encounter?

// What's my part in helping this community become a greenhouse for disciples marked by community embrace?

// What's my part in helping this community stay inspired, enabled, + moved out by Holy Spirit encouragement?

What is a Christian? At it's most basic level, a Christian is someone who follows Jesus. So what does it mean to follow Jesus? To be with Jesus to learn from Jesus how to live like Jesus. That's what we're all about at TNC. This first core practices informs, energizes, and leads us to live out our other core practices. But there's a cost to following Jesus -- both in what we give and where we're going. We'll explore Jesus' shocking responses to a couple would-be disciples as we hear again his urgent call to "Come, follow me."

RESOURCES/NOTES --

// FOCUS SCRIPTURE: Matthew 8.14-22

// CORE PRACTICE 1: We commit to be with Jesus to learn from Jesus how to live like Jesus in our everyday lives.

// TNC MISSION STATEMENT: Following Jesus together for God's kingdom in our neighborhood.

// There is a great cost in discipleship. Both in what you're giving and where you're going.

// The Shema in Deuteronomy 6.4-5 -- 4 Hear (Shema), O Israel: The LORD our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

// The life that Jesus invites his disciples into is nothing short of a radical re-ordering of our life. Everything – our wants, ways, and work – falls in line behind Jesus when we say “yes” to follow him as Teacher and Lord.

// The longer you look you’ll find that the NET gets wider but the CHALLENGE goes deeper

// FOCUS STATEMENT: You cannot follow Jesus and expect to stay in the same place.

// REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What is the cost you’re struggling to pay? Where are the places you’re invited to follow Jesus? What areas in your life need a radical re-ordering?

// Matthew 11.28-30 (The Message) -- “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

// When you give him all of yourself, Jesus gives you all of himself.

New year, new you? Whatever goals, habits, or resolutions we hope to incorporate into our lives require stretching. We've got old ways that need to go. We've got old mindsets that need renewing. Not much has changed since the religious establishment of his day challenged the new thing Jesus was doing. But God still loves stretching his people and inviting us into new and better ways to live with him and love others. Are you willing to stretch? How is God inviting you to stretch this year?