Thrive.Church Weekly Message

[John 3.16] 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.

[Romans 8:29] For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Discipleship is the lifelong ________________ of becoming like Jesus and helping ________________ do the same.

[Mark 3:14-15] Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, [15] giving them authority to cast out demons.

Discipleship begins with ________________ with Jesus before ________________ things for Him.

[John 15:4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

Fruit is something Jesus ________________ in people who stay ________________ to Him.

“May you be covered in the __________ of your __________.”

[Luke 9:23-24 NIV] Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. [24] For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

Discipleship isn't one __________ decision; it's ________________ of small ones.

[Matthew 28:18-20] Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. [19] Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. [20] Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

[Ephesians 4:13-16] This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. [14] Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. [15] Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. [16] He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

[Galatians 6:7] Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

[Amos 3:3] Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?

The goal of ___________________ is for us to become more like ___________________.

[Proverbs 13:20] Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.

You ___________________ like the people you consistently ___________________ with.

[1 Corinthians 15:33 NASB20] Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

God has always used ___________________ to shape ___________________.

[Acts 2:42-47] All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. [23] A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. [44] And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. [45] They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. [46] They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity-- [47] all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Fellowship is more than ___________________ together; it's ___________________ together.

[Hebrews 10:24-25] Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. [25] And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

[Romans 12:4-5] Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, [5] so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

God wants us to become kind of person who _______________ church.

[Ecclesiastes 4:9-12] 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. [11] Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? [12] A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

God never intended you to ___________________ alone.

[2 Chronicles 26:5] Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.

Stewardship is how we manage _________________ God has entrusted to us.

[1 Timothy 6:6-8] Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. [7] After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. [8] So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

Everything that passes through your hands in this life is _________________.

[Psalm 24:1] The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.

Ownership is an _________________, stewardship is _________________.

God evaluates stewardship by _________________.

[Luke 16:10a] "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.

God asks us to faithfully MANAGE what He has given us.

[John 6:8-9] Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. [9] "There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?"

A _________________ becomes _________________ when God is involved.

[Mark 10:15] I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."

[Matthew 19:22] But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Stewardship is ultimately a _________________ issue.

[Proverbs 3:9] Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.

When you realize everything belongs to God, generosity becomes _________________.

[2 Corinthians 9:7-8] You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." [8] And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

God doesn't _________________ what we have, He _________________ us into what He's doing.

[Philippians 3:13-14] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Our direction determines __________________.

[Luke 12:48b] When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

Leadership is a responsibility to __________________.

[Nehemiah 1:1-4] These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. [2] Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. [3] They said to me, "Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire." [4] When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

Before you can lead __________________ you need to lead __________________.

Followers find __________________, but leaders find __________________.

[Genesis 4:9 ESV] Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"

The things that break your __________________ reveal where God wants you to make a __________________.

[Ezekiel 22:30] "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one.

God is looking for someone willing to stand in the ________.

[Mark 10:43-44] But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, [44] and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.

Leadership isn't how many people __________________ you, but how many you __________________.

[Proverbs 29:18 KJV] Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

[Isaiah 53:4-6] Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! [5] But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. [6] All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

[Psalm 95:1-2] Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. [2] Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

Worship is more than just ________________.

[Psalm 95:6] Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker,

Worship is measured by how willingly we _______________.

[Luke 6:46] "So why do you keep calling me 'Lord, Lord!' when you don't do what I say?

When we refuse to ________________ to God our heart slowly becomes ________________.

[Psalm 95:7b-8] If only you would listen to his voice today! [8] The LORD says, "Don't harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness.

When we forget God's ________________, we start questioning God's ________________.

[Hebrews 3:13] You must warn each other every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.

Every response to God ________________ your ________________ response to God.

[Psalm 95:11] So in my anger I took an oath: 'They will never enter my place of rest.'"

Rest is found in completely ________________ God.

[Hebrews 4:6] So God's rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God.

A ________________ heart responds when God ________________.