New Work Fellowship Podcast

Believe and Invest

Living Forward

Believe and Invest

Acts 16:11-15 & 38-40

 

1. What do you believe?  (Acts 16:11-15) 

• What is the good Life? 
• The good life is a God-ordered life. (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

Key Question: Why does what you believe matter?

• The biblical picture of belief is active obedience to God. (James 1:22—25)
• Your beliefs transform or deform your life.  (Acts 7:57 – 8:1 & Philippians 1:20-21) 

2. What are you investing in? (Acts 16:38-40)

 

a. To live a God-ordered life, you must invest time, money, and energy into His priorities for your life.

• God - (Exodus 20:3)
• The blessing of your life. - (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
• Marriage/Family – (Ephesians 5:21)
• Vocational Calling – (Colossians 3:23-24)
• Friendships/Connections – (Proverbs 27:17)

b. Where is your conviction?

• What do you “know” that you need to “do?”
• How do you need to become more of a believer?

Final Thought: Live forward in a way that is based on what you believe and invest in for the glory of Christ.

Risk and Pursue (1/16/22)

Living Forward

Risk and Pursue

Joshua 14:6-15

 

What do you want? (Joshua 14:6-15)

The Christian’s greatest desire = Follow Christ & Glorify God.

 

“The Glory of God is a human-being fully alive.”  - Irenaeus

 

In order to live life forward as a believer you must dream and pray, choose and focus, and then:

 

1)   Take the risk. (Joshua 14:6-9)

 

a)    Following Christ is the riskiest thing you will ever do. 

-       Love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you.  (Matthew 5:43-45)

-       Offer up your life as a sacrifice. (Romans 12:1-2)

-       Serve others for the glory of God, not the praise of man. (Galatians 1:10)

 

b)    Are you willing to take the risk of following Christ and living fully alive in Him?

 

c)    What will keep you from taking the risk? 

-       Not seeing God’s will.

-       Not listening to God’s word.

-       Not speaking God’s truth.

 

2)   Pursue the promise. (Joshua 14:10-15)

Natural responses to pursuing the promise:

a)    “Not now, I’m too busy.” – You have taken something good and made it a god.

b)    “I can’t, I’m too tired.” – You have given permission for something to rob you of a biblical rhythm of work and rest. 

c)    “I won’t, I’m too hurt.” – You are hanging on to hurt and not grasping what God is doing in the midst of it.

 

Key truth: God has given you everything you need to pursue his will for your life. Take the next step in pursuit of Christ. 

 

Final Thought: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

- Augustine

Choose and Focus (1/9/22)

Living Forward

Choose and Focus

Ruth 1

Two things to Live Forward, Choose and Focus
Ruth 1:1-6
Ruth 1:15-18, 23 

 

1.   Choose Commitment
Ruth 1:18
Ruth 2:2-3
Ruth 2:5-7
Ruth 2:17, 23  

 

2.    Focus on Faithfulness

 

Final Thought: My life can go from Famine to Harvest if I Choose Commitment and Focus on Faithfulness.

Dream and Pray (1/2/22)

Living Forward

Dream and Pray

Nehemiah 1 

“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, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Philippians 3:13-14

 

1. Dreams happen when you are wide-awake

   v2, “I asked them about how things were going …”

   v3, “They said to me, ‘Things are not going well…”

“Let us learn this lesson from Nehemiah; you never lighten the load unless first you have felt the pressure in your own soul. You are never used of God to bring blessing until God has opened your eyes and made you see things as they really are.”

 

2. Dreams flourish in prepared hearts

   v4, “When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted and prayed…”

   v1b, “In late autumn, in the month of Kislev…”

   2:1. “Early the following spring in the month of Nisan…”

“The best dreams don’t start with us but instead are planted in us by God. If it is not rooted, it’s rotten.”

“We don’t die when our hearts stop beating. We die when our hearts stop skipping a beat in pursuit of our passions, when our hearts stop breaking for the things that break the heart of God.”

 

3. Dream Big—but start small

    2:2b-3, “Then I was terrified, but I replied…”

Allow your prayer to right-size your fears.

 

4. Dreams open the doorway to legacy.

   v2:4, “With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, ‘If it pleases the king…’”

Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.”

“We always grow in the direction of our gaze. Always. And gazing at our problems only intensifies their effects. Our focus will always shape us, so scripture calls us to focus exclusively on HIM.”

Your 2022 Prayer—“Lord God, Jesus, if it pleases you, my king…”

Given to Fulfill...All (12/26/21)

For-Given: For Unto Us a Son is Given

Given to Fulfill...All

Matthew 2:13-23

 

·     Jesus calls us out to be with Him.

·     Jesus brings life out of death.

·     Jesus makes everything right.

 

Final thought: What will you do with the hope that is Jesus Christ?

Given to Save (12/19/21)

For-Given: For Unto Us a Son is Given

Given to Save

Luke 2:8-21

 

The Christmas season is built on anticipation and expectation.

Our frustrations are realized because of unmet expectations.

The promise of the anticipated Messiah is realized through Jesus Christ.

Genesis 3:15 –> Genesis 12:3 –> Isaiah 7:14-15 –> Isaiah 9:1-7 –> Malachi 3:1

God is the God of the “Suddenly”

1.    Suddenly – their world was interrupted (Luke 2:9)

 2.    Suddenly – praise erupts (Luke 2:13-14)

• 100 Sheep (Luke 15:7)
• 10 Coins (Luke 15:10)
• 1 Lost Son (Luke 15:24-28)

 3.    Suddenly – they were changed (Luke 2:16) 

FINAL THOUGHT: If the Good News of the Messiah is for everyone, then who will you tell?

Given to Reign and Rule (12/12/21)

For-Given: For Unto Us a Son is Given

Given to Reign and Rule

Luke 1:26-38

 

Jesus was given to be King. (vs 26-31)

• Jesus was born into the royal bloodline of King David.
  • Joseph’s lineage Matt 1:1-16
  • Mary’s lineage Luke 3:23-38

 

Jesus was given to reign and rule over His Kingdom. (vs 31- 33)

• What is the Kingdom of God?
  • The Kingdom to come
  • The Kingdom on Earth
• Pray for the Kingdom of God Matt 6:9-10
  • What can you give now to impact God’s Kingdom?

 

Jesus was given to reign in us. (vs 34-38)

• God can and does the Impossible!
• We are God’s Servants.
  • Seek First the Kingdom of God Matt 6:31-34
• Our job is to believe and obey.

 

Final Thought: Jesus wants to be the King of your heart, but that begins with surrender and obedience.

Given to Be with Us (12/5/21)

For-Given: For Unto Us a Son is Given

Given to Be With Us

Matthew 1:18-25

 

1)   Jesus, the Messiah, was given to the world. (vs. 18)

a.    Jesus fulfilled every messianic prophecy.  (Luke 2:25-32)

b.    Jesus was given at the height of despair when hope was needed. (Isaiah 9:1-2)

 

2)   Jesus was given a name with a purpose. (vs. 21)

a.    … and you are to name him “the Lord saves” for he will save his people from their sins.

b.    … We are saved for a purpose. (2 Cor 5:18– 6:2)

3)   Jesus was given to be WITH us. (vs. 23)

a.    Practicing the presence of Christ matters. 

-     Practicing His presence brings peace into a chaotic world.  

b.    Sharing the presence of Christ matters. (Missions Video)

-     Don’t be afraid to step out and share.

 

Final Thought: God is with you and for you.  Are you with Him and for Him?

Becoming TrustWORTHY (11/28/21)

The Trust Test

Becoming TRUSTworthy

Mark 12

Context: A collision course in the making.
Theme: Jesus is the cornerstone the builders rejected. (Mark 12:1-12)

You can grow in trustworthiness by:

• Avoiding The Trap (Mark 12:13-34)

  • Taxes/Politics (vs. 13-15a)

  • Marriage/Family (vs. 18-23)

  • Theology/Religion (vs.28)

• Living In The Truth

  • You are created in the image of God. (vs. 15b–17)

  • Eternal life is found in the power of the resurrection. (vs. 24-27)

  • True life in Christ reorients everything in our life toward God. (vs.29-31)

    • What we believe.

    • How we live.
      
      

Not Missing The Twist (Mark 12:41-44)

The poor widow - a picture of trustworthiness in the midst of the chaos.

 

Final Thought: Become more trustworthy by living your life for Jesus, the only one who is worthy.

Take the Trust Test (11/21/2021)

Take the Trust Test

Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

Psalms 26:2, “Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart.”

Galatians 6:4 (NIV), “Each one should test his own actions.”

 

TAKE a Personal Inventory

Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; TEST me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life”.

 

REMOVE the growth-stunting barriers

Jeremiah 17:6, “They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future.”

 

UNDERSTAND God’s growth principles

Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”

 

SURRENDER your whole heart to God

Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” 

 

TEST God’s Promises 

Malachi 3:10, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”