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The Tongue We would use God’s wisdom to govern the words spoken from the tongue. BIBLE FORD KISS THE Luke 6:45  //  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Proverbs 4:23  //  Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Matthew 15:11 (NLT)  //  “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” 4 Powers of the Tongue The Power to Condemn James 3:1-2  //  Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, and able to keep their whole body in check. Matthew 12:36-37  //  But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” The tongue has condemning power The solution: consider it an honor

“I’m kind of a genius.” James 1:19-22  //  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. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Most Christians are hypocrites. “84% of non-Christians say they know a Christian personally, yet only 15% say the lifestyles of those believers are noticeably different in a

Grow the church. Grow you. Who is the author? James Camel Knees Who is the audience? Jewish Christians What is the purpose? Encouragement What is the central message? Faith in Action Truths of Trouble Trouble comes to everyone Trouble can be unpredictable Trouble hurts Rejoice in Trouble James 1:1-2  //  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds… Trials are problems with a purpose Joy is the key to facing the trials of this life. Outlook determines outcome Respond to the Testing James 1:3-4  //  …because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Faith is tested through trials, not produced. Hupomone - active endurance Our response to the testing is critical to the outcome of the

Philippians 2:15-16  //  …Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian. G.K. Chesterton Joy vs Happiness Joy makes a follower of Jesus uncommon. How do I Live With Uncommon Joy? Joy’s Importance Psalm 51:12-13  //  “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.” John 15:11  //  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. Joy is important to us because Jesus proclaimed and possessed it. It points to my salvation It’s evidence of God’s spirit It’ll get me through some stuff Joy’s Improvement My work is different Hebrews 12:2b  //  …For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. My worship is different Psalm 100:1-5 //  Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Wo

Uncommon Worship What do I do with my worry? 2 Chronicles 1:1-4, 15  //  After that, the Moabites, Ammonites and some Meunites went to war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Some people came and told him, “A huge army is coming from Edom to fight against you. They have come across the Dead Sea. They are already in Hazezon Tamar.” Hazezon Tamar is also called En Gedi. 3 Jehoshaphat was alarmed. So he decided to ask the Lord for advice. He told all the people of Judah to go without eating. 4 The people came together to ask the Lord for help. In fact, they came from every town in Judah to pray to him. 15 Jahaziel said, “King Jehoshaphat, listen! All you who live in Judah and Jerusalem, listen! The Lord says to you, ‘Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope because of this huge army. The battle is not yours. It is God’s.” When you turn your worry into worship, God will turn your battles into blessings. We all worship something. Worship is our response to what we value most. Weird Theology Practical Worship Luci

Philippians 2:15, 16 (NIV)  //  So that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky  as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. John 13:35 (NIV)  //  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. You before me. 1 John 4:7,8  //  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. If we don’t LOVE, we don’t know God. Three Characteristics of Uncommon Love Uncommon Love is Selfless Luke 6:27, 28 (NIV)  //  But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Uncommon love is serving others daily John 3:17 (NIV)  //  For God did not send hi

Philippians 2:15-16  //  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. How do I live with uncommon generosity? For not From God is GENEROUS. Generosity is the heart of God. John 3:16  //  For God so loved the world that He GAVE… Romans 8:32  //  Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Matthew 8:11  //  “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” James 1:17  //  Every good and perfect gift is from above. Generosity is a MINDSET. Generosity is not about what I have. It is about how I think. Scarcity vs. Abundance Proverbs 11:24 MSG  //  The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. God is after your HEART. Luke 12:34  //  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 2 Corinthians 5:6-11  // 

Genesis 37:5  //  Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. Genesis 37:17b-20  //  So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” Genesis 37:23-24  //  So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. Genesis 37:28  //  So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. Genesis 50:20  //  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of ma

We are a Spirit-Empowered church Acts 1:4-5, 8  //  On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Dunamis Acts 17:6 (NKJV)  //  These who have turned the world upside down have come here too… What is it? Cessationism Practical Cessationists We reject things we don’t understand. He is not an it. THE TRINITY: God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit THE TRINITY: God for us God with us God in us Ruach – a wind, breath, a violent exhalation, blast of breath. Genesis 1:1-2  //  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkne

Heaven Up there, down here Until Lakeland Looks Like Heaven Matthew 6:10  //  Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. KINGDOM: A country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen Matthew 6:10 (KJV)  //  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. KINGDOM: Wherever the will of a king is carried out Mark 6:1-6  //  Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there,

DTR Wedding ring of Christianity Joshua 24:15  //  But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Revelation 3:15-16  //  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 21:4-5  //  ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” 2 Corinthians 5:17  //  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TLB)  //  When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not

Luke 5:12-16  //  While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Covered with leprosy No The prerequisite for a miracle is an impossible situation. A miracle is a divine intervention 1. Jesus is a Noticer 2 Corinthians 5:21  //  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2. Jesus is a Reacher Luke 5:14  //  T

Matthew 8:1  //  Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Jesus was led by the Spirit, not the crowds. Mark 4:36  //  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. Are you following Jesus? Salvation happens when we put our faith in Jesus. Real life change happens when we choose to follow Him. Matthew 16:24  //  Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” “Until you have given up your self to Him, you will not have a real self.” C.S. Lewis Matthew 8:23  //  Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. Christians aren’t exempt from the storms. They’re exempt from storms with no purpose. “Storms help to make the sailors sturdy, and trials make Christians strong in faith.” - Charles Spurgeon James 1:2-4  //  C

You Us Future Us Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)  //  Where there is no vision, the people perish. Hebrew: châzôwn (khaw-zone’): A dream, revelation or vision for life Psalm 126:1-2  //  When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Acts 2:17  //  “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Proverbs 29:18 MSG  //  If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed. “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that really doesn’t matter.” ~D.L. Moody Everyone ends up somewhere. Few people end up somewhere on purpose. Know God 1 Peter 3:21 TLB  // “In baptism we show that we have been saved from death and doom by the resurrection of Christ; not because our bodi

Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)  //  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went t

Marriage is the safest relationship on the earth when God’s laws for love are honored. Genesis 2:20-25  //  So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. The Four Laws of Love 1. The Law of Priority Genesis 2:24  //  That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Exodus 34:14  //  Do not worship any other god, fo

Love 1. Put everything in its proper season Song of Solomon 8:4  //  Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. 2. Become the person you’re looking for is looking for 1 Corinthians 13:4-7  //  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Marriage 1. Don’t confuse your spouse with your Savior Colossians 2:9-10  //  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. 2. Fight to kill unrealistic expectation Expectation says “You Owe Me” Love says “You Before Me” Baby Carriage 1. We raise to release Psalm 127:4-5 (NKJV)  //  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quive

“Isolation is the modern day leprosy.” - Mother Teresa Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)  //  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. 1 Samuel 14:1-15  //  One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps… Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” 7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” 8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go

Nehemiah 1:3-4  //  “They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the  province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is  broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.’ When I  heard these things I sat down and wept…  Nehemiah 6:15-16  //  “So the wall was completed … in fifty-two days … with the help of  our God.”   Nehemiah 2:20  //  “The God of Heaven will give us success; We his servants will arise  and build.’” 1. God CENTERED (God of Heaven) Nehemiah 1:4-9  //  “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I  mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I  said: ‘Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who  keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his  commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to  hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for  your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites,  including myself and my father’s family,

"Prayer is how we write history before it happens." - Mark Batterson How many of us believe in the power of prayer? 
Do we actually pray like it? James 5:16 //  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)  //  So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. “The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked.” - Mark Batterson Following Jesus was never meant to be safe. 3 Dangerous Prayers Acts 4:8-10  //  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Acts 4:13  //  W