
The Power Behind the Good Work
Posted on Sep 1, 2019 in Message Notes | Tags: Good Work, Power

You are not alone in your good work; the Lord works with you.
Doing a good work is only possible through the Lord’s power at work within you.
Right now you have all that you need to do a good work.
The Lord began the good work in you and will be faithful to complete it through you.
Others will realize the Good Work was done with the help of the Lord.
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The Danger of Distractions
Posted on Aug 25, 2019 in Message Notes | Tags: Distractions, The Good Work

If your enemy can’t destroy you, he will distract you.
1. The Distraction of Opportunities (Nehemiah 6:1–2)
2. The Distraction of Rumors (Nehemiah 6:5–7)
3. The Distraction of Entitlement (Nehemiah 6:10–13)
The good work God has for you isn’t about you, it’s about Him and His mission.
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The Making of a Good Work
Posted on Aug 11, 2019 in Message Notes | Tags: Good Work, Nehemiah

The challenge you face reveals the calling you’ll embrace.
1) Seek God faithfully.
2) Define the vision clearly.
3) Make plans carefully.
A goal without a plan is just a wish. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is get organized. See Nehemiah 2:6-8. What does he do? He asks for protection and he asks for provision. He is very, very clear. I need protection to travel and I need provision to build. He created a plan and said this is how I’m going to accomplish it. What’s a good plan? Do the next right thing. If we try to get all eventualities worked out, we would be overwhelmed. Simply do the next right thing that moves you toward the vision. Success is not in achieving some accomplishment out there in the future. Success is being faithful to do the right thing today. So what’s the next right thing for you?
4) Inspire people passionately.
“Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn.” — John Wesley
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When You Can’t Take It Anymore
Posted on Aug 4, 2019 in Message Notes | Tags: Nehemiah, The Good Work

God has a good work for you to do right now, right where you are!
1. Sit Down and Cry (Nehemiah 1:4)
2. Kneel Down to Pray (Nehemiah 1:4)
What you pray about reflects what you believe about God.
If our only prayers are bless this food and keep me safe and give me a good day, you really don’t believe the real powerful God. But when you ask God to stretch you, to use you, when you pray for the impossible, you believe in the power and the glory of a good God.
3. Stand Up and Act (Nehemiah 2:1-5)
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Who Is Jesus To You?
Posted on Jul 21, 2019 in Message Notes |

The Holy Spirit helps us to see and know Jesus for who He really is.
We can’t define Jesus based on our terms, we must discover Him based on His.
Your confession about Jesus Christ is a matter of life or death.
Popular opinion about Jesus doesn’t save you. Personal confession saves you.
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See Beyond the Signs
Posted on Jul 14, 2019 in Message Notes | Tags: Gospel of Mark, Jesus, Miracles, Signs

- We need to be opened up to wholeness of life.
- We need to be opened up to be able to witness.
- We need to be opened up so we can act.
- We need to be opened to living out through our lives a demonstration of the spiritual healing Christ has done in our lives.
May God open my ears to His Truth and loose my tongue to speak His Good News freely.
The little I have to offer Christ becomes more than enough when placed in His hands and used for His purposes.
You don’t put your faith in a powerful sign, you put your faith in a personal Savior.
A small amount of evil left unattended in your life can poison your faith.
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God’s Table
Posted on Jul 7, 2019 in Message Notes | Tags: Gospel of Mark

Point 1: Our relationship with God starts when we have a humble heart and ask Him for help.
Point 2: Don’t demand God to do anything for you based on your goodness, but instead humbly ask God to give you what you don’t deserve based on His goodness.
Point 3: God’s love is so large there is enough for everyone.
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Heart of the Matter
Posted on Jun 30, 2019 in Message Notes | Tags: Gospel of Mark, Heart

God is always more concerned about the condition of your heart than the content of your lips.
- pay more attention to appearance or reputation than to character
- carefully follow certain religious practices while allowing our heart to remain far from God
- emphasize our goodness and others’ sins
When it comes to sin, the heart of the matter is that something is the matter with your heart.
The contents of heart become the conduct of your life.
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Take Courage
Posted on Jun 16, 2019 in Message Notes | Tags: Courage, Gospel of Mark

Divine Power + Divine Compassion = Daily Courage
Prayer fuels the courage we need to keep us in line with God’s purpose for our lives.
Christ’s presence produces courage in the midst of our struggles and fears.
(Mark 6:51–56) Amazement is not the same as faith. Amazement is an activity of the brain. Amazement is being taken beyond the categories you have to explain or define something. Faith is an activity of the heart that involves the mind. A commitment of the heart to a reality that changes the way you live your life. Which are you living by?
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A Vision for Provision
Posted on Jun 9, 2019 in Message Notes |

Key idea: I will not allow my lack to limit my Lord.
Read Mark 6:30-31. A swarm of excited fans continue to press upon Jesus, making it impossible for him and his disciples even to take time to eat. Jesus is aware of how this ministry is taking its toll on the disciples. Most of Jesus’ public ministry was a whirlwind of activity. However, Jesus always made time for prayer and rest.
Read Mark 6:32–34. I am sure the disciples were irritated by this intrusion to their hopes of privacy and rest. Jesus, on the other hand, does not show any irritation with the crowds for chasing them down. Instead, he has compassion on them. See Lamentations 3:22-23.
The compassion of Christ never takes a break.
There are some strong parallels in this passage to the OT accounts of Moses. See Isaiah 63:11; Hebrews 3:3. Jesus came to usher in a new exodus. Not a physical exodus from a land of captivity but a spiritual exodus from spiritual captivity. See Numbers 27:15-17. So Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gathers the sheep to him.
Mark 6:35–37. The disciples see the obstacles — lots of people…remote place…very late. So they make a very logical suggestion. Send them packing so we can finally have some dinner and uninterrupted rest. Besides, we don’t have the resources to feed them. The disciples couldn’t take Jesus’ command seriously. They were so focused on the obstacles — remote place with limited resources — that they lose sight of who they are with: Jesus.
When your problems are greater than your resources, remember who your True Source is.
Jesus gave them a command. With Christ’s command comes the ability to achieve it. When Moses doubted the Lord’s ability to provide food for the millions of Israelites wandering in the wilderness, this is the Lord’s response (See Numbers 11:23).
Read Mark 6:38. He tells them to take an inventory. In John’s account of this miracle, Andrew finds a boy who is willing to share his lunch. See John 6:8-9.
Acting on the basis of human wisdom, His disciples saw the problem but not the potential. Where we see a lack, Jesus sees abundance. Where we see human problems, He sees and accomplishes divine possibilities. A SMALL amount can become HUGE with Jesus!
The first step is not to measure our resources, but to determine God’s will and trust Him to meet the need. If I only measure my resource, I will miss a God-sized opportunity every time. Rather than begin with measuring your resources, catch a vision for provision of our God who is over all resources. God has resources that we know nothing about, so we can trust Him and be at peace even when we can’t figure out how He will provide.
God’s way of provision always begins with what we already have. He wants us to use what we already have wisely. Don’t foolishly pray for more from God if you don’t use what He already has given you in a godly way.
Read Mark 6:39–41. God loves to demonstrate His power and sufficiency in our lives. Often He allows problems to invade our lives that are far beyond our abilities or resources to handle. Why? He wants us to look to Him — to trust Him regardless of our perceived limits.
The miracle took place in Jesus’ hands, not in theirs; for whatever we give to Him, He can bless and multiply. When you trust in your True Source the desolate place becomes a place of plenty.
Read Mark 6:42–44. Jesus provided extravagantly, yet simply. As long as He was making food miraculously, He could have provided steak and lobster and any number of other great things. But He simply gave people bread and fish. When Jesus provides, don’t be surprised if He provides simply.
Who is your provider? I really challenge you to drill down on this question today. Most Christians believe that God is their provider but they don’t live according to that belief.
I will not allow my lack to limit my Lord.
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