As I studied John 1 again, I noticed a pattern — a progression, that mirrors how someone comes to know God, grow in His love, and go out to make a difference. And I’m not saying this is like The Bible Code to start some conspiracy, but…
It matches perfectly with Ivy’s Discipleship Pathway!
DISCOVER → DELIVER → DEVOTE → DEVELOP → DEPLOY
Let’s walk through the passage and see how this unfolds.
Plans are better than goals
Pretty much everyone sets goals. We’re fast headed toward New Year’s Resolutions time which are just goals you make with a Christmas paunch or hangover.
But a goal without a plan is just a daydream.
So let me ask you a simple question:
What’s your plan to develop as a leader this coming year?
Fear tells you tomorrow is something to panic about.
Fear whispers that God won’t come through.
But Jesus says: “Do not be afraid, little flock.”
“It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
That means:
Nothing you face tomorrow surprises Him
Nothing comes without grace attached
No trial lacks the provision to overcome it
No need will find Him unprepared
Thought I’d throw out my recent sermon about why Advent is about more than waiting for Christmas – it’s about watching for Christ. Are you ready for Christmas?Probably not. Join the club. Are you ready for CHRIST?I hope so. From Bethlehem to the Beginning We all know the first Christmas happened at Bethlehem, but the truth is it was promised from the very beginning. Before the foundation of the world, God – who has good plans and purposes for us – knew we would need a Saviour. All of the Old Testament is the story of how He prepared the world for Jesus’ first coming. But Advent doesn’t begin at a manger.It begins with a message: He will come again. Every year at Ivy we like to do things a little differently, so we will talk about the second coming of Jesus before we rush to the Nativity, because we need to remember where the story is going: forward, not back. Knowing who Christmas is about helps us avoid going mad at Christmas. No need to plunge into the December debt spiral. Rein it in […]
Here’s a talk I did some while ago to encourage faith as we then went on to pray for HEALING. May the Lord bless you – even heal you – as you read!
When I first got started I learned a lot from reading other’s sermons, so now I’m going to start putting some notes from my own sermons on here. Subscribe is you don’t want to miss them. Go to ivychurch.org and look around a bit if you want to listen or watch on Youtube. This is from our recent INCREDIBLE Ivy weekend away, first night – so it won’t be on the site.
One way or another one day you will be leaving. Nothing you can do will stop the onward march of time and each moment takes us nearer the point when we will no longer be part of life here. Since there’s nothing we can do to stop that process it would be wise to give at least some thought to preparing for the event when it occurs.
The Bible says there are TWO kinds of wisdom. One comes from below and trips us up. The other comes from above and brings life.
That’s the Christian life in one page:
At the start, peace and love.
At the end, great joy.
In the middle… well, things can get gnarly.
Whenever I heard that Gordon MacDonald was visiting the UK, I’d go to hear him, take Zoe, and take notes. I have workbooks galore filled with his wisdom. Much of it was instantly applicable, but as the decades roll on now rather than just years when and if I find some of those notes I review them and want to underline them again, and look to whether I applied them. Do you ever do that? I look forward to the two of us talking about them again (we will soon), and when I get chance I’ll share some too whether to those I coach or on here. Some of these you will resonate immediately, others need to marinade – but this LIST I found today just makes more and more sense in my sixties than ever before (I think he’d just turned 80 when he shared this with us, and I was in my forties). THE LIST – GORDON MACDONALD Good hey? There’s more… but now, SELAH… pause and calmly reflect… Digging deeper (this from the Question Time) Which comes […]