We call it the Ten Commandments But it’s actually in Hebrew the Ten Words In a covenant relationship Boundary lines come out of love God is saying ‘I want to show you my love, and out of that I will give you some words that help you in that love.’ The highest form of worship and love is obedience. This is not domination or control It’s to lead toward a full life Two categories 1-4 us and God 6-10 us and others Love me exclusively And Live a life of love, as you have been loved Cf Mark 12 – what’s the most important? LOVE GOD with all you are LOVE your neighbour Receive the love Give the love And repeat! It’s there in Dt 6 ‘Hear!’ It flows out of relationship It doesn’t come out of us It comes out of a God who brings us out of slavery – and we haven’t arrived yet- but I live loved. And afterward there’s this awesome power of God revealed, but then they pulled back from him. Fear stops them. ‘God […]

Exodus 16 There’s good news and bad news here The good news – God provides for 2 million people who have seen many miracles and are headed from slavery to promise God provides meat and bread When you follow God’s vision, you get God’s provision The bad news it takes 40 years for them to get into Canaan, because they could not enter in. What kept them out of promise? Disobedience. All the men who could fight but didn’t, had to die first. Be a man who obeys! Obedience attracts blessing & promise The word grumble is repeated 7 times here. It becomes a pattern for them. Despite all God has done. All the deliverance. Because they are hungry Do you get grouchy when you get hungry? We live in a place of plenty. We have enough! ‘I haven’t got anything to wear!’ (Really?) Give up grumbling – it’s the opposite of faith! They keep moaning – some people prefer to live in Egypt. Don’t want to move on. ‘Do all things without grumbling…’ Rom 4:16 Ask the people closest […]

Marriage is a bit like a game of cards You start off with hearts and diamonds And end up looking for clubs and spades If you want to be understood – that will hold you back Jesus wasn’t understood It’s part of being a Pioneer Gerald tries to build church around Jn 17 Love is doing the decent thing Even to your enemies If you want to be like Jesus you have to love what he loves Mk 16 Mt 24 Great command Great commission God is in you for you But he is on you for others How do we go from church to movement By moving By moving in the Spirit By moving in the word By moving in our gifting By moving together AW Tozer The prayer of the minor prophet God is getting you ready for your future Why does it feel like a battle? Because it is God allows us to go through things so onlookers will see how we do that and say ‘I want to be like you.’ God is the Creator He […]

From staff meeting today – thanks Dave Challis, & Paul Scanlon. Amos 9 Here the order seems wrong There’s so much change going on at once it feels out of synch You think change is difficult? Try irrelevance Change is always personal It’s not just a system or a process It’s not the change that mixes you up It’s the transition Leaders will always get there first Followers will take their time You could change by being married But not do the transition of living like a married person You could say a prayer and make a decision to follow Christ But have you transitioned to be a disciple? The grief cycle applies to change too; People deny it or its need May resist it Then begin to explore it Before committing to the new way God says ‘Moses is dead – move on now Joshua.’ There’s a gap between where you were and where you’re going People fall through that gap if you don’t help them in that neutral zone. That place is a great opportunity time actually – […]

Exodus 7 Moses had the longest apprenticeship ever. 80 years long. How frustrating! John Norman came to the Message and said God often takes those he uses through these stages- 1 Appointed 2 Disappointed 3 Anointed Are you in the disappointed stage? Moses was in that place for 40 years in the desert. The impulsive Moses of Ex 3 The hesitant Moses of Ex 4 The triumphant Moses of Ex 5 Wouldn’t be able to do it. In chapter 7 he’s coming into his anointing. Remember this is not a kids story. It’s a real historical story and a parable with us to learn from. We are on a rescue mission. God is angry about sin. About how it messes you and the world up. How the thief keeps stealing, killing and destroying. The bible says clearly if we harden ourselves toward God we will experience judgement. Preachers don’t preach this any more because we are nicer than God. God brought plagues, disasters, darkness on Egypt because it stood against him. This is a world under a curse and every […]

We like to think we are thinking people who feel, whereas actually we are feeling people who think.

Notes from a great talk I heard a few years back by Andy Stanley