Hills

Come and DieSo that you can live

11 Years ago…

Hills we die on

Love:I will seek your best interestEven when you don't deserve itAnd it costs me greatly

- Jesus

Love:Not an emotion

Lawyer: Inherit eternal life?

Luke 10:25-37

“You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself”

"Great…do it and you'll live"

"Who is my neighbor?"

"A priest, a Levite anda Samaritan go to Jericho…"

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?

The one who showed him mercy

You go, and do likewise

Jesus, "This is Love:Serve the needs of

Those who hate you

When it is dangerousInconvenient and expensive"

Reflect Christ's love, right?Conditional or unconditional?

Reflect Christ's love, right?Conditional or unconditional?

What kind of loveDo you want shown to you?

Jesus says toGive what you want

Love…your neighbor as yourself

What the conditionsOn your willingness to love?

Not to feel emotionBut to serve needs?

"Serve the needs ofThose who hate you

When it is dangerousInconvenient and expensive"

- Jesus

Hill worth dying on

Unity:Christ's people coming together

Around Christ's Purposes

While respecting each others'Differences

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace- Eph. 4:3

Churches= no competition

People= respect convictionsNo clone-making

No gossipingBar for disfellowship= high

Enemy separatesGod unites

Truth attempts restorationBefore considering separation

Most harmful to the churchIn all of history?

Most helpful to the churchIn all of history…

Encourage toward JesusUnity mindset

Unify around Jesus

You want this…Ever been in a churchWhere the tension is so thick

You don't even need the knife?

It's hard to judge you unworthy While washing your feet

Hill worth dying on

Faith:Taking God at his WordAnd trusting him for the results

Without faith, it is impossible to please God

- Hebrews 11

Largest checkbook speaks most?What's in the bank?

What God says…

If we can do it in our own strength, it's not a miracle…

It's a management issue

God is glorifiedWhen he uses what isn'tTo do what can't

So that those who won'tAre caused to say He is

Hill worth dying on

Commitment:A decision of the willBacked by the integrityTo carry it out over time

Sign of maturity

Committed to:God

ScripturesOne another

Not-yets

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go”

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man

has nowhere to lay his head”

To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first

go and bury my father”

And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God”

Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home”

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and

looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”

- Luke 9:57-62

You want peopleTo follow through On their commitments

And not leave you hanging

Maturity and discipleship

Hill worth dying on

Freedom:The ability to be exactly who

God made you to beTo follow your convictions

Where the bible doesn't Specifically speak

…some false believers…infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves

We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of

the gospel might be preserved for you

- Gal. 2:4-5

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery- Gal. 5:1

When it makes us Uncomfortable

We baptize our discomfort inScriptural support

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil- Hebrews 5:14

You want freedomAnd…

You must give freedom

Party refreshments

Hill we die on

Change:The willingness to follow GodEven when it means leavingThe comfort of what I’m used to

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the

new has come- 2 Cor. 5:17

Holy Spirit= Spirit of change

New songNew natureNew heartNew kingdom and citizenship

Fruit of the Spirit= Growth

Living things grow and changeDead things don't

The moment we enshrine our comfort, we die

You are hereBecause Layman changed

And we'll continue(Small Groups, anyone?)

You are hereBecause Layman changed

Hill we die on

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