Review of Sat Seminars

Here's a review of what we learned on Sat Seminars from 7/18 to 9/19 on "Out of the Shallows, Into the Deep" - a series of studies based on Chip Ingram's Holy Ambition.

We began with understanding and assessing your "Spiritual GPS" - to "locate" where you are spiritually.

Based upon 2 Chr 16:9a" For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him," we looked into the life & ministry of Nehemiah to find principles behind how to develop a Holy Ambition, to live a life that counts toward eternity.

1. A Dislocated Heart

Holy Ambition begins with a Dislocated Heart. God never does something great through us, until He does something significant in us.

2. A Broken Spirit.

A Broken Spirit begins with a High View of God. A Dislocated Heart is overwhelmed by a problem or a need. A Broken Spirit is overwhelmed by God.

What comes to our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us... The most portentous fact about anyone is not what he is doing at a given time, what he may say or do, but what in his deep heart conceives God to be. - A.W. Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy

A Broken Spirit leads to an Accurate View of ourselves, which leads to Renewed Commitment.

3. A Radical Faith.

Faith is not an emotional response. Faith it simply believing what God said and acting on the basis of what He said, because of His character and because He gave you a specific promise. The key to having great faith is having a big God; if you have a big God, life's obstacles look small. Radical Faith is choosing to step out to fulfill God's clearly-defined Will at possible great personal risk and sacrifice. Radical Faith is not a faith you just have; it's a faith you practice.

4. A Strategic Plan.

A Strategic Plan begins with a Vision: a God-given burden to see what a person, a place, or a situation could become if the grace of God and the power of God were unleashed on them. A vision is a picture of the preferred future, and is birthed in Silence, Secrecy and Solitude.

5. A Personal Commitment.

A Commitment is a pledge or a promise. It is dedication to a stated course of action, relationship, project, or cost, and is sustained by Mutual Accountability.
A Personal Commitment is made and maintained by:

- Principle of Cooperation:

We will never get beyond how we're getting along.

- Principle of Coordination:

The combined effort of the Group is far greater than the Sum of its parts.

- Principle of Motivation:

The value of the project to the worker will determine the value of the worker to the project.

6. A Courageous Soul.

It is a noble act to step out and long to accomplish a great work for God. It is a foolish attitude to think that just because you do, things are going to be smooth, great, and wonderful in your life.
Four Causes of Discouragement:

- Loss of Strength
- Loss of Vision
- Loss of Confidence
- Loss of Security

Wrong and Worst response to Discouragements: Distractions.
Four Key Ways to Overcome Discouragement:

- Be Proactive: watch out for "Gray Zones"
- Remember the Lord: remember the faithfulness of God
- Fight, fight, fight!: difficulties reveal the depth of our faith
- Never fight alone

give us this day our daily Bread

PRAYER OF DEPENDENCY

- Physical Need:
- A confession that we are dependent upon God for all our needs (Dt 8:17-18)
- It is good and right to ASK, but ask RIGHT!
- Refers not only to physical food, but also to all things necessary for our lives

PRAYER OF SUFFICIENCY

- Spiritual Need:
- In the same way we don’t pray the prayer for provision and sit under an apple tree with our mouths open waiting for God to give us everything, for our spiritual provision, we must open His Word

- 3 Problems:

- We ask God to speak to us, but never bother reading His Words;
- We ask for discernment and guidance, but we set up idols in our hearts that keeps us from hearing His voice clearly,
- And even if we hear, we refuse to obey

- Illustration of Inquiring after God's will with idols in heart (Jer 42-43):

- After killing the rebel leader Ishmael, who murdered Gedaliah (governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon), Johanan and the remnant in Judah turn to Jeremiah the prophet asking for God's will regarding their fearful situation.

- This prayer is a prayer against setting up IDOLS in our hearts
- Thus, we are saying to God: All our needs are met by You, not by us

PRAYER OF COMMITMENT

- DAILY bread:
- i.e., day to day, not for the whole lifetime, year or even a month or week, but daily (Prov 30:7-9)

- Jesus called Himself “Bread of Life” (Jn 6:35)

- Does He sustain You? Are you fed, nourished and sustained by life of Christ?

Listen to Pastor Leonard Ravenhill recount the story of Anointing.

EM 3rd Year Anniversary

I uploaded the presentation we used into pictures.
To see the words more clearly, you can view them here.

Also, we recorded the entire service and I finally finished editing it.
For many reasons, I cannot put the video in it's entirely here. (length of video/size, copyright infringements, etc.)
But I can burn it onto a DVD-R if you like a copy.
Just email me or ask me at church. =)

I've uploaded the sermon as a preview of the video:

July 16, 2006

The very first EM Sunday Worship Service was attended by four people, including me.

It began small but was filled with hope and a great sense of anticipation and longing.

I would not have believed, much less imagined, the long road God would lead me and this EM if someone had told me three years ago...

The 2PM Sunday Worship Service Message was entitled "Longing Fulfilled: A Sudden Good Break" taken from Proverbs 13:12:

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

MSG: "Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around."

I found it interesting that my very first sermon 3 years ago and my "last" sermon closing the three full years (Sunday, July 12, 2009) both dealt with hope:

Isaiah 40:27-31 Why do you say, O Jacob,and complain, O Israel,"My way is hidden from the LORD;my cause is disregarded by my God"? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

I. Those without hope (v.27)

A. Lose Sight of God
B. Has Distorted View of God

II. Those With Hope (v.31)

A. Will Renew their Strength
B. Will Soar on Wings like Eagles
C. Will Run and Not Grow Weary
D. Will Walk and Not be Faint

1 John 3:3 "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

My handwritten first EM sermon ends with hastily written (which usually means the thoughts came quickly and urgently) "Hope purifies our motives, intentions, burns away our own agendas... purifies our thoughts, desires, needs, words and action."

This ministry began with a simple but powerful promise of God: "If they come, I will bless them."

And God has done just that in more ways than I had dreamed of or imagined...

His yoke has been easy, His burden light.

The Lord's Prayer

Unlike most of my messages, I will be teaching out of NAS version of the Lord's Prayer in Mt 6. I thought a summary outline which will be used for this series on the Lord's Prayer would be of help:

'Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.' (Mt 6:9-13, NAS)

Entering the Presence of God

(v.9) “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your Name…”

Relationship & Identity

Living in the Power of God

(v.10) “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”

Hope & Confidence in the Will of God

Fulfilling the Purpose of God

(v.11) “Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Trust & Love

Maturing to Perfection in God

(vv.12-13) “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever. Amen. ”

Trials & Maturity