Self Centered or Christ Centered?

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Two Paradigms of Living and Thinking

Paradigm - a philosophical or theoretical framework of any kind.

There are a multitude of ways these two paradigms, Christ centeredness and Self Centeredness manifest themselves in our lives.

When Christ is Lord He rules our lives.

Jim Elliot a man who was Christ Centered (End of the Spear)–
He is no fool to lose what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.

To watch a 2:28 video about Jim Elliot CLICK HERE.

1. A person who’s Christ Centered is thinking about kingdom advancement.

Matthew 11:11,12
11I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

I believe God’s more concerned about your availability than your ability but He does empower you with his ability when we violently surrender our lives to him. This empowerment makes us more valuable to the Lord in the sense that we have a greater kingdom influence in the world.

2. Christ Centered people are Thinking about the development of others or the development of self for others.
We should be the best we can be for the Lord so when he calls us we can bring the best sacrifice we can. We want to be as valuable to the Lord as we can be.

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

We go from empowering communal time with the Lord to sacrifice and back to the Holy Spirit for a “recharge”.

Luke 5:16
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Hebrews 5:7
During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

3. Finances
1 Timothy 6:17-19
17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

We’re commanded to take temporal wealth and convert it into “coming age treasure” through giving.

This allows us to take hold of the life that is truly life. This implies strongly that there is a false life.

The false life that comes from a servitude to money.

Matthew 6:24
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

People serve money because their identity is in the things of this life. The more toys or things they can amass around themselves the more successful they feel.

For the believer their identity should be in Christ. From communion with Christ comes life and fruit as well as productive and effective ministry.

4. For a Christ Centered Individual Fulfillment is Found in Doing God’s Will and Work

Fulfillment for the Christ Centered life
John 4:34
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

5. Self exaltation or Legacy?
One other key thing that you see with people who have Christ at the center of their lives is they are focused on leaving some kind of legacy for the next generation or generations to come.

Legacy - something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past

A person with a kingdom paradigm will want to develop others in the faith who can replicate the spiritual DNA they are carrying.

2 Timothy 2:1,2
1You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

1. Jesus
2. Paul
3. Timothy
4. Reliable Men
5. Others

Very often self centered people abort their own ability to leave a legacy because they put all their energy and thought into themselves instead of those around them who are potential ambassadors for the next generation.

They can also abort their ability to leave a legacy by careless acts of sin. These acts can embitter the next generation causing a hardness to resist the possible impartation.

We also must try and learn the love language of the potential legacy person so they know you are preparing them for something. Many children become embittered toward their parents because the parents don’t know how to communicate their love and intentions for their children.

The importance of a legacy.
Imagine if 3 generations of people before you had progressively left an inheritance for the generation following.
Each family member took the inheritance and made it bigger.
The financial legacy easily illustrates the spiritual legacies we can leave for our spiritual children.

Who do you leave a legacy for?

1. Willing/Called
2. Humble
3. Faithful
4. Submissive
5. Gifted

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

How many people will be at your funeral?

Take some time to reflect on what percentage of your heart Jesus has captured and dedicate some time to deal with the areas of your heart that may still be outside the Lordship of Christ. Let him rule and reign all of your thoughts, attitudes, actions and ideas. Make it your ambition to violently surrender your life at the feet of Jesus like John the Baptist. You must become lesser so he can become greater. Why don't you pray about it?

Love,

Pastor Tony

Jubilee Family Church

Praise Report for Janet

Janet Howard called me today to tell me that her cholesterol had dropped to 240 and over all, her blood numbers had dropped over 1000 points.

Praise the Lord!

Jubilee Family Church

The Greatest Need of Mankind

To be Reconciled to God
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Reconciliation – the act of restoring to friendship or harmony.
The heart and Nature of God can be seen in the story of the Prodigal Son.

Luke 15:20
So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
These 5 components of God's character are seen in the story of the Prodigal Son.



Longing
Looking
Running
Hugging
Kissing

We're called to have a relationship of intimacy with God. Intimacy can be defined as into - me - see.


Song of Solomon 1:2
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine.
Psalm 2:12a
--Kiss the Son, lest he be angry

God Wants our Hearts

Deuteronomy 4:29

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Who’s Jesus interested in?
Luke 5:30-32
"Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
31Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Things that lead us to turn away from a life of Sin and turn to God

1. Anointed Preaching
Acts 13:24
Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.

2. God’s Kindness
Romans 2:4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

3. Gentle Instruction
2 Timothy 2:25
Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

4. Godly Sorrow
2 Corinthians 7:9
yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.

A. Godly Sorrow or Worldly Sorrow
2 Corinthians 7:10
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

5. It’s God’s patient will for Men and Women to Repent
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Reconciled Through Death Saved through Life.

Scriptures on Reconciliation
Romans 5:10
For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Reconciled through Christ’s Death, made holy and free.

Colossians 1:22
But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—

John 8:31,32
31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them] you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
God’s reconciliation of us, gives us the ministry of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

2 Corinthians 5:20
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Implore – means to beg or beseech.

Jubilee Family Church

The Power to Overcome

Knowing God

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1. Trials can develop your Character
James 1:2-4
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

When faced with trials from stupidity, ignorance, God or the Devil your response to them means everything.

Trials will be stepping stones or stumbling blocks, it’s your call. Your attitude will determine the outcome.

When you don’t represent any threat to the enemy it’s likely that his opposition toward you will be small.
When you are taking his territory (the hearts of people are being influenced for Christ’s Kingdom) it’s likely that he’ll try to mount some kind of counter attack against you to silence your effect on others.

2. Our Faith Helps Us Overcome
1 John 5:4,5
4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
In the face of every battle, you must believe that your victory is already at hand.

3. We have an Advantage
1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

4. Doing God’s Will Gives us Overcoming Power
The Will of God is Good to You
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

His Delight becomes…
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
If we’ll delight in him, he’ll give us what he’s put into our hearts. Because we delight in him we want what he wants.

…our Delight
1 John 5:14,15
14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

When we are self focused
James 4:2a,3
You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

5. Knowing the Heart of God
It is not enough just to know the Word, however. You must also know God’s heart behind the Word in order to activate the reality of God’s courage in our hearts. The Bible is a written expression of God’s love, and it contains the truth about His character. When you know God’s character, you know His heart. It’s knowing God’s heart—His true intentions and His will for you—that gives you confidence in Him and turns on your ability to do great and courageous things in Christ.

Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Daniel 11:32b
the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

In every situation that you face, think to yourself, What do I know about God’s character? The first thing you know from God’s Word is that He loves you unconditionally and wants you to triumph in your battles.

2 Corinthians 2:14a
14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ,

Next, you know that you have been commanded to love God with all of your heart, mind and soul (Matthew 22:37). Since God requires this kind of love from you, He is faithful to love you in the same way.

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Because He loves you, He will protect you and bring courage to you allowing you to do great exploits. Walking confidently in the knowledge of God’s love keeps you walking in the power of His might.

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

I don't know what kind of battles you are facing but if you'll position your heart into the heart of God to receive what he's telling you he will empower you with courage and information that will help you get through the challenges you are facing.

Jubilee Family Church

T-Bone Steak and Roses

God Never Leaves Us

I walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 57 years was still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories.

He often came with me and almost every time he'd pretend to go off and look for something special. I knew what he was up to. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with the three yellow roses in his hands.

He knew I loved yellow roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but even grocery shopping was different since he had passed on.

Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had for two.

Standing by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and remembered how he had loved his steak.

Suddenly a woman came beside me. She was blond, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large package of T-bones, dropped them in her basket.. hesitated, and then put them back. She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of steaks.

She saw me watching her and she smiled. 'My husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I don't know.'

I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes.

'My husband passed away eight days ago,' I told her. Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my voice. 'Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment you have together.'

She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away.

I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream. If nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone.

I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the aisle toward the front. I saw first the green suit, then recognized the pretty lady coming towards me. In her arms she carried a package. On her face was the brightest smile I had ever seen! I would swear a soft halo encircled her blond hair as she kept walking toward me, her eyes holding mine.

As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began misting in my eyes. 'These are for you,' she said and placed three beautiful long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. 'When you go through the line, they will know these are paid for.' She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek, then smiled again. I wanted to tell her what she'd done, what the roses meant, but still unable to speak, I watched as she walked away as tears clouded my vision

I looked down at the beautiful roses nestled in the green tissue wrapping and found it almost unreal. How did she know? Suddenly the answer seemed so clear. I wasn't alone.

Oh, you haven't forgotten me, have you? I whispered, with tears in my eyes. God was still with me, and this precious woman was His ambassador.

Cherish every day you get to spend with those closest to you. Make sure they have a relationship with Christ so you can be reunited with them again in heaven. Click here to learn more.

Jubilee Family Church