The Rock of KC

- Wealth - has its advantages (Prov. 10:15,18:11,13:8,14:20,19:4,6-7,22:7,18:23) - but wealth doesn't provide everything (Prov. 10:2,11:4,28) - the acquisition of wealth (Prov. 13:11,20:21,28:20,22,20:17,21:5-6,28:8) - keeping wealth in perspective (Prov. 23:4-5) - wealth can be a blessing, but it can easily become a curse; wisdom makes the difference - Poverty - some are poor because of circumstances beyond their control (Prov. 30:14,28:8) - others are poor because of their own sinful conduct (Prov.6:6-11,10:4,14:23,20:13,24:30-34,21:17,23:21,12:11,28:19) - Generosity - the expression of generosity (Prov.28:27,3:9) - the benefits of generosity (Prov.11:17,14:21,3:9-10,11:24-25,19:17) - Greed - the qualities of greed (Prov.30:15-16,21:25-26,23:6-8) - the danger of greed (Prov.1:17,15:27) - to avoid misery, for ourselves and others, we must not be greedy - Proverbs gives us wisdom in properly relating to wealth and poverty, and generostiy and greed - with the blessing of the Lord, we can experience both wealth that comes from honest labor, and generosity that springs from a merciful heart - certainly there is no place for arrogance and abuse when we have been materially blessed (Prov.22:2,14:31)

- Accept responsibility (Gen.3:1-13,1 Sam.15:1-24) - "Since then we have all become experts at shifting our responsibility onto others. We will all stand before God one day. And on that day, any attempts at hand-waving and finger-pointing will not suffice. The responsibility of what we did with Jesus will rest squarely on our shoulders and no one else’s.” - Frank Viola - I am responsible for my response - what does this experience make possible? - beware of responsibility diffusion - a good boundary when it comes to people is to ask "Am I responsible to/for them? - take responsibility for your choices (Josh. 24:13-15) - Reject apathy (2 Tim. 3:1-5) - irreconcilable - ceasing to care - apathy must be rejected - Act courageously (Deut.31:6,Josh.1:7-9,1Chron.28:20,Ps.27:1,Ps.31:24,1Cor.15:58,1 Cor.16:13,Eph.6:10) - courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared.

1 Cor. 13:1-13, 1 Thess. 1:3 - "abide" or "remain" in reference to place means to sojourn, tarry, not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept, continually - in reference to time means to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure, of persons, to survive, live - in reference to state or condition means to remain as one, not to become another or different, to wait for, await one - Abide in faith - I am made right with God (Rom. 5:1) - I live by faith (Gal. 2:20,Rom.1:17) - I walk by faith (2 Cor.5:1-10) - your faith is more valuable than gold (1 Peter 1:3-10) - Jesus prays that our faith would not fail (Luke 22:31-32) - everyone has a measure of faith (Rom. 12:3) - you are to take up a shield of faith (Eph. 6:16) - your faith can grow (2 Cor. 10:15) - faith comes by hearing and taking action (Rom.10:17,Heb.4:2) - Abide in hope - hope in the Bible is defined as confident expectation (Heb.11:1) - Job had hope (Job 13:15) - David had hope (Ps. 42:5) - Jeremiah had hope (Lam. 3:24) - Abraham had hope (Rom.4:18) - we are saved in hope (Rom. 8:24) - we are to rejoice in hope (Rom. 12:12) - God is the God of hope (Rom.15:11-13) - Christ in us our hope of glory (Col.1:27) - put your hope in God, not riches (1 Tim.6:17) - we are to flee to hope and be anchored in hope (Heb.6:18-20) - Abide in love - love ties it all together - faith works by love (Gal.5:6) - the Holy SPirit sheds love abroad in our heart and grounds us in hope (Rom.5:1-8) - we are to pray to be rooted and grounded in love (Eph.3:14-21) - love is the deal (John 13:35,15:9-12,1 John 4:7,11,Eph.5:2,Matt.5:44,Rom.12:9,13:10) - praying in the Spirit helps keep us in the love of God (Jude 20-21) - Faith is the evidence, hope is the confident expectation, and love fueled by the Holy Spirit mixes it all together to give you and I an eternal hope of glory. - Any area of your life where you are sensing hopelessness is being influenced by a lie.

- Jesus was a friend of sinners, we're to be insulated against sin in the world, but not isolated from people in the world. - you're either influencing your world or you're being influenced by it - Prov. 1:10-11,15,13:20,1 Cor.15:33, Prov.25:17 4 qualities of good friends - am I a friend with these qualities? 1. constancy - good and faithful friend (Prov. 17:17 ESV, Prov.27:10,14:20,18:24) 2. candor - open, honest, and sincere (Prov.27:6,28:23) - we need people in our lives like this 3. council - offers wise and honest counsel (Prov.27:17,27:9) 4. consideration - demonstrates compassion for friends and sensitive (Prov.25:20) - if counsel is what you say, consideration is how you say it - good friends are sensitive to those around them - be friendly - those seeking a friend seldom find one (be friendly to have friends) - healthy frienships have grace and truth - unspoken and unrealistic expectations sabotage and destroy good friendships

1 Cor. 1:1-9 NLT - culture is a powerful thing. Current of an environment - it's much easier to establish culture from the beginning - three points in the culture of the kingdom 1. honor (v.1) - Paul says he didn't do this alone - honor places value on someone - somethings have a natural or placed value and other things have a sentimental value - honor is an element in the kingdom of God 2. encouragement (v.2) - John 4:4 - Jesus needed to go through Samaria to break the cultural traditions - Jesus honors and encourages the Samaritan woman - Jesus gives us an example to show kindness and encouragement to those in need 3. generosity (v.9) - God is generous to us so we should be generous to others - God has invited us into partnership with Jesus - 2 Cor. 8:9 NLT - why do we live in a culture of honor, encouragement, and generosity? Because Jesus did. This is what the culture of the kingdom is all about - generosity is more than just money, it's life, it affects the way you look at everything.

- doubt is in all of us, doubt and failure is a vicious cycle - Ps. 94:19, Luke 5:1-11 MSG - Jesus' ability - do you doubt Jesus' ability to produce fruit in your life? - you may be an expert in something, but Jesus' words change everything - it's okay that I don't understand/comprehend everything - you can say, "Intellectually, I do not agree with you, Jesus, but I trust You." - How can I know that Jesus has the answers? 1. Jesus' ability rests in His authority - what you can't do, Jesus can do in a single word 2. Jesus' ability supercedes and overcomes our doubts as to who He is and what He can do - don't be afraid of God's future for you - your lack of ability is overcome by your availability - don't let your shame bind you to your failure - God is not offended by you rlack of faith (Matt 14:22-23 NLT) - your availability reveals your pliability - easily bent, flexible, ability to be changed (1 Peter 1:13-16 MSG, Matt. 16:13-20 NLT, Matt. 26:69-75 MSG) - failure is not final - yor pliability leads to your stability (Rom. 8:33-39 MSG)

- doubt is in all of us, doubt and failure is a vicious cycle - Ps. 94:19, Luke 5:1-11 MSG - Jesus' ability - do you doubt Jesus' ability to produce fruit in your life? - you may be an expert in something, but Jesus' words change everything - it's okay that I don't understand/comprehend everything - you can say, "Intellectually, I do not agree with you, Jesus, but I trust You." - How can I know that Jesus has the answers? 1. Jesus' ability rests in His authority - what you can't do, Jesus can do in a single word 2. Jesus' ability supercedes and overcomes our doubts as to who He is and what He can do - don't be afraid of God's future for you - your lack of ability is overcome by your availability - don't let your shame bind you to your failure - God is not offended by you rlack of faith (Matt 14:22-23 NLT) - your availability reveals your pliability - easily bent, flexible, ability to be changed (1 Peter 1:13-16 MSG, Matt. 16:13-20 NLT, Matt. 26:69-75 MSG) - failure is not final - yor pliability leads to your stability (Rom. 8:33-39 MSG)

- Christians are to give careful heed to their speech, avoiding corrupt words, speaking that which edifies. (Eph. 4:29) - Christians are to give careful heed to their speech, abstaining from filthy talk, giving thanks instead. (Eph. 5:4) - Christians are to give careful heed to their speech, recognizing ultimately it is a heart issue. (Luke 6:45) - Christians are to give careful heed to their speech, recognizing the authority and control. (James 3:2) - the power of speech - both to tear down and to build up. (Prov. 11:9,11,4:24,29:20) - words are powerful: "You have never spoken a neutral word in your life. Either your talk brings life or brings death." Paul Tripp (Prov. 18:21) - words lure men away into adultery (Prov. 7:5,21,11:9) - words scorch close relationships (Prov. 16:27-28) - harsh words create anger, on the other hand, soft words remove wrath (Prov. 15:1) - words heal wounded hearts (Prov. 12:18) - honest words are like a lover's kiss (Prov. 24:26) - a word fitly spoken is like a sweet fruit tray at a dinner party (Prov. 25:11) - Destructive use of speech: - Lying - which is an abomination to God (Prov. 6:16-19,12:22) - often fostered by hatred, in efforts to hide hatred and trying to disguise one's true feelings (Prov. 10:18,26:24-28) - which will prove to be short-lived, just for a moment, sweet at first, but only a fleeting fantasy (Prov. 12:19,20:17,21:6) - lying will eventually destroy the liar, and often the one lied about - Flattery - not sincere compliments, but deceitful praise to win another's favor and to manipulate. Also a source of ruin. (Prov. 26:28,29:5) - also a source of ruin, often crushing others by entrapping those who are flattered - lyke lying, flattery can destroy both the user and the subject of it - Gossip - also knows as the tale-bearer, slanderer, whisperer (Prov. 11:13) - who reveals secrets, unlike a faithful person (Prov. 17:9,16:28,20:19) - whether true or not is incidental; gossip destroys both the user and the subject - speaking evil of others harms one's self as much as those spoken against - Good words: words of the righteous (Prov. 10:11,20-21) - a well of life, as choice silver, that feeds many - Pleasant words (Prov. 16:24) - like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul, health to the bones - Comforting words (Prov. 12:25) - addressed to the anxious and depressed, making their hearts glad - such speech reveals the good heart of the speaker - Timely words - well-timed words (Prov. 15:23,25:11-12) - spoken in due season, how joyful and good it is, like apples of gold in settings of silver, well-thought words (Prov. 15:28) - studied carefully by a righteous person, on how best to answer - such speech reveals the wisdom of the speaker - Controlled words - that benefits the one who speaks (Prov. 13:2-3,21:23,15:1-2) - preserving the life of the one who guards his mouth, defusing potentially violent situations, keeping one's soul from trouble, that reveals true knowledge and understanding (Prov. 10:19,17:27-28) - by sparing words, with a calm spirit, which even a fool can benefit from - such speech will enhance the reputation of the speaker - from Proverbs we learn the value of being careful of our speech - avoiding much harm to ourselves and to others, doing much good to ourselves and to others - which may help us appreciate why Paul was so concerned that Christians let their speech always be with grace (Col. 4:6) - let no unwholesome words come out of their mouths, only good words (Eph. 4:29, Ps. 19:14)

Luke 8:4-8, Mark 4:13 - parable of the seeds as a foundational parable - if someone prays and you don't get healed instantly, you can easily feel disappointed, discouraged, or like something wasn't right. But that's not the case, you were given a healing seed. - if we do not have eyes in the spirit to see what God has given us, then we will not be able to steward what He has given us. - Wthat does a seed need to bear fruit? - needs to be recognized as a seed and sown into the soil - needs nourishment - needs protection - Luke 8:11-15 - the Word of God is the promises of God and the power of God - you need to protect the seed God plants in you and you need to protect it. - v.12 - the Greek word for "saved" means "forgiveness of sin, healing, deliverance, wholeness, prosperity, and protection" - v.13 these people lack patcience - v.14 they lose focus, and don't act on what they've received - v.15 "keep" means "seize" - if you don't get healed immediately, it's so easy to doubt, complain and have self-pity that binds you to your illness - How to persevere in faith: - call God your God (Ps. 18:1-3, Ps. 27:1, Ps. 91:9-10, 2 Cor. 4:13) - speak to the mountain (Mark 11:23) - in faith thanking God (1 Cor. 15:57) - even when you're still ill - confessing God's Word (Isa. 57:19)

- Prov. 29:22 - what anger does to us: 1. uncontrolled anger opens the door to sin in our lives (Prov. 30:33) - what stirs up anger in your life? - we get angry because we feel hurt or helpless, legitimate needs are not met, certain epectations aren't met 2. uncontrolled anger damages our relationships with people (Prov. 12:18) words give life and words give death 3. uncontrolled anger leads us to say reckless things - dealing with anger wisely (Prov. 29:11, Prov. 15:1 NIV) - gentle = soft, calm in tone and content - we wise up about anger by using gentle words to diffuse anger (Prov. 15:18, Prov. 29:22) - person who is full of poison/venim - patience is not resignation, giving in to your circumstances. Patience is a positive attitude of active endurance, of bearing up under difficult circumstances. - we wise up about anger by cultivating the virtue of patience (Prov. 20:3) - we wise up about anger when we understand what anger does - uncontrolled anger opens the door to sin, damages our relationships, leads us to say reckless things, and can cause depression and other things - we wise up about anger when we deal with it wisely - wise anger is done by expressing it with words, cultivating the fruit of patience, knowing when to avoid conflict, and getting to the root of the anger.

Wisdom for Life, Part 6 - Being Wise About Conflict Prov. 10:17 NKJV, NLT, Prov. 27:5-6 NLT, NKJV - every relationship we have is vulnerable to attack, to break apart the relationship - Ps. 133:1 "How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!" - Three different ways people deal wtih conflict: 1. some avoid and withdraw 2. some tend to explode after they have stewed & stewed and finally boil over 3. some people thrive on conflict - healthy relationships are not absent of conflicts but they have the ability to resolve conflict in a positive and healthy way - 6 ingredients to wising up about conflict 1. decide to love (Prov. 10:12 NIV, 1 Peter 4:8) - Jesus sasy they'll know they're Christians by their love 2. forgiving offenses (Prov. 19:11 NIV) - we need to take God seriously, but not take ourselves seriously. - forgiveness is simply the choice to not hold onto an offense. A refusal to forgive a person is unwise because it opens our lives to satanic power and chokes off God’s grace. When we refuse to forgive, the person’s offense keeps victimizing us again and again, because we dwell on it continually it ends up poisoning our lives with bitterness. 3. open yourself (Prov. 27:5-6) - direct confrontation is always better than unexpressed love - we all need to open ourselves up to correction because we all have blind spots 4. admitting our role (Prov. 28:13 NIV) - my relationhship with people is more important than being right and definitely more important than the offense 5. keeping anger in check (Prov. 29:22 NIV, Eph. 4:26) 6. correct carefully (Prov. 9:7-9 NIV) - we need to wise up about conflict in our lives. We do this by deciding to love, forgiving offenses against us, opening ourselves to correction, admitting where we’ve been wrong, keeping our anger under control, and only then offering correction carefully.

- 2 Chr. 8:16, Ps. 37:23-24 - no matter your past, there's alwyas a next step- every race has a next step, each athlete took steps just to gewt to the olympics. - Ezekial 47: 1-9 (MSG) - wherever you are in your walk with God, there is always a next step - observations: 1. ankle deep - not a huge commitment, starts shallow, purposes aren't even revealed until you move deeper 2. knee deep - transitional phase, start making a total commitment 3. waist deep - volunteer, faithful tigher - Acts 16:1-3 - Timothy getting circumsized is a commitment - no turning back - John 3:30 - we decrease, God increases 4. total immersion in God - where you're trusting AGod to take you where He wants you to go 4 steps: Salvation (2 Tim. 3:14-15) Trust (Prov. 3:5) Expectation (Matt. 24:34) raise your level of expe3ctation, expect your destiny to be fulfilled Pursue (Matt. 6:33, Ps. 55:16-17) - don't let your past paralyze your present and don't let your present dictate your future - stop hiding behind someon else's salvation

- story of a young telegraph operator - things of interest about this story: - this young man was not the FIRST one there. - there were probably men with higher qualifications. - there may have been men who were better dressed. - maybe they were comparing themselves among themselves, and touting their own qualifications. - maybe each one was telling the other why he deserved the job. - maybe they were arguing about who was right and who was wrong for the position. - Mark 8:13-18 (NKJV), Mark 8:16-19 (The Message) - a few things you shold know - we are blessed to have Pastor Phillip and Susan. - How to honor and bless your pastor (1 Tim. 5:17-18) 1. do the basics consistently - give gifts without strings - time - the most expensive thing on earth - shows you place value when you spend time at church - when you're present at church physically, be present mentally as well - talent - the most unused thing on earth - get engaged with what God is doing here - treasure - the most mis-used thing on earth - where your treasure is, there your heart is also (Matt. 6:21) 2. let go of the unrealistic expectations - bless pastors by allowing them to spend time with their own families 3. love the pastor's wife - give her the gift of kind words and the freedom to flourish in the church 4. don't assume other people are encouraging their pastor. - don't forget that direct communication is more meaningful than posting on Facebook or Twitter. 5. keep studying how best to bless your pastor

- the challenge of accepting change when change just doesn't feel natural- Matt 9:14-17 - Jesus challenged the people of the time to change, but they resisted- Matt. 21:23 - the people challenged Jesus' authority to make change- the hope of our future generations rests on our ability to become agents of change in our world- change for the sake of following Jesus1. Change is emotional (Matt. 9:15)  - there's nothing like change to stir up the emotions of people and get their attention  - God uses change to awaken us to new opportunities in life  - sometimes it takes discipline to handle the change in our life2. Change is personal (Matt. 9:16)  - clothing is personal  - change leads to transformation  - change changes us  - change can be powerful if we find Jesus in teh change  - to resist change is to resist growth3. Change is inevitable (Isa. 42:8-9)  - before change comes, God reminds me who Hes is and conditions me for the change- Three essential attitudes:  1. blessed are the flexible for they shall not break  2. blessed are the forgetful for they will not get stuck (Phil. 3:13-14)  3. blessed are the faithful for they will be rewarded (Prov. 28:20)  - there is a harvest coming- follow Jesus through change and He will provide the harvest- don't be afraid to move the couch because new realities rarely fit old constraints

Session 3 of 3 in the Elevate Men's conference at the Rock of KC