26 May Is Jesus Worth It? | Mehdi Chniouli
TESTIMONIES: Looking for your testimonies! If you have group wins to share, please email them to me! maparsons@waterschurch.org
FIRST WEDNESDAY: June 5th @ 7:00p! It will be held outside – pray NO RAIN! There will be no pre-service prayer & no childcare! Kids welcome!
SMALL GROUP CONNECT: June 22 after service. June 23 after the second service in NA and after service in Woonsocket: You can register here: (You can register for more than one. Your apprentice or coach can stand in for you if necessary).
COMPASSION EXPERIENCE WEEKEND PARKING: May 31 – June 3 in our parking lot. During service times, we will be asking our congregation to park next door at Distron. The Experience takes place on:
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Big Idea: What we treasure does not compare to what Jesus is offering us.
Is Jesus worth it only initially? Jesus is worth it through all seasons even when we don’t see the fruits of our labor. He is Lord over all things. What it says in the Bible is not an option. We cannot keep some things and not others. Some, who call themselves Christians, are not fully experiencing what God has for them. They get frustrated and don’t stay the course. We have to let God in fully. There is a target on our backs that gets bigger and bigger by the day. We need to be careful not to fall in the ‘the raccoon trap’.
The Raccoon Trap: this is a trap where there is something ‘shiny’ inside of a can and once the raccoon puts its hand in, it grabs hold of it and cannot get its hand out. It knows all that it needs to do to free itself but it won’t let go of the object it is fixated on.
Q. What is your ‘shiny’ object (the very thing that keeps you from experiencing God more fully)?
1. KNOWING JESUS WILL COST YOU WHATEVER YOU TREASURE.
We think of suffering and death as negative, as things to avoid at all cost. But as Christians, we have the mind of Christ. We have the power of Christ in us and unless we experience it, it is hard to describe. We have to rely on the Holy Spirit to experience that power. We are to step out of our comfort zone. If we are not experiencing opposition in this world, we are not poking the bear which gives no reason for the bear to come after us.
Saul had lost his reputation and position among the Jewish leaders. He had it all. He was doing ‘good works’ to please his people and ‘his’ God. Then Saul became Paul and lost it all. He lost it all for the sake of Christ.
Mehdi has a similar testimony. He told us how he was born a Muslim. He was born into Islam. His parents are Muslim and therefore he was a Muslim. It was his identity. When Mehdi became a Christian, he knew he would have to give up everything including his friendships and his family to follow Jesus.
Q. What loss have you suffered in order to follow Jesus?
2. KNOWING JESUS WILL TURN YOUR TREASURE INTO RUBBISH.
Paul was talking about tasting the sweetness of Jesus which changes what we are treasuring into garbage.
Mehdi broke his mom’s heart when he became a Christian. He is an infidel in the eyes of Islam. There was no going back for him. Jesus makes everything look pale in comparison. At some point, tasting Jesus is much shinier than the shiny object we have. The Greek word for shiny means rubbish.
Q. What did you value that you no longer see as something to be valued since you became a believer? If you are not a believer, what are you afraid of losing to follow Jesus?
3. KNOWING JESUS WILL REPLACE YOUR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The righteousness from God depends on grace, we do not earn it, it is a gift. We must lay down our pride and put our faith in Jesus. We are justified because of His shed blood for us. This is the difference between works vs. grace. The good things we do don’t outweigh our bad things. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Q. Even though we know we are saved by grace through faith and not of our own works, what self-righteous attitudes do you still hold on to and why?
4. KNOWING JESUS WILL GIVE US POWER TO SUFFER WELL.
Everything discussed above comes down to this one passage. The Greek word for power is dynamite. As Christians, the same power that resurrected Jesus from the grave is in us! (Romans 8:11). We have the power to suffer well and not to skip over the suffering. That is not an option for us. Jesus is the Hope of life.
Q. How has the power Jesus seen you through struggles?
Lay down what the Lord is asking you to lose. He will give you strength and power to do well.
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