11 Jun The Problem with Pride | Part 2 “Christ or Conformity” | All Locations
Announcements:
Reminder: Please check your planning center profiles for requests to join and also remove members from the list that no longer attend as well as add members not listed. Thank you.
LEADERS: WE HAVE CHANGED UP THE DISCOVER CLASS WHICH USED TO BE GROWTH TRACK AND ARE ASKING ALL LEADERS TO RE-TAKE THIS A SOME POINT. BELOW IS THE CLASS SCHEDULE:
FIRST WEEKEND: DISCOVER
SECONE WEEKEND: NO CLASSES
THIRD WEEKEND: CONNECT
FOURTH WEEKEND: BAPTISM
ALL CLASSES ARE AFTER FIRST SERVICE ON SUNDAYS
NEW ENGLAND LEADERS:
Join Cody Carnes on the second leg of his God is Good! Tour with special guest Benjamin William Hastings this summer! This tour serves as a faith-filled intersection of worship and fellowship where we can come together and lift high the name of Jesus. Featuring some of Carnes’ hits like “Run To The Father” and “Nothing Else” and the Carnes/ Hastings hit “Take You At Your Word”, these nights are going to be really special. We hope to see you there!
ALL CLASSES ARE AFTER FIRST SERVICE ON SUNDAYS
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Key Verse: Daniel 3
The Word of God is not a story of what has happened but about what is happening. It challenges us in every generation about who will be in charge of our lives.
What will we do when the rubber hits the road, and we are asked to compromise our faith? Will we conform to Christ or the world?
Ice breaker:
Q. If you could choose one superhero power to help you stand firm in your faith and resist conformity, what would it be and why?
Daniel 3:19-20 (ESV)
We have not yet felt the heat as those men did. But, like in their day, the furnace is getting lit, and the world is begging the Church to ‘go with the flow.’ Some of our very own church members have been asked to bow and were threatened that they will lose their jobs or get written up. One person was warned about the Cross being a hate symbol as it hung in his cubicle.
Q. Have you experienced a situation where you chose not to compromise your faith or principles? How did you handle it, and what were the consequences?
“When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who was running the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.” – C. S. Lewis
When the world is crazy, not being crazy is crazy.
We are currently in our Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego moments as the American flag is taking a back seat to the Pride flag across our country (i.e., Pride flag between two American flags at The White House, Rockefeller Center replaced all the Nations of the World flags with the Pride flag, and an American Soldier saluted the Pride flag, to name a few).
As Christians, we stand on Christ, our solid rock; all other ground is sinking sand.
1. The World’s SYSTEM demands CONFORMITY.
At some point, we must learn to stand for Christ regardless of what people say about us. The love that people are looking for can only be found in the God who created them and truly loves them.
Daniel 3:1-4 (ESV)
Nebuchadnezzar realized his time was coming to an end, so he set up an idol of a golden image to compensate for this reality. Knowing that his time was short, Nebuchadnezzar infiltrated every area of authority in the land. The Devil is doing this very thing. The more he sees that his time is short, the more he will turn up the heat.
The Devil is looking for people to give up. After all, it is ‘only the dedication of a statue.’ It is like this in our culture today; it is just ‘setting up a statue.’ The world wants us to tolerate the image, but, we, as Christians, we cannot afford to ‘just go with the flow’ because sin never stays put.
Daniel 3:4 (ESV)
The invitation has now become a command to fall down and worship the image.
Q. How do you define conformity in today’s society, and what are some examples you can provide?
2. CONFORMITY demands COMPROMISE.
If we go with the flow, we will eventually abandon our faith. We will surrender our souls for advancement, acceptance, and prominence. This is why we need to stay connected to our church body and commit to attending Church and our life groups regularly.
Daniel 3:6 (ESV)
Nebuchadnezzar wanted to make a one-world religion, which is where our world today is headed. When Christ is not on the throne of our hearts, anyone gets to sit there.
Q. How do you think an uncompromising faith can challenge or confront a conformist culture, and what might be some historical or present-day examples?
3. Not COMPROMISING is UNCOMMON.
Daniel 3:12 (ESV)
We need to ‘turn it off’ and not pay attention to the mantras of this age. We, as Christians, should not want to pay attention to the world.
THREE out of 10,000 STAND.
Out of all the Jews (out of all the Christians), only three stood up. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not bow.
Q. What common pressures or influences lead people to compromise their values or beliefs?
4. UNCOMPROMISING faith infuriates a CONFORMIST culture.
Daniel 3:13-14 (ESV)
Nebuchadnezzar got so mad. The world is going to get mad too.
Daniel 3:16-18 (ESV)
Only next-level faith leaves a lasting impression. We will not bow.
UNCOMPROMISING faith does three things:
1. It STANDS apart. (at some point, take a stand)
2. It SPEAKS for one’s self. (They don’t criticize Nebuchadnezzar)
3. It SURRENDERS the results to God. (Whatever you want, God, we are game)
Daniel 3:19-20 (ESV)
He turned the heat up as the world is doing to us right now.
Q. Considering the potential backlash and opposition that uncompromising faith may encounter, what strategies or principles can we learn from this passage to navigate and respond to such situations?
5. CHRIST’S PRESENCE is better than the WORLD’S ACCEPTANCE.
We cannot afford to be cultural Christians who just check the box by coming to Church on Sunday and living the way we want to the rest of the week.
Christianity is not going through a program, getting more religious, or being a good person. It is to meet the most Glorious Person we will ever know. It is to follow the One who made us, formed us, loved us, and gave His life for us.
Q. In what ways do you personally seek Christ’s presence over seeking acceptance from the world? How has this choice impacted your life?
Daniel 3:24-25 (ESV)
John 6:68-69 (ESV)
Challenge: Identify an area in your life where you have been compromising your values or faith due to societal pressure or the desire for acceptance and develop a plan to break free from conformity in that area. (This could be by making different choices, setting boundaries, or speaking up for your beliefs.)
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