26 Nov Really Big God | Part 2 “Faith for Great Exploits” – New England
Announcements:
Crystel Hoyt had major back surgery on Monday, please share this meal train for the family, thank you!
ALL LOCATIONS:
DEC 9/10 WE WILL BE TAKING OUR REALLY BIG THINGS OFFERING. THIS IS THE THIRTY WEEK MARK!
NEED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY CARE? OR HAVE A GROUP MEMBER IN NEED OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY CARE? CLICK HERE: HELP RESOURCES PAGE
NEW ENGLAND LOCATIONS:
WOONSOCKET
**NEW This Christmas, we’re enlarging our dinner table and hosting a Christmas Dinner for our community.
We will have a home-cooked menu and a fun night of activities for all ages. Help us make this a great time for our guests by registering to serve!
Click below to register!
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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:
1st Sunday : Discover Waters – after 1st service
2nd Sunday: NO CLASSES
3rd Sunday: Connect Class – after 1st service
4th Sunday: Baptism Class – after 1st service
IMPORTANT***** Please add
Go to your email, add no-reply@churchcenter.com to your contacts (PLEASE ASK ME IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND) THANKS!
no-reply@churchcenter.com to your email contacts so that you do not miss an email from Planning Center and have your members add it as well. This will ensure you do not miss a member request or any emails that come from the Planning Center site.
All announcements and the Waters Event Calendar can be found at: waterschurch.org/events)
Location Text Alerts:
| North Attleboro | Text “subscribe” to 508 695-1300 | |
| Norwood | Text “subscribe” to 781 762-3357 | |
| Apollo Beach | Text “subscribe” to 813 642-6979 | |
| Woonsocket | Text “subscribe” to 833 241-4837 | |
| Southcoast | Text “subscribe” to 508 809-3490 | |
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Ice breaker:
Q. What are the top three things on your bucket list?
Churches are declining in America. Only four percent of millennials claim Church association. But we serve a God who wants to do really big things with His people.
Daniel 11:32
People who know their God shall be strong. As Christians, we are strong. The challenges we go through will only make us stronger and stronger. We will do great exploits in Jesus name!
A FEARFUL and CONFUSED world needs a STRONG and FAITH-FILLED Church.
God is going to ask us to do some crazy things because He is a really big God and He is looking for those who He can partner with to do really big things.
We need faith to do them.
- Faith for Great Exploits SHAPES the WORLD around It.
There are two groups of people: People shaped by their surroundings and people who shape their surroundings. We can either be slaves to our surroundings or change them.
As Christians, we should not be complaining or gossiping when around those who complain and gossip but instead, we should be speaking life into those people.
The world needs people who know Jesus and are full of hope.
Ezekiel 37:9-10 (NIV)
God brought Ezekiel into the valley of dry bones not so he becomes as dry bones but because he was God’s number one choice for turning that valley into a place of life.
We need to turn our neighborhoods and workplaces into places of life. To prophesy in those places. To prophesy means to speak life.
We cannot speak negatively about a situation and then be surprised at the outcome.
God does not ask us to vent or complain but commands us to prophesy.
He brings us to a place to shape that place not become slaves of that place.
(Leader: Select one of the following questions depending on how your conversation is going):
Q. In what ways have you positively shaped your environments, such as neighborhoods and workplaces, and what are some challenges you face?
Q. What is in your life that you have now become a slave to that God wants you to shape?
Waters Church is SHAPING and TRANSFORMING Boston.
2. Faith for Great Exploits SHOWCASES the GREATNESS of GOD.
1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)
For some people, you may be the only Bible they are ever going to read. A really big God is looking for some people He can show Himself through.
Certain people will look at you and know God is real because of what He has done in your life.
Isaiah 8:18 (KJV) and (NLT)
As Christians, we are something special to see. We represent God and we have to stretch our faith. He is counting on us to showcase His greatness.
The Creator of the Universe has ENTRUSTED US with the RESPONSIBILITY to showcase His GOODNESS and GREATNESS on the Earth.
Things that are ABNORMAL TODAY will become NORMAL TOMORROW because of a FAITH-FILLED PERSON.
For example, having churches in schools in Medford just 8 years ago was abnormal. But today, because of faith, it is normal!
Q. How can we, as Christians, actively stretch our faith to represent and showcase God’s greatness and goodness in our everyday interactions and experiences?
3. Faith for Great Exploits SOWS SEEDS of LEGACY.
Psalm 126:5-6 (NKJV)
There is a connection between sowing and tears, pain, and sacrifice. Those who sow in tears are sowing good seeds and paying in tears.
The challenge we have is that we live in a generation that has a distorted view of pain. Pain is not a bad thing. It is better to cry tears of sowing good seed than to cry tears of pain and regret.
Whatever situation brings you tears, God is with you and has given you hope and faith to sow good seeds even in the midst of pain.
When we don’t give up and continue to pray we are sowing seeds. We have already won the victory!
SOWING in TEARS always means REAPING in JOY.
SMALL and CONSISTENT seeds, when REPEATED over time, can lead to SIGNIFICANT and EXPLOSIVE results.
The greatest miracles are not always in the spectacular.
Q. Discuss how small and consistent acts of faith, even when they seem insignificant, can lead to significant and transformative results over time. Can you think of any personal or biblical examples that illustrate this principle?
4. Faith for Great Exploits RELEASES GOD’S MISSION on the Earth.
Romans 8:19 (NKJV)
We as believers, have the answers and solutions the world needs.
There is a conspiracy in the world to stop Churches. But, when the Church is in position the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob flow!
By serving a big God we can change the world forever!
Challenge: Seek guidance from God in actively transforming your environment, rather than being passively influenced by it. Pray for the strength to speak positively and plant seeds of hope and progress, instead of yielding to negativity and regret. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to serve and contribute meaningfully in and outside the church.
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