08 Apr Recharge | Part 2 “Wired Up”
ANNOUNCEMENT: GREAT AMERICAN CLEAN UP – KEEP NORTH ATTLEBORO BEAUTIFUL!
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We need to connect our lives to the life-giving power of God. We need to get back to that power connection. As in a wire cable that connects our phones to power, the connection for us to get back to the power of God is Jesus. He is our wire cable.
There are wrong charging cables. There different cables that fit different types of devices (ie. Iphone vs lightning cable chargers), if you try to use the wrong one, you get no power. There are imitation chargers and they are cheap, they last only a short time and then don’t work any more. There is however a true charger. We get jealous when someone takes our true charger, because it is our charger. We guard it, we may even write our name on it.
As in the wrong charger, we try to go to places to get connected to God but they do not work. As in the imitation charger (the cheap version), we may get connected for a little while but then the connection stops working. The True connection is Jesus. He is the Vine, our live Wire. We should be jealous about our True cable, Jesus, also. We need to guard ourselves from things that keep us from being connected to the Jesus.
Q. What are some things you have not guarded yourself from that has kept you from being connected to Jesus? What “imitation” or “wrong” cables have you tried to connect to God with to only realize they were not True?
There are two kinds of Christians: Cultural Christians and Connected Christians. The cultural Christians may come to church once in a while, but don’t really get involved. The Connected Christians have a life-giving relationship with Jesus, a heart for Him, a love for the things of God.
Jesus warned many times to make sure we are connected to Him and not the culture. In life, there are many opportunities to bring us down and not many that lift us up. Life naturally works to bring us down. Problem people, challenging relationships, money struggles or temptations etc. There are things that Jesus has given us that get us working upward.
FOUR SECRETS OF AN ENERGIZED LIFE
1. I AM ENERGIZED THROUGH GENUINE CONNECTION TO JESUS.
A genuine connection to Jesus produces fruit. There are branches that are taken away, they don’t have a genuine life-giving connection to God through Jesus. They are there visibly, just going through the motions. Maybe they are part of the church, they come regularly but they have no real connection. Someone with a genuine connection bears fruit and when God sees the fruit, He prunes. How does our Father prune?
A. Disciplining Events.
Pruning is painful. God allows hurt at times in our lives.
Q. What disciplining events have occurred in your life that have allowed you to grow in your relationship with Jesus and that were used for the purposes of God?
B. The Words of Jesus.
His Word challenges us. It cuts to the heart.
Q. What things have you changed in your life because you were convicted by the word of God realizing that instead of being offended, you needed to listen and change some things in your life?
WITH PRUNING COMES TWO KINDS OF RESPONSES: I BECOME BLAMEFUL OR GROW FRUITFUL.
2. I AM ENERGIZED THROUGH TIME WITH JESUS.
A. WE SPEND MORE TIME WITH JESUS THROUGH PERSONAL DEVOTIONS.
It is more than coming to church, it is a relationship.
> Start your day with Jesus.
> Get a bible. A paper Bible is best so you don’t get distracted. Get one you can understand like the New Living Translation (NLT) or the Message (MSG).
> Meditate on the Word. Read it and memorize it.
Q. What types of things distract you from reading and meditating on God’s word and why?
B. WE SPEND TIME WITH JESUS THROUGH CORPORATE GATHERINGS.
Watch out for your weekend habits. Don’t let something else take the place of gathering in church on the weekend.
Q. What have you allowed to take the place of church and why?
3. I AM ENERGIZED THROUGH PROFITABLE PRAYER.
Pray knowing your prayers are going to be answered.
The longer we spend time with God, He shapes our words. Instead of praying uninformed prayers, pray informed prayers. For instance, instead praying for new job, pray that God helps you with the opportunity you have in the job you are in. Instead of praying for divorce, pray that God helps you in your marriage. Use His word and remind Him of what He said.
Q. What have you been praying for and how can you change this prayer to an informed prayer rather than uniformed? What are some promises in His word that you have prayed back to Him? – Leader: The Bible is full of God’s promises. You can send this link to your group to help them in this area:
PROFITABLE PRAYERS ARE SHAPED BY GOD’S WORD.
4. I AM ENERGIZE THROUGH PARTICIPATING IN THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH COMMUNITY.
That is why small groups are so important. We can’t love one another, if we have no others.
Pray for each other, the lost, campuses, nation and leaders.
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