13 Oct ‘SHIFTING OUR FOCUS’ | JOSH VINING NORTH ATTLEBORO
Key Verse: John 5 NIV
ANNOUNCEMENTS
TRUK OR TREAT: October 26 for both campuses. from 1-4p. Sign up to register your Trunk. The more the merrier! Let’s make this fun for our community. This is a great outreach opportunity! Go to the Events page on the HUB to register for either campus.
LIFE GROUP LEADER MEETING: November 4 from 6-8:30p . Go to the Events page on the HUB to register.
DEEP END PODCAST: Tuesday nights at 7:00p.. Come out and be a part of the audience. You can get your free tickets HERE
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-deep-end-with-tim-hatch-season-3-acts-tickets-69301718305
TEAM NIGHT: October 16 at 6:30! Come out and learn something new. Encourage your members to start serving and get involved in what is happening here at Waters! We will also be putting together Operation Christmas Child boxes if you are interested, come on out and help put over 400 boxes together!
CLASSES; Baptism class is every 4th Sunday of the Month. at 11:30 / Growth Track runs the first 3 Sundays every month at 11:30 – this is a one and done registrants only need to attend one session / Starting Point runs every 1st and 3rd Sunday at 11:30 – details and descriptions can be found on the registrations which are located under Events on the HUB.
PROVIDENCE RESCUE MISSION: We go out there as a team on the 4th Sunday of every month to minister, cook and serve. See Christ MacEwen (chris@waterschurch.org) if your group is interested in helping on a given Sunday.
CHRIS McCLARNEY NIGHT OF WORSHIP is on Sunday, October 20! Get your tickets here for only $15 and grab some for your friends and family too! Chris is from Jesus Culture! https://waterschurch.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/302313
Focus is a powerful thing. What we focus on can determine what decisions we make and how we live our life. We tend to focus a lot on how we feel, but eventually, that feeling goes away.
John 5:1-9 NIV
The backstory for this passage is that Jesus was passing through Jerusalem through the House of Mercy. There was a pool where the lame, the blind and parazlyzed came for healing. In verse 4 (which is omitted in some manuscripts) it is said that an angel came down and stirred the water and the sick would be healed. Jesus wanted to heal this man, to shift his focus. He had been in the same condition for 38 years. His focus was on feeling better, not actually being healed. What we focus on can make our lives better or worse. It can determine much of what we do in life.
Q. What are some examples of things have you focused on that had determined certain outcomes in your life (this could be a major in college, dating, a particular position career or even negative things that have brought negative outcomes)?
Josh talked about how strong people in the faith have walked away from it as if it meant nothing because they were focused on feeling and not true healing.
Feeling is not the same as true healing.
Feeling better is not the same thing as actually getting better.
Jesus wants to heal the man but first he has to SHIFT his FOCUS.
1. JESUS WANTS TO SHIFT OUR FOCUS FROM OUR OUR EXTERNAL SITUATION TO OUR EXTERNAL SYSTEM.
John 5:6-7 NIV
Jesus asks him if he wants to be get well and he comes up with a bunch of excuses. The man is more focused on Jesus changing his situation rather than changing him. All his excuses are about other people. He was comparing himself to others. We all want to see breakthrough in areas of our lives. Jesus wants us to focus on our hearts. Even if he changed our situation and our hearts are not changed, we would go right back to the way we were. We need our system changed first.
Q. What excuses do you make that keep you from seeing a breakthrough in a particular area of your life?
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2. JESUS WANTS TO SHIFT OUR FOCUS FROM US TRYING TO FULFILL OURSELVES TO THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN TRULY FULFILL US IN HIM.
John 4:13-14 NLT
This woman comes to the well everyday at a certain time because she is embarrassed. Like the man at the pool, she compares herself to others. She had been searching her whole life for fulfillment but always comes up empty. Jesus wants to give her something that will fulfill her. He wants to give us something that will fulfill us.
People are not going to fulfill us, we will just be left broken because only He was meant to fulfill us.
Q. What kinds of things have you tried to fulfill your life with that only left you broken and empty?
Scavenger Hunt #1 Life Group Leader random fun – Win a prize if you are the first Life Group Leader to bring a member to Team Night this Wednesday, Oct 16 who has never been to team night before and introduce them to me).
3. JESUS WANTS TO SHIFT OUR FOCUS FROM SITTING AND WAITING TO MOVING AND TRUSTING.
John 5:5-9 NIV
He does not instantly heal him, Jesus tells the man to get up and pick up his mat first. We tend to want Jesus to confirm something in our hearts before we will act. But that is not faith. He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to get up and move in faith.
Q. What is it that you are waiting for God to confirm (are you not moving in faith but rather waiting for proof first)?
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for(A) and assurance about what we do not see.
TRUST AND WATCH GOD MOVE
MAKE TIME FOR PRAYER AND FELLOWSHIP.
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