No More Business As Usual
Summary of the Message
If we are going to move beyond spiritual mediocrity, we must take the essential step of "cleaning house" in our lives, those things which detract from the Lord's preeminent place. As we make those necessary changes, we begin to experience spiritual flourishing.
If we are going to move beyond spiritual mediocrity, we must take the essential step of "cleaning house" in our lives, those things which detract from the Lord's preeminent place. As we make those necessary changes, we begin to experience spiritual flourishing.
Key Sermon Points
Preliminary Point: Spiritual mediocrity is normal, but it is not normative
1. God's word disrupts the normal
Even as we are settled into patterns of life that don't look the way God intends, the Lord has not given up on us. He signals that there is hope, often by small glimpses and signs of grace and his presence.
2. God is looking for people who can hear his word when it confronts the normal
The changes God calls us to is often difficult; we must have a moldable heart. There are three character traits that indicate we have a heart ready to be changed by God's word:
- Proximity - When we are where God wants us to be and near where he resides, which is seen in how and where we spend our time
- Humility - We have a teachable spirit which is seen in how we relate to people who have authority over us
- Availability - Our readiness to respond to what the Lord shows us is the precondition for God speaking meaningfully and personally to us
3. Community and experience are essential to discern and respond to the voice of God
We need the unique and distinctive experiences of each person and cultural legacy in the church to discern God's voice in a way that is relevant, since we often are blind to what we don't know
4. Genuine spiritual formation is not reform; it is radical renewal
Spiritual formation and growth are grounded in holiness, and we typically need to make sweeping changes to grow in godliness.
Preliminary Point: Spiritual mediocrity is normal, but it is not normative
1. God's word disrupts the normal
Even as we are settled into patterns of life that don't look the way God intends, the Lord has not given up on us. He signals that there is hope, often by small glimpses and signs of grace and his presence.
2. God is looking for people who can hear his word when it confronts the normal
The changes God calls us to is often difficult; we must have a moldable heart. There are three character traits that indicate we have a heart ready to be changed by God's word:
- Proximity - When we are where God wants us to be and near where he resides, which is seen in how and where we spend our time
- Humility - We have a teachable spirit which is seen in how we relate to people who have authority over us
- Availability - Our readiness to respond to what the Lord shows us is the precondition for God speaking meaningfully and personally to us
3. Community and experience are essential to discern and respond to the voice of God
We need the unique and distinctive experiences of each person and cultural legacy in the church to discern God's voice in a way that is relevant, since we often are blind to what we don't know
4. Genuine spiritual formation is not reform; it is radical renewal
Spiritual formation and growth are grounded in holiness, and we typically need to make sweeping changes to grow in godliness.
Discussion Questions
- Why is it easy to be comfortable doing "Christian" things while not experiencing God?
- How would you grade your proximity to God and availability to him?
- Are you willing to radically remove those things from your life that compromise holiness?
Posted in Grow & Discern
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