PoC 8 Over-arching Principles for Spiritual Vitality - #3, #4

Let's take the next few days to be reminded of PoC's 8 Principles of Spiritual Vitality. 

What is God calling you to do today and in the next days, weeks, months, year to put these principles into practice? 

3: CREATE OWNERSHIP OF THE MISSION. START LOCALLY, THINK GLOBALLY.

"Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ." - Ephesians 4:11-13

4: PASTOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. EVERY MEMBER IS A MINISTER.

"You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden...in the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." - Matthew 5:14,16

FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Gentle in Our Time”

Gentleness is difficult.  Have you noticed?  Even after focusing on it for three months, we can start the day with wonderful intentions, but by bedtime we end up needing to put a quarter…or three…in the “I Could’ve Handled that Better” jar.  I hope your family isn’t getting discouraged.  This apparent failure is not because you aren’t trying.  Read Ephesians 6:10-12 to find out what the real problem is.

Yep, that’s right.  There’s an enemy out there, and he’s got your family in his crosshairs.  Every time you all make a decision to be a gentle force in the community, he sends a sneak attack to disrupt your plans.  When you’re determined to be gentle at school or work, or even with each other, he sends a squad of demons to stir up chaos that pushes every button and jumps on every nerve.  It’s hard to be gentle when flaming arrows of challenging circumstances keep zooming past your head.

But God wouldn’t call us to be a gentle people if he didn’t also have a way for us to be successful.  Keep reading vs. 13-18 to find the solution.

If you have some younger kids in your family, they will be a big help to your family right now, because we’ve been talking about the armor of God for 12 whole weeks in PoC K.I.D.S.  They are armor experts!  But just in case your lacking in elementary kids, let’s do a quick summary of these vital pieces of “equipment”:

The Belt of Truth—Knowing the truth about who God is and what his promises are so that you won’t be tricked by the enemy

The Breastplate of Righteousness—Making right, holy choices to protect your heart and keep sin out

The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace—Remembering that Jesus died to save us and everyone who accepts Him from sin (This is what we’re fighting for!)

The Shield of Faith—Believing all that God promises and that he will do what he says he will do to protect you from doubt and fear

The Helmet of Salvation—Walking in relationship with Jesus which gives you peace and security

The Sword of the Spirit—Reading the Bible so you can carry God’s word with you wherever you go whenever you need it

Think about these pieces of armor.  Each one has a purpose and can help you defend yourself against the enemy’s tricks and attacks.  Each one can hep you in your quest to be a gentle family force.  But each one can be challenging to remember to “wear.”  Which one do you struggle to remember to put on?  Go around and share which piece of armor you miss most often and how it impacts your ability to be gentle.

It is so important that we “put on” that armor every day.  Paul’s right in his instruction!  We can encourage each other as a family, but the reality is, we aren’t with each other a lot of the time.  We start the day together, then we each go out to school and work bringing our mission of gentleness into our own part of the community.  It’s even harder to stay “armed” and gentle when we’re by ourselves.

What can you do as a family to arm yourselves each morning together and prepare for a gentle day?  Sit down and make a plan.  Maybe you’re going to read through these verses together and remind yourself what the pieces of armor are.  If you have younger children (or not), you could pretend to put on each piece as you talk about it.  Maybe you’ll recite your family motto together before you head out the door.  Turn it into a team chant!  Maybe you’re going to pray together every morning.  That alone would be powerful!! (See vs. 18.)

Decide on your armor routine then end your time together in prayer, asking Jesus to continue helping your family be a gentle force in this world!

FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Gentle in Our Time”

Can you believe that you and your family are sitting down to your twelfth discussion about gentleness in this amazing series, “Gentle in Our Time”?  We’ve been able to cover a lot of areas about how our families can be a gentle force in our communities.  I know God’s been moving in great ways through you all.

Today, we’re going to shift gears a little and focus exclusively on gentleness in our homes.  (Yikes!)  There are a lot of wonderful adjectives I could use to describe my home—loving, silly, crazy—but I’m not sure gentle is one of them.

In this week’s passage in Ephesians, Paul shines a spotlight on the most prominent relationships we have, including parents and children.  Have someone read Ephesians 6:1-4.  

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.  (ESV)

So there it is: God’s plan for your family.  Paul’s written your job descriptions just about as simply as he possibly could.

Kids—Obey and honor.  Do what your parents say and treat them with loving respect.  I hope you don’t do it just because “the Bible tells you so.”  I hope you believe, like Paul does, that it’s the right thing to do.  The cool part of your responsibilities is that they come with a bonus: a promise!  Your obedience and honor leads to blessings.  It will “go well with you”—sweet!

Ok, ‘rents,  now it’s your turn—Raise your kids with Jesus.  Teach them how to lead holy, God-honoring lives, to be disciples.  That will require discipline at times, discipline for you (it’s a tough job) and discipline from you (they are kids, after all).  But be careful with that discipline.  Don’t go over the edge, because that can have some long-lasting repercussions.  Think “gentleness.”

So that’s the standard, the goal we’re aiming for.  If we fill our roles well, we will likely have a happy, gentle home.  Parents will lead their children, children will obey and honor what’s being taught, parents won’t lecture just for fun.  It sounds like a wonderful environment for peace and gentleness to blossom.  

But how’s it really going?  This may be what we’re striving for, but if your family is anything like mine, ya ain’t there yet.  If we’re serious about reaching this point, however, we need to figure out where we’re at and identify some things we can do to be better.  Take some time right now to have an honest conversation around the table.  (If now isn’t a good time, schedule when this conversation will take place.)  Be honest with each other, but remember to also be gentle.  

Kids, give one or two ways mom and dad can be more like the parents Paul writes about in these verses.  Parents, give one or two ways your kids could be more obedient or respectful.  Try and be specific.  This is not the time to pull out your list of every mistake your kids or your parents are making.  The goal is to help our families become more gentle, so let’s practice that even while we’re trying to improve it.

After you’ve each had a chance to share, be sure to pray about what you heard.  This could be the Holy Spirit talking to you!  How can you respond to this information in a way that will help you be a better parent, son or daughter?  

End your time together by rereading the passage and personalize it.

Kids (read in unison): Mom and Dad, I/we want to obey you in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor my/our father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with me/us and that I/we may live long in the land.” 

Parents (read in unison):  Kid/s, I/we will not provoke you to anger, but bring you up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

All (in unison): God, help us as we strive to be the family you want us to be.  Help us to be gentle in our home, so that we may also be gentle in your world.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Gentle in Our Time”

There is a famine in my house.  Well, maybe not a famine…but definitely a shortage.  It’s not bread or milk or even eggs, although we are certainly eating less of them lately.  It’s a shortage on kindness.  Kindness and goodness.  And it’s mainly affecting my kids.  Now I don’t want you to think that my two adorable children are vicious bullies.  They’re not.  They have the capacity to be sweet, loving, thoughtful young people.  But like so many siblings, they have this seemingly innate ability to tease, pick-on, and otherwise annoy each other.  They get focused on their own wants and stop being generous, considerate, or helpful.  As an only child, this is kind of new territory for me.  (I never had anyone to ignore or be ignored by.)  So many days I silently scream, “Can’t you all just get along?!?!?!”

Maybe that’s just me, though.  Maybe the people in your house get along swimmingly.  If so, take a minute and praise God!  But even if you have a perfectly peaceful place, I’m guessing you’ve still witnessed this lack of kindness and goodness.  

The rude remark you overheard one committee member make about another.  

The kid who pushed a smaller child on the playground.  

That person in the office who never gets invited to go to lunch with everyone else.  

Someone’s “too tired” to help a friend move, “too cool” to help a classmate pick up the books he dropped, or “too busy” to reach out to a neighbor going through hard times.

Maybe it sounds more familiar than you thought.  

But here’s the rub: no matter how we may have justified our own kind of unkind behaviors, the reality is the gentleness of Jesus requires kindness.  It requires goodness.  You can’t be gentle in our time without being kind and good.  

Don't believe me?  Have someone put on their best southern accent, and in the most polite manner read this sentence to another member of your family: “You are ugly and can’t do anything right.”  Doesn’t matter how “gently” you try to say it, it’s still mean!

Or how about this.  In the most sincere attitude you can generate say, “I’m sorry you’re sick and need help, but I’m just too busy to do anything for you.”  It’s still not good, right?  

Is it understandable?  Maybe.  But is it the gentle love of Jesus?  I have to go with No. 

Read what Paul has to say in this week’s passage:  “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph. 5:1-2)

As followers of Christ, we all want to follow Christ.  That means we want to be like Him.  That means we make our choices based on love just like Jesus did.  Before we respond to someone, we should ask, “Is this a loving thing to do?  Does it show love or share love?”  If so, I guarantee it will be kind and good.  It will require some sacrifice at times, but that’s just like Jesus.  

Paul continues: “ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is…giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Eph. 5:15-17,20)

We don’t have time to waste, families.  We need to be wise in how we choose to walk, to live as Christian families in this world.  We need to make the best use of the time we have with people and maximize Jesus’ impact on their lives.  And always remember to thank the Father for everything we’ve been blessed with!  

How can you be a family that runs on kindness and goodness?  What can you do together to show kindness and goodness inside your home as well as outside?  Are there questions or people you’re dealing with even now that you need to consider what the loving response is?  

End your time together praying for help from the Holy Spirit to be the good and kind family God needs.

FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Gentle in Our Time”

“And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ!”  (Ephesians 4:17-18.20 The Message)

I love reading Paul’s letters!  In this section of his letter to the church in Ephesus he starts channeling his mother: “If everybody else jumped off the Empire State Building, would you?”  Tell me that doesn’t bring back memories for some of you.  (Maybe even recent memories.)  Paul’s reminding us that as we learn to walk with and live like Christ, our lives start to change.  We do things differently than we used to.  We act differently, think differently, treat people differently—we’re different from the way we used to be and from a lot of the people, “the crowd” around us.  

Have you noticed that?  Can you remember back to life before you and your family were centering your lives around Jesus?  Or maybe you’ve noticed some changes just since we’ve been in this series on gentleness. It may not be a giant difference, but my guess is you’ve seen something.  

Take a minute to think about it, then share one way you or your family is different from the crowd.

One of the cool things about living life with Jesus is that He keeps changing things.  Bit by bit, step by step, He transforms us and our families.  That’s pretty cool, because even if you don’t see big differences now, you know it’s coming.  

But what I’ve noticed through the years is that one of the hardest areas to change is our speech.  The words we use and the meaning behind them sound a lot like the crowd.  Rude comments, biting sarcasm, spiteful comebacks, ignorant remarks, “white” lies, foul language—it’s all a part of the world around us.  It’s like the crowd language.  And, for a lot of us, it’s our language, too.  Maybe it’s only when you’re at school, or just at practice.  Maybe it’s how we talk at work.  Maybe it’s how your whole family talks, to each other and to everyone else.  It’s easy to lose our sensitivity to what we’re saying because it seems like it’s how everybody talks.

Here’s the problem: speaking in that way, with those words and that attitude, betrays the mission of Christ.  Think about it—can you ever imagine Jesus talking like that?  Would He ever tell off Judas for betraying Him?  Would He tell Peter what a moron he was for not understanding a parable?  Would He make fun of the 5,000 people on the hillside because none of them brought lunch?  Would He bend the truth a bit and tell Pilate that He wasn’t the Son of God to get out of being beaten and crucified?

Easy answer.  No.  Not once.  Not even a little.  Jesus just wouldn’t do that.

Well…then neither should we.  Paul’s reminding our families that we need to be willing to be different from the crowd,  including our language.  Look what he writes a few verses later: “Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.”  (v 29)

Wow.  What if we made that our guide for the words we used: only say things that help?  What if our families made a pledge that each word out of our mouths would be a gift to the person we’re talking to?  It’d be different, that’s for sure!  But different in a totally awesome, building relationships, sounding like Jesus, changing the crowd kind of way, don’t you think?!  I mean, if we’re serious about being this gentle force in our community—neighborhood, classroom, board room, grocery store, etc—then it has to include our speech.  We’ve got to make sure our words are just as gentle as our actions and attitudes.

What changes do you need to make in your speech this week?  Is your family ready to take the 4:29 pledge?  Talk about it and come up with things you can do this week to make your words a blessing to those God brings around you.  Let’s let our language do some loving!

FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Gentle in Our Time”

Several years ago, a book blasted into the Christian market all about love languages.  The idea is that just like people talk in different languages based on where they’re from, people also communicate love in different ways.  This is influenced by many things, including personality and upbringing.

Take a second and think about your love language as a person, but also think about how your family communicates love.  In the home I grew up in, teasing and gift-giving were our big love languages for each other.  In my home now, it’s a lot of affirmation, snuggling, and serving each other.

What about you?  Talk about your thoughts on your family’s love language.  How do you communicate or show one another the love you have? 

Knowing how someone else shows love can help us better understand them and better love them.  Some people walking into my childhood home might have thought we were pretty mean people with some of our sarcastic comments to each other if they didn't know teasing was our love language.

Read Ephesians 3:14-21.  In this passage, one of the things Paul wants us to know and experience is the love Jesus has for us.  The love of God is so HUGE, it’s pretty incomprehensible!  But Paul wants us to stretch ourselves to see if we can maybe just slightly begin to grasp how wide and long and high and deep His love is.  The more we understand Jesus’ love, the more we’re able to experience it.  And the more we are able to return to Him.

Do you notice how Paul ends this passage in worship?  He’s not done with the letter—we’re just at the halfway point.  Yet he takes time here, right in the middle of it all, to give glory to God.  Worship is a wonderful way to show love to our Father.  Verbal praise like singing or testimonies is probably the most common way, but we can also show our love for the Lord in other ways, like service, giving, helping, sharing the gospel, and even just loving on other people.

How about your family?  How do you experience the love of God?  Is it only in church on Sundays, or do you experience his love throughout the week together?  

How do you love on God as a family?  Talk about the different ways you experience and share the love you and God have for each other.  Do you need to be purposeful about taking more time to love on Jesus as a family?  

Why don’t you take some time right now to worship Him!  Whatever works for your family—sing, talk, write and share, maybe even head outside to rake a neighbor’s lawn.  Think about the immeasurable love God has for you all and then respond!

READ IT! - B|Neighbors - 2 Timothy 2: 1-7, Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 8:34-38, Acts 14:19-22, Ephesians 4:11-16, Proverbs 22:13, Luke 10:1-3, 2 Timothy 4:7

Here are this week's scriptures for our B|Neighbors sermon series...

2 Timothy 2:1-7 (NIV)
2 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.



Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”



Mark 8:34-38 (NIV)
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”



Acts 14:19-22 (NIV)
19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.



Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.



Proverbs 22:13 (NIV)
13 The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed in the public square!”



Luke 10:1-3 (NIV)
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.



2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.