EQUIP WEEK 3 SEPT. 18TH

PART 2 CULTURE EXPLORED

Why is Culture so important in this church?

Our Culture creates FOCUS!

Focus in the right direction.

Who knows that you can search as hard as you like, with great enthusiasm and excitement but if you are looking in the wrong direction you will only find discouragement and exhaustion.

Most church Denominations are designed to produce a behavior through rules but don't explain the reasons behind the rules. 

The result:

People become disillusioned with baseless rules and rebel, leave the church and distance themselves from God. 

Because people can't come to terms with rules in church they think God doesn't love them, because the average denominational church punishes people for sharing how they struggle with sin.

Ex. Pornography, Homosexuality, PreMarital Sex, Stealing, Lying, 

Now we can see the importance of a strong heathy church culture.

The Culture of the C3 Church is meant to appeal to the "Spiritual Man" - Your Spirit!

It deals with things from the INSIDE OUT and not the OUTSIDE IN.

**2005 housing market was insane, take a $200,000 house put new ikea kitchen and some crown moulding in the house add some cool paint and resell the house for $325,000 3 months later. Is that right, is it really a better house. Have you really added $125,000 of value to the house?

Take a person and tell them if they dress a certain way and say the right words that they are more except able to God, they are more holy or righteous is to distort the work of Christ on the Cross. It creates liers and frauds in the house of God.

(Youth Group story)

**Our culture is a reflection of our fruit, in other words 

our culture is actually a bi product of our relationship with God!

If you pray, read Gods word and Seek God with all your heart, a change will take place that is the result of living a life to please God, not to please people.

Live a life to please God!! You Win! The Church Wins, The World Wins!

On our Website:

C3 Church exists to connect people to God. The church is full of people who have discovered an incredible richness of life that comes from having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Contrary to a view held by many people, God is not dreary, depressed or weak. Rather He is vibrant, joyful and powerful. His presence should always give rise to a sense of excitement and a fullness of spirit. This understanding of God is reflected in the enthusiastic and upbeat nature of our church services.

Jesus said that He came to earth that we might have a life of abundance (John 10:10). Every time we come together to worship God we are celebrating what Jesus has done for us. C3 Church has congregations around the world that are bright, enthusiastic and relevant.

Our message is one of faith, hope and love. We have a united vision to build the church by connecting people to God, connecting people to people and also empowering people for effective, joyful service.

More thoughts on Culture:

LEADERSHIP:

Are You A People Visionary?

Great leaders possess a mix of an entrepreneurial spirit, the mind of a dreamer, and a compelling strategic vision that sets the overall tone and direction for the organization. They see a clear and preferred picture of the future without prompting from others. They have passion to see the vision come true even in the face of opposition.

Home Work:

1) What is your strongest Leadership Quality?

b) What is it in your life that effects and molds who you are?

3> Your "HIT LIST"

EQUIP SEPTEMBER 4TH - WK 1

SEPTEMBER Course outline:

4 one hours teaching sessions

Today: Introduction to Equip, course discription, expectations, requirements

•What you should know

•What you dont know or what you dont see and hear in the Bible

•THE BIG ONE- (we will touch on this in week two)

WEEK 2: CULTURE / EVANGELISM

WEEK 3: WHY THE CHURCH NEEDS LEADERSHIP / WHY THE CHURCH NEEDS DISCIPLESHIP + some other stuff.

WEEK 4: MOVING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT / PROPHESY 

Purpose of each session is to give you the tools to grow spiritually in maturity and Develop a fruitful Christian Disciple.

WHY EQUIP?

Matthew 28: 

The Great Commission

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”

**NOTES WILL BE POSTED ONLINE**

Focus on the MAJORS;

JESUS

THE WORD OF GOD

HOLY SPIRIT

THE CHURCH

God loves ALL People

God hates ALL SIN

Sin separates ALL People from God

Jesus Died for ALL people, so no one would be separated from God

God wants everyone to Know Him and Accept Him as their Savior!!

God has a great plan for you, keep seeking Him and you will find Him and His perfect plan.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

WHO ARE YOU?

WHY ARE YOU HERE? IN EQUIP, AT C3 CHURCH, ON THE EARTH…

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TALK / LEARN ABOUT?

EMAIL ME ; INFO@C3RAL.COM

EVERYTHING STARTS WITH PRAYER

JAMES 5:16……..The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

JESUS:

The life of a King

A key to reading the Bible is preparing your heart. 

Using Jesus as our example,

 what can we derive from watching and understanding how He lived His Life?

Bible Scriptures in regard to Prayer!

Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven

Matthew 7:7  ”Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Mark 9:29  And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Mark 11:24  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it

Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

James 5:14-16 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another,that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/10-awesome-bible-verses-about-the-power-of-prayer/#ixzz1wxfgkpag    

YOUR HOMEWORK:

PART 1 Tell me who you are.

PART 2 How you see God using you to (1)love people, (2)reach the lost, (3)build the church.

Email me this week - info@c3ral.com

Resources to help you study:

BOOKS

Frances Chan - http://www.crazylovebook.com

Dr. David Yongie Cho - http://www.nestlearning.com/david-yonggi-cho_s3095.aspx

Dr. Phil Pringle - http://philpringle.com/resource?Page=2&Items=12

http://www.biblegateway.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://concordances.org/

http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/

http://www.a.youversion.com/free-bible-apps

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/strongs-concordance-lite/id460871979?mt=8

Closing thoughts:

Focus on the MAJORS;

JESUS

THE WORD OF GOD

HOLY SPIRIT

THE CHURCH

PRAY     

READ THE WORD

CONNECT

LOVE PEOPLE

BUILD THE CHURCH

God has a great plan for you, keep seeking Him and you will find Him and His perfect plan.

                       

To Do Gods Will!

^{To Do Gods Will}

^{Matt 28:18} Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.^(Q) 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,^(R) baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,^(S) 20 and teaching^(T) them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you^(U) always, to the very end of the age.”^(V)

One of the most asked questions and prayers to God goes something like this.

 "Lord what should I do?"

It sounds like a reasonable & honorable question, It is in fact a waisted question & quite often a very selfish question.

What we refer to as the "Great Commission" is not called that because it is a small undertaking. It is the call of every believer, it is the life pursuit of every disciple of Christ.

Read it again, 

It is not an American Idea, 

It is not a Religious Idea,

It does not exclude anyone.

It's a God Idea!

GO! Make Disciples of ALL NATIONS

When we do this, we realize that this is a life long calling. It has no end until Jesus returns, and no one knows when that will be. If by some chance this first part of this scripture is not specific enough for you, Jesus continues on the "HOW" we do this. We Baptize the new believers into the Kingdom. We teach them all the ways Jesus lived His life and we do our best to live a life that model Christ to the world. Finally we see them Filled with the Holt Spirit, Fully empowered by God to walk in strength and humbleness to reach out to the world they influence.

Finally we realize that we will win the world to Christ not by killing this with our Religious "Bombs" (for the sake of US Homeland Security the word Bombs is Metaphorical…..got it!) but by pouring our the Love of Christ over their lives.

Loving someone doest mean your agree with their live style or life choices, it mean you are being obedient to the Word of God!

Have a Blessed week & Love someone today!

Ps. Steve 

TRANSFORMED - WEEK 3 - THANKFULNESS

TRANSFORMED - WEEK 3 - THANKFULNESS

A series of Revolation, Restoration, Recalibration & Resurrection for your body, mind and spirit

Series Scripture:

ROMANS 12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

_____________________________

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy(A) to the Lord, all the earth.

2     Worship the Lord(B) with gladness;

    come before him(C) with joyful songs.

3 Know that the Lord is God.(D)

    It is he who made us,(E) and we are his[a];

    we are his people,(F) the sheep of his pasture.(G)

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving(H)

    and his courts(I) with praise;

    give thanks to him and praise his name.(J)

5 For the Lord is good(K) and his love endures forever;(L)

    his faithfulness(M) continues through all generations.

WEEK 1 - RUN THE RACE - DONT STOP - THE CHURCH IS A BATTLESHIP - WE ARE AT WAR.

WEEK 2 - COMMUNION = YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD - A CHOICE

CONTINUE THIS WEEK

JESUS HEALS THE LEPRERS

LUKE 17: 11 Now on his way to Jerusalem,(N) Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.(O) 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[b](P) met him. They stood at a distance(Q) 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master,(R) have pity on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”(S) And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God(T) in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.(U)

17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”(V)

• DO YOU CRY OUT FOR GOD

• WHEN HE ANSWERS YOUR REQUESTS, DO YOU CRY OUT AS LOUDLY TO THANK HIM FOR ALL HE HAS DONE IN YOUR LIFE

• LIFE WITH GOD HAPPENS AS THE WORLD CONTINUES TO SPIN. *(And as they went, they were cleansed.)

• TIME DOES NOT STOP BUT OUR VERY LIFE IS REBORN "BORN AGAIN" WHEN WE WALK AS GOD CALLS US TO WALK. 

John 3

New International Version (NIV)

1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus(A) who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.(B) 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi,(C) we know(D) that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs(E) you are doing if God were not with him.”(F)

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”(G)

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

WALK YOUR LIFE OUT IN THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR HEART BE FULL OF THANKSGIVING AND NEVER STOP OFFERING UP PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING TO GOD!

Ps. Stephen Alexander

TRANSFORMED WK #1

TRANSFORMED

a series of recalibration for your body, mind and spirit

Series Scripture:

ROMANS 12 Therefore, I urge you,^(A) brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,^(B) holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform^(C)to the pattern of this world,^(D) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.^(E) Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is^(F)—his good, pleasing^(G) and perfect will.

FROM THE MESSAGE:

ROMANS 12: 1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

 3I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

____

HEBREWS 12

Discipline in a Long-Distance Race

 ^1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

____

START RUNNING  - Today, do you know where you are and how you got here?

No Spiritual Fat - No Parasitic Sin - These are seen in Attitude and action as apposed to typical physical evidence.

(ex. Laziness, Bad Tude, inability to breakout of Sinful behavior and lifestyle.)

NEVER QUIT - Just keep showing up!

YOU'RE NOT RUNNING A 100 YD DASH AND IT'S NOT EVEN A MARATHON. 

THING OBSTACLE COURSE - THE "TOUGH MUDDER".

_____

To sustain such a life you have to make a choice and stick with it!

What kind of a live are you living?

Are you living your best life?

How you see the church AND its role in your life will effect how you run your race 

- How well you run.

• Most people see the church as a Cruise Ship, 

We have the Band, 

The Buffet, 

Child care,

 Events to entertain, Bingo ANYONE! 

When you "Jump on Board" their is a party atmosphere.

• Others see the church as a Hospital - Mercy Ship - a floating Hospital.

• The "Intrepid" is a floating Museum - It looks like a Aircraft Carrier It is BIG and Impressive looking from the outside but all the important parts are missing or rendered useless.

[no Holy Spirit = no Power]

[no Prayer = no Direction]

[no Word = no Endurance]

• The Church is a Battleship! 

*The weapons of our warfare are Prayer, 

*Studying the Word, 

*Personal Excellence of Personal Spiritual Growth, 

Growing Spiritually is the number one determining factor to 

the Success of your Run with God,

*Moving in the Power of the Holy Spirit, 

*Healing, and Loving People.

We need to be plugged in to God daily in prayer, 

Step #1 PRAY, PRAY, PRAY,PRAY,PRAY,PRAY then repeat step #1

How else do we get the battle plan update.

We are storming the gates of hell.

We are crossing into enemy territory. - Go into the world!

To recruit - Make Disciples

To retrieve - That not one would be lost

To restore our wounded prisoners taken captive 

- He lead Captivity Captive. 

To return our dead , because Our God brings the dead back to life.

**The Traditional Church has a bad habit of shooting and burying our wounded. 

Galations 6: 9 Let us not become weary in doing good,(O) for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.(P) 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good(Q) to all people, especially to those who belong to the family(R) of believers.

The Wrap Up:

We are building an Army of believers, we call them disciples 

They are your friends, your family, co-worker, classmates.

You have a family you are born into in the flesh.

You also have a family you are adopted into in the Spirit of God!

Cultivate that family!

Life will be abundant, full, life giving!

Announcement reminders

Woman's Group - Monday

Connect - Thursday

Baptism - Next Sunday

Next Sunday - Communion Sunday