We lost.
Our tour bus is heading back to the hotel.
We thought we had a chance.
We hadn’t known each other at all when this started.
We were just a random group of strangers thrown onto a team.
But something improbable happened.
We fell in love with each other.
We became a troupe.
We started winning.
We dared to believe we could win it all.
Until it all fell apart.
Right now, most churches devote at least six-sevenths of their budget, staff, and attention to what happens on Sundays, and at most one-seventh to helping the congregation follow Jesus the other six days.
Can you imagine what we might accomplish if we flipped that on its head, and invested 85% of our treasure into the rest of the week?
In Which We Speak The Truth, Even If It Hurts
Early we discussed reconciliation and forgiveness in the light of Christ’s salvation. This week, we dig into the disciplines which enables all of those: confession, and its handmaiden confrontation.
Though we love to be forgiven, we generally hate to confess, and are terrified of confrontation. Though we are ready to face persecution and death for the sake of Christ, we find ourselves paralyzed at the thought of admitting our sins to another — never mind confronting them face-to-face with their own sin!
Yet these two disciplines have the potential to break individual and community strongholds of sin that otherwise would not fall despite years of bible study, prayer, and fasting. They may be a heavy cross to bear, but if we persevere in them we shall find a glorious resurrection at the end…
Memory Verse: “Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” — James 5:20 (NKJV)
In Which God Reminds Us That All “Our” Money Is Ultimately “His” — And That’s A Good Thing!
Stewardship is closely related to the virtue of generosity we studied in the last module. While that lesson focused primarily on our attitude towards money, here we will focus more on our attitude towards God. True stewardship includes financial wisdom, but is also a general attitude toward all of our resources: e.g., time, energy, and attention.
In particular, we practice the discipline of simplicity in order to both reflect and reinforce our devotion to the Master of whom we are stewards. This prevents us from wasting our resources trying to prop up our own glory — which paradoxically is what allows God to glorify us in Him!
Memory Verse: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ” — Luke 12:34 (NKJV)
