Living a Life Worthy of the Calling We've Received

Let's hit the mark that God designed for our lives!

In the sermon yesterday, Ron reminded us that one key part of knowing and doing the will of God is turning back to God when we sin, or miss the mark of God's design for our lives.  This is especially true for  us as we lead others in to God's presence. Satan would love nothing more than to make us ineffective in our lives and ministry calling through some secret or un-dealt with sin.  Ron laid out a fantastic plan for identifying and repenting (turning) of sin in our lives. I encourage you to take some time this week and walk through this process with the Lord.

THE PROMISE

Psalm 32:8—The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” - NLT

THE PROBLEM

Psalm 32:9—”Do NOT be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.” - NLT

THE ANSWER

Acts 3:19-20—Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord.—NLT

THE PROCESS OF REPENTANCE

1. I MUST DISCERN AND ADMIT I AM OUT OF GOD’S WILL.

1 John 1:8-9—If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.—NIV

ð Discern = Look for telltale signs

a. Violation of Biblical command or principle

b. Troubled Conscience

c. Lack of fulfillment / peace

d. Judgmental spirit

ð Admit = Communicate it

a. To myself

b. To God

c. To the proper person: 

d. Find an accountability partner: This is a person that you can be honest with, who can walk with you through the process of repentance, and can help you stick to the commitments that God is calling you into.

Note: If God is leading you toward talking with someone else about any area of sin in your life, here are a few options of people who might be good to talk with: Life Group coach, close friend, pastor, or spouse.  Depending on the nature of the issue that you're working through, someone of the same sex might be the best person to talk with.

2. I MUST ACCEPT AND WALK IN FORGIVENESS.

Colossians 1:22-23—God has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it.—NLT

ð God won’t make me walk in freedom and others can’t.

ð God will forgive every sin, but He may not remove their  consequences.

ð God will redeem even the worst of consequences.

3. I MUST ASK GOD FOR REVISED DIRECTIONS.

James 1:5—If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.—NLT

ð Repentance is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.

4. I MUST ACT IMMEDIATELY ON THE DIRECTIONS GOD GIVES.

John 13:17—Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.—NLT

ð Obedience brings blessing and further revelation.

ð Delayed obedience is really disobedience.

Stretch & Release

When I was in my early 20's I had some large ear piercings (think pencil sized hole in my ear lobe), but if you looked at my ears today, you would only notice a small hole where the piercings used to be. That's because human skin has an amazing amount of elasticity (think rubber band). We can stretch it to a certain point, and generally it snaps back into place (assuming that we take the right steps).  But there is a certain point where our skin has stretched beyond it's ability to snap back into place (think about someone who has huge holes where ear lobes used to be).

The same is true with our spirituality, life, and ministry. It's why God set up the world with stress and release  times (day and night, week and weekend, etc). It's why we've structured our Life Groups in 12 week sessions(stretch) with 1 month breaks (release) between sessions.

It is also the reason that I want you to pray about this Fall. God has designed us to have ministry times of stretch and release, but I've seen too many leaders over the years who have not listened to God's voice in this area, and have pushed themselves to burn out. When that happens, they usually end up getting disconnected from God and angry at the church.  Friends, I care about you to much to have that happen in any of your lives.

If you've led for the past two sessions, I would like you to spend time praying this week about the idea that God might want you to have a break this Fall from leading a group, and join a group as a member. Even as I write this, it's a little terrifying, because I realize that many of you fit into this category, and it's unnerving to think about having you take a break. But I believe strongly that release points in your journey will serve you, God's people at New Life, and God's plan for our community far more in the long run.

If you've led for two sessions straight (Spring and Summer), then I would like you to prayerfully consider joining a group as a member instead of leading one.  This is not a command or requirement, but I believe it is an incredible way the coaches team and myself to care for you by making sure that you don't hit burn out.

Here are a few benefits to taking a break:
1) It gives you release time to recharge and get ready for next Spring.
2) It raises up new leaders from your group who can take the mantle of leadership.
3) It allows you to sit under another leader.

If you have been leading for one session. I would like pray and strongly consider leading again this fall. God is going to do amazing work in amazing work in our church through the New Testament Challenge, and He wants to use seasoned leaders like you to lead the charge as we dive into this new venture.

NEXT WEEK:
I will be asking ALL LEADERS to reply to my leaders email letting me know if you are:

1) MARRIED TO THE IDEA OF LEADING THIS FALL: You are definitely leading
2) DATING THE IDEA OF LEADING A GROUP THIS FALL: You are considering leading
3) ABSTAINING FROM LEADING A GROUP THIS FALL: You are planning to take a break from leading, and will be joining a group as a member. You may fit into this category because you've led for two consecutive sessions, or because God is leading you to other ministry opportunities this fall.

7th Inning Stretch

Can you believe that we've just passed the half way point of our Spring Life Group Session? That said, I think it's time for the Life Group 7th Inning Stretch. Last week we talked about personal development and goal setting as we journey through this Spring, and this week I want to talk about goal setting and development for your Life Group members in something that I'm calling the Life Group Seventh Inning Stretch. Here are a few tips as you continue to guide our community toward Christ.

• REFLECT:  The 7th inning stretch is a time for looking back at the game so far...
• Spend some time reflecting on your expectations coming into this session and ask:
• How has God worked in the ways that I expected?
• How has God worked in unexpected ways?
• Are there expectations/hopes that I had which have not come to pass? 
• If there are, try to identify why they haven't come to pass.
• Ask God to show you things that you can do to make those hopes a reality.

• SING: The 7th inning stretch is a time for singing and celebrating...
• Spend time thanking God for each of the people in your Life Group. 
• Spend time thanking God for the work that He is doing in the lives of the group members.
• Spend time worshiping God for who He is, and the work that He is doing.

• LOOK AHEAD: The 7th inning stretch is a time for planning for the rest of the game.
• Check your calendar:
• Have you scheduled and begun planning for:
• The groups communion time: See your Leaders Packet for tips on setting up communion.
• The groups service project: If not, scroll down to the blog for Rebuilding Together Petaluma, and sign your group up this week.
• The groups party.
• Look at each member of your group and ask God what He wants for them as they continue meeting together. He might bring up:
• A scripture that you should share with them. Some encouragement or challenge that you should share with them.
• NOTE: If He doesn't, that's okay, but we should always be asking God what He might want to say through us as we lead our groups. 
• Look at your own life, what is God speaking into your life and how are you following his promptings? 

Doing these things will help you connect with God, reflect on the past, and prepare for the future as you lead your group through the rest of this session.