Friendship Community Church Podcast

Noah

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:30:17 -0600

Noah – Making a Difference

To make a difference, I have to be different

Genesis 6:5-8 – The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Hebrews 11:7 – By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.

Romans 12:2 – Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Choose effort over comfort

Genesis 6:22 – Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Proverbs 24:30-34 – I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction. “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest.” Then your poverty will come as a robber and your want like an armed man.
Push through discouragement

Genesis 7:11-12 – In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.

James 1:3-4 – You know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Galatians 6:9 – Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Moses

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:30:49 -0600

Moses – A Matter of Time

Wait on God’s timing

Exodus 2:11-12 – One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

Psalm 27:14 – Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Spend consistent & focused time with God

Exodus 33:7,9,11 – Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting”… As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses… The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.

Matthew 16:26 – What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Live by the manna principle

Exodus 16:14-16,19-20 – When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent…” Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.

Matthew 6:11 – “Give us today our daily bread.”

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Pursue a relationship with God & not just stuff from God

Deuteronomy 1:2-3 – It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road. In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them.

Psalm 34:8 – Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Deuteronomy 34:10 – Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.

Job

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:30:44 -0500

Job – Dealing with Setbacks

Tell God exactly how I feel

Job 7:11 – I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
Choose to worship in response to my circumstances

Job 1:20-22 – At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship. He said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Believe that God is not finished

Job 19:25-26 – I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.

Job 13:15 – Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.

Romans 8:28-29 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.

Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Gideon

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:30:04 -0500

Gideon – Overcoming Fear & Insecurities

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Judges 6:2-3 – Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country.

Look past my insecurities to my purpose & potential

Judges 6:11-12 – The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

Judges 6:13-14 – “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
An attack on my life is an indicator of my significance

Judges 6:15-16 – “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
With God the first step forward often seems backward

Judges 7:2-3 – The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
To please God, I must take faith risks

Judges 7:4-6 – But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

Hebrews 11:6 – Without faith it is impossible to please God.

Joseph

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 10:30:44 -0500

Joseph – Aware of God’s Presence

When I live as if I 100% believe that God is with me, I wil

… not equate God with my circumstances

Genesis 37:23-25 – So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the richly ornamented robe he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

Genesis 39:1-2 – Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
… be noticeably different from those around me

Genesis 39:3-5 – When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.
… do whatever it takes to avoid temptation

Genesis 39:6-9 – Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

Genesis 39:21 – But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
… talk openly about God & what He is doing

Genesis 41:15-16 – Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
… pass the prosperity test

Genesis 41:38-40 – So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders.”

Psalm 23:4 – Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

David

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:30:45 -0500

David – Dealing with Temptation

Recognize my weakness

2 Samuel 11:1-2 – In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful.

James 1:14 – But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Understand the reality of spiritual warfare

2 Samuel 11:3-5 – David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

1 Peter 5:8 – Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
When I blow it, confess and apologize

James 5:16 – Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

Proverbs 28:13 – He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Clean out my tank regularly

Psalm 51:1-2 – Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 51:12 – Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Daniel

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 10:30:29 -0500

Daniel – A Picture of Integrity

Proverbs 13:6 – Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

Integrity: Doing what is right, as defined by God, regardless of personal cost.

Know what I believe

Daniel 1:3-8a – Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service… But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.

Matthew 18:15 – “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.”
Trust what I believe

Daniel 1:8b-10 – (Daniel) asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

Daniel 1:12-13 – “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”

Proverbs 11:1-3 – The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

Revelation 3:15-16 – I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Live what I believe

Daniel 3:17-18 – "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Elijah

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:30:48 -0500

1 Kings 19:3-5a – Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

James 5:17 – Elijah was a man just like us.

How to get depressed in 4 easy steps:

- Wear myself _______________

- ____________ people away

- Focus completely on the ______________

- _____________ God

Take care of myself physically

1 Kings 19:5b-8 – All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
Be totally honest with God

1 Kings 19:9-10 – There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
Get a fresh awareness of God’s presence in my life

1 Kings 19:11,13a – The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” … When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Let God give me a new purpose & direction in life

1 Kings 19:15-16 – The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.

Jonah

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:30:36 -0500

______________ is not that different from Jonah’s.

Jonah 1:1-3 – The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
When I run from God, it always produces ____________.

Jonah 1:4-5 – Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.

Jonah 1:7 – Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

Jonah 1:10-15 – This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried to the Lord, “O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
When I stop ___________, God is always ___________.

Jonah 1:17 – But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:1-3 – From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; Salvation comes from the Lord.”

Jonah 2:10 – And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Remember

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:30:49 -0500

Remember the ________________ God has done

1 Chronicles 16:12 – Remember the wonders He has done: his miracles.
Remember that I’m ________________ into Christ

Romans 6:3-4 – Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Remember that Christ gave ______________ for me

Exodus 1:26-27 – “And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’”

1 Corinthians 11:23-25 – The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Hebrews 9:22 – Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Remember to ______________

Colossians 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Matthew 18:23-27 – “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.”
Remember that God will always be ________ you

Hebrews 13:5 – Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Changing Our World

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:30:55 -0500

We will… meet ________________ needs

James 1:27 – Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 2:15-17 – Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
We will… help people __________ their burdens

Galatians 6:2 – Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Matthew 23:4 – They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
We will… create a __________________ environment

Romans 12:13 – Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

1 Peter 4:9 – Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
We will… __________________ people to take the next step toward Christ

1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 – For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

1 Peter 2:17 – Show proper respect to everyone.
We will… make a ____________________

Ecclesiastes 9:13-15 – I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.

Acts 5:38-39 – Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Why Do I Need a Group?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:30:05 -0500

To __________________ me to grow

Romans 1:11-12 – I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

Hebrews 10:25 – Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.

Matthew 22:36-40 – “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
So I can learn to appreciate ______________________

Romans 12:10 – Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 14:1 – Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.
To ____________ the gap to real life

Proverbs 13:20 – He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
To help ________________ my burden

Exodus 18:17-18 – Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.

Exodus 18:22-23 – That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” 1

Corinthians 10:13 – God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
To do ________ with me

Acts 2:42-43 – They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

John 13:35 – “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Light - A Better Life

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 10:30:35 -0500

There is no need to Tap Out - Stand Up and Fight!

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:30:07 -0500

Ephesians 6:13-20Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Psalm 1:1-6Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Joshua 1:1-9After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Sworn Enemies of Mediocrity

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:30:21 -0500

Revelation 3:16-20 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

What are the characteristics of a mediocre life?

A strong reliance on ourselves
An inward focus on ourselves to the exclusion of all others
A complacent attitude that is springs from prosperity
Living in a daily fear of the future that paralyzes us

What can make us passionate followers of Christ, sworn enemies of mediocrity?

A willingness to accept discipline and teaching from the Lord and His messengers in our lives
A strong daily commitment to following our Lord
A repentance of sin in the light of His Holiness
Abiding in the presence of the Living God

If you’re going to live a life of excellence to become a sworn enemy of mediocrity, who is your role model?

How are you going to get to your destination?

Friends With Money

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:30:47 -0500

I Am A Servant

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 10:30:37 -0500

Colossians 4:3-5 – And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

John 13:3-5 – Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

How will I respond when God opens a door of opportunity?

I can be like Jonah & say, “______ me!”

Jonah 1:1-3 – The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.

Ephesians 2:10 – We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
I can be like Moses & say, “______ me!”

Exodus 4:10 – Moses said to the Lord, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

Acts 4:13 – When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
I can be like Habakkuk & say, “______ me?”

Habakkuk 1:3 – Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?

Habakkuk 1:5 – “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
I can be like Isaiah & say, “________ me!”

Isaiah 6:8 – Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

1 John 3:17-18 – But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

I Am A People Pleaser

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:30:03 -0500

Recognize that people pleasing is ________________

Exodus 20:3 – “You shall have no other gods before me.”

John 12:42-43 – Many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

Proverb 29:25 (NLT) – Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety. People-pleasing Traps

1) “I will ____________________ for you” trap

2)“I will _____________________ for you” trap

3)“I will not ________________ you” trap
Live for an audience of ______

Colossians 4:6 – Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Galatians 1:10 – Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 – We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.

Matthew 6:2-4 – “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

2 Corinthians 5:9 – So we make it our goal to please him.

Today's Video

I Am Free

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:30:10 -0500

Proverbs 14:12 – There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

To experience freedom in Christ…

I must understand the ______________ of the law.

Romans 5:20 – The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.

Galatians 3:24-25 – The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
I shouldn’t have a relationship with the ______.

1 Timothy 1:8-9 – But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, fur the unholy and profane.

Romans 10:9-10 – If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
I simply focus on ____________ God.

Colossians 2:13-14 – He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Galatians 5:13 – You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Galatians 5:6 – For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

I am weak

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:30:48 -0500

I Am Weak 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Areas where I try to be strong, but often seem weak:

¤ Physical ¤ Emotions ¤ Relationship

¤ Providing ¤ On the job ¤ Spiritual

How to experience God’s Strength

__________ that I have limits.

2 Corinthians 12:7 – To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

Weakness: a ___________ that I inherited or cannot change

2 Corinthians 1:4 – (God) comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
Be ____________, not stronger.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 – Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (PBT) – My divine influence is exactly enough for you, because my explosive power is complete in you when you’re broken.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 – We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
Depend more on God’s power & trust that it’s ______

2 Corinthians 12:10 – That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Isaiah 40:29 – (God) will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

John 15:5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Isaiah 40:31 – Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

I Am What I Do?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:30:36 -0500

I am what I do (a myth)

Two myths that lead to a mistaken identity:

I am what I’ve ________________________

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 – My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
I am __________________________ because I have…

Luke 18:11-12 – “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’”

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

How to reclaim your true identity:

Follow the “6 on - _________” principle

Exodus 20:8-10 – “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God… For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.”

Mark 2:27 – “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.”
__________ contentment

Philippians 4:11-12 – I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

1 Timothy 6:6-8 – Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Consider whether you’re doing ________ than God intended

Mark 1:35-38 – Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Today's Video

Why is it so hard to know God's will?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:30:21 -0500

Ephesians 5:15-17 – Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

See the big picture of what could be

Acts 26:17-19 – “‘I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them’... So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.”

Nehemiah 2:5 – I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Nehemiah 1:4 – When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Make everyday decisions based on the vision

Nehemiah 4:16-18 – From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

Acts 20:22 – “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.”
Refuse to be distracted

Acts 20:23-24 – “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

Nehemiah 6:2-4 – Then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me. So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way.

Why hasn't God answered my prayer?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:30:38 -0500

Maybe I have a broken ________________________

1 Peter 3:7 – Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect ... so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Mark 11:25 – “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

1 John 4:20 – If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
Maybe God has something ____________

Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Hebrews 11:39-40 – These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Maybe God wants to do something in ____

1 John 5:14-15 – This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Psalm 37:4 – Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

James 4:3 – You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Maybe I haven’t actually __________________________

James 4:2 – You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.

Matthew 7:7 – "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you."

Today's Video

Why Worry?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 31 May 2009 10:30:28 -0500

My worries reveal what I am most ___________________

Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Matthew 6:25a – “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.”
Being worry-free doesn’t mean being ________________

Matthew 6:25b-27a – “Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Worry: wanting __________________ about tomorrow
When I worry I am ______________ my life

Matthew 6:27b-30 – “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
I can ____________ what I am most devoted to

Matthew 6:31-32 – “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”

Matthew 6:33-34 – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Psalm 121:4 – Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

Why do I do what I don't want to do?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 24 May 2009 10:30:36 -0500

Romans 7:15,18-19 – I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do... For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

Romans 7:24a – What a wretched man I am!

Acknowledge the ________ of my problem

John 8:34 – Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

1 John 1:8 – If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Believe that __________ can change me

Romans 7:24b-25 – Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

John 8:31 – “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Confess my struggle to ______________

James 5:16 – Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Proverbs 28:13 – He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Dedicate myself ____________________ to Christ

Romans 6:12-14 – Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master.

1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Philippians 4:13 – I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Why Jesus?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 17 May 2009 10:30:56 -0500

Who do the crowds say I am?

Luke 9:18-19 – Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

John 14:6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Who do you say I am?

Luke 9:20 – “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

Hebrews 4:15 – For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

John 1:1-3 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
What good is it to gain the world and lose your soul?

Luke 9:23-25 – Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”

Why the Conflict between Science and the Bible?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 10 May 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Realize that faith and science are not ______________

Psalm 111:2 – Great are the works of the Lord; they are studied by all who delight in them.

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:24 – And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.

Genesis 1:5 – God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Consider where the ________________ actually points

Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Peter 1:21 – For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Have ______________ for your faith

Psalm 33:6-9 – By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

Hebrews 11:1-3 – Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing is impossible with God.”

Why is the World So Messed Up?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 03 May 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Why is the world so messed up?

Mark 15:34 – And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”— which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Believe that God is not finished

Romans 8:28-29 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.

Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Instead of “Why?” ask “to what end?”

Isaiah 55:9 – “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Hebrews 12:2-3 – Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 – For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Depend on God even when it hurts

Hebrews 13:5 – God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Job 13:15 – Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.

Why Should I Trust the Bible?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:30:00 -0500

The Bible will change your life _____________________

Psalm 119:16 – I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

_____________________ God’s Word

2 Peter 1:16 – We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

- The evidence of history
- The evidence of bibliography
- The evidence of changed lives

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
_____________________ God’s Word

Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Acts 17:11 – Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
_____________________ God’s Word

John 13:17 – Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Psalm 119:11 – I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

James 1:22-24 – Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Psalm 119:16 – I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Why should I believe in God in the first place?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 10:30:00 -0500

A relationship with God…

… offers ______________________________.

Ecclesiastes 1:3 – The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
… gives us ________________________.

Ecclesiastes 1:4-8 – Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

Ephesians 1:4 (Message) – Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
… empowers ______________________.

Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 – What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Why am I here?

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Everyone ends up somewhere, but few people end up somewhere on _________________

Luke 19:1-4 – Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

Look _________________ myself

Proverbs 29:18 (Message) – If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
Make some _________________ with God

Luke 19:5-7 – When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”
Start _________________ the people around me

Luke 19:8 – But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Stop playing _________________ with God

Luke 19:9-10 – Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

The Last Week

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Make time for ____________________

Matthew 20:29-34 – As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

John 15:12 – “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
Make time for ____________________

Luke 19:35-40 – They brought [the colt] to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Isaiah 14:13-14 – You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God… I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
Make time for ____________________

Matthew 26:7-12 – A woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.”
Make time for a spiritual ____________________

Luke 22:39-41 – Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed.

Matthew 6:7-8 – “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Make time for ____________________

Luke 22:49-51 – When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

Luke 6:27-28 – Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Feeling Out Of Control

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Jesus was amazed by _________________ faith

Mark 6:1-3 – Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

Mark 6:6 – And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Jesus was amazed by _________________ faith

Mark 9:16-18 – “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

Mark 9:22-24 – “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Jesus was amazed by _________________ faith

Matthew 8:5-10 – When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

- Faith: trusting God with control

How do I get it?

A) Get in a group taking steps of faith

Romans 1:11-12 – I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

Hebrews 13:7 – Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

B) Get in the Bible

Romans 10:17 – Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing is impossible with God.”

Hello - My Name Is Jesus

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:30:03 -0500

John 8:2-5 – At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”

Recognize interruptions as opportunities for God to work
Proverbs 18:13 – He who answers before listening: that is his folly and his shame.

Proverbs 3:27-28 – Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow” – when you now have it with you.
- Laziness: when comfort wins over effort, and I fail to do the right thing.
- Fact #1: You have nothing better to do
Colossians 4:5-6 – Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

John 8:6-9 – They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
Drop my stones (John 8:6-9)

Matthew 7:4-5 – “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
- Fact #2: You have nothing to prove 1
John 4:20 – If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
Deal with sin gently and clearly (John 8:10-11)

John 8:10-11 – Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Matthew 18:15 – “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.”
- Fact #3: You have nothing to lose
Luke 5:31-32 – Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Wearing My Marriage Hat

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 10:30:30 -0500

Keep on paying __________________.

1 Corinthians 7:32-34 – An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided.

James 1:19 – Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

Job 33:14 – For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it.
Keep on making ______________________.

Philippians 2:4 – Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Ephesians 5:21 – Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Leading means ___________________

Romans 15:5 – May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus.
Keep on showing __________________.

Revelation 2:4-5 – You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

R______________

R__________

R__________
Keep on giving ______________________.

Hebrews 3:13 – Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.

2 Corinthians 7:4 – I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.
Keep on praying ________________.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray continually.

Today's Videos

Wearing My Work Hat

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 10:30:40 -0600

Ecclesiastes 3:9 – What does the worker gain from his toil?

Why work? I work:

out of __________________

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 – For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.

Genesis 2:15 – The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
to develop ________________

James 1:2-3 – Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Philippians 1:6 – Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:10 – We pray that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 – Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders.
for ________________

Colossians 3:23-24 – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Wearing My Church Hat

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 10:30:15 -0600

As part of the church, I want to be:

A_________________

Proverbs 12:22 – The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.

Luke 7:36-38 – Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

Proverbs 28:13 – He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

James 5:16 – Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
A________________

Romans 15:7 – Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Luke 15:1-2 – Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
A__________

1 John 3:17-18 – But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

1 Corinthians 12:14-18 – For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

The Antidote to Worry

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 10:30:14 -0600

John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

A___________ for help

2 Chronicles 20:3-4 – Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
B____________ God can handle your situation

2 Chronicles 20:5-7 – Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard and said: “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?”
C____________ my inadequacy

2 Chronicles 20:12 – “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do…”

James 4:6 – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
D__________ on God to show up

2 Chronicles 20:12-13 – “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.

2 Chronicles 20:15 – He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
E____________ thanks to God in advance

2 Chronicles 20:21 – After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”

Today's Video

Blessed to be a Blessing II

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:30:48 -0600

Think like a ____________________________

Matthew 6:31-33 – “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

2 Corinthians 8:14 – At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.

Mark 4:18-20 – “Some, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”
Make _______________ a priority & live off the left-overs

2 Corinthians 9:7 – Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
See giving as an ______________ with eternal dividends

Matthew 6:19-21 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 10:42 – “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”
Remember that my real ________ is in Heaven

Philippians 3:20 – For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today's Videos

Blessed to be a Blessing I

jminton@jasonminton.com — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:30:25 -0600

Recognize that seed is for ____________

2 Corinthians 9:6 – Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Galatians 6:7-9 – A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Decide who is _________________ for meeting my needs

2 Corinthians 9:7 – Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Mark 12:41-44 – Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Remember that good service results in ______________

2 Corinthians 9:10-11 – Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Fear the __________ thing

Luke 12:4-5 – “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

Matthew 25:24-25 – “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’”

Matthew 25:30 – “Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Today's Video

Dealing with Debt

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 10:30:56 -0600

Know what I ________ and what I ______.

Proverbs 27:23-24 – Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.
Learn to be ______________.

Luke 12:15 – “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Philippians 4:11-12 – I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

Hebrews 13:5 – Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.

Launch a ________ to get out of debt.

Romans 13:7-8 – Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.

Debt	Total Owed	Min. Payment	New Payment
Kohl’s (18%)	$450	$50
MasterCard (18%)	$650	$30
Parents (0%)	$1600	$200
Visa (18%)	$1800	$30
Car (10%)	$7000	$400
School (6%)	$9000	$200

Proverbs 14:23 – All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Proverbs 25:28 – Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.

Connect with God’s vision for my ____________.

Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Luke 16:11 – “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”

Getting On the Right Track

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 10:30:26 -0600

Proverbs 22:7 – The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Live by God’s definition of ____________.

Matthew 6:19-21 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Luke 16:11 – “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”
________ my spending.

Proverbs 21:5 – The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

Proverbs 21:20 – In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.
________ for the future.

Proverbs 6:6-8 – Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

Matthew 25:16 – The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.

Proverbs 13:11 – Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.
Remember that it all __________________ God.

James 1:17 – Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.

Today's Video

Changing Our Perspective

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:30:44 -0600

Myth #1: Having a pile of money _______________________.

Luke 12:15 – “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Matthew 6:19-21 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

1 Timothy 6:6 – Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
Myth #2: Having a pile of money _____________.

1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 – Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.
Reality: I can _________________ as the Owner & Provider.

Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Psalm 24:1 – The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Luke 16:11 – “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”

Philippians 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Today's Videos

Changing Our Community

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:30:40 -0600

2 Corinthians 5:17,20 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

Acts 1:8 – "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

I can ____________ those I know

Luke 8:39 – "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

John 4:28-29,39,42 – Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" … Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did…" They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."
I can __________ those I don't know

John 13:15-17 – I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Luke 10:2 – "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Matthew 25:35-36,40 – "'I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
I can ________________________ to the entire world

Mark 16:15 – "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."

Mark 10:29-30 – Jesus replied, "Let me assure you that no one has ever given up anything for love of Me and to tell others the Good News who won't be given back a hundred times over."

Today's Videos

Laying the Foundation for Lasting Change

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 10:30:22 -0600

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 – For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Identify the ____________________ in my life.

2 Timothy 2:26 – (I hope) that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

John 8:44 – When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Proverbs 14:12 – There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Demolish the stronghold with ______________________.

Galatians 3:3 – Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

Spiritual weapon #1: ____________

John 14:13 – “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Spiritual weapon #2: __________

John 8:31-32 – “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Isaiah 61:1-2 – The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Today's Video

Jesus as Prince of Peace

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:30:53 -0600

Luke 2:10-14 – But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Accept what cannot be ______________.

Philippians 4:11-13 – I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Trust in God’s ______________________.

Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Job 13:15 – Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.

James 4:8 – Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Surrender to God’s ____________________________.

Romans 8:6 – The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

Philippians 4:9 – Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

1 John 2:3-4 – We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

God as Everlasting Father

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 10:30:10 -0600

Matthew 6:9 – “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven…’”

God is a Father who __________.

Psalm 104:13 – As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.

Matthew 6:31-32 – “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”

Romans 8:15-16 – For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.

Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT) – Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
God is a Father who is ____________________.

James 1:17 – Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Psalm 145:13 – The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
God is a Father who is always __________.

Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Hebrews 13:5 – God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
God is a Father who is ________.

Ephesians 3:20-21 – Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

Jesus as Mighty God

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 10:30:54 -0600

Isaiah 9:6 – For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 40:28-29 – The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Admit my ________.

1 Peter 5:6-7 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

2 Corinthians 12:9 – But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
________ into God.

John 15:5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Jeremiah 32:17 – "Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 – God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
_______________ in faith.

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Matthew 1:24 – When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Joshua 3:13 – “As soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

Jesus as Wonderful Counselor

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:30:55 -0600

Hebrews 4:15-16 – For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Luke 5:31-32 – Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Be brutally ____________ with the Counselor.

John 4:16-17 – He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

Psalm 5:22 – Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.
____________ to the Counselor’s voice.

John 14:26 – The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

John 10:27 – My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
Do what the Counselor tells me to ____.

Mark 10:20-21 – “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Mark 10:22 – At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Today's Video

Jesus as Servant

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 10:30:27 -0600

John 13:3-5, John 13:15-17

When I serve someone by sowing seeds of kindness:

I should sow ____________________.

Matthew 13:3-8 – “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Ecclesiastes 11:6 (Living) – Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow – perhaps it all will.
I trust God to ________ it.

1 Corinthians 3:6 – I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

1 Peter 3:1 – Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.

John 5:19 – "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.”
I ________ not getting credit.

Luke 22:27 – For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

Mathew 6:4 – Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
I don’t expect __________________ results.

Galatians 6:9 – Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
I must be ______________________ about it.

Matthew 20:28 – “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 15:16 – You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.

God Is Our Banner

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:30:06 -0600

Exodus 17:15 – Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner.

Romans 15:4 – For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that To experience God as my defender, I need to:

Turn to God __________.

2 Chronicles 20:1,3 – After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat… Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord.

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2 Chronicles 20:12 – “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”
Allow God to be ______.

2 Chronicles 20:15 – “This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

2 Chronicles 20:17 – “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

2 Chronicles 20:20 – “As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”
Experience __________ in every area.

2 Chronicles 20:24-25 – When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped… There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it…

2 Chronicles 20:30 – And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

Acts 2:45 – Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

Today's Video

God Is Our Shepherd

jminton@jasonminton.com — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:30:26 -0600

Isaiah 40:11 – He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Psalm 100:3 – Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Sheep are: ____________, ____________, & vulnerable.

The Shepherd is the One who…

… cares for ______ with His provision.

Psalm 23:1 – The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Philippians 4:11-12 – I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
… calms me with His __________.

Psalm 23:2-3 – He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Matthew 6:31-33 – So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
… ________________ me with His presence.

Psalm 23:4 – Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Hebrews 13:5 – God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Psalm 23:5-6 – You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.