Happiness vs. Holiness:

Having a Lopsided Christian life can be very frustrating.  This week we are looking at how our pursuit of a happy life can be a stumbling block to having fulfilled Christian walk.  Don’t be Lopsided! Check out our personal and group study guide.

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Click here for the Personal & Group (family) study guide:  Lopsided_part4_prayer_pfv

Why Should We Pray?

One of the greatest ways we can strengthen our relationship with God and not feel like our Christianity is Lopsided is by spending time with God in prayer.  One of the biggest reasons people don’t pray is that they don’t know why it is important to pray or they struggle with how to pray.

When we think about why we should pray, as Christians one of our key motivations should be that God designed prayer to be a way for us to have a more intimate relationship with Him and empower us to do the ministry of Christ for His Glory.  Here are 4 things about prayer that helps us gain a better perspective on why we should pray:

1) Prayer does not inform God, it involves God,  2) Prayer does not change God, it changes us,  3) Prayer does not get our will done in Heaven, it gets God’s will done on earth,  4) Prayer is not because God needs us, but because we need God.

Remember, God loves you and wants you to have a close relationship with Him.  Since He designed prayer to be a way for you to do that, just ask Him to show you how.  Start your prayers by being honest with God and asking Him to teach you to have a passion to pray and to know how to pray.  Go through each daily verse and then take time to pray afterward.  The message this Sunday is designed to help us take a BIG step forward in knowing “How to pray.”  Hopefully after this study you will gain a better understanding on “How to pray.”

“Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.”  ~ John Bunyan

“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” ~ Oswald Chambers 

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Lopsided_part3_maturity talking points

Do You Recognize Jesus?

Have you ever noticed that Jesus’ followers had difficulty recognizing Him when He appeared to them after His resurrection?  He appeared to Mary and she thought He was a gardener. (John 20:14, 15) He appeared, walked and talked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and they did not realize it was Him. (Luke 24:13-32) He yelled to the disciples in the boat fishing and they did not recognize Him. (John 21:4) Why couldn’t they recognize Him? Did their grief blind them? Human pain and suffering can do that. It can give the illusion that we’re all alone and we do not recognize those around us, even our closest friends. Could it have been their lack of expectation? Jesus had died. They knew death was final, so they did not expect to see Jesus again. Even if this man looked like Jesus, it could not be Him. He was dead. Or could it be that they were kept from recognizing Him?

What are the things in your life that seem to be keeping you from Growing and moving toward maturity in Christ?  When we are not recognizing Jesus in the daily moments of our life we can feel like our Christianity and pursuit of God is Lopsided.  Each and every person can grow and mature in Christ.  This week we are going to look deeper into how we can do that.  Take some time and dig into God’s word each day using the verses on the left.  Also, take the questions on the back and discuss them with your family, small group or a friend.  Don’t be lopsided in your Christian Growth!

*Check links above for your weekly dig into God’s word and group study.

BIG_Jan20_12 - Flyer for BIG to print and give to your friends!

How Can I Possibly have a Balanced Life?

Student Personal and Group Study Guide (TP/WP) - Lopsided Christianity (Part 2)  and our Printer Friendly Version Lopsided Christianity (part2) pfv

Life today is so much more complicated and fast paced than it was just a generation ago. And that means we have more roles and more responsibilities these days, but we still have the same amount of hours in the day. It’s tough to keep up with all the demands let alone make all the different areas of our lives balance. Even more, we want to find a life that balances with Christ . 

As we look at week 2 in our Series, Lopsided Christianity, we will address our need for Balance and what that looks like using 1 Peter 2:1-17.  There are 3 main areas we need balance in our relationship with God:  

1. Balance the individual and corporate aspects of the Christian life, 
2. Balance worship and witness in the Christian life, and 
3. Balance our call to separation and our call to involvement.  

Each of these 3 areas has 2 aspects to living out truth.  When one of these aspects are not in line we find ourselves out of balance and lopsided.  Please use these verses to the left each day to help reinforce each of these truths and enable us to live in a way that is not lopsided and out of balance.  

On the back we encourage you to take the group study with your family or community group and begin to apply the truths from the message  to your daily life.  How does not living in balance affect your family, friends, school, job, life? 

Take some time and read 1 Peter 2:1-17 and meditate on it this week.  

By going through our talking points and reading the daily verses we can help keep Balance in our life and allow us not to be Lopsided in our Christianity.

Join us Sunday Jan. 1st as we look at Christ’s Call to Freedom and how knowing more about this freedom we can live a life that is not Lopsided.  We have national freedom. We enjoy great civil and economic liberties and yet despite these great liberties, many Americans feel personally frustrated, unfulfilled, and unfree.  If this sounds like you then I have good news for you.  By having personal freedom with a relationship with Jesus, your life will not be Lopsided to how God created for you to live.  Jesus came to give you personal freedom. He came to set you free!  Check out our Talking Points Walking Points Personal & Group Study Guide for part 1 – Lopsided 1 Online Version and Lopsided 1 Printer Version.

Do you feel Lopsided in your Christianity?  Do you feel like you are not living the way God Created you to live?  Then join use for this series that helps us see how our out of balanced lopsided life can come together the way God designed for us.  We will be doing the same series as in our Main Service but we will have a Student Ministry twist to engage our students.  See all Middle School Students at 9:30am in the student Center and High School at 11:15 am.

Check out the Study Guide to our Lesson From Sunday.  We have included reading each day leading up to Christmas Eve that shares the Christmas story.  Follow this Link (He Came Study Guide 3) to access the devotion and daily verses!

He Came…to bring us life.  This was our first week discussion of our series “He Came.”  We looked at how Jesus came withe purpose that we might have life the way God Created us to have life.  That we could experience the life God designed for us.  Check out last weeks study guide for more information on how He Came to Bring us life.  Click Here for He Came Study Guide 1 (He Came to Bring us Life).

This week we will be looking at how, He Came…to Save the Lost.  As yo u go through this week take time to think about how Jesus came to save the lost.  Are you feeling lost in any areas of your life?  Do you know someone who is feeling lost and needs some encouragement?  Take some time to go through this weeks study guide and meet with your group on Sunday night to discuss this further!  Check out He Came Study Guide 2 (He Came to Save the Lost).   *Leaders use this study guide for your group time!

Grace & Peace!!

We are doing a new Series in December called, He Came.  Come for the next 3 weeks and see why HE CAME!  Also, check back for your weekly talking points/walking points (Student Edition) for your personal and group study of our series.  Our Middle School Students meet Sunday’s at 9:30am in our student center and our High School Student meet at 11:15am.  Hope to see you there!