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Tattooed
(Part 2: “Imprinted”)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship
 
Big Idea:
All of us have something imprinted deep upon our hearts and minds; something that forms our perspective on life, shapes our attitudes, and drives our behavior. What image is imprinted on your heart?
 
Summary:
The great and wise King Solomon tells us that, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he…” In other words, whatever you have imprinted upon your heart will eventually reveal itself in your character and how you live life. Your “heart” is the place of your deep-seated beliefs. It is the core of your identity and the hidden vault of your values. Your heart is where you develop an image of worth and value or of hopelessness and despair. Ultimately, your inner world always determines the success of your outer world. In order to live a life that glorifies God, benefits the world, and brings fulfillment to your soul, you will have to invest more time and effort into building your inner world than you do in building your outer world. So, what image is imprinted on your heart? Do you walk around with an inner image of despair that says, “Yesterday was bad, today is worse, and tomorrow will take me to new lows?” Or do you embrace the image that says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me?”
 
There are three things that can greatly affect our inner image. (1) Our beliefs form our inner image. If you want to change anything about your life, you have to change what you believe deep within your heart. You can change your inner image by choosing what you believe. (2) Our expectations form our inner image. What do you expect out of life? What do you expect God to do in you, and through you? If you expect to live a defeated life, then, regardless of the potential that lies within you, your expectations will produce defeat in your life. You can change your inner image by changing what you expect. (3) Our experiences form our inner image; and our attitudes become hardened when we fail to properly process the pain of past experiences. Past experiences often form present attitudes and present perceptions. You can change your inner image by releasing the past; however, changing your inner-image is only useful if you choose to exchange the old image with the image of Christ Jesus. This is accomplished by walking in submission to God, living secure in His love, acting selflessly toward others, and focusing on your God-given purpose in life.
 
Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

Luke 6:43-45
How does the condition of your heart affect how you live life and treat others? What faulty things have you programmed into your inner image? How has this affected your relationships, your character, and your overall success in life?

Romans 12:1-2
Discuss different ways we can be conformed to this world. How have worldly influences affected your life? What are some ways that we can renew our minds? How does God’s Word renew our minds? Give examples.

Philippians 2:1-11
Discuss how we can have the same attitude of Christ and (1) be submissive, (2) be secure in our identity, (3) be selfless, and (4) be single-minded.

Taking Action: Purposefully write down what is really forming your inner image. Is it external forces and other people, or is it God? Purpose to spend significant time in God’s Word each day this week and allow God to transform your thinking into His reality. Take notice of the change in you.

Ministry Time

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Tattooed
(Part 1: “Inscribed”)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship
 
Big Idea:
Every one of us desperately wants to be loved and we will often do desperate things in order to find that love. We must come to the realization that we can only find this love in the One God who has always loved us.
 
Summary:
We all have a deep desire to be loved and accepted. In each of our lives there is a fundamental need to be accepted, understood, and unconditionally loved. Your greatest need is not money. Your greatest need is not success. Your greatest need is not fame. Your greatest need is not a better job. Your greatest need is to be loved. Not with sentimental love, not with sexual love, and not with brotherly love, but with a love that is transcendent, a love that is unconditional, and a love that only God can give.
 
However, many of us, in search of perfect love and acceptance, have inscribed some ugly images upon our lives: the image of performance, the image of a person, the image of position, the image of physical affection, the image of pleasure, the image of possessions, or the image of pity. The problem with these images (tattoos) on our lives is that they never really produce what they promise. They may produce momentary gratification and meaning, but they always leave you wanting more and, ultimately, wishing you could remove the marks that they leave on your life. That’s where God’s love is so different. It’s a love based on giving. A love based on serving. A love based on an eternal commitment. Here are four beautiful truths that you can safely tattoo on your life without the fear of having to remove them later. (1) God’s love is unmerited. God loves you simply because He wants to. (2) God’s love is unconditional. He loves us at all times. Even in our weakness and failures. (3) God’s love is unchangeable. His love is eternal. (4) God’s love is unforgettable. He will not forget you for “see, He has inscribed you on the palms of His hands.” – Isaiah 49:16. If you have been looking for love in all the wrong places, God is calling you to Him. He desires to be the image that is tattooed on your heart. He is waiting for you to turn to Him, leave the unfulfilling traps of this world, and find meaning, purpose, and acceptance in His amazing love.

Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

1 John 4:9-19
How does embracing God’s love for us change everything? How can we be confident that God’s love is in us? How has your understanding of Gods unmerited and unconditional love changed your life?

Romans 8:35-39
Have you ever believed that something has separated you from God’s love? How did that affect your relationship with God? Why do you think Satan uses this lie? How can you experience victory in this battle?  

Hosea 1:2-3 & Hosea 3:1-3
How does this story of Hosea’s love for his unfaithful wife parallel God’s love for us? In what ways have you experienced God’s unconditional love?

Taking Action: Examine yourself and list what images you have tattooed on your life in an attempt to find love and acceptance. Now, make the decision to lay those down at the feet of the cross and embrace the unconditional and unending love of your Creator – God Almighty.

Ministry Time

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AWAKEN
(Easter 2009)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:
There are moments in life when we face the choice to either remain in the pain of our own disappointment or to awaken and enter the hope of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
Summary:
The disciples of Jesus spent three amazing years walking with Christ, witnessing miracles, receiving His teaching, and experiencing His love. However, after the crucifixion, we see them retreating to three different places: (1) sitting in a room enveloped with hopelessness and despair, (2) stumbling down a road going nowhere important, and (3) fishing from a boat as they try to forget the pain of the past.  These three locations reveal three spiritual conditions many people find themselves in. First, there are those who are entombed in hopelessness. Like the disciples, they have come to believe that their condition or situation is beyond hope: “this marriage is beyond repair, this career is going nowhere, this family cannot be healed, or there is no answer for my medical condition.” But what the events of Easter show us is that if God can raise His Son from the dead, He can raise your dead marriage, your dead career, and your damaged relationships; He can deliver you from your addictions, heal your body, and resurrect your dreams. Awaken to the Hope of Christ in you.
 
The second condition we can sometimes experience is a loss of direction. Like the disciples who were found stumbling down the road to Emmaus, we can find ourselves sleepwalking down a road to nowhere without purpose or direction. But, aimlessly living life without knowing God’s plan is petty and pointless. When we discover Whose we are, we will finally understand who we are. We were made by God and for God. Awaken to the truth of Whose you are. Finally, some disciples lost their focus and retreated to their pasts in hopes of numbing their pain and forgetting what had just happened. They were distracted by what their old life was calling them back to. We are too often enslaved by our distractions, which have become our addictions and have lulled us to sleep from the greater purpose of our lives. Awaken to your God-designed purpose in life. “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Ephesians 5:14 (NLT)
 
Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

1 Peter 1:18-21
Discuss the empty and temporal ways the world encourages us to cope with life? Which have you tried and how has it turned out? Share how Christ is your redeemer and how He has restored an area of your life.
 
Psalm 42
When you feel hopeless, what thoughts go through your mind and how do you respond? What did King David do when he began to lose hope? Give examples of things we can speak when we feel hopeless.

Jeremiah 29:11-14
How does this passage depict God’s heart toward you? How can you discover and realize God’s plans for your life? Share what prevents you from running to God in times of trouble.

Taking Action: Spend this next week daily reminding yourself of the hope you have in Christ, who you are in Christ, and the kingdom purpose you have in Christ. Speak these truths over yourself and your family members so that as Christ is fully alive, you too become fully alive in Him.

Ministry Time

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Jesus the Savior King

(Palm Sunday)

Opening Prayer, Confession of Faith & Worship

Big Idea:

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He didn’t enter with pomp and circumstance. He didn’t enter with military power and worldly might; rather, He entered humbly on the back of an ordinary donkey. Who is this Savior King?

Summary:

Throughout the life of Jesus, He confounded conventional wisdom. He never fit into the world’s mold. Jesus came, the first time, as a humble servant born in a stable. Throughout His entire life and ministry, He didn’t live like the royalty of this world, but lived simply and modestly. His entry into Jerusalem was no different, as He triumphantly entered on a donkey.  God’s kingdom is vast and without end, set apart from the kingdoms of this world. It started with a few unimportant people who passionately pursued the Man on the donkey. It has not grown by a large takeover or great force, but by one person at a time accepting the Savior King and His ways.

The message of Christ has always been a counter-cultural message. His kingdom has never been in-step with the kingdom of this world. His kingdom is opposite world: a kingdom where the last shall be first and the first shall be last; a kingdom where the greatest of all shall be the servant of all; a kingdom where those who give their lives away shall find in return a greater life, and those who seek to preserve their own lives shall lose them. It’s a kingdom where the best seats at the banquet table are reserved for the least, the last, and the lost. A kingdom where the broken are healed and the seemingly whole are broken. A kingdom where the outcasts are the inner circle and the “know it all’s” are left outside.

The power of God is concealed in what the world considers weak and despised. The glory of God is revealed in what many of us overlook as insignificant. How many times have we missed the presence of God because our eyes where searching for what the world considers greatness? How many times have we missed the supernatural because we were searching for the spectacular? If we are looking for the presence of God, we had better get our eyes off of the things of this world and humbly tune into the heart of God and His kingdom by surrendering our lives to Him and focusing on the things of God – the pure, holy, righteous, and lovely. Remember, God’s ways are not necessarily our ways.

Discussion Questions: (read the scriptures & discuss)

1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Jesus riding into town on a donkey seemed foolish to the world. Has God used something “foolish” to get your attention or draw you to Him? Share an example where you personally or someone in God’s Word has missed a move of God because it wasn’t recognized.

Isaiah 55:6-11

How are God’s thoughts and plans learned? Share personal experiences or insights from the Word that demonstrate that His ways are different from our own.

Matthew 5:1-12

How does Jesus describe a citizen of opposite world? Discuss how these character qualities should be demonstrated in our lives. How does this differ from the qualities promoted by this world?

Taking Action: Make a concerted effort this week to tune out the noise of the world and tune into God by spending time in His Word and in prayer. Make your ways, His ways.

Ministry Time