Correcting Double Vision

This Week's Bible Passage: Mark 3:20-35 / Matthew 28:16-20

Everyone needs to know how they fit into God’s vision in a specific place. As we journey, there are moments where we realize God is moving in us differently than He is in the place where we are currently serving.

Our goal should not be to change the vision, but to ask questions about who we are and where we are headed.

Be sure to watch this week’s video blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42C70VJ4FQs and read the passages above. The first passage concerns how Jesus’ family reacted to His vision. The second passage contains the marching orders He left the church.

Think about:

1. What is God’s vision at ORBC?
2. Does God have different visions for different churches?
3. How do I understand my fit in God’s vision at ORBC?
4. When God shows that people are on a different vision quest, how should I respond as a leader?
5. How did Jesus respond to His family?

Knowing my Role in the Whole…

Check Out This Week's Scripture Passages: John 1: 40-42, John 6: 7-10, Mark 3: 13-19

One of the issues many of us struggle with is fitting into the role God has for us in certain seasons.

One Apostle that did this so well is Andrew and we hear so little about him from commentators and preachers. He is not typically listed as a hero by many Christians.

Be sure to watch this week’s video blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNeu0gRgExs and check out the passages above. 

Come ready to talk on Thursday about our role in what God is doing specifically here at ORBC.

Things to think about:

1. What is my current role?
2. What gifts do I have that may shape my future role?
3. What will happen when I step out of my role and into others?
4. How do I feel when others step into my ministry role without permission?
5. What can I do better to fit into what God wants to do vs. what I want to do?

Values + Authenticity = Authority

They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.  

Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”  

“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.  The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. Mark 1:21–28 (NIV)

Last week Doug led us through a devotion on the core of leadership. This week we want to look at one of the necessary components of leadership: Authenticity

Be sure to check out this week's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0AL4L-DT5o and think about these questions:

1. Why was Christ seen as having authority?
2. How are authority and authenticity connected?
3. In what way do values shape our authenticity?
4. What happens when there is a disconnect between our values and our living?

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts this week!

Leadership

^"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.  While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:9-13)

I will be in California both Thursday and Sunday this week. So, Doug DeWitt will be leading our devotion time. Doug has a PHD in Leadership and I am sure that his insight will be great for this week’s topic!

This week we want to talk about what leadership is at its core. There are a lot of opinions about what leadership is and there are allot of books written about the topic. Take a look at the scripture passage above and see if you can find the principle of leadership in Christ’s interaction with Matthew.

As you watch this week's video (CLICK HERE), think about these questions:

1. What cultural components affected Christ’s interaction with Matthew?
2. How does your personality and gifts affect your leadership?
3. What part do relationships play in leadership?
4. How do your past experiences (successful and unsuccessful) affect your leadership?

Have a great time talking about this foundational truth and I look forward to seeing you all again next week.

Learning From Failure

This week I would like to call an audible. From time to time you see situations arise that make you believe that God wants you to shift your focus. This week, on more than one occasion, I have spoken to different people about how to navigate failure. It has come up so often that I think the Lord wants to help all of us think about how to work through this important issue. 

If you take enough risks you will face failure eventually and will need to know how to navigate through it.

Check out this week’s video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPbcpWAfjOw

As you prepare for this Thursday, think about some of these questions:
 
1. What is a failure you have faced and how did you face it?
2. How did you feel about the failure?
3. How did you work through it?

Values: Being Culturally Relevant

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. Acts 17:22–23 (NIV)

For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. Titus 1:10–16 (NIV)

Many of the "Creatives" in our ministry are going to love this week’s blog! We are talking about being culturally relevant in our worship/arts ministry. Many times we think that being culturally relevant is a new idea for modern churches and it’s not. 

From the early origins of the church they have used non-Biblical art and ideas to connect with the culture.

Watch this week’s video blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnIB0nFnPM8 and don't just read the passages above, but google the concept and see the controversy around the idea that churches face in this area.

As you prepare for this Thursday, think about some of these questions:

1. How do you stay culturally aware without becoming culturally corrupted?
2. How do you define the line for when you should use a cultural component and when you don’t?
3. What is one thing we can do as a ministry to be more relevant to our culture?

Values: Risk-Taking

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them." Matthew 25:14–19 (NIV)

I love the passage above about the talents because it shows God’s trust and accountability within the same scripture. I think from this passage we understand that God has taken the biggest RISK by handing over the whole kingdom to folks like you and me. It’s humbling and scary all at the same time!

Make sure you watch this week’s video blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thX2xTTQoqo and not only read the passage above, but also read through verse 30 to see how the whole passage plays out.

As you prepare for this Thursday, think about some of these questions:

1. What talents do I bring to the advancement of God’s kingdom?
2. What other cool talents do I see in others that I lack?
3. How am I encouraging and equipping others to use their talents in my area of ministry?