Teaching from Curwensville Alliance (Pastor Steve Shields)
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Listen as Pastor Steve speaks on Luke 9:57-62 on Forward Thinking Christ Followers.
Forward thinking Christ followers let Christ set the GPS. They also look ahead with desire.
Forward thinking Christ followers leave behind the comfortable and the familiar. They proclaim the kingdom of God.
Forward thinking Christ followers journey with Christ. They never look back.
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Why do we believe the Bible?
We believe the Bible because of Its honesty, unity, historical reliability, endorsement by Jesus, and Its power to change lives.
What does the Bible teach us? The Bible teaches us how to live well.
Primarily though, the Bible teaches us the redemption of humankind.
How do we receive the Bible? We use our heads. We look at the words. We receive it with thankful hearts.
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What is excellence?
Excellence is a virtue that encompasses other virtues. It is a way that we glorify God.
How do we pursue excellence?
We think prayerfully. We observe others. We imitate.
What are the benefits of the pursuit of excellence?
A peace that heals relationships. A peace with any outcome. A peace resting on God’s presence.
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Listen as Pastor Steve takes us through Acts 16:16-40.
Spiritual darkness is marked by greed and control. Spiritual darkness is marked by confusion and chaos. Spiritual darkness is marked by toxicity and destruction.
Spiritual light is marked by transcendence, rising above. Spiritual light is marked by power. Spiritual light is marked by transformation in everything.
Walking in the light changes your life. Your life is marked by compassion. Your life is marked by doing right. Your life is marked by power.
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How is your prayer life? Do you struggle to pray?
Pastor Steve discusses the importance about praying about everything.
Why do Christians struggle to pray? Our ignorance. Our busyness. Our arrogance. Our confusion.
We can look to Jesus for our example of times to pray.
Jesus prayed at spiritual milestones. He prayed at His baptism. Jesus prayed in demanding moments. People flocked to see Him. He often withdrew to take time to pray. Jesus prayed before big steps. He prayed all night before choosing the twelve disciples. Jesus prayed when teaching vital concepts. Jesus prayed for a friend’s faith to last. Jesus prayed when darkness descends. He prayed in the garden prior to His arrest. Jesus prayed in great stress. He prayed while He was on the cross. Jesus prayed when He was done. He prayed during His ascension.
Jesus taught us to pray! Pray with a trusting heart. Pray with an amazed heart. Pray with a kingdom outlook. Pray with a confident mindset.
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The zeitgeist is the spirit of the age which is the pattern of this world. When you find yourself asking “What is wrong with people?” or “What is wrong with this world?” you’ll likely find the answer by identifying the zeitgeist that is hiding and normalizing evil.
We need to be aware of the zeitgeist. The zeitgeist appears to change- but does it? The spirit of the age is driven spiritually. It is important to recognize the spirit of the age. The zeitgeist turns people away from God and away from one another.
We do things together to help one another remember ourselves and to remember our context. Together we help each other remember that we are Christ’s, and to remember that we are aliens in this world.
We do things together to be deeply rooted in the truth, and to help us through the storms that are ahead.
We do things together to do the work of the ministry as demonstrated by Jesus in Matthew 16:24.
What does doing everything together look like? Take the good and the bad honestly. Push one another! Work with one another. Never do a ministry alone that you can do with a friend. Learn together. Worship together.
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Listen as Pastor Steve continues his series on Personally Incorporating the Values of Jesus.
Why is building men who love God important? Jesus did it. Our church does it. Do you do it?
Why men? Their absence in the church is noticeable. Their influence is far reaching. The Bible shows in Job that it is their call.
What is a man who loves God? Let’s look at 2 Timothy 1:1-14 to see what a an who loves God looks like. A man of relationships. A man of faith. A man ready to serve. A man of courage. A man who seeks purity. A man who finishes well.
How do we build men who love God? We pray for them. We connect them to other men who love God. We encourage them.
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The first value of Jesus that Pastor Steve will discuss in the series The Values of Jesus is bridge building.
Why do we build bridges? Relationships are fundamental to Christianity. Relationships close the gap. Relationships are powerful.
We have to be careful we do not burn bridges we have built. Bridges can be burned because of a bad reputation. Bridges can be burned when we are indifferent towards others. Bridges can be burned when we are arrogant.
How do we build bridges like Jesus built bridges? Give of your time. Pay for the bridge work. Deliver the payload.
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Pastor Steve begins a new series on The Values of Jesus. Pastor Steve will discuss seven of the values of Jesus in the next few weeks.
Jesus shows us His values when everything was on the line in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus valued connection with people. The twelve did everything together.
Jesus valued wise investment in people. He built men who love God.
Jesus valued prayer. He prayed about everything.
Jesus valued doing things right. Excellence in all things.
Jesus valued Godly influence. He was the consummate bridge builder.
Jesus valued the Bible. He knew that the Bible had the answers for all of life’s situations.
Jesus valued forward thinking. He was willing to leave behind the familiar and comfortable.
Pastor Steve will discuss each of these values of Jesus through the coming weeks.
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God puts us in places that require trust. There are times when God seems to test us. Our journey may be fraught with peril. You will encounter circumstances you cannot manage. Even when it appears you’re alone trust Jesus.
The real reason we fear is we lack understanding of who God is. We don’t see that God IS love. Our hearts are hard. We struggle to trust Jesus.
How can we overcome fear? Examine your own heart. Ask yourself these questions and be honest with yourself. Do you see any hardness toward others in your heart? Do you feel so sure of your heart’s opinion that you feel certain that God must feel the same? Our own hard hearts prevent us from seeing the deep love of Jesus for others and in turn, for ourselves.
Look for a fresh vision of God’s love. He loves you, and He can calm the raging storm inside of you. Choose to trust as you choose to love. You can move from fear to faith.
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