DAN GOULD

FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Author: dgould77

  • Be Renewed – Colossians 3:10

    Here’s my manuscript from this past Sunday’s teaching in the Adult Service.  I always enjoy my time worshiping in that service and then being able to share from Gods Word!  Praying that we are seeking Him daily as we talked about Sunday! Feel free to re-use it where ever you’d like!

    Student Invasion Weekend
    BE RENEWED
    1.2.11

    “Put on the new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” Colossians 3:10 (NLT)

    Happy New Year!!!  We’ve kinda started a tradition here with me teaching on the 1st Sunday of the New Year! If you were here last year you might remember that as we began our time together I started by sharing a bunch of my failed New Years Resolutions.  Well, to get a jump-start on today, I thought I would share one of my failed Resolutions from last year, are you ready for this? … P90X

    Yeah, you all laugh, but I bet I’m not the only one who failed at this one … How many of you got caught up in the media hype and purchased P90X last year?  How many of you actually stayed committed to it?

    One of the things that I like about the New Year is the fact that many of us are thinking about life!  We are thinking about habits we want to start and habits that we want to stop.  And if you’re like me, you have made some sort of New Years Resolution.  Today, I want to build on that thought and talk about the two words at the top of your notes!  Look at them with me, the words are “BE RENEWED!”  What does that look like for you in 2011?

    In September, we started something in Fusion called the Bible Challenge. The challenge is quiet simple; you read the Bible one chapter a day, 5 days a week. If you miss a day, you have two days to catch up.

    Whoever wanted to take the challenge received a tri-fold with the reading plan on it.  I made a personal commitment to blog about each of the daily reading. I did to simply record some of my thoughts and to help encourage others to read the Bible on a consistent basis.

    On October 21st we read from Colossian 3. If you look at my Bible, I have most of chapter 3 highlighted.  It’s a chapter that challenges Christians to live in the New Life that’s found only in Christ. And to put to death the old life that is controlled by sin.

    I don’t know about you, but there is an intense battle between the old nature and new nature that rages within me over every thought, action, and situation. I’ll be honest, some day’s are better than others! There are days I feel like I am making real advances in becoming Christ like. But then there are other days where I feel as if I just coast by, or simply go thought the motions.

    These were the thoughts going through my head as I read that day and then I got to verse 10.  Look at it with me,

    “Put on the new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” Colossians 3:10 (NLT)

    Will you circle the words “BE RENEWED”! If I am real honest, I am at this point in my journey with Christ that I don’t want to just be good enough.  I don’t want to just go through the motions, because I should, or because I have learned its what I am supposed to do as a Christ Follower.

    I want everyday to be fresh, new, inspiring, and challenging in the sense that I am learning to be WITH Him.  These two words BE RENEWED, are words that I need to hear today. These are words that I need to experience! And I bet these are words you need to experience also or you wouldn’t be here today!

    So lets BE RENEWED by looking at what it take to experience Spiritual Renewal.

    SPIRITUAL RENEWAL INVOLVES A …

    1. Renewed DEVOTION!

    Let me be careful and clear here, Devotion is more than just saying a prayer, walking an isle, or putting an A on your communication card.  Yes, those can be starting points to a relationship with Jesus, and they help Church Leaders know what the Lord is doing in your life, but they are not the end in themselves.

    Devotion requires Commitment, Confession, and Change! It’s something that defines Who You Are and What You Become! Jesus says that His followers have to be devoted!

    “Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.” Luke 9:23-26 (NLT)

    This kinda redefines Devotion for us doesn’t it!?! Being a Christ Follower means that you are fully committed to following Christ on a daily basis!

    Will you be Devoted to Jesus 100% in 2011?

    2. Renewed LOVE!

    “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.”
    Revelation 2:4-5 (NLT)

    Love is the central word in what Jesus says is the greatest commandment, look what it says,

    “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37 (NLT)

    Somewhere in the mix we have lost sight of this very important statement by Jesus.  You see, Loving God fully, requires commitment, self-discipline, and a giving heart. And let’s be honest, loving others takes time, work, and sometimes resources.  It’s much easier to love ourselves than to love others.

    But, when we experience and understand the depth of God’s love, it changes the way we love.  In order to understand the depth of God’s Love, we have to understand the importance of the Cross!

    The Cross reveals the Greatest Expression of Love and Devotion. You see without the Cross, we are held responsible for our sin. The Bible says, “that the wages of sin is death.” Because God punishes sin, the Cross was the extreme punishment for sin. The Cross was the place where sin collided with God’s wrath & judgment!

    But, because God is a loving God, the Cross is the extreme expression of God’s love!  Jesus took on God’s Wrath and Judgment, when He was crucified on the Cross.  The Cross stands between God’s wrath and God’s love! It reveals both a God that seeks Justice and God that provides Love.  Therefore, it’s through the cross, where we experience the love of God and are able to love Him and others!

    Will you fully love Jesus and others in 2011?

    3. Renewed IDENTITY!

    If I were to ask, “Who are you?” Besides giving me your name, what would you say? Matter a fact, why don’t you write down three words that describe who you are!

    If you are like me, your list may have things like this, Husband, if you have that on your list raise your hand! (Wife, for the Ladies), Daddy, raise your hand if you have that on your list! (Mommy, for the Ladies), and Student Pastor, raise your hand if you have that on your list!

    I thought I would be the only one! Raise your hand if you put some kind of job related thing down.

    See when I look at my list, I have to understand that these things are things that I DO! If I find my Identity in any of these things I’m in a scary place! Why? Because at any moment I could lose anyone of these things! And if my Identity is found in them, I’ve just lost my Identity.

    Therefore, my Identity has to be found in something I cannot lose!

    When I surrender my life to Christ, He becomes the constant in my life! Because I have done nothing to earn my salvation, I can do nothing to loose it! My Identity is found safe and secure in Him. It’s what’s described in Galatians 2:20,

    “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NLT)

    When my identity is found in Christ I have security, even when I experience loss, or messed up circumstances.  My identity changes from What I Do, to Who I Am.

    I am a Christ Follower, who loves his wife, loves his boys and tries to be the best daddy in the world, and serves as a Student Pastor.

    Will your Identity be found solely in Christ in 2011?

    4. Renewed MIND!

    The only way we can have a renewed mind is by making sure we are filling it with Gods Word!  This is why we have strongly encouraged you to begin reading the Bible on a daily basis.  By reading His Word we get a deeper understanding of who God is and how we should adjust our lives to His ways!

    “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (NIV)

    Will you focus your mind on Godly things in 2011?

  • Bible Challenge – 2 Timothy 4

    “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.” v. 2 (NLT)

    If you had the chance to tell someone about the hope you have a found in Jesus, would you be able too?  What would you say? Would you be able to show them what the Bible says? Would they even see something different enough in you to ask you a question like this?

    The words “Preach the Word of God” hit me hard today.  It’s a conviction that I have had over the last couple of months to help people understand how important the Bible is to a our everyday life, both the Christ Follower and the non-believer.  However, if I don’t know the Word of God, I cannot Preach it, and my lifestyle will not reveal it to the non-believers that are in my sphere of influence.  I don’t know when or where the next opportunity for me to share outside of the church walls will be, but I want to make sure I am prepared  for whatever situation presents itself.

    When I am prepared, I will know what to say, how to say it, I’ll be able to back up what I say with Scripture and be able to share what the Bible says with that person.

    Now, I don’t know what each day holds, or what topic might brought up, or who I might have the chance to share with.  I don’t even know the situation at which to be prepared for …. I just know that I want to know God and His Word so well that:

    1. I have wrestled with it myself!
    2. I have adjusted my life to it!
    3. I have prepared to share it!

    If I can do these three things, I will be prepared to preach, teach, or share what the Bible says to a world that desperately needs it!

    Today, are you you prepared to share? If you had an opportunity would you know what to say, what the Bible says, and would your life match up to it? Maybe the first place to start is by spending consistent time in the Word allowing God to work in you, so He can use you to work in others!

  • Bible Challenge – 2 Timothy 3

    “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” v. 1-5 (NLT)

    Are we living in the last days?  If you compare our world to the way Paul describes the last days it is easy to see some similarities. However no-one knows when their last day will be.  Because of this, we should have a since of urgency about how we live and who we live for.

    Two words sum up the attitudes and habits of people living in the last days, those two words are pride and selfishness.  Pride causes us to feel and live as if we don’t need anyone. It’s the, “I am good enough” or “not that bad” syndrome. Selfishness on the other hand, causes us to only look for what makes us happy.  Both of these attitudes keep us from the Heart of God.  A prideful person doesn’t see the need for God and therefore doesn’t trust Him with the details of his or her life.  A selfish person lives a life totally opposite of the life God calls us to live,  looking at themselves, instead of looking at others.  If you look at your life, would you see these two things anywhere?

    Today, will you read this passage and think about these two attitudes.  Will you ask God to help you deal with pride and selfishness? Then commit to begin to live each day as a gift taking advantage of each situation you are given.

  • Bible Challenge – 2 Timothy 2

    “If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.” v. 21 (NLT)

    The extent to the way that God uses us is found in the purity of our heart.  In a practical sense, we understand using the right tool for a job, or using clean dishes to eat off of verses using dirty ones.  However, when it comes to our own spiritual life, we expect there to be some kind of exception.  We expect God to use us despite the dirtiness of our life and lifestyle. The scripture doesn’t say that God can’t or won’t use us, it simply says that the extent of how we are used is based on our purity.

    Purity is a big topic that includes our pride, thoughts, actions and words.  When we pursue to live with a pure heart, we prepare ourselves to be used in greater ways in the advancement of Gods Kingdom! Purity takes surrender, transformation, and discipline.  Will you seek the purity that God desires?

    Today, are you going to pursue purity so you can be used in greater ways by God, or are you going to limit how much God can use you by not pursuing a pure heart?

  • Bible Challenge – 2 Timothy 1

    “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” v. 7

    Fear is a powerful thing.  It can keep us trapped in so many areas and even cause us to question God, ourselves, our family, and our friends.  Fear can cause us physical pain as well as emotional pain.  However, fear can be defeated, when we trust the Lord and turn to Him with all of our stuff, not just parts of it.

    Many times our greatest fear is the unknown.  When we let the fear of the unknown trap us, we limit our effectiveness to be used by God. So, we have to come to the point where we understand that fear is the opposite of faith.

    God doesn’t want us to fearful, He wants us to be faithful!  When we step out in faith, He gives us the power to walk through every fearful situation.  Each situation will cause us to experience His love and Supernatural Power, causing us to  become more self-disciplined in the process.  But let me warn you, facing your fear and stepping out in faith, isn’t going to be easy! It may be one of the most difficult things you do as a believer!

    Today, what fears are keeping you trapped?  Will you turn that fear over to God so you can experience His Power, Love, and Self-Discipline?

  • Bible Challenge – 1 Timothy 6

    “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.” v. 11-12 (NLT)

    It’s easy to read the words pursue these things …. In fact, sometimes we want to simply add more things to our life in our pursuit of Chasing after Christ and being all that He has created us to be.  However, its not by accident that Paul would tell Timothy to run from all these evil things! In fact, as we read this it’s probably a phrase that we skip to get on to the things we need to pursue so we can fight the good fight!

    But what if we stopped trying to add things to our life and began to look at the things we need to get rid of?  What if we began to take serious this idea of running from evil?  I know in my own life I have had the thought, “If I add this discipline to my life, then I won’t …!”  But that hasn’t worked so well for me and it probably hasn’t worked so well for you either.

    Therefore, we have to come to the point where we say enough is enough and begin the process of running and removing the evil that tries to hide behind the good things in our life.  If we don’t address them, they will stay there and keep surfacing and causing us problems. So before you add one more thing to your spiritual checklist, why don’t you eliminate something from you, secret sin list!

    Today, what evil do you need to identify in your life so you can begin to run from it on a daily basis! Maybe the most spiritual thing you do today is not something you do, but something you don’t do!

     

  • Bible Challenge – 1 Timothy 5

    “Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well,[e] especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, ‘You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, ‘Those who work deserve their pay!’” v. 17-18 (NLT)

    I almost didn’t want to write on this passage, because of my role as a pastor!  However, just because I am a pastor doesn’t mean that this doesn’t apply to me as a Christ Follower to the men that have been my friends and pastors.

    This past year has been incredible for me as a pastor! People have loved on us in ways that we never expected.  In October, several people from the church sent my wife and I to a spiritual retreat in Costa Rica that was a much needed break for us.  Then in November, students, leaders, and others within our ministry surprised my wife and I with gifts. Steph got a gift card and I recieved an iPad with this passage inscribed on the back:

    “As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.” 2 Corinthians 9:13-14 (NLT)

    Talk about being surprised, feeling humbled, and appreciated all at the same time, words really can’t explained how blessed we felt.  It was encouraging to know that people cared as deeply for us as we do for them!

    Now I said all of that to say this, sometimes being a pastor can be very lonely.  I know, you would think that being a pastor would be easy.  I mean, pastors only work 2 times a week right, Wednesday Nights and Sundays. (I don’t know how many times I have had people ask me what I do for my real Job!!!) sorry got off on a rabbit trail! Because it can be lonely, encouragement goes a long way! Knowing that my family is supported and will be taken care of, helps me focus on doing what the Lord has called me to do, Pastor.

    Now I am not saying all this in hopes to get a raise, I say this because we all need to support the leaders that God has placed in our lives!  We can do this in several ways here are just 5 practice ideas:

    1. Let your pastor know you are praying for them!
    2. Send them an encouraging letter!
    3. Take them to lunch!
    4. Give them a gift card so they can take their Wife on a date!
    5. Get involved in the Vision God has given them as leaders of the Church!

    These are some ideas that allow you to get involved in practical ways and let your pastor know that they are appreciated in big ways.  This allows them to feel supported and in return allows them the lead the church so it can move forward and advance Gods Kingdom in bigger ways!

    You would be surprised how far and an e-mail, text message, Facebook Message, or even phone call just to say thank you and I am praying for you can go!

    Today, how can you encourage the leaders in your life.  Will you take time now to let them know how much their ministry means to you?

  • Bible Challenge – 1 Timothy 4

    “Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.” v. 16

    What you believe affects how you live and how you live affects what you teach.  Therefore we need to watch these things closely.  We must be on constant guard against falling into sin that can so easily destroy us.  Yet we must watch what we believe and teach just as closely.  Wrong beliefs can quickly lead us into sin and heresy.  We should be on guard against those  who would persuade us that how we live is more important than what we believe.  We should keep a close watch on both, staying true to the truth.

    Today, think about your beliefs and how they impact you. Live and what you teach.  Is your lifestyle matching up to what you believe, say, and teach?

  • Bible Challenge – 1 Timothy 3

    “Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.” v.13

    As Christ Followers we are all called to serve.  However, there are some that will be appointed to different roles within the church. Some may serve as Elders and others as Deacons.  These role should not be based on social status, church attendance, or personality, but based on the persons character, integrity, and service.

    However, the qualities listed don’t just pertain to these positions.  These are the qualities and standards that all of us who claim to be Christ Followers should be pursuing.  Because these qualities are evident in our life, we may be asked to serve in bigger ways that help advance Gods Kingdom and care for others with the love of Christ.

    Today, are you developing the Character, Integrity, and a Heart to Serve that is described of here?  If not, what need to change so you can begin to live life this way?  

  • Bible Challenge – 1 Timothy 2

    “For there is only one God & one Mediator who can reconcile God & humanity – the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave the world at just the right time.” v. 5-6 (NLT)

    Today, who will you live for? Jesus gave His life for us, will we live our lives for Him? May this song be our prayer today!