Welcome to Palmerston EMC!
Palmerston EMC is made up of people from various walks of life. A somewhat traditional church, we reflect a small town personality with strong family ties. Agriculture and agricultural related business employ a large portion of our congregation, while some of our people are self-employed or work in industry, service or government. We are a practical, service oriented congregation with a heart to see God’s work in Palmerston move ahead. We have a strong desire to worship and serve God, to reach out to our community, to grow spiritually and to see new people come to faith in Jesus Christ.
You are welcome to join us!
Ghost Story Part #1: Who are you?
Who or what is the Holy Spirit? This is the question we began our sermon this past Sunday with. Below you will find a link to the sermon, as well as a copy of the completed sermon notes that were handed out on Sunday. At the end, you will find some questions to ponder by yourself, with a partner, or with your children. To listen to the sermon, click the link directly below.
Sermon Notes:
When it comes to explaining the Holy Spirit, we are at a loss (like trying to explain what electricity is)
When it comes to the Holy Spirit, you might have baggage or stereotypes. Please try to put them aside!
1) The Holy Spirit is God
“Is it because Christians have lost the sense of the Holy Spirit being God?” Robert Kuglin (from A Layman’s Handbook on the Holy Spirit)
Practical ways we show that we have lost the sense of the Holy Spirit as God?
The Holy Spirit is worthy of praise, prayer, worship and adoration, as much as the Father and the Son!
A) Equality with the Father and the Son (see Matt 28:19, 2 Cor 13:14 & 2 Cor 3:18-19)
B) He is eternal (Heb 9:14)
C) He is all powerful (Rom 15:18-19)
D) He is all-knowing (1 Cor 2:10-11)
E) He IS God (Acts 5:3-4)
2) He is a Person
In the Bible we don’t read of the Holy Spirit as a thing, but as a person!
Billy Graham writes: “Whoever speaks of the Holy Spirit as “it” is uninstructed, or perhaps even undiscerning…We see from the Bible that the Holy Spirit has intellect, emotions, and will. In addition to this, the Bible also ascribes to Him the acts we would expect of someone who was not just a force but a real person.”
HE, HIM (see John 14:16-17 & John 16:7-8)
- He can be lied to (Acts 5:3-4)
- He can be grieved (Isaiah 63:10)
- He can be insulted (Hebrews 10:29)
- He loves (Romans 15:30)
- He speaks (Acts 13:2)
- He leads (Acts 8:29)
#3 He is Present
A) He is omnipresent (all places at all times)
Psalm 139:7-12 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
B) Have you ever prayed for God to send the Spirit? Why do you do that?
John 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Did Jesus do that? YES (Acts 2:2-4)
After this, did the Spirit leave or get recalled to heaven? NO!
John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you FOREVER — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
The Spirit is always present. Instead of praying for God to send the Spirit, we need to pray to be filled with the Spirit, to be sensitive to the Spirit, to have the Spirit speak to us, guide us, convince us of sin.
Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool. During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on government subsidy. Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract. At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day. And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land, he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he’d been living on relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem? He didn’t know the oil was there, even though he owned it.
Many Christians live in spiritual poverty. They are entitled to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and his energizing power, but they are not aware of their birthright, they are unaware of what they have been given. As we walk through this series, it is my earnest prayer that you will begin to understand the amazing presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
Questions to Ponder:
1) Who is the Holy Spirit to you? (answer honestly)
2) What part of this sermon challenged you the most?
3) How are you denying the Holy Spirit as God in practical ways?
4) How are some ways you can begin to see the Spirit in a different light?
5) What is some of the baggage you carry when it comes to the Holy Spirit?
Congregational Round-table
While many churches, and even the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada as a whole, have taken steps to include women in all levels of church leadership, Palmerston EMC has maintained a tradition of male-only leadership in the Deacon role. A little over a year ago, Palmerston EMC began having a conversation about the place of women in leadership of the church, specifically in the role of Deacon by asking for the church’s opinion on the matter. The response to that question was limited, with only about 20 responses coming in, but decidedly one sided, with the vast majority of those who responded stating that it is about time that PEMC allowed women to serve in the role of Deacon.
Over the past year, church leadership has been continuing this discussion and we believe it is time to move that discussion to a close. Toward that end, the church leadership would like to invite everyone to a round-table discussion to be held after church on November 1st. This will be the kick-off to our “Souper Sunday” events for the fall and winter months, and our round-table discussion will be held afterward.
The intent of this event is for people to come and share their thoughts and opinions openly about women holding the position of Deacon in our church. It is important to me and the church leadership that people be given the opportunity to share their opinions openly about this topic. While we will not be holding a vote regarding this topic on November 1st, we are interested in learning the feelings of as many people as we can through this discussion.
To help in preparation for that event, we have asked our denominational leadership to provide us with some resources that might speak to this topic. While there are no specific position papers available, our president Phil Delsaut, did write a series of papers on headship that speak to the role of women in leadership in a Christian community. These papers are available in print on the literature table in the church foyer or by clicking on the links below.
President Delsaut Headship #1
President Delsaut Headship #2
President Delsaut Headship #3
President Delsaut Headship #4
President Delsaut Headship #5
President Delsaut Headship #6
President Delsaut Headship #7
You will note that there was to be a final paper after #7, but it was not to be found when I made this request to head office.
The other thing to do to prepare for this round-table discussion is to take a look at the pertinent scriptures associated with this discussion. Of course, there are the passages from 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.
I would encourage you to read these passages in their full context. Read all of 1 Timothy and Titus. Read 1 Corinthians 11-14 to grasp the context of Paul’s statements.
I would also encourage you to read those passages in light of passages like:
Genesis 3 – where male headship is a curse as a result of sin
Galatians 3:26-29
Romans 16:1
1 Peter 5:13
One thing that I desperately want to avoid with this conversation is the polarizing effect it might have. Some of us have very strong feelings one way or the other about this topic, either because of a tradition we have grown up with or because we have come to believe that the scriptures say one thing or the other.
The truth is, either side of this discussion can be strongly argued with the use of scripture, either accurately or by bending scripture to fit our opinions.
One other thing to consider when preparing for this discussion is these scriptures about how the Holy Spirit determines giftedness for ministry and leadership: Hebrews 2:4 & 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
Thank you for considering this discussion and for your participation in the discussion November 1st.
Sincerely,
Pastor Phil.
Overcomers: Royalty
Revelation 3:21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.
When you look around at the people who surround you on a daily basis, what do you see? When you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see?
Sometimes when we look at others we like what we see, sometimes we are disappointed by what we see, and other times we plain old detest what we see. The same can be said when we look in the mirror.
But what does God see when he looks as you?
Sermon Big Idea:
We are a chose, royal and holy people that God treasures.
Sermon Points:
- 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
- This is what God sees when he looks at us.
- This is God’s promise to Israel in Exodus 19:5-6, a promise passed on to Christians (Revelation 1:6)
- We have a new position before God when we come to faith in Christ.
- Galatians 4:4-7 proclaims that we are adopted as children, that we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters, and because we are his children we are also his heirs. These are all changes in our position before God.
- 2 Corinthians 5:16 tells us that we should no longer view one another with a worldly point of view because we are all royalty, reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
- C.S. Lewis: “There are no ordinary people…it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit…Next to the blessed sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object present to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy for in him also Christ – the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden.” (from his book The Weight of Glory).
- The final promise from Jesus to the overcomers in Revelation 3 is a promise to reign on the throne with him, because Jesus has won the victory and has given us the right to sit with him.
- This truth should do two things in our lives: 1) it should change the way we view other people; 2) it should change the way we view ourselves and live our lives.
Follow-up questions:
Do you live as a chosen, holy, royal one who is treasured by God? If not, why not? Do you live like the victory Jesus died to make you, or do you live as a defeated one?
Questions for parents with children:
Take a few minutes to ask your children what they think a royal, holy, chosen person looks like. Ask them if they realize that the the Bible is describing them.
Overcomers: New Names
Names are something that have had different meanings all through history. Unfortunately, we live in an age when names are rather neglected parts of our existence. We have come to a place in time when names are almost second-thoughts. But in different ages names meant a great deal. At some points in time they were closely guarded, because it was believe that to know someone’s true name was to have power over them. At other points in history, names were very carefully considered because it was believe that names had the power to change or influence the kind of person a child would become. At still other points in history, a person’s true name was not given to them until their character had revealed itself in puberty or adulthood. In fact, it was not uncommon in some periods of history for people to have more than one name throughout their lives.
As we continue our journey this week though chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, looking at “those who overcome”, we will come to a promise from Jesus to give us new names, names only known to Jesus and the individual. While there have been many attempts over the centuries to explain and understand this new name, I have always taken a rather simplistic view of the matter: Jesus knows me better even than I do. He knows me, not in my fallen, sinful state, but in the redeemed, purified, justified state that will be “me” when I spend eternity with him in heaven. That new “me” will need a new name, a name that identifies me not as the broken person I am now, but as the redeemed son of God that I will be then. That new name will embody everything God intended me to be when he breathed me into creation.
I think that is pretty cool.
Overcomers: Don’t worry…be happy
I know, it’s not Tuesday morning, but I’ve had a bit of a down week after the activities of Easter weekend. Plus it has been that God has filled my time this week with unforeseen but very welcome interactions with some people. I once heard a pastor talk about how you should never fill you schedule more than 80% full because you can be certain that God will fill the other 20%. While he was talking to pastors at the time, I believe this truth should extend to all Christ-followers, especially if you follow him expecting him to interfere with your life. I didn’t have much on my agenda this week, and I think God has used that to bring some interactions into my life this week. And they have been wonderful. If we plan ourselves too tight we leave no or little room for God to direct us. Just a side thought for this week.
Easter weekend. Good Friday “Way of the Cross” walk and community service. Easter Sunday early morning worship time, followed by a continental fellowship and our 10:30 service. A full time and all of it so very worth-while. But the focus of this blog is to review the sermon from Sunday. To that end, we looked at Revelation 2:8-11, Jesus’ letter to the church at Smyrna. Smyrna was a persecuted church, and it needed encouragement, which is what Jesus gives them.
Sermon Big Idea:
The Biblical cure for worry is perspective. All things in this life pale in comparison to the eternal glory that is waiting for us when we believe in Jesus. That sounds very pastory and full of Christianese doesn’t it. Let’s try it this way: Jesus is waiting for us in heaven with eternal life in his hand. When he hands us that gift, the worst of the things that we experienced in this life will fade into the blissful abyss of forgetfulness.
Sermon Points:
- We all worry. Some worse than others, but we all worry.
- Worry is a useless activity, but how do we get free from it?
- The Christians at Smyrna knew what suffering and worry was. They were severely persecuted by both the Romans and the Jews.
- Jesus encourages these Christians by providing them with perspective: that even if they suffer to the point of death, the crown of life is waiting for them.
- We need to recognize that everything we worry about here in this world is nothing in the eternal life that waits for us.
- No matter what we face in this life, none of it can touch us in the life to come.
- Not even the very fires of the second death (Hell)
- The truth of this claim comes in the truth of what we celebrate on Easter Weekend. That Jesus died our deaths to pay for our rebellion against God AND he conquered even the power of death when he rose from the grave.
- “Cast your worries and cares on God, for he cares for you.” That care is not just care in this life, but ultimate care in the life to come.
Follow-up Questions:
What do you worry about? Do you trust God with it? Even more importantly, do you see that worry in it’s correct light, in the light of the life that is waiting for us when we believe in the victory Jesus secured for us as our ultimate Passover sacrifice?
Questions for families with children:
Ask your children what they worry about and why. Then help them pray about it and ask God to take their worry from them.
Can’t Win
Have you ever felt that you just can’t win for losing? That no matter what you do, why you do it or when you do it, you fail to come out ahead. Certainly there are many things in life that can get to us, can discourage and even defeat us. But the Bible teaches us that when we believe in Jesus we are victorious. How do we reconcile these two truths? Simple, we read John 16:33. Jesus says “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Two truths reconciled. In Jesus we have peace; in the world we will have trouble. The peace we have in Jesus wins out because he has overcome the world. The real trick is learning to live in that truth. To live as if our King and Saviour has already overcome and made us overcomers.
Sermon Big Idea:
Those who overcome are promised eternity with Jesus in Paradise.
Sermon Points:
- John 1:1-5 Jesus is the light shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome him.
- Because Jesus is victorious, we are victorious through him. (Revelation 5:9-10)
- Jesus tells us to take heart because he has overcome. Take heart means “Cheer up!”
- In this world of trouble, we sometimes need something to help us “cheer up” to see the bright side, to remind us that we are overcomers.
- Jesus’ letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3 have promises for us that help us “take heart” when things seem bleak.
- Revelation 2:1 – displays Jesus as the one who holds the church in his hand, but who also walks among the churches, meaning he is present and active (how encouraging!)
- Revelation 2:2-4 – Jesus is pleased with the Ephesian church because of their labour, their endurance and their commitment to the truth.
- Revelation 2:5-6 – Jesus is displeased because the church has lost its “fine flush of enthusiastic love”, for Jesus and for one another.
- Revelation 2:7 – Jesus promises the right to eat of the tree of life which is in God’s paradise to those who overcome.
- We lost the right to eat from the tree when Adam and Even rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden.
- Jesus redeemed that right when he lived and died obediently, and he gives that right to us.
- Paradise is the place where we will share perfect fellowship and communion with God, where we will once again walk with God in the cool of the evening.
- What is Jesus promising here? Life forever in the presence and in the company of our Lord.
Follow-up questions:
Take some time pondering, meditating on this promise. How would God use this to encourage you, to help you “take heart”. Is there something claiming victory over you in your life that God wants to free you from? Take some time to ask the Holy Spirit to show you these things.
Questions for families with small children:
Spend time with your child talking about paradise, about heaven. Ask them what their picture of heaven is, and what they think it will be like to be there. Their answer may surprise and encourage you!
Overcomers
Have you ever taken a moment to consider what the Bible means when it talks about Christians as “those who overcome”? It’s all over the place in the Bible. Some verses talk about us as being victorious, others talk about what we are victorious over, and still others talk about how we are victorious. On Sunday, we began a journey through that very topic.
The one thing that is critical to understand as we begin this journey together is this: our victory is a stated fact. It is a stated fact because it has been given to us by Jesus. It is his victory, but it is a victory that he shares with us. Because of that truth, we can live and breathe in the words of Romans 8:37 “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”
nikao. It is a Greek word that appears 28 times in the New Testament, and it means “to overcome” or “be victorious”; and it is used quite a few of those 28 times to talk about Christians.
While we will talk about Jesus as the victor, I wonder how many of us have come to the firm and absolute conclusion that
Sermon Big Idea:
Because Jesus was victorious in his life, his death and his resurrection, and is victorious still, those who believe in him are “overcomers” as well.
Sermon Points:
- ύπερνικάω (hupernikao).
- ύπερ (huper) means more, over and above, super
- νικάω (nikao) means to overcome, to conquer.
- those who believe in Jesus are “super-conquerors”.
- This word talks about someone who has not just won or defeated an adversary, but has done so in such a way that there is no question of their superiority or their right to the victory.
- We come from a heritage of overcomers (Joshua/Jericho, David/Goliath, Moses/Pharaoh)
- We are overcomers (Luke 10:19, 1 John 5:4-5)
- Romans 8:35-39 Paul reiterates that NOTHING can overcome us, not even death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
- It is Jesus’ victory that has been given to us (Psalm 20:6, 1 John 4:4)
- Revelation 12:11 says that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb, but that we also continue overcoming through the word of our testimony, by living victoriously for Jesus.
- A spiritual battle still rages around us, a battle we are expected to participate in, a battle that we CAN participate in because we are overcomers in Christ.
- It can be a hard fight, a discouraging fight, a never-ending fight.
- We must remember that we are victorious because Jesus is already victorious.
Follow-up questions:
Are there any areas in your life that you feel “beaten” in? Ask God to help you understand how you can be victorious even in those areas.
Questions for families with small children:
Talk to your children about the images of Jesus as a warrior, as God being our shield and deliverer. Ask them how that image of Jesus makes them feel?
Fan or Follower: Worth It?
When we gathered on Sunday, it was to finish up our journey through the question: Are you a follower of Jesus or merely a fan? A fan, just to remind you, is “an enthusiastic admirer”. A fan has the poster on the wall, knows all the stats and cheers from the sidelines.
The only way to know the difference between being a fan and being a follower is to discover what Jesus says a follower looks like. That, really, has been the whole point of this journey. We want to discover what Jesus defines being a follower as, and then see how we measure up.
Principles of following:
1) Jesus is the only one worth following. 2) Following is essential to believing, just as believing is essential to following. 3) following means being a doulos (slave) to Jesus. 4) following means expecting Jesus to interfere with your life. 5) A follower knows Jesus intimately. 6) A follower follows Jesus in a community of other followers. 7) A follower follows Jesus on mission. 8) Following Jesus is costly. 9) A follower becomes more like Jesus as they follow him.
Sermon Big Idea:
Following Jesus is worth the hardship and the costs that following might bring.
Sermon Points:
- Jesus defines what it means to be a follower, not you or I.
- It is not about how we compare to other people, it is not about denominational measures, or family heritage or Biblical knowledge.
- Jesus’ definition is not easy! But is it worth it?
- God wants to transform our lives, in giving us new lives. (Romans 6:1-4)
- New zoe (spiritual) life.
- Before we knew Christ we were spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1)
- Abundant (overflowing quality of life that Jesus came to give), spiritual life (John 10:10)
- We have to be convinced that this new life in Christ is enough. We have to learn contentment (Philippians 4:12-13)
- What does following Jesus supply? (Psalm 23)
- Contentment (vs 1)
- Rest (vs 2)
- Guidance (vs 3)
- Safety (vs 4)
- Provision (vs 5)
- A home (vs 6)
- Can God really provide these things? YES. His proof is in his power displayed in Jesus’ resurrection. His proof is the victory we have been given through Jesus.
Follow-up questions:
Take some time to answer the question “Are you a follower?” in light of how Jesus defines that relationship?
Questions for families with small children:
Pick one or two of the principles of following and talk to your children about how you can be living them out in your family life.
Are you a follower?
What good is it…
In Luke 9:25, Jesus asks his disciples a very pointed question. He asks: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” That’s the NIV translation. The Living Bible puts it this way: “and what profit is there in gaining the whole world when it means forfeiting one’s self?” Jesus asks this question on the tail end of one of the many times that he talks about the cost of following him. Luke 9 specifically talks about two of those costs: taking up your cross daily to follow Jesus and losing our life for Jesus’ sake in order to find life.
By asking this question, Jesus cuts to the very heart of the issue we humans have when considering the costs of following Jesus: is it worth it? Is having Jesus interfere with our lives worth it? Is following Jesus on mission worth it? Is becoming more like Jesus worth it? Is sharing our faith journey with other followers worth the inherent risk that comes with close relationships? Is being a slave to Jesus worth the cost of our independence?
It would seem much more fulfilling, much more beneficial and much more “rewarding” to chase after the things that provide us with more immediate and earthly benefits. Good jobs, good standing with friends/family, financial comfort, a nice home, a reliable car, etc. But Jesus puts all of those things in a much different light with this question. If you were to gain the whole world, everything this life has to offer (and certainly our world now has far more on offer than the world of Jesus’ day did), for the fleeting time that we spend on this world but at the cost of your very self and your eternal soul, is that worth it? Is the stuff of this world worth the cost of your values, your ethics, your personality, your self-respect?
I would challenge our thinking in a different way in this matter as well. When we consider the cost of following Jesus (and perhaps consider the costs too high), I would propose that we are making the automatic assumption that there are no or very few rewards that come with the following. That following Jesus is nothing but a one-way street of sacrifice, slavery, sorrow and loneliness, that is all about costs flowing from us to Jesus, that there is no return from Jesus to us.
Of course there is the immediate response to that assumption, that Jesus has already put out more than we ever will in terms of cost when he lived and died for us. But if we put that assumption aside and consider it closely, Biblically, I think we will find that indeed there are rewards and benefits to us, in the here and now, when we follow Jesus.
It is those benefits that we are going to explore this week as we wrap up the sermon series Fan or Follower.
See you Sunday.
Fan or Follower: Transformation follow-up
Have you ever been in one of those moments in life when you are face-to-face with the consequences of your character (not your actions, your character), and you think: “Man, I wish I could be someone else.” Or have you ever wished that a part of you was different. Perhaps your anger gets the best of you, or your perfectionism causes a rift with a co-worker. Or maybe you’re lazy attitude causes you to miss out on a life-changing opportunity. Or maybe you just plain old don’t like who you are in one particular moment.
Maybe I’m the only one who finds himself disappointed in, well, himself (although I doubt that to be the case). When we met on Sunday, we talked about how God desires to transform us into the likeness of Jesus. Let me be clear in saying that God desires this because he is disappointed in us or finds us wanting. That is not the case at all. He desires this for us because we are at our best when we are being like Jesus. Philip is most like Philip when there is more of Jesus present. I know that may seem like an odd thing to say, but I believe it to be true.
Remember, God created humanity in his own image. That image was broken when Adam and Eve rebelled against (disobeyed) God. That image remained broken, until Jesus was born and redeemed the image, remade the image of humanity. So now, as a new creation (as Paul calls us), I follow after the image of Jesus, which is in fact the real image of me that God desires. I hope you can follow that bit of convoluted logic.
Principles of following (so far):
1) Jesus is the only one worth following. 2) Following is essential to believing, just as believing is essential to following. 3) following means being a doulos (slave) to Jesus. 4) following means expecting Jesus to interfere with your life. 5) A follower knows Jesus intimately. 6) A follower follows Jesus in a community of other followers. 7) A follower follows Jesus on mission. 8) Following Jesus is costly.
Sermon Big Idea:
A follower is transformed to be more like Jesus as they follow him.
Sermon Points:
- I am learning to be more like Jesus in my attitudes, behaviours and character.
- We are all being made into the image of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:8).
- Romans 8:29 we are being conformed into the image of Jesus.
- Transformed is the process by which we become more like Jesus.
- Being conformed to Jesus’ image is the end result/goal/product.
- Sanctification is what this whole process is called.
- 1 Peter 1:2 sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives: he accomplishes the process by which we are made into Jesus’ image.
- BUT we must participate in the process; we cannot simply go about our lives waiting for the Spirit to get it done!
- In transforming us, Jesus will interfere with our lives!
- Transform what? 1) Heart (passions, love, empathy, emotions, anger, lusts, compassion, etc); 2) Mind (Philippians 4:8-9); 3) Life (2 Peter 1:3-9, our lives need to reflect Jesus!)
- Why does God want to do this? Because we are all images of a broken humanity and God sent Jesus to fix what was broken (Matthew 9:12-13)
- What motivates this on God’s part? Love. God loves you enough to meet you wherever you are at, but he love you too much to leave you there.
- Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCkBL2DfVg to watch a Skit Guys video about this topic called “God’s Chisel”.
Follow-up questions:
When was the last time you considered, really considered, areas of your life that God might want to remodel? What bothers you most about yourself? How can you ask the Holy Spirit to help you work on that area? Is there something habitual in your life that you know is not Christ honouring? When was the last time you prayed/confessed/asked the Holy Spirit to work on that in your life?
Questions for families with small children:
For those brave enough, take a minute to ask your child/children what they wish could/would be different about you (scary right). Prompt them to respond honestly with no fear of reprisal. Whatever they have to say, invite them to pray with you about that thing, that the Holy Spirit would help you work on that area of your life. This is a great opportunity to model humility and openness to God’s transformation in your life to your children!
Are you a follower?
