Strong Relationships
Strong Relationships - Part 4 | Pastor Micah Pelkey
May 15, 2022 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • Jude 3–25, Proverbs 3:9, 1 Corinthians 16:1–2, Romans 12:1–2
Each relationship that we have will nurture a strength or a weakness within us. Jude 1 3 Dear friends, I wanted very much to write to you about the salvation we all share together. But I felt the need to write to you about something else: I want to encourage you to fight hard for the faith that God gave his holy people. God gave this faith once, and it is good for all time. 4 Some people have secretly entered your group. These people have already been judged guilty for what they are doing. Long ago the prophets wrote about them. They are against God. They have used the grace of our God in the wrong way—to do sinful things. They refuse to follow Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord. 8 It is the same way with these people who have entered your group. They are guided by dreams. They make themselves dirty with sin. They reject God’s authority and say bad things against the glorious ones. 10 But these people criticize things they don’t understand. They do understand some things. But they understand these things not by thinking, but by feeling, the way dumb animals understand things. 16 These people always complain and find wrong in others. They always do the evil things they want to do. They boast about themselves. The only reason they say good things about others is to get what they want. 17 Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said would happen. 18 They told you, “In the last times there will be people who laugh at God and do only what they want to do—things that are against God.” 19 These are the people who divide you. They are not spiritual, because they don’t have the Spirit. 20 But you, dear friends, use your most holy faith to build yourselves up even stronger. Pray with the help of the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves safe in God’s love, as you wait for the Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy to give you eternal life. 22 Help those who have doubts. 23 Rescue those who are living in danger of hell’s fire. There are others you should treat with mercy, but be very careful that their filthy lives don’t rub off on you. 24 God is strong and can keep you from falling. He can bring you before his glory without any wrong in you and give you great joy. 25 He is the only God, the one who saves us. To him be glory, greatness, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord for all time past, now, and forever. Amen. Show me your friends and I will show you your future. Influence: To have an effect on the actions, behavior, or opinions of others. Who influences me? Who am I influencing? Who is in your circle of influence? Do they elevate or deflate me? Am I better because they sit in my circle? Proverbs 3:9 - Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your income. 1 Corinthians 16 1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Romans 12 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 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. Is my circle straining me? Is my circle strengthening me?
Strong Relationships - Part 1 | Pastor Micah Pelkey
April 24, 2022 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • Romans 12:1–2, Matthew 22:36–39, Matthew 3:16–17, Romans 8:35–39
Matthew 22 36 “Teacher,” he asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and the most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ Love God Love Others Love Yourself Matthew 3 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Identity It is imperative to know WHO you are and WHOSE you are. You were created ON purpose and FOR a purpose. Beloved Romans 8 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground. — Brennan Manning Well Pleased I want to live a life that is pleasing to God. Romans 12 1 So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer. 2 Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.
Strong Relationships - Part 3 | Pastor Micah Pelkey
May 8, 2022 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • Luke 10:38–42
Do you always seem to be in a hurry? Do you always seem to be pressed for time? Has anyone (that cares for you) ever asked you to slow down? Do you feel guilty when you do rest or relax? Do your priorities ever get out of order? I will be happy when… Luke 10 38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Busyness is often a choice. Distraction: An object that directs one's attention away from something else. Have things changed in your life? What are the things that have been building up in your life? What has been happening in your house? What is happening in your heart? The things we get distracted by are usually not as important as the things we get distracted from. Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. — C.S. Lewis 35,000
Strong Relationships - Part 2 | Pastor Micah Pelkey
May 1, 2022 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • Proverbs 18:19, Hebrews 12:15, Philippians 4:2–3, Psalm 119:165
Often, the worst excuse, is a good excuse. — John Maxwell Proverbs 18:19 — A brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city, And contentions [separating families] are like the bars of a castle. Hebrews 12:15 — Look after each other so that not one of you will fail to find God’s best blessings. Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you, for as it springs up it causes deep trouble, hurting many in their spiritual lives. What is the resentment that is trying to take root in your life right now? What could happen if you became offended? Offense won’t ever let us go. We must let it go. Philippians 4 2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. Are you helping or hurting? Psalm 119:165 — Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. No Offense