Breakthrough - Absolutely Small - The Birthplace of Breakthrough, Part 1

Did you ever notice the good things come in small packages. I mean, whether it's a wedding ring or smart phone or a nice wristwatch. We all know that small packages can contain some pretty interesting, even expensive stuff. Interestingly enough, Jesus was a big proponent of small if you long for a breakthrough in your life.

Here's what you need to know absolutely small is the birthplace of breakthrough stay with Discover how to open welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry entering the Bible to this program. Chip continues a series breakthrough publishing God's power into a possible situation begins with a quick review and opens the Bible to John chapter 4. Take a look at how Jesus mother start after the teaching trip will be with us here in studio to talk more about this journey let's get going, Shelley. Here's trip with his message absolutely small birthplace of breakthrough spent about an hour in a car with a good friend out of the blue, he turned to me because he has breakthrough stuff messing with me when you get me right between the eyes is a list get this clear. I just talk.

If you get hit, it's God's okay will got him in between the eyes is awarding me the next hour he begin to very candidly and honestly talk about some issues in his life that he knows this is right and this is wrong and right now this is wrong and I know what I need to do and that he had that look on his face like not like I was. Not many brain cells working now do you understand if I do what's right. Implications and he started going through relationships, finances, reputation, and I just said man you believe God is real or not you believe he can take care of you.

You think this is any different than when he said to the disciples feed the 5000 feet to 4000. You just gotta believe because I know I got it I got it and I had to believe that he's probably not the only one that here's what I want you to get your on the verge of breakthrough absolutely small is the birthplace of breakthrough you can have catalyst you can be moved.

You can step out. You can start but the birthing of breakthrough happens and what I call absolutely small look on your notes size absolutely matters only in reverse to birth and sustain breakthrough a book I've been reading great book.

It's a little heady in the first part but will be intellectual challenge, but super insightful. It's by Andy Crouch. It's called culture making, he studied how cultures develop and how things happen in cultures and how their shaped he writes every cultural good whether a new word along recipe a song or gadget begins with a small group of people and not just a relatively small group of people, but a absolutely small group, no matter how many people it goes out to, or the mass of fact, it always starts small and this means that no matter how complex or extensive the cultural system may consider the only way it will be change his mind absolutely small group of people who innovate and create a new cultural good network, rapid change, significant change, any change of any kind that is major always starts with a very very small group. He goes on the optimal size of the small group I suggested three.

Sometimes it's for five or occasionally can pull it off with two but three people can fit into a mini Cooper. Barely with room for luggage. Three.

People can talk on a conference call and convene around a table in a meeting or chat online without anyone getting bored or distracted or feeling super +3 people can sit in a booth in a restaurant and hatching idea, but the surprising pattern that emerges when you study the propagation of new dynamic innovation cultural goods is at least three concentric circles are never very large drama so it absolutely small.

The optimal size as I've studied is three and 12 and then 120. The circles are small enough so that people can know another stasis they can be minimally acquainted. They know one another's talents and limitations, and they know how much to trust and how to verify and then he goes on, and whether it's the movie industry or the corporate world, or even gets around and realizes that you know Jesus had of the 12. He had three and then there were the 12 and at Pentecost.

There was 120 and he goes through ideas and whether it's that the starting of MySpace or Facebook or Google or CEO, CFO, CIO, he just goes through and says always starts small, and I want you to know that whether you're on the verge of potentiality and you are thinking and praying and dreaming in God's putting on your heart what you need is an authentic smaller group of people to get on board with you to dream that dream to pray with you and take some risk and say let's do this together and if you're on the other side and you are pregnant but conflicted and you realize this would mean I would need to move out and are presently living with someone.

This would mean I have to get my finances in order. This would mean I'd have to say I'm sorry and make restitution and forgive someone that I hate your guts.

This would mean in your dislike and I just can't do it. I know I should. I know I want to I can't. You need to be in a small group of safe, loving, caring people that say regardless of the implications. Whatever happens will be there with you and what I want to tell you is that's the pattern of Scripture.

Everyone here believes that God wants to change the city right now through Scripture is not what he does mean if you ever have your ricotta done a little look at this Bible and in and realized like the names of these books when God wanted to change the world. He wrote the book to the Corinthians in the city of and the Ephesians in the city of and that that's all I can do in the city of and to the Romans and the city of Waterloo's most influential cities in the world but it always started. What Jesus a small group of people. The 12 120 and then that got multiplied in birth here there and everywhere.

What did you ever wonder how Jesus reached the city and how he taught his disciples to reach a city where if you didn't, you should.

And here's your lucky day. That's what we look at open your notes if you will. And let's look very specifically at how Jesus reached the city and today he's doing it in London and Paris, and Hong Kong. John chapter 4 very very interesting. I think the goal here is so the disciples learn later, when he leaves and gives them the mission how to pull this off the open your Bible John chapter 4 Matthew Mark Luke John it's the gospel. The story opens as a Pharisees here that Jesus is gaining a baptizing more disciples than John is actually not Jesus baptizing, but his disciples and so he chooses to leave Judea and he goes to Galilee.

He's going to go on the non-Jewish side of the lake and he says in verse four.

Now we need to go through Samaria so we came to town in Samara called sidecar near the plot of ground that Jacob given to his son Joseph and Joseph's well was there and Jesus was tired from the journey I sat down Motherwell and is about the six hour or it's noon and it's very very hot when Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her. When you give me a drink sidebar the disciples all had left to go get food in town and she shot to Samaritans or halfbreed, but the cultural division I mean is absent.

Jews hate Samaritans Samaritans hate Jews, a B min don't initiate conversations with women. Women were subhuman in that day and so she's wondering one you're a Jew, woman, is an odd time a day.

And the reason she's out at this time a day is because there's a little colorful past and she's rejected her community and so well all the other women go out and draw water. She doesn't want to be there could she's not accepted she's out here by yourself you a Jew asked me for a drink, for Jews don't associate with Samaritans.

Jesus response if you knew the gift of God and who it is that asked for drink, you would ask him and he would've given you living water.

Serve the reply you've nothing to draw within the well is very deep. Where will you get this living water. Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us as well and drank from himself and also his sons and his flocks and is heard in Jesus that everyone who drinks this physical water will be thirsty again but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.

Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life is the woman's response hello this Sir, give me this water so I won't get thirsty and you have to keep coming back to draw water. What you got this. It sounds great.

It's only little throws out a little test.

Like many of you are in right now like my friend is in right now.

He says oh you won't water your thirsty woman meet your need. You want to spring up in you eternal life. Once you go get your husband will talk about it further.

Her reply.

I have no husband Jesus.

And you're right when you say you have no husband. The fact that you had five husbands, and men you have now is not your husband what you have said is quite true and contrary to how I think most of us read this text. I think he was affirming her honesty and vulnerability. Not condemning her as we will see Sir.

She said I can see that your profit. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain but you Jews claim the place we worship is in Jerusalem. So I guess man anybody that knows this. Your reading my mail. There's no way you could know this, you must be a prophet. I guess were in a talk religion. Let's change the subject. You say this mountain, you know.

And Jesus says sweetheart that sort of my reading into the text. It's way bigger than what mountain or where Jesus verse 21 says believe me, woman. The time is coming when you will worship the father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, you Samaritans worship what you do not know but we Jews worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews yet new dispensation new truth, a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the father seeks God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship him, and spirit and in truth.

You might in your Bible circle were highlighted in your mobile device seeks literally. It's pursues the father is pursuing and seeking and running after people that don't know him that they might turn and worship him. Not in some external form, but in spirit and in truth, the woman said I know okay what were getting down to paid or will I know that the Messiah Christ is coming when he comes to explain everything. Notice is absolutely amazing because the Pharisees can't figure out who is the disciples have been foggy on who he is. 10 after heals people.

He says don't tell anyone because all the mushrooming of crowds, but here is an immoral woman who's a halfbreed who's despised who's rejected and she gets honest.

And here's the two. She gets that Jesus declared, I speak to UMP on the Messiah just minutes disciples returning were surprised finding them talking to a woman that is an understatement, but no one ask what you want, or why you talking with her, then leaving her water jar cursor response. She leaves her charge there woman went back into the town instead of the people come and see.

Amanda told me everything I ever did. Could he be the Christ and it came out of the town and they made their way toward him.

Meanwhile the camera lens is a before starting hubbub coming out of the town camera lens goes back is Jesus and the disciples. Meanwhile, the disciples urged Jesus to get something to eat.

By the way, that's why we went to town was at go order. We got it we brought it back to be hungry. Rabbi but he said I have food to eat that you know not nothing, of minutes disciples said to one another. Could someone have brought him food.

Come on guys, me think about where this is that my food Jesus said, is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work. Do you not say there for months and it then comes the harvest you think that the work of God or when things are going really happened in breakthrough and things like you never seen you guys say it's in the future. Someday some way when God intervenes, but I say to you, lift up your eyes and I imagine there's some people coming out of that town, led by an immoral woman who was disrespected and despised who thought she was unworthy see the fields are white for harvest in the notices explanation even now the reaper draws his wages even now he on the harvest crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together, one sows, another reaps. It's true, I sent you to reaper you haven't worked.

Others have done the hard work and you have reaped the benefits for their labor and in just a few moments to learn that they come they believe based on her testimony and their Samaritans and he's a Jew, and they Satan.

Do you think you could stick around for another couple days so it is a two day seminar and then they turned to the woman and I say we have common believed based on your word and your testimony, but after two days of hearing his word. Looking at text what to say. Now we believe and know you are the Savior of the world now want to have you look at your notes if you would show you something about how Jesus very intentionally reached the city and I want to suggest that he didn't just reach a city, but he's wanting to teach his disciples about how to reach cities and then working to learn from the disciples how to reach a city where did the breakthrough begin answer Jesus. Jesus cared Jesus had compassion on that city and had very specific compassion on that woman whom did Jesus choose. This is always us number for us religious people he chose an immoral, socially rejected woman in a culturally despised town batches for all of us that think were not qualified. Third, how did she make room for breakthrough. She recognized that she had thirst a lot of us do a lot of stuff a lot of the sea sex addictions shop work we have thirst for fulfillment and meaning she recognize she had thirst and she was open to realize maybe there's a different way to quench your thirst. Second, when confronted with the truth. She was just honest, I don't have it all together. I have a checkered past, but she had the guts enough to say Yep, that's me, and then she made room when she heard about the truth she left her jar step of faith and she said I've got to share this with someone else to pattern what courageous step did she take. Can you imagine her reputation and the fear of rejection of going to a whole town thinks you're like the most immoral person in the whole town site.

I believe that I may have just met the Messiah.

You should come and see what you think was going on in her heart when she was walking from where her jar and the well was to the town owns Everett and believe me knowing that I got a telephone survey in the league. I got tell him I got a telephone anybody here in the labor pains of potentiality, but your fear of being rejected is keeping you from launching what did Jesus want disciples to learn about himself, his love and compassion is for all people regardless of where they then what they look like or what they've done or what they're presently doing.

He wanted them to understand that his personal satisfaction is rooted not in what you can achieve not in how you look, not in what you own my food is to do the will of him that sent me, and accomplish his work 60 Minutes. A Brief Little Interview with a Man in New York City and His Name Is Tudor Jones.

The Second, Paul Tudor Jones.

The Second He's Hedge Fund Guy. I Have No Idea Spiritual Background Other Than He Mentioned His Mom Wanted to Be a Preacher. He Started 80 Charter Schools in New York City and in the Interview This One Line Captured Me.

He Turned to the Interview Recess. We Need Understand That the Only Real Purpose and Significance in Life Is Making Sacrifices to Meet the Needs of Other People. That's What Life's All about the Rest of the World Try to Make A Lot Less Than $3.6 Billion but Someone with $3.6 Million. Understand There's Not Enough Steak Is Not Enough Just As None of Houses. None of Vacations, What Life Is about Is Sacrificially Giving up Time and Energy and Money to Meet the Needs of Other People. That's Where Fulfillment Is I Think He Got That from Somewhere. I Wonder If We Do, and Finally, What about Breakthrough I Think Jesus Wanted Them to Learn the Breakthrough Start Small.

A Man and Woman Have a Conversation like a Mustard Seed Start Small and A Few People Come out and Multiplies the Other Thing He Wanted to Learn about Breakthroughs Is There Not Something That It Can Happen Someday, Some Way out There. You Say Disciples Your Mindset. Your Paradigm Is in Four Months.

Then Comes the Harvest Numbered. Someday, Some Way, God's Going to Do Something, You Know, We There's Been Things in the Old Testament It from Their World for Us It Was, Yes, There Was a Great First Awakening the Second Wakening and There's That Lehrman Lehman's Prayer Revival in the Wesley's Did Things We've Heard about Things in Korea. These Movements in Africa Breakouts and in Latin America. I Bet Just Mystically Somehow Someway God Is That in Jesus and Say No, God Is Already Working Breakthroughs Are Not about Someday. Someway.

If We Do XYZ, FGM, and God Mystically Blows on It. God Is Already Working. He's Looking for Regular Ordinary People to Just Believe.

In Fact, Notice the Timeless Axiom I Put on the Bottom of Your Notes. Unlikely Supernatural Breakthroughs Are Not Dependent on a Future Work of God but a Present Work of One See the Difference. I Believe He's Working in the Muslim Community in Our Area and the Chinese Community in the Korean Community. I Think the Spirit of God Is Working Everywhere. He's Looking for an Unlikely Person like You or Me, Whose Ordinary Who Feels Unworthy like This Woman to Say I'm Going to Just Go Tell Them You Take a Step and I Might Get Rejected but Will Probably Find This, He's Already Been Working and He Has Hundreds and Thousands and Tens of Thousands of People Who Are Struggling in Their Marriage and Hurting and Have Health Issues and Unresolved Issues with Their Parents and Kids and Their Confused in the Work and the Money and All That Stuff Really Isn't Delivering and God Just As Looking for a Messenger, a Man, a Woman Student Who Just Do What an Immoral Woman Did to a Faraway Group of People from God Breakthrough Listing. The Part One of Chip's Message Absolutely Small Birthplace of Breakthrough Series Breakthrough Unleashing God's Power into a Possible Situation When You Need a Supernatural Intervention. The Series Is a Powerful Resource That Will Help You Find the Direction You're Looking for from the First Step to a New Normal Breakthrough Is a Life-Changing Series. Not to Be Missed to Get All the Messages and Really Dig in.

There Are Both Audio and Video Options for You Including Online Streaming with the Study Guide for Previews and Ordering Details, Check out breakthrough@livingontheedge.org special offers on the chipping remap or give us a call at AAA 83336003, just before I come back and talk about some application for you. In today's program.

I just want to pause and think those of you who are our monthly partners. You know there's a significant group of people that each and every month. All various sizes give monthly to Living on the Edge and it is such a joy to know that their stability in an income that we know that's coming in that allows us to plan in really significant ways and I just want to thank you and I know in the last week or a few days. A number of new partners have come online and if you're one of those I just want to say praise God and thank you very much. It's an indication of your heart. It means that you're aligning with our mission, and I pray that God richly blesses you and I want to know when to keep you informed about where were headed and what were going to do in the plans that God is unfolding and actually have some special things we want to share with you that will help you and walk with God and help you grow in your relationship with others.

So stay tuned.

Let me add my thanks to those of you have made it a priority to give regularly to the ministry of Living on the Edge helping Christians live like Christians will change the world we live in, and whatever we do together will be way more than we could ever do on her own. If you'd like to join the team by becoming a monthly partner.

Call us at AAA 83336003. The donate button on the app or donate online at http://livingontheedge.org and let me thank you in advance for whatever the Lord leads you to do just a final thought as we close today's program. I love this part of the series because we all get this big things don't just happen there a culmination of a lot of little things we can get our mind around little things and I think so often we think about breakthrough. We think of these huge things that occur in people that are smarter than us, and in a holier than us in this story characters are on the pages of the Bible and sometimes we get lost thinking I guess those things are reserved for you know people that are so far above us, and yet the Bible goes out of its way to remind us that the biggest breakthroughs have come through the most ordinary people you think about Rahab, a breakthrough that changes the course of a nation that is a part of the lineage of the Messiah because there's a little thing she's heard some stories about this God and she lowers her red robe down and she trust him in the midst of the door you think of disciples who meet the people that Jesus chooses in Scripture in church history. The closer we get to them. We realize how regular how ordinary, how much they're just like us and in the teaching today. The important point. I want you to get is that supernatural breakthroughs are not dependent on the future work of God, but on a present work of one and that you and other words is not some big thing that someone out there is going to do your breakthrough is going to come and it starts very very small.

As I wrap this up I'll just share there was a season that I found myself drifting in my marriage just a little mindset was emerging where I was very busy and I found myself being critical of my wife but but inside my head, not even in my words but if you're critical of your magnet winds and she did this and what she kids that. And what about this and what about that and and and you know I have my issues.

She has her issues and it it it formed a little bit of a habit and I could feel emotional distance and I and I knew in my heart I got. I want to close marriage and I got I got concerned like where this is not a good way to go and I begin to pray for breakthrough. Pray for breakthrough and I need to try harder and try harder and and and nothing was working and kind had this private world that I was living in like I am a pastor and I love my wife and I messily committed to her but I didn't realize I was feeding my mind a lot of negative thoughts about my wife that produce negative emotions and you know that I would get from her. But hey, what's wrong there and are you okay are we okay and here was my breakthrough talk about something very very very small.

The Holy Spirit whispered Chip I want you to focus on what you do have in your wife, not what you don't have.

I want you to focus on how faithful she is when an amazing mother. She is, I want you to every single day start listing in your mind all the things she does all of her qualities all the positive things, and I began to do that and as I begin to do that.

Guess what, the breakthrough started to come and I was more and more attracted to her and all the sudden that 10% of the things that bothered me were just overwhelmed by the 90% of the things that I was renewing my mind and thanking God for her. What do you need to do what small next step. Do you need to take to get a breakthrough in a relationship or with the supervisor with yourself and how you see yourself. It starts absolutely small, so start small and do it today. You know an easy way to share chips messages is with the chipping roadmap with just a couple taps any message you choose is on its way to your friend, someone in your family or on social media to help others who could benefit from the truth of Scripture and its encouragement. And don't forget to include a quick note how it made a difference in your life well for chip and all of us here, this is Dave saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge