Purpose FULL - It's Complicated, Part 2

You find yourself after a long week.

It's Sunday morning not motivated to say I have been to church for a while but I think I'll just watch online and yet you feel like you're spiritually drifting. What's the real value and community when it comes to discovering your purpose that you don't want to miss. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge head with Living on the Edges and international discipleship ministry featuring the daily Bible just a minute will continue in our new series, purposeful featuring our guest teacher planning over the last several programs. Why is acting how we can only discover our God-given calling it out in all circumstance, but before we get started remind you of a great way to stay engaged with Living on the Edge of the chip and remap there you can access all of chip series.

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I hope you'll take a moment today and get connected with us through the trip and remap what with all that said, if you have a Bible turn to acts chapter 13 joined Ryan for part two of his talk, it's complicated. See, it's easy to say I'm just going to do me but it comes at cost, rising anxiety rising depression since of instability sink in a world defined by the religion of me. You are rudderless you are anchor list. You are a craft and set anchor yourself in the house and family of Jesus. But what is it mean to be in the house. I would think most of us feel like I am a part of the family of God on the part of the family got but are you part of the house of God is a big difference between being a house like being part of the household or a guest right on your part of the house household like you are have a deep responsibility in that half household like my kids hanging out together that you know there's chores that we have to do in their you know whether it's cleaning or cooking or some of these were things there's responsibility but but there's D a deep level of relationship isn't there. There's a family since that work together traveling there's different roles that each of us feel and that sense of autonomy struggles against that sense of wanting to be a part of the house and some of you experienced that. Remember the first time that you came home from college. After extended time away and your parents are like gone, you know, I know you had a lot of fun but but in our house. This is kinda how we need to do things here if you want to go off live on your own that's okay but but in our house because there's a way of going about things in our house in God's house and the house of Jesus and we can struggle with some of those things until we have the roommates that is so constantly messy and disorganized that all son we become the one going like you know there's there's gotta be some rules to our house. See there's a difference of being a guest and I would say most of us most of us believe and feel like were in the family of God, but were more gas than the houses of Jesus were in the houses of worship we show up and we kinda partake in this like a nice I got this mill but but some of the accessibility sentence. Some of the responsibility. Some of the just going like were Paul and Barnabas going like were not doing our own thing were part of a greater thing and so were going to bring this before you and whatever you say were going to do see it anchors us. It anchors us into community. It anchors us into the ways of Jesus joined the family and then get engage in the house of Jesus like I'm coming into this community. I'm going to be responsible for certain things, become a participant on. I'm not just showing up and taking I'm I'm someone who's bringing to the table. I'm coming recognizing okay on the learner as well.

The world defined by religion of me anchor yourself in the house and family of God may be part of the family, but are you a part of the house. Many of us have operated simply as just the second thing in a post-pandemic world is in a world of soundbite theology. Think deeply and re-finding Jesus centered community in a world of soundbite theology I mean what we have today is can you tweet it. Can you reposted and it becomes the framework for our theological or are ideological or philosophical understanding. In a world of soundbite theology of what we see. Would you think deeply in refining Jesus centered community. You notice that it in the taxes said after much discussion. This is a big issue. It was urgent.

There is already a lot of missed teaching that came out of this site mayget on this really quick and they took their time and they thought deeply and well. In examining the Scriptures and what God saying and how he's worked to come to where they landed.

We live in an age of information overload were constantly barraged by so much information is hard or impossible to take it and so we actually abdicate our thinking to other people. What did what do they think. What are they say whatever they said then that's what I believe in and whatever they pose whatever they posted. Any never go behind and look at what they really believe or what they really viewer understands we live in information overload and then in a culture where almost demands instant reaction to something and so is not only that they feel like I I am barraged by all this information but I have to respond immediately to repost immediately. I have to show other people, you know what I really believe and what I really think on something that happened 10 seconds ago. 10 minutes ago one day ago we live in a world of soundbite theology and yet the calling if were going to live a purpose filled life is the think deeply in refining Jesus centered community. After much discussion we are losing the ability to think deeply and dialogue about important and even controversial things.

I don't know if this is true for you, but I found over the pandemic that I just would like to check that the newsfeed nonstop. II just I would wake up in the morning check and then I go check it again. Go check it again, then maybe you're so tired at the end of the night than you just desk role you know, Instagram, and what I found was I was unable to concentrate deeply distracted.

Anytime I began to focus and even on motivated. I love to read and there's a good chunk of time.

I just felt like I couldn't read at all except little soundbites to the calling to the purpose filled life is not to react to all this up there but to's sink deeply into the word of God to read deeply classic works and what others have thought and to engage in a community that centered on Jesus. I keep getting back to this because I keep seeing us not centered on Jesus, like at the end of our conversation. What was Jesus the focal points.

What was he the one like, would he be honored by the conversation we may have disagreed with it, but would he be honored by the conversation, not simply centered on our preferences or opinions Ted Turner notes that most people are not driven by well understood and articulated philosophical worldviews.

He says, more typically, people expressed their life philosophy and what we could call a street philosophy which is held intuitively unexamined but that powerfully captures the gist of one's perspective on reality and foregoing to live purposely in a post-pandemic world. First we have to anchor our lives into the house of Jesus and in the family of Jesus, then we have to be a people who are who are not going to live on the surface level of things but were going to think deeply in refining Jesus centered community, meaning refining means that there's going to be some friction that other people and you are going to grow together and help each other grow. That's why Proverbs says as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another that sharpening the fact that that comes with friction, but when you have committed to the house of God like this is my household. This is my family. These are my people. I'm not running away the minute. There's friction. I'm leaning in, because were family refining Jesus centered community. What does this mean means we have to intentionally and systematically mute the noise with the phone do you have a day where it's just turned off. I can't do that. Ryan, by the way, you can. None of us are that important, you have a time when you shut off all this you know alerts on your phone or you set it aside. At nights you know Tim Ferris. He has this quote he says when the morning when the day.

This been so challenging to me because I'd wake up in the morning so distracted I'd be checking that newsfeed lobby you know it all son then on Instagram and am just zoned out and I get up super early and sometimes am super tired and I look up an hour went by and I did nothing alike. Why am I up early doing this and so I just started leaving my phone in the other room leaving my computer in the other room sitting with God's word. My journal some books that are deeply challenging to me. When's the last time you read a book that was deeply challenging to you once last time maybe read a Christian classic where you asked one of your pastors.

Hey, what's one of the most formational books you've ever read what's one of the books that you go back and reread over and over again and then begin to discuss with other believers. What you're learning and how your growing in a world of soundbite theology. We must become a people who think deeply in refining Jesus centered community in order to have a purpose filled life post-pandemic.

Finally, in a world paralyzed by chronic uncertainty and that the last year. You can even plan you know was gonna happen next. Chronic and I think that might be our norm for a while.

I think we used to feel like there is a lot of certainty and you could plan any never gave thought about it and then all of a sudden has been completely disrupted in his chronic uncertainty and is disrupted and we don't know what to do and what it does is it paralyzes us, doesn't in a world paralyzed by chronic uncertainty do the next right thing in front of you is what I love right so Paul and Barnabas. They started doing their own thing they bring it down to the leaders of the church. There's much discussion, where they landed. They didn't answer all the questions there's so many things to think about this.

Jews and Gentiles now worshiping together under the banner of Jesus.

Now one family. How in the world. Does that work. What in the world does that look like when in on the island of Cyprus. But what does that look like in Laconia, men and analysts try and and where they're at as opposed to Jerusalem and a look so different how you figure out all these different and here's what they did.

Here's what is amazing. They simply move forward on what they were absolutely clear on what they were absolutely clear on is there is nothing more to be saved. Other than placing your faith and trust in Jesus. What they are absolutely clear on isn't following in the ways of Jesus.

You gotta say no to sexual immorality to say no to your old life when it comes to idolatry and your worshiping at say yes to Jesus. Other than that figured out there's a lot the letters in the New Testament that help us go figure it out existed the next right thing they knew to do. They wrote a letter and let them know they didn't wait until they had the perfect plan and so many of us in the world, paralyzed by chronic uncertainty were waiting for perfect, wait until we haven't figured out in your call in fulfilling your purpose might call fulfilling my purpose. Just do the next right thing in front of you today what what is the next right thing.

It's really not that hard. Dallas Willard said it this way. I totally ripped it off from him by the way, he says simply do the next right thing. You know you ought to do.

That's basically the crux of falling in the ways of Jesus of loving your neighbor as yourself, like what is that look like for some the next right thing in front of you is getting deeply into God's word having a conversation extending forgiveness, deleting your social media posts confessing you know a struggle to someone who's going to help you walk along the way.

Loving your neighbor. There are so many next right things you know to do that. Just come up and is go God was the next right thing. I don't need step three or step for step five, but what is the next right thing for me to do and then do it. Don't delay doing friends. How do we live a purpose filled life in this post-pandemic world is possible. It's anchored is anchored in the house and family of Jesus anchor your life in a house of worship family moving together.

Think deeply think deeply in refining Jesus centered community end and just simply do the next right thing. You know to an end that you will discover will discover we are a purpose filled in, a purpose full community of Jesus.thanks so much for your grace and your work in our lives and I know this time has been so hard, filled with anxieties and fears and and so much that's gone on that felt like.

Can we even move forward in life.

Father I pray right now that your Holy Spirit would come alongside is the great comforter to comfort those that are wrestling right now.

The great guy says yes these are the next steps and you would cause us to be people that lean in for your namesake so that other people might experience your good's grace. Jesus, you know, as we close the program today, but I think one of the questions that maybe some of you are having is how do I join the family of God. Like Brian I want to be a part of the house and the family of God and are realized as you were talking I am not a part of the family of God. You know the wonderful reality about Christianity and the gospel is it isn't a religion to join better relationship to enjoy. You know, one of the most famous verses of all time is John 316, and explains so powerfully and beautifully how we join the family of God.

He writes for God so loved the world like that's his disposition toward you right now. One of love. He loves you. He's wild about you and how did he love you, that he gave his one and only son, he did the work. You don't have to work your way to God. Earn your way to God.

Good your way to God. He worked his way to you.

He did the work on the cross for you so that whoever believes in him that word believe means to put your trust in him the full weight of your life. Many of you probably are listening right now sitting in a chair.

You put the full weight of your body in that shared that's what it means to believe in the chair is putting your full weight and it and this is what it means to believe in Jesus that you put the full weight of your life in him. Jesus you are the son of God, you did come for me you died in my place that I might have life and you rose against new life to give me a life now and forever more.

And so I trust your ways. I trust your hearts.

I'm going to follow you in what you say to do. Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life, and that means life now God wants to deposit a bran new life right now. See Jesus doesn't want to resuscitate your old life.

He wants to resurrect you to bran new life both now and for ever more. So if you want to join the family of God. No matter where you are, no matter what you've done the father's arms are open wide to you right now in this moment and he's longing and calling saying welcome home in which you turn to him say here I am, if that's where you're at, would you just pray with me.

There's nothing magical about the prayer is just a conversation with your heavenly father.

Would you pray in your hearts are out loud. Maybe you're in your car or in your home after me. Heavenly father. I long to join the family of God. I confess I confess that I've blown it. I confess that I've run from you that I've sinned. Would you please forgive me. I believe that you sent your son, Jesus, for me that I can't do anything to earn being a part of your family.

You just want me to be a part of it and so you paid the price on the cross and you rose to life and to give me life today. I put the full weight of my life and you would you come into my life and make me new thank you for your love. Thank you for making me a part of your family in Jesus name, amen. If you just prayed with Ryan, we'd love to put a free resource in your hands. It's called starting out right.

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333-6003 or visiting LivingontheEdge.org and then clicking on the new believers button that's LivingontheEdge.org or call triple late. 333-6003 trip for a lot of believers over a period of time of the Christian life starts feeling like a big long to do list like I'm supposed to pray. I'm supposed to read my Bible and becomes a grinder there's no joy. Could you give us some help in terms of how we make our relationship with the Lord fresh and alive. The way we like it to be in the way God wants it to be David's true of all of us.

I mean, it's about relationship. It's about connection.

It's about the spirit of God. Taking the word of God and hearing his voice and growing and having a sense of his presence and very vivid of prayers and sorta walking with God. Day-to-day and what I realizes a lot of Christians don't know how that works. Or they need kind of a jumpstart to that were doing something brand-new. It's called daily discipleship would chip in its own true spirituality, it's me needing with you, the listener one-on-one. We walked through the text together. I give you a small little outline and I ask you to do 10 minutes and for 17 days.

We walked day by day together and discover how to study the Bible how to hear God's voice developing the habit where day in and day out, you begin to make this a part of your life. People have asked me for years. Were you mentor me, will you disciple me daily discipleship. True spirituality is just that Dave could you tell them how they can get connected with us. Thanks to what were so excited to share with you this new daily discipleship with chip true spirituality based in Romans chapter 12 our heart behind this video series is to really help you dive into God's word and discover how to more intentionally live out your faith for 17 days. You and Chip will walk through were true spirituality looks like and how you can put these truths into practice.

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When Ryan continues a series purposeful Tobin this is Dave Drewry saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge