Nav Conference Notes

LIVING AMONG THE LOST

The Need Of Our Times:

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

knowing Jesus & loving Jesus & helping other

EVERDAY PEOPLE

knowing Jesus & loving Jesus.

"When Jesus looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. They are so confused and aimless...like sheep with no shepherd. What a huge harvest! He said to his disciples, 'How few the workers! Pray for more harvest workers!'"

FOUR CHARACTERISTICS

of

EVERYDAY PEOPLE:

1. LIVING LIFE OUT OF BROKENNESS.

2. NEEDING & PURSUING TRANSFORMATION.

3. EXPERIENCING COMMUNITY.

4. LIVING MISSIONALLY AS GOD'S DESIGN FOR US.

Why I Love The Bible - Deuteronomy!

MOSES

His Last Sermon

Deuteronomy is a sermon - the longest sermon in the Bible!

MOSES

The setting is stirring... emotion-packed.

MOSES

Takes God's Word... Takes Human Experiences...

Then reproduces them into this present moment.

The complete range of human experience

is brought to life and salvation

by the revelation of God:

LIVE THIS...NOW!

MOSES

Closes with a charge...

Closes with a song...

Closes with a blessing...

To launch them into TODAY'S obedience and believing!

LET'S GO!

MOSES

Leaves his pulpit on the plains...

Climbs a montain...

And dies.

Eyesight as sharp as ever,

Walking with a spring in his step,

Still brimming with words and life.

by Eugene Peterson

Spiritual Growth - Purpose

PURPOSE

"And God said,

Let us make man in our image"

(Genesis 1:26).

"God ...

hath in these last days

spoken unto us by His Son ...

Who being the brightness of his glory,

and the express image of his person"

(Hebrews 1:3).

"For as by one man’s [Adam’s] disobedience

many were made sinners,

so by the obedience of one [Christ]

shall many be made righteous"

(Romans 5:19).

"Oh Heavenly Father,

I now see your

PURPOSE:

You are still making man in Your image.

This is not through the original Adam,

but through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Last Adam."

Being born into Him through faith,

we became "partakers of the divine nature."

(II Pet. 1:4).

"Christ in you, the hope of glory."

(Col. 1:27).

"As we have borne the image of the earthy [Adam],

we shall also bear the image of the heavenly [Christ]."

(I Cor. 15:49)

"And we know that all things

work together for good

to them that love God,

to them who are the called

according to his purpose.

For whom he did foreknow,

he also did predestinate

to be conformed to the image of his Son."

(Rom. 8:28, 29)

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

is to see that all things are working together

to make us more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ.

In spite of difficult things and frustrations,

we can pray "Thy Will Be Done."

"But we all, with open face

beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,

are changed into the same image

from glory to glory,

even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

(2 Cor. 3:18)

How does God accomplish this purpose?

One of God's mose effective means is:

FAILURE!

Failure in our lives, cause us to be

FRANTIC.

We want to hide it,

We try to ignore it,

We even rationlize it.

But this is God's instrument

to conform us to the image of His Son!

FAILURE!

causes us to turn completely from ourselves

unto the source of our life:

CHRIST JESUS

Who never fails.

The Holy Spirit

quietly and effortlessly

changes the center of our life

from self to Christ.

We pray, "Not I, but Christ."

"If I am to be like Him,

then God in His grace must do it,

and the sooner I come to recognize it the sooner

I will be delivered from another form of bondage.

Throw down every endeavor and say, I cannot do it,

the more I try the farther I get from His likeness.

What shall I do?

Ah, the Holy Spirit says,

You cannot do it;

just withdraw;

come out of it.

You have been in the arena,

you have been endeavoring,

you are a failure,

come out and sit down,

and as you sit there

behold Him, look at Him.

Don't try to be like Him,

just look at Him.

Just be occupied with Him.

Forget about trying to be like Him.

Instead of letting that fill your mind and heart,

let Him fill it.

Just behold Him,

look upon Him through the Word.

Come to the Word for one purpose

and that is to meet the Lord."

Norman Douty

"For it is God which worketh in you

both to will and to do of his good pleasure"

(Philippians 2:13)

Assurance of Forgiveness - 1 John 1:9

IF WE CONFESS

our sins,

HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST

to forgive us our sins,

AND TO CLEANSE US

from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

IF WE CONFESS -

Pardon in Scripture,

always supposes that there

is confession.

HE IS FAITHFUL & JUST -

Faithful to His promises and to

the excellence of His attributes.

He will be just to His covenant

of redemption accomplished by

atonement through Jesus Christ.

AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS -

He forgives all that is past,

and treats us as if we were righteous,

by removing all the stains of guilt

from the soul!

Barnes Notes on the New Testament

Who's Following In Your Footsteps?

THERE WAS A FATHER

who kept a jug of whiskey

hidden in the corn crib.

IT WAS HIS HABIT

to go out there every morning

and get himself a drink.

ON A SNOWY MORNING

he went out to the barn

as was his habit,

but this time he heard someone behind him.

HE TURNED AROUND

and found that it was his little son

following him,

stepping in the footsteps in the snow

where his father had walked.

THE FATHER ASKED,

"What are you doing, son?"

The boy answered,

"Im following in your footsteps."

HE SENT THE BOY BACK

into the house,

and then he went out to the corn crib

and smashed that jug of whiskey.

HE REALIZED

that he didn't want his boy

to be following in his footsteps.

Assurance of Victory!

There Hath No Temptation

Taken You

But Such As Is Common To Man,

BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL

Who Will Not Allow You

To Be Tempted Above

That You Are Able

But Will With The Temptation

But Will With The Temptation

But Will With The Temptation

Also Make A

WAY TO ESCAPE

That You May Be Able

To Bear It.

1 Cor. 10:13

But God Is Faithful.

This is the only source of security;

and this is enough.

If we look only to ourselves,

we will fail.

If we depend on the faithfulness of God,

we will be secure.

How Do We Depend On The Faithfulness of God?

We resist temptation.

We seek His aid.

We depend on His promises.

All Circumstances That Lead To Temptation

are under the control of God.

Every man that tempts us.

Every fallen spirit that engages us.

Every book, picture, amusement, music.

Every business plan, gain, or ambition.

All Are Under The Control Of God.

He can check them.

He can paralyze them.

He can destroy them.

God does not infuse evil thoughts into the mind;

God does not create an object of temptation to place in our way;

God permits it...God does not create it.

That it may be turned in some way to His glory.

That it may be turned in some way to our spiritual growth.

But God Will With The Temptation:

Make a way of deliverance.

Save us from being entirely overcome by it.

That we may be able to bear it.

That we may be able to endure it.

This Promise Is Positive And Certain!

A way shall be made for our escape;

We shall be able to bear it.

Is God Faithful Or Is God Not Faithful?

Will God allow us to be tempted above that we are able?

Will God make a way for our escape?

Can we believe either of these?

It follows that we who are converted shall be kept unto salvation.

from Barne's Notes On The New Testament

Why I Love The Bible - Numbers!

The Book Of Numbers

plunges us into the mess of growing up.

LEARNING

how to honor God,

how to live out love and justice in daily affairs,

how to deal with sin in oneself and others,

how to follow God's commands into future blessings.

THE BIBLE

shows us what it means to be a human being,

created by God and called to a life

of obedient faith and sacrificial love.

WE NEED HELP

to live together in community,

to get along with each other.

Wise discipline is required in becoming a people of God...

prayer, instruction, and justice.

by Eugene Peterson