Pivot Series# 2, Poised for the Pivot, Part 2

Pivot Series# 2, Poised for the Pivot, Part 2
By: Bobby Sullivan

Quote of the week. John Maxwell “ We over exaggerate yesterday and we over estimate tomorrow. The secret to our success is determined by what we do daily”

WE MUST MASTER THE MUNDANE!  

When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.”   John Wooden

He taught the kids how to put socks and shoes on!  HE told them basketball was useless if they didn’t take care of their foundation.

Pivot:— fixed point supporting something which turns or balances.
God wants you to be unshakable in a world that is in a state of flux. Confident with change.

Knowledge of your unchangeable covenant relationship with your Heavenly Father allows you to master a changing world. 

1 Timothy 3:15 New Living Translation
“”so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.”

1 Corinthians 3:11 “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 3:21 “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

Ephesians 2:19-21 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, (Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,) in whom the (whole structure), (being joined together), (grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”)

Luke 6:48-49 ^48-49 “If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.” MESSAGE

People are trying to change without having a strong foundation!!

Any Crisis will expose the foundation. Sadly “Sometimes God creates chaos to force change” Cheryl Thomas

It’s not the scriptures that you can quote but the ones you live by that determines how strong your foundation is.

Our # 1 Value is Connection

Did you know that …

About 3.5 billion people are connected to the Internet.

In December of 2016, Instagram reported over 600 million monthly active users and over 400 million daily active users. Now its 854 million

There are over 2.60 billion monthly active Facebook users.

Our world is connected more than we ever have been. With a click you get to know people, see into their world, and reconnect with people from our past…    Yet according to a survey of more than 2,000 Americans conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the  American Osteopathic Association, almost three-quarters (72 percent) of Americans experience loneliness. 

Even though we are more connected more than ever before, we are feeling more lonely, isolated, disconnected. We are having a hard time feeling known.

We have the power of connection at our fingertips, yet we don’t quite know how to connect. We become accustomed to the ease of Internet connection where we don’t have to be completely honest, where we can upload the highlight reel of life without actually having to step into the mess of anyone’s life.

I bet you can think of a long list of reasons to NOT look for connection at church. For example…

Connecting means you can’t hide from people. They know if you don’t show up.

Connection is intimidating. Maybe you feel like you don’t have it all together and others do.

Connection requires curiosity. We don’t want people to see our mess, and we don’t want to see theirs.

Connection means vulnerability. And it takes a lot of courage to be the real you in person.

All of those are valid reasons to remain disconnected. Or, just look for connection outside of the church.

But deep down, I think we all desire a real form of connection. We want someone to know and accept us as we are. Even though we have friends IRL (in real life) and friends online, why would someone look to the church for connection?

Real connection begins not with lip service but with trust and we take that serious.

Watching the game is far less satisfying than playing the game.

The love and goodness of God are available for all to experience freely, generously, and graciously.

We value this need to connect with others and we understand that authenticity and acceptance are necessary for true connection.

We want you to feel that you belong, you’re loved, and you are part of a movement not a monument!

You are accepted, not judged, not isolated, not thrown off into a corner so you can be cleansed before you’re welcomed.

God never intended for us to do life alone. Relationships with other Christians reveal the power of the Holy Spirit in each of us, drawing us together and pulling us towards authentic community.

Those who consciously, deliberately make a decision to disconnect are on an island by themselves. The only person you turn your back on is yourself!

St. Thomas Aquinas quoted Aristotle, “ Anyone who doesn’t need company is either greater than a man and is a god or lesser than a man and is a beast.”

EVEN BEASTS TRAVEL IN PACKS.

What happens when you connect? Community is about more than just joining a group, class, or a Bible study. It’s about being surrounded by people who have the Spirit of God working in them.

We are not concerned about your performance, personality or position.

Most people want to be seen, heard and valued!

2 Corinthians 5:16 New Living Translation
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!

1 Peter 2:17 (MSG)   “Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.”

CONNECTION EQUATION:     Belong — Believe — Behave 

John Maxwell ” Wrote an article called ”Write the greatest story ever told”. HE said, I want to make a difference with people who want to make a difference, doing something that makes a difference.

Making a difference in your work is not about productivity; it’s about people. When you focus on others and connect with them, you can work together to accomplish great things. 

Follow
He simply invited people to “be with him” Mark 3:14 (NIV), and to “follow him.” Matthew 4:19 (NIV) This is what made connecting with him so easy and why the invitation to come and find the place where you belong is so open and free.

Baptisms — Jesus / Water /Spirit 

Our modern-day definition of following Jesus looks very different than it did two thousand years ago, especially in the western world. For many, we attend church occasionally for a motivational pep talk, open up the Bible even less, and serve at the local kitchen once a year, if we’re feeling generous. This is a far cry from the devotion Christians in the early church showed because, for them, it was a way of life.

“And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.’” Mark 8:34-35 (ESV)

The root word for deny means to “separate” or “away.”

Jesus is simple calling for a devoted marriage 

Discover
No greater question than “who am I and what am I here for?” Failing to arrive at life-giving answers to these questions can leave one feeling driven, aimless, and living with no real sense of identity or purpose.
Allowing Jesus to help us discover our true identity and purpose is that when he helps us, it leads to lasting peace and rest.

Jeremiah 33:3 ESV  Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Proverbs 25:2 ESV  It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.

Psalm 111:2 ESV  Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.

Ephesians 3:20 ESV  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

Today is your day of discovery

We are intentional about equipping people for ministry! Even if that means Impact School of Supernatural Ministry.

Invite
The desire to invite others to experience the goodness and love of God is the most natural of all responses to our own personal encounter with Jesus.
“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” John 4:29

Give
Jesus wants us to live well,  to have our needs met, to have enough left over to help take care of the needs of those around us.
“…God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV).

When you release what you can see from your hands, God will release what you can’t see out of His.

Serve
Knowing who we are, who He is, and His purpose for us, empowers us to see that success looks a lot like blessing others and advancing their interests.
1Peter 4:10 “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”

John Maxwell , “success is when I add value to myself, significance is when I add value to others. To do that, we must first place a higher value on them than us.

Serving is out of a giving attitude. Jesus served you so you can serve others 

Enjoy
The value that permeates all that we do, is reflected in the mandate to “rejoice  always.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16We make fun and enjoyment a massive priority in all of our ministries and activities.
Joy and laughter should be hallmarks of our lives, empowering and strengthening us in all that we do.

If you’re in the right role you will be happy! If not you’re always miserable.

You are writing your legacy right now.

Believe it or not your  Facebook is you!!

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 

Every value prepares you for the pivot