Love All: Advent Conspiracy Pt.4

Speaker: Crispin Schroeder
This is part 4 of a series called Advent Conspiracy delivered at Northshore Vineyard Church on Sunday December 19.

Give More: Advent Conspiracy Pt.3

12.12.10
Speaker: Crispin Schroeder
Northshore Vineyard Church

Spend Less

Advent Conspiracy Pt. 2: Spend Less

Speaker – Crispin Schroeder

I.               Intro: They Kept Shopping

Romans 1:21-23 (the Message) What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.

II.               The Secret of Happiness

Philippians 4:11-13 (The Message) I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.

III.            What matters… What really matters?

IV.            Conclusion: Regaining our bearings - 1Timothy 6:6-10 (NIV)

Love Fully

Deliver Us From Evil

Deliver Us from Evil

11.14.10

Speaker – Crispin Schroeder

I.               Intro

A.    Temptation: From God or the Devil?  James 1:13-15, 1 Corinthians 10:13

B.     “Let us not be led into”… rather than “lead us not into

C.     In short, grammatically, “Lead us not into” actually means “lead us over,” and this may be the least confusing way to pray this petition

II.              The Making of a “Rock”

A.    Upon this Rock I will build my church…  (Matthew 16:13-23)

B.    The poser will be tested… (Luke 22:24-33)

C.   “Lord, You know all things…” (John 21:15-17)

D.   The words of a broken man (1 Peter 1:3-9)

Forgive Us as We Forgive Others

Eyes Wide Open

To listen to audio click on the title above.

Our Daily Bread

Painting a Better Picture

Your Kingdom Come...

Your Kingdom Come…

Speaker: Crispin Schroeder

Text- Matthew 6:9-13

I.               On Earth as it is in Heaven

A.    Misconceptions of heaven and the kingdom of God

B.    Gnostic Christianity

C.   Kingdom of God is: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

II.              The Story God is Telling

A.    In the beginning… One realm, In the end… One realm

B.    ____________________ caused the divide between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world

C.   Jesus and the Inbreaking of the Kingdom

D.   The kingdom comes in fullness (Rev 11:15)

III.            Praying for and Living for the Kingdom Come

The Prayer of Our Lord

The Prayer of Our Lord
Northshore Vineyard Church
Speaker: Crispin Schroeder

When Jesus Comes to Dinner

Speaker: Crispin Schroeder

9.19.10

Text- Matthew 6:1-6

I.               Intro: Memorable Meals

II.              When Jesus comes for dinner… (Matthew 9:9-17)

A.     What does this scene say about Matthew that he felt comfortable inviting Jesus to a party with disreputable guests?

B.    What does this scene say about God that Jesus would respond to the invitation and show up?

III.            New Wine Skins

·      The Shema of Israel – Love God as evidenced by following the Torah

·      The Shema of Jesus – Love God as evidenced by following Jesus and loving others.

·      Parable of the Great Feast (Luke 14:15-24)

IV.            But I’m not much of an evangelist…

Prayer Pt. 6: An Audience of One

Prayer Pt. 6: An Audience of One

Speaker: Crispin Schroeder

9.19.10

Text- Matthew 6:1-6

I.               Intro: Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise and why I have trouble watching their movies…

II.              Our Need to Be Noticed

III.            2 Kings

IV.            That’s Not Chocolate in There

V.             How Not to Pray

VI.            Rewards 

Prayer Pt. 5: Solitude

Prayer Pt. 5: Solitude

Speaker: Crispin Schroeder

I.               Frenzied, Busy and Distracted

A.    How To Be Alone

B.    What The Internet is Doing to Our Brains

II.              A Life of Solitude

A.    Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42)

B.    Jesus’ public ministry was anchored in a private life of solitude (Matthew 4:1, Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42)

C.   Solitude in the Psalms (Psalm 42:1-2, Psalm 23)

III.            The Benefits of Solitude in the Spiritual Life

IV.      Conclusion and Homework (Philippians 4:4-8)

Prayer Pt. 4: Trajectory

9.5.10

Speaker: Crispin Schroeder

I.               The Trajectory of One’s Life

A.    Miracle on the Hudson

B.    Micro-slicing and the future of a couple’s marriage

C.   C. S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce

D.   The goal of the Christian faith is Transformation not simply Destination.

II.              Romans 12:1-2 “do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

III.            Keeping your spiritual alignment balanced through The Prayer of Examen (examination of conscience)

“How do things stand between me and God?  Where am I coming from, and where is my life in Christ growing?”

1.    Set aside time for reflection

2.    Reflection – Begin by looking over your day and thanking God for the gifts in your life.

3.    Asking for Clarity – When you come across something in your day that you are not thankful for, some negative attitude or sin you participated in take this to God.  Having thanked God for all the good gifts ask God for one more gift – to see clearly and in hope how I am growing more fully alive to God.

4.    Examine – I carefully consider what my actions, omissions, thoughts, and desires tell me about my relationship with God, with myself, and with others.

5.    Question – I patiently ask myself what my action or attitude meant.  Did it embody the love of God or fear, peace or anxiety?

6.    Closing – Finally I determine to keep my spirit filled with gratitude, and to take steps to get rid of mindsets that stand between me and my creator.

IV.            Conclusion

Prayer Pt. 3: Together

Prayer: Together

Speaker: Crispin Schroeder

I.               Intro: Roseto, Pennsylvania and Heartburn

II.              Jesus Heals More than Physical Ailments and Diseases

·      The Leper (Luke 5:12-16)

·      The Demonized Man (Luke 8:26-39)

·      The Woman with a 12 Year Hemorrhage (Luke 8:40-48)

·      Jesus – God is Salvation, and salvation is a bigger deal than just one’s soul.

III.            Prayer and Togetherness – Confession and Prayer for One Another

(James 5:13-16)

A.    Pastors and Priests

B.    Shame and Isolation (Psalm 32:3-4)

C.   Step 1 of the 12 Steps - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable.  This admitting is not simply to oneself, though that’s a start, but admitting to others.

D.   A Healing Community

E.    TIE Groups

IV.            Conclusion

Prayer Pt. 2: Intercession

Prayer: Intercession

Speaker: Crispin Schroeder

I.               Why Pray? – If God is in control of everything then why should we even bother to Pray?

A.    The original call of humans – Humans were created in God’s image and given  _____________________________,  _____________________________ and __________________________________. (Genesis 1:27-28)

B.    Humans used their free will to disobey God and thus handed over their authority to the enemy.

C.   The great commission (Matthew 28:19)

D.   God brings forth his kingdom with people who choose to respond to him and be a part of his work.  The body of Christ (1 Cor 12:17)

E.    “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” (Matthew 6:10).  We pray for God’s kingdom to come precisely because there are many things going on that are not God’s will.

II.              Intercession – the action of intervening on behalf of another

• the action of saying a prayer on behalf of another person : prayers of intercession. 1Timothy 2:1-8

A.    Pray for everyone especially rulers and authorities

B.    Pray for folks to encounter Jesus

C.   Pray instead of complaining and getting angry

D.   A picture of intercession (Luke 5:17-26)

III.            Conclusion

Who is My Enemy?

Who is My Enemy?

Speaker: Crispin Schroeder

8.8.10

Northshore Vineyard Church

I.               Spiritual Warfare – 2 Pitfalls

1.    Obsession With the Devil

2.    Rationalism

Theodin: “I will not risk open war”

Aragorn: “Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not.” (from Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers)

II.              The Enemy and the Fight (Ephesians 6:12, 2 Corinthians 4:4)

A.    The enemy behind your enemy (a modern parable)

B.    “Love your enemies…” Matthew 5:43-48

III.            The Trap and The Way

A.    The Trap - One of the greatest traps we can fall into in the Christian life is when we fail to distinguish the real enemy of our lives and to fight with the weapons of the world.

·      Peter cuts off a servants ear

·      James and John wish to call down fire

B.    The Way

·      Jesus loved his enemies and even prayed for them from the cross

·      Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16:25-34)

·      Ruby Bridges

IV.            Conclusion (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Signposts

I. INTRODUCTION

II. SIGNPOSTS

A. God has called all of his people to be signposts along the road of life, pointing to the life of the future, and the life of His kingdom.

B. After Jesus went to heaven, his followers got busy being signposts.

C. The Church (the Jesus followers) are to show the world, through their lives, what things would look like if God were running the world.

III. RISK

A. Matthew 6:33 (the Message) – “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God provisions. Don’t worry about missing out (on stuff). You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” B. In order to be a signpost to the kingdom, there’s going to be some risk involved.

1. Risk of money, time, energy, comfort, safety . . .

IV. REWARD

A. It seems that the only people who will really get to experience the depths of Jesus’ promise to sustain them through life are the ones who pursue His kingdom with their whole lives.

V. CONCLUSION

Groan

I.               Intro – Romans 8:18-27

II.              The Groan

A.     The groan of creation

B.    The groan of the children of God

C.   The groan of the Holy Spirit

III.            The groan comes from our connection with ______________ and _________________

·      Proximity

·      Praying with others = letting the withness inform our prayers

IV.            Conclusion

Don't Stop

7.18.10

Speaker - Jim Holland

All Things to All Men

7.11.10 - Crispin Schroeder

I.               Intro – 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

II.              Freedom and Love

·      Not merely freedom from but freedom to __________________

·      ________________   trumps personal freedom

III.            All Things to All Men…

A.    …Isn’t about faking it with people, or trying to get folks to like us

B.    …Is identifying God in our stories and connecting with others from that point.

·      Paul did this by connecting with folks who were:

Ethnic Jews, Religious Jews, Pagans, and those with weak consciences

C.   “All things to all men” requires that we see ourselves as a work in progress.  Philippians 3:12-14

D.   “All things to all men” involves viewing our past through the lens of Jesus’ work of redemption

IV.            Breaking through the wall of denial

1 John 1:8, Luke 5:31-31, John 9:39-41

2 Ears... 1 Mouth

God With Us With Others: Two Ears, One Mouth

Northshore Vineyard Church

7.4.10 - Crispin Schroeder

I.               Intro – James 1:19

“…Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

II.              Barriers to Listening

1.    We don’t care about what others have to say

2.    Wanting to fix things quickly

3.    Inherited hearing problems

4.    Hot-Button issues

III.            Slowing Down the Conversation through Active and Reflective Listening

When you’re the speaker:

1.    Talk about your own thoughts, your own feelings, your own desires

2.    Try to be concise and focused in your sharing.  Use short sentences.

3.    Correct your partner if you feel he/she has missed something

4.    Continue speaking until you feel understood.

When you’re the listener:

1.    Put your own agenda on hold.

2.    Allow your partner to speak until he/she completes a thought.

3.    Begin the phrase with “what I hear you saying is…” and then try to accurately reflect your partner’s words back.  Avoid judging, interpreting or paraphrasing.

4.    Then ask, “Is that correct?”

IV.           Conclusion

God With Us With Others

                  Intro – John 4:1-42

In this story we see Jesus breaking through the barriers of…

                  Culture, Nationality, Ethnicity, Sex/Gender, Shame, Intellect, and Religion

                  Jesus is jumping every fence to reveal the boundary transcending love of God to her

                  In Christ there are no barriers…

                  In Jesus we are reconciled and reconnected to God. Every barrier that has kept us estranged from God has been dealt with. (Gal 3:28, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Colossians 3:11, Ephesians 2:13)

                  Love Unbounded

                  Bounded Set __________________________________

                  Centered Set  __________________________________

                  Conclusion