Saturday, March 27, 2010
Convictions give us purpose
by Rick Warren
Convictions give us purpose
by Rick Warren
When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions. 1 Thessalonians 1:5a (MSG)
Jesus' life was dominated by his conviction that he was sent to do the Father's will. This produced a deep awareness of his life's purpose and kept him from being distracted by the agenda of others. If you want to gain insight into the convictions Jesus held, just study all the times he used the phrase "I must."
When people develop Christlike convictions, they, too, develop a sense of purpose in life.
Conviction also has an attractive quality to it. This explains the popularity of many cults. Their beliefs are erroneous and often illogical; yet believed with intense conviction. In contrast churches without clear, strong convictions will never attract the level of commitment that Christ deserves. We must teach and preach with conviction.
In 1943, one hundred thousand young people in brown shirts filled the Munich stadium in Germany, the largest in the world at that time. They formed with their bodies a sign for a fanatical man standing behind the podium. The message said "Hitler, we are yours." Their commitment allowed them to conquered Europe.
Years later, a group of young Chinese students committed to memorizing and living the philosophy of a little red book, The Sayings of Chairman Mao. The result was the Cultural Revolution that swept one billion people under the tight rule of communism. That is the power of conviction!
We must burn with the conviction that the Kingdom of God is the greatest cause in the world. The insightful preacher, Vance Havner, used to say, "Jesus demands greater allegiance than any dictator that every lived. The difference is that Jesus has a right to it!"
Friday, March 26, 2010
Conviction helps us grow spiritually
by Rick Warren
Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping. 1 Corinthians 16:12-15 (MSG)
A person without conviction is at the mercy of circumstances. If you don't determine what's important and how you'll live, other people will determine it for you.
A person without conviction is a weak, jellyfish type of individual who mindlessly follows the crowd. I believe Paul was talking about conviction when he said in Romans 12:2, "Don't let the world squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your mind from within ...." (Phillips)
Conviction helps us be diligent in continuing to grow spiritually. Growth requires time and effort. Without convictions about growth, people become discouraged and give up. No one stays with a difficult task unless he is convinced that there is a good reason for doing it. A church can teach people how to pray, how to study the Bible, and how to witness, but without imparting the corresponding convictions, people will not stick with it.
Knowing what to do (knowledge), why to do it (perspective) and how to do it (skill) is all worthless if you don't have the conviction to motivate you to actually do it!
The people who have made the greatest impact on this world, for good or evil, were the people with the strongest, deepest convictions. They weren't necessarily the smartest, wealthiest, or best educated people but their convictions moved them to move the world.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Our convictions determine our conduct
by Rick Warren
A person without conviction is a weak, jellyfish type of individual who mindlessly follows the crowd. I believe Paul was talking about conviction when he said in Romans 12:2, "Don't let the world squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your mind from within ...." (Phillips)
Conviction helps us be diligent in continuing to grow spiritually. Growth requires time and effort. Without convictions about growth, people become discouraged and give up. No one stays with a difficult task unless he is convinced that there is a good reason for doing it. A church can teach people how to pray, how to study the Bible, and how to witness, but without imparting the corresponding convictions, people will not stick with it.
Knowing what to do (knowledge), why to do it (perspective) and how to do it (skill) is all worthless if you don't have the conviction to motivate you to actually do it!
The people who have made the greatest impact on this world, for good or evil, were the people with the strongest, deepest convictions. They weren't necessarily the smartest, wealthiest, or best educated people but their convictions moved them to move the world.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Our convictions determine our conduct
by Rick Warren
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 (NRSV)
Dictionaries usually define conviction as a fixed or strong belief. Conviction is really much more than that. Your convictions include your values, commitments, and motivations.
I like the definition of conviction I once heard from the great Bible teacher Howard Hendricks: "A belief is something you will argue about. A conviction is something you will die for!" Our convictions determine our conduct. They motivate us to act in certain ways.
When you first become a Christian you often do things simply because other Christians around you suggest them or model them. You may pray, read the Bible and attend services because you see the examples of others.
This is fine for a new Christian. Little children learn the same way. However, as you grow, you must eventually develop your own reasons for doing what you do. Those reasons become convictions.
Biblical convictions are essential for spiritual growth and maturity. What is ironic today is that people often have strong convictions about weak issues (football, fashions, etc.) while having weak convictions about major issues (what is right and what is wrong).
Think about your walk with Jesus and make a list of the convictions you now hold. Are your convictions weak on any major issues?
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Perspective protects us from error
by Rick Warren
Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. Colossians 3:1-2 (MSG)
Perspective protects us from error. If there was ever a time that Christians need to be grounded in the truth it is today. We live in a society that rejects absolute truth and accepts every opinion as equally valid.
Pluralism has created a very confused culture. The problem is not that our culture believes nothing but that it believes everything.
God intends for us to have his wisdom and perspective. The result of this will be believers who are ROCK solid: "Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth." (Ephesians 4:14 LB)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Perspective causes us to love God more
by Rick Warren
I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love, so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love. Ephesians 3:17-18 (TEV)
Perspective causes us to love God more. The better we understand the nature and ways of God, the more we love him. Paul prayed "that you may have your roots and foundation in love, so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love." (Ephesians 3:17-18 TEV)
Perspective helps us resist temptation. When we look at a situation from God's viewpoint, we realize the long-term consequences of sin are greater than any short-term pleasure sin might provide. Without perspective we follow our own natural inclinations: "You may think you are on the right road and still end up dead." (Proverbs 14:12 CEV)
Perspective helps us handle trials. When we have God's perspective on life we realize that "... in all things God works for the good of those who love him..." (Romans 8:28) and that "the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1:3).
Perspective was one of the reasons Jesus was able to endure the cross (Hebrews 12:2). He looked past the pain to the joy that was set before him.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Perspective: see from God's point of view
by Rick Warren
Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. Hebrews 5:14 (NLT)
Perspective is understanding something because you see it from a larger frame of reference. It is the ability to perceive how things are interrelated and then judge their comparative importance.
And, for believers, it means seeing life from God's point of view. In the Bible, the words "understanding", "wisdom", and "discernment" all have to do with perspective. The opposite of perspective is "hardness of heart", "blinded" and "dullness."
Psalm 103:7 says, "He (God) made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel." The people of Israel got to see what God did, but Moses got to understand why God did it. This is the difference between knowledge and perspective. Knowledge is learning what God has said and done. Perspective is understanding why God said it or did it.
Perspective answers the "Why?" questions of life.
The Bible says that unbelievers have no spiritual perspective (1 Corinthians 2:14). Likewise a lack of perspective is a mark of spiritual immaturity (1 Corinthians 3:1-2, 13:11, 14:20). God's reoccurring complaint about the nation of Israel was that they lacked perspective. Many of the prophets rebuked this weakness (Isaiah 44:18, Jeremiah 4:22, Micah 4:12).
In contrast, having perspective is evidence of spiritual maturity and our ability to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
Date: March 21, 2010
Pastor: Raul Molina
Church: Cornerstone Christian Church
Scripture:
Matthew 24:37-39 (King James Version)
37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Topic: Days of Noah
Message: Do not live in the days of Noah
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