S9E13 - Shelter Classrooms
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Our God IS Shelter! Under Shelter courses you will find five different yet integrated paths for growing in the depth of God’s Shelter. There are videos and notes featuring the authors/teachers at . To join this community click on the join button. 1. 19 Principles: The Heart of What Jesus Taught His FollowersSome of the most central teachings of Jesus - both for personal growth and helping others. 2. God’s Man/God’s Woman: Making It CountFinding the integrated teaching of Jesus on men and women building the Kingdom of Heaven together. 3. Strong Home Legacy: Leaving Your Mark On The...
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S9E12 - The Call To Make Disciples
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Jesus instructed His followers (disciples) to make disciples just as He did. Let’s break this down a bit. This comes from Matthew 28:16-20. #1. “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.” It is important to note that Jesus remained on earth 40 days after His resurrection (Acts 1: 3). “To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” 40 Days. Hundreds and even thousands of eyewitnesses...
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S9E11 - The Call to Knowing God
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
The entire Bible has been given to us so we may know God, understand a life of God- honor, and live in a manner "worthy" of the One Who created us. Six times in the letters the words "manner worthy" are used to describe the walk of a God follower. It means we honor God (As well as ourselves) by placing honorable weight upon our great God. Let's think through what Paul taught the Philippians in 3:1-21. It will help illuminate the concept of the call to knowing God. This carries on the conversation about Engage Training from the last episode. Useful to us for sure! "Finally, my brothers,...
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S9E10 - Your Strategic Plan 3 - Engage Training
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
When Jesus announced His Kingdom He began to select a group of men and women who would follow Him by pursuing the example He had shown them and the Words from His Father He had communicated. This included a number of things reflected in the amazing display of "God coming near" (Immanuel) to save humanity from futility (our lives counting for nothing) and judgment for falling short of the image we were created to honor and multiply within each of our lives. Here are some of the threads Jesus taught in the word and works of His hands: √ Integrating what they knew or did not know...
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S9E09 - Your Strategic Plan 2 - Jesus Centric
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
This diagram tracks the recurring woven threads throughout God's Word (over 62,000 connections!). As you consider your personal strategic plan for spirituality we have considered: √ King First - then Kingdom - then Church/what Jesus taught about spirituality √ Cultivating Deeper/skills for unlocking the Word Today we discuss the big picture on the Word of God, and what we like to call Jesus-Centric. What this means is that the entire Bible revolves around the person Jesus. Genesis 1-11 and the human story. Genesis 12-52 and God's choice of Abraham (Israel) to redeem the...
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S9E08 - Your Strategic Plan 1 - Cultivating Deeper
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Finding our first King - then Kingdom - then Church balance is important for our spirituality. Obviously we have given this much thought, but you should investigate this yourself. Our purpose for pursuing this was to make sure we were prioritizing how we invested our time, our talents (gifts), and our treasures (resources). Having an effective and growing strategic plan for spiritual life it is imperative to set markers which come from the Word of God you can use as your compass throughout your journey. We've tweaked this allot through the years, but having a plan for cultivating deeper...
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S9E07 - Kingdom Coaching
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
There are many ways of being mentored in spirituality. While this may come from significant people in our lives, books we read or study, favorite music et al, I have found that the Spirit is Jesus' voice inside of me is the most substantial. He is always ready to teach me and shape me and lead me in the direction Jesus wants for me. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will...
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S9E06 - Strategies for Weekly Kingdom Connectivity
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
It is one thing to understand the concept of First King - then Kingdom - then Church, but another to live a life directed toward connection with your King. The first thing is to decide where you stand on Jesus. A great teacher? One of many unremarkable religionists? Someone into whose hands you can place the welfare of your soul? We can talk about what Jesus taught about authentic connectivity, but only you can intentionally embrace whether or not He is who He said He is. Once you have made this determination you may then move into what it means to submit yourself to His authority,...
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S9E05 - Stories Of Shelter
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
God IS shelter. We NEED to be sheltered. We need each other to remind us of what is IMPORTANT. We are surrounded by chaos, turbulence, and are so vulnerable to the weaknesses, pitfalls, and schemes of unprincipled men and women. How do we find our way through? There appears to be a clear path! "Hear my cry, O God, and listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me travel under Your pillars and let me take forever protection...
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S9E04 - Kingdom Structural
Fourthstream - Finding Hope
Because understanding the Kingdom is so critical to our spiritual lives, let's take some time to absorb the core message of Jesus when it comes to building in a manner that is pleasing to Him. We have already mentioned that the Kingdom is mentioned in the Gospels over 100 times and the church only twice. So the Kingdom message was clear to Jesus and to His disciples. In the book of Acts after the "church" (called out assembly) begins to emerge: "To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and...
info_outlineTo find shelter we must find Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We can choose to believe this or not, but there is pretty compelling evidence it is true. His story through the Jews and the Church is so expansive. I read a quote once: "the Bible is not a book one would write if he could or could write if he would." It is a supernatural story about a 100% lost human race who need to find our way back to God. Totally unflattering to all of us. And yet in His Story we find the life-line which anyone can grasp in order to change our lost trajectory.
There is no getting around the fact that if there is no Jesus revolution we are lost in our "sin." Dead. Having drowned in the ocean with our heart eaten out by a shark - floating on the bottom for a thousand years. Dead dead. His coming, His story and teaching and miracles, and His clear display of power over death not only the things which inspire religion - they power the Kingdom heart as well.
So why King - then Kingdom - then Church? And how and why has this so often been turned into Church - then Kingdom - then the King? It is quite simple: when humans are involved opportunism and subjugation rule the day. It is the story of history: institutions, kings, nations, the few democracies which have existed, corporations, education, medicine, or religion itself - all are filled with people. And people take advantage of and oppress one another.
Not so with the King of the universe Who came near to "seek and save that which is lost." His heart, mind, and soul were perfect. His motives were free from the opportunism of mankind. I am not advocating a cynical worldview, just a realistic one built upon the truths so clearly spoken in the Word of God. If we bend before the Son, we also do so before our Creator Father. If we do not bend our wills, we die a forever spiritual death. Bending (humbling) comes naturally for NO ONE. It is an evidence of the presence of God and a gift from God. "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you at the proper time."
So Jesus shows up and teaches us about the Kingdom. Not the church. The greek word church is "ekklesia." It means a "called out assembly." Jesus uses the word church twice in the Gospels but the word Kingdom over 100 times. "Turn away from your futile, lost path and toward the life path." The church may do Kingdom work (some do and some don't), but disciples of the Kingdom are dedicated to following our King. Understanding and living out His Kingdom. Being a blessing to His "called out ones" in every decade and year. The Kingdom is simply the work God is doing in the world.
So Jesus calls us to a heart life that is dedicated to the honor of our King. We set ourselves aside and place the desire of God for our lives as the focus of our aspirations. The Gospels explain the Kingdom implicitly. His disciples heard His words and, as we can see from a number of their letters (such as James, Peter, and John), spent their remaining time on this earth living out the Kingdom for the benefit of His "called out assembly" - the church! So how does one find this kind of focus? By searching the Word of God daily. By sifting through the differences and similarities of the Kingdom and the Church. Jesus' parables, miracles, and people encounters are God's final word on King and Kingdom. It is up to us to apply His words into our own stories of faith.
Some great questions as you consider each aspect of the Kingdom in the Gospels:
1) What is Jesus teaching us about Himself? 2) What is He teaching us about ourselves? 3) What picture is He constructing of what our destiny will look like? This is how we immerse ourselves in Kingdom teaching - and live it out in our lives!
Peace upon your heart today, friend!
Dave and Burnadette