NOTE TO READERS!

Hello Engage readers!  If you are reading this, first let me say that I am extremely proud of you for checking out this site and diligently working on living out your relationship with God!

I will be on vacation for Thanksgiving and will not have internet access for a while.  Therefore, you will not see any new Engages for the next few days.  Please feel free to go back and read any that you missed, and relax and enjoy the holiday with the ones you love!  Don't forget to be THANKFUL to GOD this week - enjoy his gifts and his promises!

Also, I have a question.  Now that we've done this for a couple weeks - what needs to change? 
Do we need to make it less overwhelming?  Shorter thoughts, or maybe thoughts every other day, or every week, so that you have time to work on the challenges? 
WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE ENGAGE A BETTER TOOL FOR LIVING OUT OUR FAITH???

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

- Pastor Jonathan
P.S. - READ PSALM 100 !!!!

ENGAGE #11

GOD OWES US NOTHING
BUT HE GAVE ANYWAY, BECAUSE HE LOVES US.

The Bible says:

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
James 4:6

For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored."
Luke 14:11

WHAT THIS MEANS:

God doesn't owe us anything, but he gave everything for us.  We deserve death.  We absolutely don't deserve to live forever in the company of the perfect God.  But, he loved us and came to die for us. 

We have a tendency to walk around thinking people owe us stuff.  This is pride.  Nobody owes us anything.  God gave us everything, and only when we truly comprehend what that means will we truly be able to be humble.  I believe that PRIDE, more than anything else, is what keeps us from a right relationship with God. 
ACTION:
1. Watch the two videos below.

2. Think about the past few days.  When did you act like you were entitled to something, like someone owed you something?
3. Consider this: how should a humble heart affect the way that you pray, the way that you treat your friends, your teachers, your parents, your enemies, your waiters at restaurants, your boss?

PRAY:
Ask God to change your heart, to give you an appreciation for what he has given you, and to help you focus less on "self" and more on him and his love.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(these are intended to help get discussion started - please do not feel confined to these questions: comment as you like!)
How should a humble heart affect the way that we pray, the way that we treat our friends, our teachers, our parents, our enemies, our waiters at restaurants, our boss?

ENGAGE #10

GOD REQUIRES FAITH

The Bible says:

So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
(Heb. 11:6)

WHAT THIS MEANS:

These can be pretty daunting words, but don't fret!  This whole chapter (11) in Hebrews is about HEROS of the faith, and EVERY ONE OF THEM were people who were just as MESSED UP and screwed up as you and me!  They were heros because they had faith in God in the midst of their messed up lives.

"Christians today like to play it safe.  We want to put ourselves in situations where we are safe 'even if there is no God.'  But if we truly desire to please God, we cannot live that way." (F. Chan)

ACTION:
1. Ask yourself this question: "What am I doing right now that requires faith?"
2. Today, go out and do something for God's Kingdom that requires faith.  (Do something that God would support, like give something valuable away, or sharing your faith with someone who might reject you, etc . . ., NOT something stupid like running into a wall with the faith that God will turn the wall or you into a Nerf object)
BONUS: Read Hebrews 11 (yep - the whole chapter)

PRAY:
"God, give me the courage to have the kind of faith that pleases you.  God, give me opportunities to demonstrate my faith in you."

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(these are intended to help get discussion started - please do not feel confined to these questions: comment as you like!)
What came to your mind when you asked yourself, "What am I doing right now that requires faith?"  Was it hard to think of something?  Did you do something that required faith?  What did you do?

ENGAGE #9

GOD LIVES IN US . . .

WHAT THIS MEANS:
Our worship and our relationship with God have everything to do with each other.

Sometimes when we worship, we're just going through the motions.

Let's say I go on a dinner date with my wife, sit there staring at my food or my cell phone the whole time, comment on her dress because I know that's what I should do, say "uh-huh" alot, crank up my favorite station on the way home, and give her an expected peck on the cheek when the night is through, because I think I should.

How will she react?
That date demonstrates absolutely no real expression of our love and relationship with each other!

Think of Sunday as a date with God.  Are you just going through the motions?

The Bible says

These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
Isaiah 29:13

You must worship no other gods, but only the LORD, for he is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you.

(Exodus 34:14)

God's purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.

Eph. 1:12-14

ACTION:
If you're on schedule, you should be reading this on Sunday. If you're not, do this next Sunday.

1. Go to church. Think of it as a date with God.
2. Worship the God who loves you.  Worship the God who lives in you.  Don't worry about the people next to you.
3. Don't go through the motions.
4. Read Engage #3

PRAY: Tell God that you don't want to go throught the motions today.  Tell him how you feel, how you really feel. Open up to him; this is a relationship after all.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(these are intended to help get discussion started - please do not feel confined to these questions: comment as you like!)
Is it weird to think of Sunday as a date with God?  Is this a good comparison?  Why or why not? 

ENGAGE #8

GOD LOVES . . . YOU.

". . . just as you are, and not as you should be."  Here at ENGAGE, we're looking at some intense stuff that can be challenging.  BUT, the core of our faith is freedom in Jesus' LOVE.  We are never to forget that Jesus came because he LOVES US!  Jesus died because he LOVES US!  Jesus wants more than anything for us to just let him LOVE US!

Do you believe it?

"Underestimate the love of the crucified and risen Jesus, and the shadow of shame, guilt, and fear darkens our space without [rest]." (B. Manning)

Let Jesus love you! Let him drive away all doubt, shame, sin, fear, low self-esteem, and uncertainty.

JESUS LOVES YOU!
Do you believe it?

The Bible says:

And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Eph. 3:17-19

ACTION:
1. Watch the video below and think hard about his words.

2. Allow yourself to be loved. Knock down the walls that get in the way. BE LOVED.

PRAY:
Ask God to help you experience his love, to show you his love, to reassure you of his love. Thank him for his love!  Rest in his love!

DISCUSSION
Comment as you feel led.

ENGAGE #7

GOD IS A LIFE-GIVER

WHAT THIS MEANS:

Some people are life-givers, some are life-takers. 

"Are you a giver or a taker? Some people are so emotionally bankrupt that they suck every ounce of life and energy out of you in a matter of minutes.  Are you that person?  On the other hand, there are those rare souls who seem to emanate an almost visible light of joy, whose affection and genuine caring are an instant salve to troubled minds.  Are you that person?"

"There is one source of life: Jesus.  When all of your actions and words are anchored in his life, then you are a carrier of that life and become life to all you encounter.  How powerful your relationships then become!
What if you prayed and asked God for a word of encouragement for a friend before you saw them?  Wow, how life-giving that would be!  As a godly rebel, this is your destiny."
(The above thoughts come from The New Rebellion Handbook)

The Bible says:
My [Jesus] purpose is to give life in all its fullness. (John 10:10)

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. (Prov. 27:9)

So encourage each other and build each other up (1 Thes. 5:11)

ACTION:

1. Choose one person today to encourage and build up.  Go out of your way to invest in them.  Be a life-giver.   

2.  Reflect on the past couple of days.  When were you a life-giver?  When were you a life-taker?

PRAY:    Ask God to make you more sensitive to the needs of others, to help you listen, and to give you words that build up, not tear down.  Ask God to completely immerse you in his love, and in the life that he gives, that you might have what you need from him to be a life-giver to others.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(these are intended to help get discussion started - please do not feel confined to these questions: comment as you like!)
How did it feel to encourage someone else today?  Is it hard to be a life-giver?  Is it ok to be a Christian and be a life-taker? Why or why not?

ENGAGE #6

GOD IS LOVE

What this means:

Of all the definitions of God in Scripture, this one is at the top, which means that as we continue to ENGAGE, we might revisit this one a few times.  For the time being, suffice it to say that GOD LOVES US and expects us to LOVE him and others. 

The Bible says
Anyone who does not love does not know God,
for God is love.

1 John 4:8

That sure doesn't leave a lot of room for argument.  But what does it mean to love, we might ask?
Well, the Bible answers that as well.  Perhaps the greatest definition of love is found in 1 Corinthians 13.  This passage tells us that no matter what else we get right, even if we have the most amazing faith, ("faith that can move mountains"), even if we have the most fantastic prayer life, and we've never missed a day of church, IF WE DON'T HAVE LOVE, none of that counts.

ACTION:

1. Read 1 Corinthians 13.
2. Read verses 4-7 again, except this time, replace the word love with your name: instead of "love is patient, love is kind," read "Jonathan is patient, Jonathan is kind." etc. (except with your name of course!).  Reflect on the truth of what you read.  Remember, nothing else counts if none of this is true!

3. Determine some specific changes that need to be made in your life based on what you just read.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(these are intended to help get discussion started - please do not feel confined to these questions: comment as you like!)
How did it feel to read the passage with your name in it?  The passage from 1 John is pretty intense, what do you think of this passage?  Is it hard to read?

ENGAGE #5

GOD IS A JUDGE

WHAT THIS MEANS:
The video and scripture below present a different perspective than maybe we are used to . . .

ACTION:
1. Watch the video "Balance Beam" below.

2. Read Matthew 25:14-30

3. Reflect on your own life. What are you doing with the gifts God has given you to use for him? Are you holding on to the balance beam? Are you burying your gifts and keeping them safe?  Are you living the "safe" Christian life?

PRAY: Ask God to show you how and where you can invest the gifts he has given you. Ask him to give you the courage to start walking the beam, not playing the "safe" typical Christian life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(these are intended to help get discussion started - please do not feel confined to these questions: comment as you like!)
When you think of God as a judge, have you ever thought of him this way?  If we were to really stop playing it safe as Christians, what would it look like?

ENGAGE #4

GOD IS A PROVIDER

WHAT THIS MEANS:

GOD WILL GIVE US WHAT WE NEED IF WE PUT HIM FIRST.

God loves us and gives us what we need - not what we think we need; what he, the almighty creator of the universe who loves us, believes is best for us. But we screw things up when we start relying on stuff instead of God (the stuff we think we need). The Bible says we can serve money (or the "stuff" money gets us), or we can serve God, but not both. This might be the biggest danger for all of us Americans who don't think we really need God, because we have our stuff.

The Bible says
Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

(Matthew 6:32-33)

ACTION:

1. Read Matthew 6:24-34.

2. Read it again.

3. Today, don't make a big deal about anything that has nothing to do with Jesus' kingdom.

4. Find something today that you think is really important to Jesus and invest some time and energy in it.

5. At the end of the day, review your day. How did you do? Was your day more or less stressful? Why?

PRAY: Read & pray Matthew 6:9-13 - the Lord's prayer. When you do, consider this: you are praying for the things that you really need.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(these are intended to help get discussion started - please do not feel confined to these questions: comment as you like!)
What were you able to let go of?  What were you able to invest in?  What would it take for us to really take these verses seriously?

ENGAGE #3

GOD IS JEALOUS

WHAT THIS MEANS:

GOD WANTS YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION.

We have a tendancy to give him these things when it's not an inconvenience. What if we treated other relationships like that? "Sure, honey, we can talk when I'm through texting my friend and playing my wii, ok? btw, could you make me a hot-pocket?"
God is not an inconvenience or a distraction. Everything else is.

The Bible says

You must worship no other gods, but only the LORD, for he is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you.

(Exodus 34:14)

It says, "worship no other gods." That means, "nothing else should be more important than God."

ACTION:

There's a lot of things in our lives that this could apply to, but let's keep it simple and start with one.

If you're on schedule, you should be reading this on Sunday. If you're not, do this next Sunday.

1. Go to church.

Go to worship him. Go to learn from him. Go to focus on him.

Don't make excuses; "I'm too tired" or "I'm just so busy" or "I really need to practice my shot."

No excuses. Go to church.

(It doesn't have to be our chuch, btw)

2. Focus.

Pay attention. Connect with God. Learn something.

No passing notes, whispering to your neighbor, texting your neighbor, playing "I spy", clipping your nails, or thinking about lunch plans. No distractions. If you know your neighbor will be a distraction, move.

God is jealous. Focus.

PRAY: Tell God you want to put HIM first. Ask him to help you focus.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(these are intended to help get discussion started - please do not feel confined to these questions: comment as you like!)

Why is it so hard for us to focus or grow at church?  How can we get better at this? 
What's wrong with this statement, "church just doesn't do anything for me."?

ENGAGE #2

GOD IS OMNISCIENT and OMNIPRESENT


WHAT THIS MEANS:

Try saying these two strange words out loud, they're fun to say! What they mean: GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING and IS EVERYWHERE! This is something we definitely tend to forget!

The Bible says:
O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought . . . Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know!

I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

(from Psalm 139)

Wow! What an amazing God we have! This is both good news and bad news. The good news is that He will never leave us and is with us in every situation - good or bad. The bad news is that we can't just serve God on Sundays and Wednesdays or only when we are in church. God knows all of our thoughts all the time everywhere!


ACTION:
No more trying to fake God out. He knows. You might as well be real with him. No more living for God at church but not at school or with your friends.

Don't ever again say, "I can't do that, I'm at a church function." It doesn't matter. God is everywhere, all the time.

TODAY (or tomorrow if you're reading this at night):
1. Do something to remind you that God is there all day long. Ideas: Set an alarm on your watch or phone every half hour, make a mark on your hand, tie a string around your finger, decide that everytime you see a black car, you will think about God; get creative - just do something that will keep God in your mind all day long.

2. Talk with someone about God today, nothing specific or complicated, just talk about him. Talking about him keeps him on your mind.

PRAY: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." (Psalm 139:23-24)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(these are intended to help get discussion started - please do not feel confined to these questions: comment as you like!)
What did you do to remind yourself that God was with you all day?
Why do we feel like it's ok to live one way outside of church, but another when we are at church?  Does this make any sense?

ENGAGE #1

GOD IS HOLY

WHAT THIS MEANS:
So this is our first daily look at who God is. This is a big one - God is holy. Essentially that means two things: PERFECT and SET APART. Nothing can ever compare to God and he is completely perfect, without any trace of evil.

The Bible says

"you must be holy in everything you do, just as God--who chose you to be his children--is holy."

(1 Pet. 1:15)

How do we become holy? First, we can't.
That's why it's so awesome that Jesus took all our imperfections to the grave so that we can have a relationship with a perfect God!

Secondly, we can. We will never be completely perfect in this life, but God wants us to let his Spirit work in our lives to make us more like him. This can only happen if we SET ourselves APART for him. We let him take complete control and change us to be like him.

ACTION:
The verse above essentially says:
God is holy. He loves you. You're his kid. Live like it.
Sometime today simply take 5-10 minutes to ask yourself: Is my life SET APART for God to do what he wants with it? Is my life really about God or is it about me? Think back to the last couple of days. When were you living like God's kid? When were you not.

PRAY: Tell God you want to be his. Ask him to teach you how to be holy.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(these are intended to help get discussion started - please do not feel confined to these questions: comment as you like!)
What do you suppose it means to be SET APART?  What are we Set apart from?  What are we set apart to?  Is this a reasonable expectation?