High Beams in Heavy Darkness (09.24.17 Notes)

“High Beams in The Darkness”

#LetsRoll Week 3

Pastor Kris Freeman

Revolution Church

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16 (NLT)

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

This is the first section following the Beatitudes in the SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

Last week, Pastor Joe spoke about:

1. Being a part of the TEAM.

2. Using our GIFTS

3. Finding your PLACE.

These things are emphasized in the MISSION of Revolution Church. Life change, love God and love others and serve our community and around the world. Live.Love.Serve.

Jesus was emphasizing our ROLE in the world as disciples and apostles. How do you use what you have been given to accomplish the mission?

50 Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50 NLT)

The Greek word for salt is halas. It is used four times in the New Testament and means we are to use our gifts from the Lord as a preservative. The Gospel is about making PEACE and RESOLUTION with sin, our enemies and our temptations and trials.

6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. (Galatians 4:6 NLT)

How many of you have ever prepared food in a canning process. Salt was used to preserve something for a very long TIME. The Gospel is the Good News and it is the very thing that is able to preserve us and help us overcome. 

We are not just salt, we are also light.

Darkness is an ABSTRACT (a thought or idea, but without actual substance).

So, in essence, darkness is the ABSENCE of light, not an entity unto itself. Just as SIN is the ABSENCE or SEPARATION from the presence of God.

The light, or phos, actually occurs 72 times in 60 verses of the New Testament. 

The light shines in the darkness. And the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:5 NLT)

12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12 NLT)

How do I find my place and let my light shine?

1. As an apostle of Christ, you are an AGENT of reconciliation and peace. YOU can be the reason someone else finds Jesus! You can bring hope to the hopeless through Christ! You can give others a second chance! You can be an encourager to the broken!

20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT)

2. As an apostle of Christ, you are a FLASHLIGHT to point to the way.

John himself was not the light, he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. (John 1:8-9 NLT)

3. Don’t lose flavor, and don’t burn out. You are a preservative and what you have to use can be beneficial for a long time. You are a light, and what you have to show can point the way!

47 For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. 49 So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region. (Acts 13:47-48)

#LetsRoll

Zero to Sixty (09.10.17 Notes)

“Zero to Sixty”

#LetsRoll Week One

Pastor Kris Freeman

Revolution Church

Scripture: Acts 10:34-43 (NLT)

34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. 36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. 38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, 41 not to the general public,[d] but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. 43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

The journey of the development of the early church:

• Old Testament prophecy and the Law
• Coming of the The Messiah
• Jesus Ministry on Earth
• Death, burial and crucifixion of Jesus
• The Resurrection
• The Day of Pentecost and Coming of the Holy Spirit
• Gathering of the “first” churches

Every pathway of discipleship and growth is a JOURNEY.

In Acts 11, the followers were first called “Christians” when they gathered.

And when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:26)

After two thousand years of slow progression, the “church” saw rapid ACCELERATION as the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread outside of Jerusalem. 

Slow progression growth in the modern church:

1. Discipleship

2. Leadership development

3. Buildings and Facilities

4. Financial Security

5. Vision and Strategy

Rapid movement in the church:

1. Salvation and life change

2. Baptism

3. Crowd swell (make sure it’s community and not hype!)

4. Momentum

Slow progression is SPIRITUALLY SUCCESSFUL with SYSTEMATIC planning. The Bible is a series of systematic plans laid out by God - not in chronological order - but in spiritual depth.

Rapid progression is EXCITING but can be dangerous and DECEPTIVE if not adequately DISCIPLED.

Ekklesia is a Greek word which meant assembly. It was used to describe the church in Acts 11:26. The meaning of the word did not associate with the church until the gathering of the people became what the church is today.

There is something that changes in a setting when the group goes from a gathering to a BODY or a FAMILY.

When you grow, then you can go. When you go, then the church can grow.

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

#LetsRoll

The Servant Leader (09.03.17 Notes)

“The Servant Leader”

Ordination Service

Pastor Kris Freeman

Revolution Church

Sept. 3, 2017

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-13 (NLT)

3 This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.” 2 So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. 3 He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. 4 He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. 5 For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? 6 A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. 7 Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap. 8 In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. 9 They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. 10 Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. 11 In the same way, their wives[e] must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do. 12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well. 13 Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul is writing to Timothy, a young apprentice and preacher. Paul, with Barnabas, was APPOINTED as an elder in the church in Acts 14:23.

Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. (Acts 14:23)

The word ordain is an English word translated from a Greek word tithemi which means “appointed.” Today, we are talking about the appointing and commissioning of leadership. This word occurs 104 times in 94 New Testament verses.

Every church is structured in DIFFERENT ways.

The structure of Revolution Church:

• Pastor-elder
• Led, not controlled
• Elders, deacons and staff
• Board of Trust (business and finance, seven members)
• Why are we not a democracy? Leadership matters. Discipleship over democracy!

1. A pastor is a SHEPHERD
2. An elder is a SPIRITUAL OVERSEER
3. A deacon is a SERVANT LEADER
4. A staff is a paid or volunteer ministry leader
5. A Board of Trust member is a spiritual servant (which can serve in other various ministry roles) which has been appointed on a seven-member board as a legal and fiscal representative of the church. What does the Board of Trust do? Sign documents. Officers of the agency with the state and federal government. Staffing. Property management. 

The primary roles which are ordained are pastors, elders and deacons, according to scripture. In certain evangelical or protestant denominations, pastor would be a synonym with BISHOP.

What does it mean to be ordained? - to invest or appoint (as often by the laying on of hands in prayer) with ministry authority.

The word deacon is derived from the Greek Word diakonos which means “servant, messenger, minister” and originates with the seven appointed in Acts 6.

2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.” 5 Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them. 7 So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

1. As any ministry leader, we have been called by Jesus to SERVE. (Luke 22:26)
2. As we serve, the church has a foundation to GROW.
3. As the church grows, we transition people from DISCIPLES to APOSTLES.

All levels of leadership and ministry should have the end goal of being an APOSTLE.

My Greatest Battle (08.27.17 Notes)

“My Greatest Battle”

Overcomer Week 4

Pastor Kris Freeman

Revolution Church

August 27, 2017

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:6-11 (NLT)

6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 8 So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. 9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. 11 And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.

Some say fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is faith. It’s faith in the WRONG things!

- Fear is a lack of trust

- Fear is pride

- Fear is common, real and difficult (so you are human!)

The four most common fears of people:

1. Loss (person, relationship, job, health, control)

2. Failure (inadequate, measure up, not talented enough, not achievable)

3. Rejection (relationship, employment, social circles, peer pressure, style)

4. Unknown (the What-ifs and the unexpected)

1. Fear is placing faith in the “What-Ifs”

This is exactly what MOSES did!

But Moses protested again, “what if they don’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, The Lord never appeared to you?” (Exodus 4:1)

Why do your “what-ifs” matter?

• What you fear the most reveals what you VALUE the most.
• What you fear the most reveals where you TRUST God the least.

Fill in this blank for yourself. I have trouble trusting God with my fear of: ___________________ .

How will God empower us to overcome our fears?

2. Acknowledge God and choose to trust him through it anyway.

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust and I am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 56:4)

3. Seek God until he takes away your fears. And if they are still there, CONTINUE to seek him every day! This is great spiritual discipline!

I prayed to the Lord and he answered me and freed me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)

I love that God has not given us a spirit of fear. Our God wants to deliver you from fear! I hope you will believe that is possible!

Quote this: It’s very possible for an eternal God to help you overcome a temporary fear!

I have never known more than 15 minutes of anxiety or fear. Whenever I feel fearful emotions overtaking me, I just close my eyes and thank God that he is still on the throne reigning over everything and I take comfort in His control over all the affairs of my life. - John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church

If I am fearful of the what-if, how can I celebrate the what-then? - Beth Moore

But the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. (Hebrews 10:23)

I am an #Overcomer because I am not what I used to be, but I am not yet what I am going to become!

Peel Off the Labels (08.20.17 Notes)

“Peel off the Labels”

Overcomer Week 3

Pastor Kris Freeman

Revolution Church

August 20, 2017

Scripture: Mark 2:1-12 (NLT)

2 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, 7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” 8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man[a] has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” 

12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”

This is the story of Jesus healing a paralyzed man - but more importantly, it is a discussion about how those in suffering are LABELED in their condition.

In ancient Biblical times, there was an erroneous belief that sick people or paralyzed individuals were being punished for SIN.

- If this were the case, wouldn’t all of us be suffering paralysis?

- Do you believe disease is a curse, or a common part of human life?

- Let’s talk about it!

The condition caused this man to be LABELED because he was disabled.

- What labels?

- Disabled. Incompetent. Unclean. Unintelligent. Uneducated. Sinful. Wrong. Punished. Outcast. Ugly. Broken. Forgotten. Annoyance. In the Way. What labels define you?

Quote this: The longer we carry a label, the less it describes our past and the more it determines our future. 

Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” - Mark 2:5 (NLT)

To help overcome the labels, we must understand: 

1. The faith of those around you MATTERS.

• Your friends will either carry you toward Jesus, or pull you away from Him.
• Transformation rarely happens in isolation, but is explosive in community.
• Jesus heals the source, not the symptoms or the suspicions (labels).

2. A label may describe you, but an identity in Christ DEFINES you.

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

#spiritualequality - is that possible?

3. What Satan meant for evil, God will use for GOOD.

Quote this: God can use your past to change someone’s future.

Stand up, pick up your mat and go home.

Quote this: Often what you are called to is a direct result of what burden you once were called to carry.

Read Galatians 3:28 and fill in this blank personally for you:

I used to be called _____________________, but now I am called ________________________ .

I am an #Overcomer because I am not what I used to be, but I am not yet what I am going to become!

Don't Get Too Comfortable (08.13.17 Notes)

“Don’t Get Too Comfortable”

Overcomer Week 2

Pastor Kris Freeman

Revolution Church

August 13, 2017

Scripture: Luke 10:30-31 (NLT)

30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 

When you leave the curse of comparison behind, you will suddenly find a greater urge and UNDERSTANDING of the calling God has placed on your life.

But there is a danger of pursuing a passionate calling with the wrong ATTITUDE. This sinful attitude is often overlooked, and is called APATHY.

What is apathy? -  A lack of enthusiasm, interest or concern.

Unfortunately, sometimes what makes us uncomfortable can make us seem UNCONCERNED.

Why don’t we care like Jesus called us to care?

1. The volume of information is overwhelming - there are too many things to care about, too many causes to fight and too many changes to make
2. We feel helpless to make a change - hard to care about something you feel you cannot do much about
3. We are blessed and cursed with comfort - life is more about me than how I can make a difference with everything else.

Quote this: Lean into whatever makes you righteously uncomfortable.

A lack of consistency results in a lack of interest.

Consistently expose yourself to something that creates a righteous discomfort. 

9 With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. (Romans 9:1-3)

Apathy can quickly become a fiercely righteous passion for people if channeled in the right direction, with the right purpose and matched with the right SPIRITUAL GIFTS.

Quote this: Rather than making a little difference in a few places, make a big difference in a few.

1. Focus on one thing and start with it - Many things will catch your attention, but few things capture your heart. 

- You don’t have to be a creator! Join those doing it!

- Passivity repels, passion attracts

Quote this: Apathy finds an excuse, passion finds a way.

2. Embrace what HURTS.

- A lie most people believe: “It’s easier not to care.” NO! That takes effort!

- It’s easier to hurt with a purpose than to exist without one!

Finding a passion for a purpose:

• Moses - Let my people go!
• David - Who are you to come against my armies?
• Nehemiah - Why should I come off this wall?
• Haggai - Rebuild your hearts and then rebuild the city!
• Jesus - Sheep without a shepherd
• Paul - Preach Jesus Christ crucified

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy. And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

I am an #Overcomer and I will care about people like Jesus did!