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Vision

Guides your life by seeing different perspectives and understanding God's will

Vision Examples from the Bible

Abram - Genesis 12; Moses - Exodus 2 & 3

Vision Examples from Secular History

LeBron James & the Wright Brothers

How to capture vision for your life?

Grasp who Jesus is, spend time with Him, strive to grow in your faith, ask for prayer and guidance (Matthew 7:7-11)

4 Vision Killers

Doubt - James 1:6 Fear - Proverbs 29:25 Laziness - Proverbs 10:4 Complacency - Luke 12:13-21

What is spiritual reading?

The practice of reading Christian books and articles about spirituality so that you can grow in holiness

Biblical Example of Spiritual Reading

Paul advises young Timothy to attend to and apply reading to his life (2 Timothy 4:13)

Why do we read? (5 things)

1. To sharpen our biblical worldview: a worldview that includes doctrines and application of doctrines.

2. To help us become better readers of the Bible: reading more makes us better Bible interpreters

3. Good spiritual reading leads us into deeper spiritual maturity: recognizing that God's love in Christ toward us should produce humility.

4. Reading helps us articulate the reason for the hope that is in us when engaging with unbelievers.

5. Reading helps us to lead and disciple others, everyone is called to lead in different areas of their lives.

Christian Simplicity

An inward reality resulting in an outward lifestyle that centers your perspectives towards God and His provisions.

Simplicity Bible Examples

Jesus Christ - Matthew 9:35 Apostle Paul - 1 Corinthians 4:12

Simplicity Church Examples

The Mennonites and The Amish

Simplicity Secular Examples

Warren Buffet and David Green

Six Biblical Bases for Christian Simplicity

1. God owns everything including our lives and we are his stewards - Psalm 95:3-7

2. True happiness comes from contentment - Psalm 90:14-17

3. A Biblical lifestyle should be a Christians standard for living - 1 Peter 1:15-16

4. Be the salt and light in the world - Matthew 5:13-16

5. Embrace simple living by reducing our impact on God's creation, have time to build a relationship with God, family, and community - Matthew 25:35

6. Bible speaks against greed and materialism - Luke 12:15

How to simplify your spending habit?

Monitor your urges and learn to live frugality looking for used things first and taking advantage of the library. Drink water and be wise in using credit cards.

Accountability

1-4 Christians who confide in each other to avoid sinful behaviors and live a godly life

Accountability Biblical Examples

Paul and Barnabas - BV Paul and Timothy and Titus - BV

Why accountability is important? (5 things)

1. Because we can't judge ourselves properly - Romans 12:16

2. Because in accountability our brother/sister will help us stay on the right track - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

3. Because they prevent us from falling into sin - Proverbs 11:14

4. Because it can help us stand strong in spiritual warfare - Ephesians 6:12

5. Because accountability is a means of God's protection - Romans 12:1

Why do we need to do evangelism? (6 things)

1. Because of the Great Commission, it is Christ's command for every believer - Matthew 28:19

2. Because the reality of our salvation experience compels us to evangelize - 2 Corinthians 5:14

3. Because the harvest is great and the laborers are so few - Joel 3:13

4. Because the unfulfilled prophecy - Matthew 24:11-14

5. Because of the reality of Hell - Luke 16:23

6. Because the glories of heaven and the personal rewards that are offered to the faithful one - John 14:2

Six Spheres of Christian Living

1. True worship 2. Christian faith, in that faith and reason are not opposed 3. Christian holiness 4. Christian guidance 5. Christian evangelism 6. Christian ministry

Gnosis

separating spiritual from material

Epignosis

experiential knowledge

Deism

presenting God as being revealed in nature

Naturalism

exalts the mind, views matter as eternally existent in a cause-effect relationship

Humanism

someone becomes his own god with complete freedom of choice

Nihilism

life without value or purpose, denies absolute knowledge and truth

Postmodernism

truth determined from life experience

New Age Philosophy

obtaining a higher consciousness through mystical experiences

Eastern Philosophies

God permeates the cosmos and exists in everything

Affluenza

overconsumption; an obsessive quest for more and the urge to splurge and most notable in escalating debt levels

Christian worldview according to James Sires (9 things)

1. Immutable nature and character of God

2. God as Creator

3. Persons being created in the image of God

4. Humankind created with the capacity to know God and the world

5. Christ's redemption of humanity

6. Death as a door to eternal life

7. Ethics based on God's good character

8. History leading to fulfillment of God's purpose

9. Christian telos to enjoy and glorify God forever

4 Facets of Vocational Holiness

1. Interpersonal conflict and misunderstanding

2. Personal failure

3. Overwork 4 Transition

5 Areas of Physical Health and Wellness Formation

1. Nutrition - having a balanced and nutritious diet eating only things that God intended for food, eating foods as they were created, and avoiding food addictions.

2. Physical exercise - the human body is designed to move and God created the body to renew itself through physical activity to ensure sustained health

3. Sleep - God created sleep to renew body processes.

4. Stress/rest/leisure - Since we are created in the image of God, we can intentionally establish rhythms of work, rest, and leisure that moderate the stresses of life and reengage us with our Creator, ourselves, and others.

5. Sexual purity - We glorify God by maintaining sexual purity

6 Contemporary Worldviews Regarding Sexuality

1. The covenantal view within the “one flesh” marriage model, reflecting God’s covenant with Israel and christ’s covenant with the church.

2. The procreative view upheld as the official position by the Roman Catholic Church relating to reproduction.

3. The romantic view, which when taken on its own, supports full sexual expression within both mutual, non-marital love relationships and loving marriages.

4. The plain sex view, which when taken on its own, disconnects love, commitment and sex with an emphasis on sexual gratification.

5. The power view, which views sexuality as energy, eroticism and force used for controlling, manipulating and exploiting others.

6. The expressive view, which focuses on sex for personal development and creative self-expression, with sexual restraint seen as unnatural.

5 Declaration of the Evangelical Declaration on the care of creation

1. Biblical faith is crucial to solving ecological problems.

2. Christians have a responsibility for the earth’s degradation, which encompasses human poverty.

3. The Bible provides a tangible way forward, beginning with repentance followed by a faithful response to its principles.

4. Faith in God as Creator and humankind created in God’s image magnify Christ’s purpose to bring healing and wholeness to all of creation.

5. With Christ being the only hope for the consequences of human sin and the church as the center of creation care, Christians should work with those dedicated to Earth’s preservation.

Purposes of Money (7 things)

1. To glorify God when contributing to the Lord's work

2. To do good

3. To provide for oneself and one's family

4. To repay debt

5. To pay taxes

6. To save

7. To leave an inheritance for others