California Community Church California Community Church

Family Values
Part 2 - Our Interactions

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand

“Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:31-32 (MSG)

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.” Phillippians 2:5-11(MSG)

1) Prioritize Unity
2) Practice Humility
3) Facilitate Forgiveness

Family Values
Part 1 - About Marriage

The reason our marriages don’t end up where we want them to because they didn’t start where God intended them to.

“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” Genesis 2:24 (NIV)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7(NIV)

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:1-4(NIV)

3 Ways To Help A Marriage In Need
1) Practice Devotional Time Together
2) Find A Marriage Counselor
3) Develop Intentional Date Times

ACCEPTING YOUR STATUS AS A CHILD OF GOD

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.’ So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the fatted calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” Luke 15:17-24

Life with the Father is Better than Life Without the Father.

How Do YOU Learn to Truly and Confidently believe that YOU are a child of God?

Choose to FULLY Believe God’s Acceptance and My Identity

We are stuck in faulty thinking about God and we are trapped in self-condemnation.

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. MY purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 NLT

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 NLT

See your enemy’s strategy? Try to kill you. If that doesn’t work, try to keep you far from God, in your sin, wallowing in your stuff AND if that doesn’t work, he will AT LEAST try to keep you from believing that you are fully a son, fully a daughter who is forgiven and accepted by God.

“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 is. May you experience the love of Christ though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster….oh that you would choose life…You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life…” Deuteronomy 30:11, 19, 20

Surrender to God’s Changes

The prodigal trusted the father to change his clothes…and then he learned to trust His father to change his life.

Believe for MORE!!
EASTER 2024

If Christ hasn’t been raised, then our preaching is useless
and your faith is useless. 1 Corinthians 14:15

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in
you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He
will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living
within you. Romans 6:10-11

If all the resurrection of Jesus from the dead provided was
proof that Jesus is the Son of God (as He claimed), provided
forgiveness from our sins because He demonstrated power
over sin, death and the grave, AND provided a promise that
we, too, will raise from the dead to heaven, THAT WOULD BE
ALL WE NEED TO WORSHIP, LOVE AND SERVE JESUS ALL
OF OUR DAYS
The power that raised Jesus from the dead, that actually
accompanied the whole life and miracle-working-ministry of
Jesus, that culminated in raising Him from the dead, is
available on a DAILY basis to transform the way we live our
lives, and to EMPOWER us to live at a level beyond what is
humanly possible.
Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will
do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater
things than these…” John 14:12

“According to your faith be it done to you.” Matthew 9:29

What if the very issue standing between you and living with
the dynamic power that actually raised Jesus from the dead

could be unlocked and unleashed simply by BELIEVING GOD
FOR MORE?

You get to choose how much you believe God for.

Two small steps to start:
1. Ask Him to Increase Your Faith
“I believe. Help my unbelief.” Mark 9:24
2. You can exercise the small faith you have until your faith
grows.
…Faith the size of a mustard seed…

Greater is He who is IN YOU than he who is in the world. 1
John 4:4
I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13
For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s
children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs.
Romans 8:17
Christ IN ME the hope of glory!!! Colossians 1:27

When I Believe God for MORE…
…I will believe in myself more!
“Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the
frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had
happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of Him
and told Him what she had done. And He said to her,
‘Daughter, your faith made you well…’” Mark 5:32-34

When I believe God for MORE…
…I will attempt more!
When you double your dream, you are stepping closer to
your destiny and God always intended that it would be bigger
than you alone!
Don’t let your doubts determine your destiny!
Allow your belief to take you to a level of life you never even
knew was possible for you.

Becoming BeYOUtiful You
Part 9, Gentleness

“…when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” Galatians 5:22, 23 NLT

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 NLT

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Ephesians 4:2 NLT

“He must be gentle, not quarrelsome” 1 Timothy 3:3 NLT

“You should clothe yourselves with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”
1 Peter 3:4 NLT

TO LIVE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE, I NEED GOD’S HELP!

GENTLENESS KILLERS:

MY PACE

A Story of Urgency and Interruption
Luke 8:40-55 NIV

MY PAIN

MY PRIDE

Humble People Esteem People and Prideful People Demean People.

“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.
And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” Galatians 6:1-3 NLT

4 PRAYERS TO BUILD GENTLENESS INTO YOUR LIFE:

JESUS, HELP ME VALUE PEOPLE EQUALLY
JESUS, HELP ME LISTEN MORE THAN I SPEAK

“Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” James 1:19 ESV

“Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.” James 1:19

JESUS, HELP MY WORDS HELP

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight” Psalm 19:14 NIV


JESUS, HELP ME DO GENTLENESS

Daily Gentleness Prayer for This Week:

Jesus, grow gentleness within me. Like fruit on a branch, let my words be sweet and may my pace be fast enough to accomplish your will for my life, BUT slow enough to be gentle with all who intersect my path.

Prevent my pain or pride from becoming weaponized against others. And give me eyes to really see and ears to really hear every person in my life and then, Father, give me a gentle heart to respond to them like Jesus would.
Amen