Vitals

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Generosity Pt. 2

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Vitals - Generosity Pt. 2
Dave Riddle - 08/25/19
Key Passage: Mark 12:41-44

Generous: the readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected.

Scripture: at the core it’s about God giving to us.

Embracing a lifestyle of generosity...

  • A Reflection of God

    • John 13:34 - Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

      • Jesus is the perfect picture of generosity for us to emulate.

  • A Display of Gratitude

    • Mark 12:44

      • Even though she had very little, she realized that she was blessed.

    • Hebrews 12:28

      • We’ve received a kingdom that can’t be shaken. Our response should be an outpouring of gratitude.

  • An Assertion of Trust

    • Mark 12:44

      • She gave everything and, trusted that God would provide for her.

        • Not a suggestion that we are all prescribed to do the same.

        • But a challenge for us to examine the way we give.

      • Do we give out of our surplus, or do we give sacrificially?

  • An Attack on the “King”

    • We are our own biggest enemies: our selfishness, our self-centeredness, our greed. We are the kings of our own lives.

    • Matthew 6:24 - ...you cant worship God and money both.

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Generosity Pt. 1

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Vitals - Generosity Part 1
Dave Riddle - 08/11/19
Key Passage: Romans 8:32

Definition: Showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected.

Scripture: At the core, it’s all about God

Jesus: Perfect example of generosity

  • He gave willingly

    • John 10:18

  • He gave joyfully

    • John 15:13

  • He gave purposefully

    • 1 Peter 3:18

  • He gave sacrificially

    • Ephesians 5:25

    • Philippians 2:5-8

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Authenticity Pt. 2

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Vitals - Authenticity Part 2
Dave Riddle - 08/11/19
Key Passage: Romans 12:9

Key Aspects of a “Being Real” Culture

  • Honesty

  • Simplicity

  • Clarity

  • Sincerity

  • Humility

  • God’s Grace & Power

Four Areas to Consider

  1. Identity

  2. Emotional Health

  3. Spiritual Failure

  4. Convictions

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Authenticity Pt. 1

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Vitals - Authenticity Part 1
Dave Riddle - 08/04/19
Key Passage: 1 John 1:5-10. 2:1-2

Key Aspects of a “Being Real” Culture

  • Honesty

  • Simplicity

  • Clarity

  • Sincerity

  • Humility

  • God’s Grace & Power

Bona Fide Believers

  • We know who we are

  • We know what we’ve done

  • We know the necessity of confession

  • We know Jesus

    • Advocate

    • Holy

    • Answer

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Spiritual Formation Pt. 2

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Vitals - Spiritual Formation Pt. 2
Dave Riddle - 07/14/19
Key Verses: Philippians 3:10, Galatians 4:19

ginōskō (Greek: γινώσκω) - to know by experience, in contract to an intellectual or intuitive type of knowledge.

  • it’s one thing to know what sunburn is, it’s another thing completely to ‘experience’ sunburn.

symmorphizō (Greek: συμμορφίζω) - to receive the same form as; to be conformed to.

  • Luke 6:40 - ...everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

  • We are being transformed, not by our own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual Practices & Rhythms

  • Not obligations, but invitations!

Study

  • Philippians 4:8 - “...dwell on these things”

  • Repetition, conversation, reflection

Meditation

  • Psalm 63:6 HCSB): When I think of You as I lie on my bed, I meditate on You during the night watches

  • On scripture, on the works of God, on the things we see happening around us.

Prayer

  • “Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of the spiritual life. Of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the father.” -R. Foster ‘Celebration of Discipline’

Fasting

  • Luke 4:1-2 - Jesus fasted.

  • “More than any other discipline fasting reveals the things that control us.” - R. Foster ‘Celebration of Discipline’

  • Matthew 6:16 - not a requirement, but it does appear to be an expectation. “when you fast”

Solitude

  • Mark 1:35

  • Solitude =/= loneliness

  • Let him who cannot be alone beware of community... Let him who is not in community beware of being alone... Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.” - Bonhoeffer ‘Life Together’

Simplicity 

  • “The central point for the discipline of simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and righteousness of his kingdom first and then everything necessary will come in it’s proper order.” - R. Foster ‘Celebration of Discipline’

Submission

  • To God, to the cross, to scripture, to our family, our neighbors, to the needs of others, to the body of Christ.

Service

  • John 13:15 - "For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you. "