No Greater Joy Shindig Messages

           Number One:

                     "I'll Follow Jesus!"

                               -Nathan  Pearl

  Luke chapter 5 tells us the story of the man who was sick of the palsy that came to Jesus and was healed. This man immediately "rose up before them , and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things today."
  We also read a story in this same chapter of a man named Levi who was sitting at his money-making job when Jesus passed by and simply said, "Follow me." Of Levi we read, "And he left all, rose up, and followed him." Levi then made a great feast and invited a great company of sinners that Jesus might eat with them and share Himself with them just as Levi had experienced.

The very first mark of a man that truly follows Jesus is that he wants to tell you about Jesus. (This       would apply for a woman that truly followed Jesus, too :)

When you follow Jesus you don't get to take Him to your program. We don't get to pick the field         that God sends us too.

The first step to following Jesus is this; "Jesus, I love you."

The great thing about following Jesus is that we have a destination, a goal that needs to be reached.     And here is what it looks like. Ephesians 4:32-5:1, "And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted,     forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. And be ye followers of God     as dear children."

Revelation 19:13-16, "And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called       the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon whipe horses, clothed       in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should           smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the           fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written     KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." This is the One Who we are following! the King of     Kings, the Creator of the Universe, the Word of God, the One Who has saved us by His precious         blood! Why should we not want to follow Him?

 

    Some other scripture passages to look at for further study; Matt. 4:18, Luke 14:26, Matt. 19:20.           John 21.  

                     

            Number Two:

                    "Active Forgiveness" 

                          -Joshua Steele



Ephesians 4:31, 32, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

• In Matt. 18 when Peter was asking Christ how many times he should forgive his brother, "seventy times seven?" he was not seeking to forgive, he was looking for the soonest possible time to condemn that brother and have a reason to justify his own hurt.
• Passive forgiveness is NOT forgiveness!
• Heb. 12:15, Bitterness usually starts in the heart of just one person, but then spreads until it effects the entire group.
• James 3:14-16, The devil has many ways to cause destruction in a group of believers or in a ministry and bitterness is a big one.
• Psalm 15:2, "speaketh the truth in his heart." We may try to excuse our anger or bitterness, or any other kind of sin, but what we really need to do is to be honest with our own hearts and admit our sin for what it really is.
• Romans 5:6-8, Remember what God forgave us of and what it cost Him to do so. With this perspective what we have to forgive others of will seem very small indeed.

Four Steps to Active Forgiveness

           - It's not about the steps, it is about a willingness to obey the Word of God and do what is right.

                1. A commitment to follow God's Word no matter what. Obey!

                    -Pr. 16:3, You're going to win when you commit your works to the Lord.

                2. Remember the danger and destruction of having bitterness in your heart, what starts as a    

                    secret in your heart will spring up to hurt many. (Heb. 12:15)

                3. Focus not on how much you have suffered but on how much you have been forgiven by

                    God and how much He suffered in order to forgive us. (Romans 5:8)

1              4. Seek ways to actively bless that person who has hurt you. (Matt. 5: 43,44)

                    -Active forgiveness is doing good to those that hate you because it is right and it is what God

                     did for you.

                   - The expectation is that we should do more for those who have wronged us than what a lost 

                      person does for that person. ( Matt. 5:46)

                   -How can we practice active forgiveness in our own life?

                       1. Make a list of all those who have hurt you and against who you hold bitterness.

                       2. Seek how you can actively bless each of the people on your list. (i.e. sincere 

                           compliments, thoughtful gestures, a gift, going out of your way to speak to them or

                     help them with something.)