Grace
One Year Celebration Recap Video
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Monday Devotional
This week for our devotionals we’re intentionally deviating from the typical format and will be focusing on three of our “Because & Therefore” statements to go along with the One Year Celebration message.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:6 ESV
Why It Matters
One our our “Because & Therefore” statements reads like this:
Because of what Jesus has done we value CELEBRATION therefore we talk about Jesus a lot, rejoice over life-change, readily affirm and honor one another, and uplift our local communities.
This past Sunday we had our One Year Celebration. One year since the official launch of Centerway Church! The “title” for the day has the word celebration in it, but we value celebration as a rhythm of our every day, not just special events.
We learned in this week’s message that when Paul writes to Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God” that’s he telling him to “keep blazing.” It’s an acknowledgment that there’s a flame already existing and to keep that going. We believe celebration is an outflow of someone truly ablaze.
What would it look like to talk about Jesus more this week? How would your spheres of influence – home, work, school, etc – be impacted by celebrating life-change and encouraging those around you? Consider for a moment, the fruit of intentionally affirming and honoring those around you and serving those who are working for the good of your community. When we have an awareness of the work of Jesus in our own lives, it fans our flame, and we will influence those around us in profound ways.
Because of what Jesus has done, let’s be intentional this week to celebrate God’s faithfulness in our own lives and encourage and celebrate those around us.
Declaration of the Week
I will be intentional in my pursuit of the Word of God and the presence of Jesus both for my own personal growth and for the impact and influence it has on others.
Application
What will I risk for God?
Music Response
This week marked one full year of singing songs that worship God and gear our hearts toward recognizing the love of Jesus and how that informs our lives. The teaching explained that we suffer – or make sacrifices – for what we love. As we take that to heart, the lyrics of “I Stand in Awe” and “Build My Life” help us consider what God has done and declare our trust in Him as we step forward into the sacrifices He’s called us to make. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!
Wednesday Devotional
This week for our devotionals we’re intentionally deviating from the typical format and will be focusing on three of our “Because & Therefore” statements to go along with the One Year Celebration message.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:6 ESV
Why It Matters
One our our “Because & Therefore” statements reads like this:
Because God sees what we can’t we value GOD-RISKS therefore we respond when God speaks, pursue efforts that require supernatural intervention to succeed, and – while we aren’t irresponsible – we resist the comfort zone and don’t maintain or play it safe out of fear.
Ever find yourself driving at night, coming around a turn to see two “floating” eyes in the road staring right at you? It’s a deer… in your headlights. And that animal is frozen right in front of your vehicle. The phrase “like a deer in headlights” sadly can sum up our response to fear. We find ourselves paralyzed, unable to move, and slow to react.
2 Timothy 1:6 says that God has not given us the spirit of fear, and yet for many of us there are times when we’ve felt that nudge from the Holy Spirit – when we know to do something – and our reactions are slow. Like a deer in headlights we stare back wide-eyed, unable to move as we process the fear of failure, fear of rejection, or maybe just how much cozier the comfort zone seems in that moment. But there is great joy on the other side of obedience. And that’s all God is asking. When he calls us to take a God-risk, the fruit is up to him. Our job is to offer our “yes” and remain responsive and obedient.
There’s a lot that could be said about taking God-risks, but as it relates to this scripture, we must choose to NOT be frozen or motivated by fear. As a church we most certainly will take the God-risks and do things that would fail apart from Holy Spirit direction and intervention. But it’s only in being immersed in the Word and submitted to his voice that we move forward confidently. What God-risks should you be taking? Is fear a motivating factor in how you respond? Today, rather than dwell on the perceived failure and risk, would you consider the joy and fruit on the other side of your obedience?
Declaration of the Week
I will be intentional in my pursuit of the Word of God and the presence of Jesus both for my own personal growth and for the impact and influence it has on others.
Application
What will I risk for God?
Music Response
This week marked one full year of singing songs that worship God and gear our hearts toward recognizing the love of Jesus and how that informs our lives. The teaching explained that we suffer – or make sacrifices – for what we love. As we take that to heart, the lyrics of “I Stand in Awe” and “Build My Life” help us consider what God has done and declare our trust in Him as we step forward into the sacrifices He’s called us to make. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!
Friday Devotional
This week for our devotionals we’re intentionally deviating from the typical format and will be focusing on three of our “Because & Therefore” statements to go along with the One Year Celebration message.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:6 ESV
Why It Matters
One our our “Because & Therefore” statements reads like this:
Because God says every person matters we value GENERATIONS therefore we serve everyone and we develop and equip leaders at every age, recognizing the uniqueness we bring to the table in different seasons of life.
The word power in this scripture isn’t referring to power as in authority, but power like energy from a power plug. As we look at the end of the verse, it’s saying God has given us the gift of power – or energy – and love that helps us love others and self-control (which here doesn’t mean restraint, but rather the ability to not function according to crisis but peace). It’s clear the source of these gifts is God. That said, our responsibility is to fan the flame of this gift.
We face various challenges in different seasons of life. Challenges related simply to maturing and growing, and certainly those related to unexpected life situations. No matter your age, there are times we run low on energy – both physical energy as well as the energy to love others and not be crisis-oriented. In those moments we need to remember to fan the flame of the gift of God. And we believe living in community and valuing the generations also means we remind each other to fan the flame! God will give us the energy to lovingly speak and see in others what may not be obvious to them, to come alongside each other sharing wisdom and life experiences, to commit to an equipping and serving mindset, and to fan the flame of what God is doing in others’ lives. Would you commit to acknowledging and fanning the flame of the gift of God in your own life? And would you pray for a mindset to see those around you as unique and worthy of your time and service? Committing to serve the generations within a church community and in our spheres of influence will require our dependence on the Spirit who gives us power, love and self-control.
Declaration of the Week
I will be intentional in my pursuit of the Word of God and the presence of Jesus both for my own personal growth and for the impact and influence it has on others.
Application
What will I risk for God?
Music Response
This week marked one full year of singing songs that worship God and gear our hearts toward recognizing the love of Jesus and how that informs our lives. The teaching explained that we suffer – or make sacrifices – for what we love. As we take that to heart, the lyrics of “I Stand in Awe” and “Build My Life” help us consider what God has done and declare our trust in Him as we step forward into the sacrifices He’s called us to make. To listen to songs from this week’s worship set and the series on Spotify click here!