HV Core Values

Midway Baptist Chiurch . San Diego, CA . 619.424.7870 . www.highvoltagesandiego.com

1 | Authentic Faith

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2 | Spiritual Discipline ...the just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17

Physical Training

Physical training is an interesti ng thing. Genesis 1:26-27 explains how we were all created in the image of God. He designed our face, hair, skin, as well as our spiritual awareness. He also designed the functi ons of our body. As a result, we have this amazing ma-chine that we inhabit that does amazing things. Since God designed our bodies and the way they functi on, when we study it we can gain a VERY SMALL glimpse of the creati vity and awesomeness of who He is and how He has designed our bodies to be a testi mony of Him. What am I saying? Our physical bodies are not separate from God’s purposes. There is a DIRECT ILLUSTRATION between our physical health and growth and our spiritual health and growth. Let’s look at it for a minute! Patt ern of muscle growth | HYPERTROPHY (Primary source: UCSD department of muscle physiology; The Journal of Physiology; Brooks, Excercise Physiology, MH)

Neural Response —> Geneti c Response —> Protein Synthesis Neural increase As the muscles receives Finally the message fi lters down in sti mulati ng increased demand the to change the way your muscle proteins muscle contracti on. genes are “upgraded”. react to the increased demands. When These genes determine demand is sustained long enough, additi onal the “contracti le protein contracti le proteins are produced and added to gene response” your existi ng MYOFIBRILS (these are the fi bers that make up your muscles). These fi bers can only get soo big before they split. THIS IS HYPERTROPHY - the growth of your muscle cells - NOT THE INCREASE OF THE # OF YOUR MUSCLE CELLS. It can take as long as 2 months of this process occur ing before actual HYPERTROPHY begins.

Patt ern of muscle loss | ATROPHY Muscular ATROPHY is the exact opposite of HYPERTROPHY. Do you remember what initi ated HYPERTROPHY? The brains increased signals requiring muscle use! Atrophy, then, would be the ABSENCE OF these signals that require muscular use. What happens to your muscles when they ATROPHY? They shrink and get weak. The lack of use sends them into a type of “dormancy” and the contacti le proteins that

made them big, breakdown. This is called “Protein Degradati on”.

WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES ALL OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ROMANS AND SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE!?! Well, I’m glad you asked! Because God created the world and everything in it, spiritual principles can be illustrated by the

physical world around us.

RomansHere’s how this church in Rome was started and some 411 on what was going on at this ti me...

So when we get to Romans 5:1, we can understand that since Paul had not been to this church yet, he was laying a docrinal basis for the church and for unity among believers. He addressed a LOT of issues and spelled out the basics of what a healthy, functi oning church should believe.

2 | Spiritual Discipline ...the just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17

Spiritual Training

In Physical Training, it takes discipline to endure enough excercise to increase the demand on your muscles to the point those con-tracti le proteins increase and true hypertrophy takes place. Just like in Physical Training, Spiritual training takes discipline.

Def | Spiritual Discipline is the process of seeking God’s plan and purpose through every situati on.

Romans 5:1-5 | How does my life merge with my faith?In Romans 5:1-5, Paul addresses the PROCESS and PATTERN of growing stronger spiritually. If you are going to live your life by faith, you have to have SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE.

Challenge/Situati on -> Pati ence -> Experience -> Hope -> No Shame!Step #1: Realize that every situati on you will ever face has a specifi c GOD INTENDED OUTCOME!Many ti mes we let circumstances, situati ons and trials DESTROY us! We roll over and go into a depressed clump of snot and emo-ti on in some cases. In other cases we react out of rage or anger and drive wedges between us and our freinds, or us and our family. Someti mes we just shut the world out and go into solitary confi nement for a while. The key to overcoming this is realizing that God has a purpose in EVERY SINGLE SITUATION... PERIOD!

Romans 8:28-30

Philippians 1:8

James 1:2-4

Genesis 50:20

Step #2: Realize that you can ATROPHY SPIRITUALLY.

Hebrews 5:11-13Here is a group of people who should have been at the point of spiritual strenghth and instead they needed to be taught the same stuff again! We have to watch out and realize that our spiritual growth does not take place on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. If you are going to grow in your faith, you have to take responsibilty for it!

Step #3: Understand that to discover God’s Purpose and avoid atrophy is an intenti onal (On Purpose) act. Hebrews 5:14; Romans 5:3-5The Truth is that as you EXCERCISE your spiritual senses by using them intenti onally, you are transforming your mind. As this trans-formati on begins to happen, it will become more and more natural to think spiritually and to make faster judgments based on Biblical principles.

This is the Coff ee Filter - Spiritual Discipline is intenti onally fi ltering our perspecti ve of EVERYTHING through the fi lter of the Bible. This is Romans 12:1-2 in acti on - TRANSFORM YOUR MIND! TRANSFORM YOUR THINKING!

1. That means at every turn in life we ask ourselves, “what does God think about this?”

2. Whenever we are challenged, we ask, “what does the Bible say about this?”

3. And then ask, “how does God want me to respond?”

Just like with a physical workout, you have to PRACTICE! You will never GROW spiritually if you do not prac-ti ce!!! If you don’t put in the work-out you will never experience its benefi t! You will never look like me if you don’t PUMP SOME IRON!!!

3 | Moral Boundaries ...the just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17

Review 1 | Authenti c Faith - Romans 1:16-17 A) Establishing a relati onship with Jesus Christ - Romans 10:9-13 B) Allow your relati onship with Christ to guide you - Romans 12:1-2 Illustrati on: Coff ee Maker When water is poured through a coff ee fi lter it transforms it into something good and desirable. Just like that, our lives should be transformed through the Word of God. When we read and study it and do what it says, its the same as “fi ltering” our lives through God’s fi lter! This is authenti c faith! It’s living life according to his Word!

2 | Spiritual Discipline - Romans 5:1-5 A) Realize every situati on you will ever face has a GOD INTENDED OUTCOME. B) Realize that you CAN atrophy spiritually C) Understand that to discover GOD’s PURPOSE and to AVOID ATROPHY is an INTENTIONAL ACT! Illustrati on: Weight Lift ing A weight lift er does not become a muscle-bound freak by thinking about weight lift ing, or by staring at weights. He does it by pushing him/herself to work hard and press through the workouts to experience the benefi t of large muscles. The more he/she works out, the easier it becomes. If they stop working out, their muscles will actually shrink! It’s the same in our spiritual life. When we consciously work to make Godly decisions, Godly decisions will become more natural. When we live life by making decisions based on our own lusts and desires, we will atrophy spiritually.

3 | How does my life merge with my faith? By having MORAL BOUNDARIES.

Def | Moral 1. Of or concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human acti on and character: moral scruti ny; a moral quandary. 2. Teaching or exhibiti ng goodness or correctness of character and behavior: a moral lesson. 3. Conforming to standards of what is right or just in behavior; virtuous: a moral life. 4. Arising from conscience or the sense of right and wrong: a moral obligati on. 5. Having psychological rather than physical or tangible eff ects: a moral victory; moral support. 6. Based on strong likelihood or fi rm convicti on, rather than on the actual evidence: a moral certainty.

Def | Boundary1. a line that marks the limits of an area; a dividing line : the eastern boundary of the wilderness | the boundary between the U.S. and Canada | [as adj. ] a boundary wall.2. (oft en boundaries) fi gurati ve a limit of a subject or sphere of acti vity : a community without class or politi cal boundaries.

Illustrati on: Ping Pong TableWhen you play ping pong, anything off the table is out-of-bounds. If it hits the table it is good. If you are constantly hitti ng the ball off the table, you will never win! If you can keep the ball on the table, you will dominate! Having Moral Boundaries is like a ping pong table. Just like in ping pong, in life AND IN FAITH there are places you have to draw lines if you are going to live victoriously.

3 | Moral Boundaries ...the just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17

3 | How does my life merge with my faith? By having MORAL BOUNDARIES.

So what are we talking about when we say “Moral Boundaries”? Romans 6-8Moral Boundaries ARE:

1) Voluntary Limits on the BEHAVIORS we choose. Romans 6:1-2 This requires excercising that SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE we talked about! We tend to walk up to the edge and try to see how close we can get and sti ll be on the table. 1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23

2) Evidence of our Salvati on Romans 6:3-14 The way you live your life will give a clear testi mony to your heart conditi on because Proverbs 4:23 says that your heart drives your life. Matt hew 5:37, 6:24; 1 John 2:15; 1 Samuel 16:7

3) Tools to help us grow in our faith! Romans 6:15-22 By setti ng boundaries in our lives we can head Atrophy off at the start so it does not drag us backwards in our spiritual walk. They also allow us to live in ways God desires for us so we can accomplish His purposes. Leviti cus 11:44-45; Philippians 3:13-14; Romans 8:29

Moral Boundaries are NOT:

1) A LEGALISTIC standard to acheive righteousness. Romans 7:7-14 Watch out!!! Matt hew 15:1-20 Conforming to a strict set of rules and regulati ons does not make you righteous! DANGER IN BOTH DIRECTIONS: - Some people associate certain looks, dress hair, etc with BEING righteous... NOT! - Others, in rebellion usually, go to the other extreme and say, “I will throw out all rules and regulati ons be cause I am not a legalist!” -its the same thing.

Remember 1 Samuel 16:7!

2) Restricti ons designed to keep us from having fun. Romans 7:14-25 Why do we think this way? The consequenc es to sin is death. Temporary experience does not compensate for it’s outcome. Hebrews 11:24-27; 1 Corinthians 10:32-33

3) A way to withhold good things from us. Romans 8:1-4 Many ti mes these are justi fi cati on for our choices and behaviors. We fail to realize that those in authority over us generally want the BEST for us. This is true of God also, He wants the best for us and he has demonstrated that by sending His on Son. John 3:16; Jeremiah 29:11-14a

3 | MORAL BOUNDARIES: The Bott om LineThe bott om line is Moral boundaries are an issue of the heart. They reveal (show) our heart atti tude to others and protect us from pain and suff ering as well as provide health and protecti on. They stem out of a love relati onship with Jesus!

Heart of Love Moralfor Jesus Christ Boundaries

4 | Meaningful Relationships ...the just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17

Review 1 | Authenti c Faith - Romans 1:16-17 A) Establishing a relati onship with Jesus Christ - Romans 10:9-13 B) Allow your relati onship with Christ to guide you - Romans 12:1-2 Illustrati on: Coff ee Maker When water is poured through a coff ee fi lter it transforms it into something good and desirable. Just like that, our lives should be transformed through the Word of God. When we read and study it and do what it says, its the same as “fi ltering” our lives through God’s fi lter! This is authenti c faith! It’s living life according to his Word!


3 | Moral Boundaries - Romans 6-8 Moral Boundaries ARE: A) Voluntary limits on the behaviors, thoughts and atti tudes we choose. Romans 6:1-2 B) Evidence of our Authenti c Faith in Christ. Romans 6:3-14 C) Tools to help us grow in our relati onship with Christ. Romans 6:15-22 Moral Boundaries are NOT: A) A list of legalisti c standards designed to achieve righteousness. Romans 7:7-14 B) Restricti ons designed to keep us from having fun. Romans 7:14-25 C) A way for God to withhold good things from us. Romans 8:1-4 Illustrati on: Ping Pong A ping pong table is unique because it is elevated off the ground. Any shot hit on the table is IN BOUNDS. If a shot goes off the table, however, it is OUT OF BOUNDS. A champion ping pong player is someone who is really good at keeping the ball ON THE TABLE. Just like in ping pong, if we are going to live the life that God has for us, we have to establish boundaries that we do not cross. Living within those boundaries keeps us safe, protected and provides an environment where God can shape us and use us. Living within those boundaries can only come from a heart of LOVE for God and His Word. Living according to those bound- aies apart from a desire to follow God is legalism. Rejecti on of those boundaries is liberalism. Both lead to the same place... destructi on! The voluntary boundaries we choose can only be found in God’s Word and are clearly drawn though Paul... Sin and the Appearance of Sin! Romans 6-8; 12:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22; Proverbs 4:23; 25:28

4 | How does my life merge with my faith? By establishing MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS.

Romans 12:9-21 (21) - In this passage Paul explains how believers are supposed to interact with others.


The world revolves around relati onships. Think about it. Everything is based on interacti on between people. Wars involve people, peace involves people, government involves people, the economy is all about people, ac-ceptance involves people, learning involves people, everything involves people interacti ng with other people. Q: If you look at your life, what kinds of relati onships do you have?

Relati onships are VERY important and God has a LOT to say about them. He may even say some things that surprise you. He may say some things that make you mad at fi rst, but WILL make sense to you if you are honest with yourself.

1 | What do your relati onships say about you? A) Your relati onships will show you if you are LEADER or a FOLLOWER. God calls us to be LEADERS. Romans 12:21 - Do not be OVERCOME by EVIL, but OVERCOME EVIL with GOOD.

B) Your relati onships will reveal to others what you are like. Amos 3:3 - The only way for two people to be FRIENDS is if they AGREE. “Birds of a feather fl ock together”, “You are known by the company you keep”, etc. This may not be fair, but remember from last week? Proverbs 4:23

Relati onships are like the game of golf. 1 Corinthians 15:33

2) What does God say about your Friendships? A) Choose CHRISTIAN friends who ENCOURAGE you to grow in your relati onship with Christ Proverbs 13:20; 27:17 - Choosing friends who have the same goals and Biblical world view will help you to grow in your relati onship with Christ. Allowing those relati onships to infl uence you will make you a stronger believer. As you choose to follow God he will provide people who will be your “best-friends” who will build you up and encourage you in the Lord. What does this mean for you? Hebrews 10:25 - It means you need to get connected to the body! It means you need to be at HV, LifeGroups, events, etc.! Connect yourself to good, Godly friends! You will fi nd them at church. BUT BE CAREFUL... You will fi nd great, Godly friends at HV, but not all HV’ers are great, Godly friends.

Unlike many sports, golf is an individual sport. There are not many sports that way (maybe tennis). One unique characteristi c about golf (verifi able by nearly every golfer), is that if you are a mediocre golfer, you tend to play more like those who you are playing with. For example, when playing with golfers who are really good, a mediocre golfer will slow down, take more ti me, look at shots more carefully and typically play a litt le bett er than his/her average game. If that same golfer plays with others who are not as good, his/her game will typically suff er because there is not as much expectati on to perform at a higher level. Shots aren’t as important, short putt s don’t matt er as much and the overall thought process through the game is not as serious.

Life is the same way. When you surround yourself with people who aren’t as concerned with their spiritual walk, YOU WON’T BE AS CONCERNED EITHER. If you surround your-self with people who are concerned about living according to their authenti c faith, who exercise spiritual discipline, and who set-up moral boundaries in their lives, you will live out your faith to a higher degree.


2) What does God say about your Friendships? (cont’d) B) RUN from those who say they are CHRISTIANS but don’t live like it! 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 2Thessalonians 3:6-9 - What does it say about you if the company you keep is fi lled with false-believers or lukewarm ones at best? According to these passages, we are NOT supposed to have a very inti mate relati onship with these people? Why? Because you are who you hang-out with! In fact, Paul says STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!!

C) Don’t allow anyone who is not a believer to be your CLOSE FRIEND. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; 1 Corinthians 15:33 - We are not supposed to be BEST FRIENDS with people who are not believers. WHY? Because we are not supposed to to have fellowship with darkness. If you are best friends, according to Amos 3:3 that supposes some kind of agreement with them and when it comes to THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD - AUTHENTIC FAITH - THERE IS NO AGREEMENT. Your friend will never truly understand you because of who you are - a believer in Christ. This leaves the only common ground between you being worldly, fl eshly desires, thoughts, goals, and objecti ves.

This raises a LOT of questi ons! “What? Am I supposed to call my friends up and say I can’t be your friend anymore?”, “That doesn’t sound like God, I thought we were supposed to be friends with others so we can win them to Christ.”, “That’s not fair! I‘ve been friends with Jim-Bob since birth!” Remember Romans 12:21? It’s all about your perspecti ve! See 1 Corinthians 5:9-10 again! It’s not about NOT reaching your friends. It’s about limiti ng the infl uence they have on you and viewing those relati onships through the purpose of Romans 12:9-21. Do NOT let your non-believing friends infl uence you! You are to infl uence them with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Conclusion |

In today’s culture, choosing friends is an even bigger deal than ever before. Last week I asked the questi on, “Where are your moral boundaries?”, and “How far are you willing to go in the conversati ons you have with your friends?/What are you willing to talk about with your friends?” This week I am asking you to analyze those relati onships in light of those boundaries. Where does that relati onship fall according to God’s “Friend Chart”?

In today’s culture of friendships there are many things that are accepted as “the norm/status quo” that are NOT okay in God’s eyes.Once again (referring to our Moral Boundary discussion) not because God desires to withhold good things from you or prevent you from having fun, but to protect you from pain and hurt down the road... someti mes even YEARS down the road. Examples are: Friends with benefi ts... there is no such thing as “no strings att ached”. Sexti ng... What seems like harmless, racy, emoti onal excitement will hurt your reputati on, your testi mony and your future - not to menti on you could be prosecuted for it!

So... Bott om line, analyze your friendships. What category do they fi t in? Is your best friend a believer? Are they living like it? Are they infl uencing you for good or evil? EVEN MORE, are YOU infl uencing THEM? ...for good or evil?

Your close friendships should be focused on other believers who desire what you desire. Avoid those who say they are a Christi an, but reject Moral Boundaries. Infl uence your friends who aren’t believer’s with the message of the Gospel by making WISE CHOICES!

HVCV | Review ...the just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17

HVCV | How does my life merge with my faith?In this study, we have been discussing the challenge of living out your faith in a daily way. How do you LIVE according to your faith? At home? At the mall? With your friends? In your Personal Life? In every minute of every day? These 7 Core Values will help you life out your faith in a daily way. They will help you become the person God desires you to be no matt er the circumstances or situati ons you fi nd yourself in. They are not a cure all and they are not all-inclusive, but these 7 principles will get you well on your way to living a victorious Christi an life!

1 | Authenti c Faith - Romans 1:16-17 A) Establishing a relati onship with Jesus Christ - Romans 10:9-13 B) Allow your relati onship with Christ to guide you - Romans 12:1-2; Psalms 119:9-11 Illustrati on: Coff ee Maker When water is poured through a coff ee fi lter it transforms it into something good and desirable. Just like that, our lives should be transformed through the Word of God. When we read and study it and do what it says, its the same as “fi ltering” our lives through God’s fi lter! This is authenti c faith! It’s living life according to his Word!



5 | Wise Choices ...the just shall live by faith.Review - Romans 1:16-17

4 | Meaningful Relati onships - Romans 12:9-21 (21) What do your relati onships say about you? A) Your relati onships will show you if you are a leader or a follower. Romans 12:21 God calls us to be BOTH - in the right contexts. 2 Timothy 2:1-2 We are to follow Godly examples and BE a Godly example to follow - just like Timothy! C) Your relati onships will reveal to others what you are like. Amos 3:3; Proverbs 4:23 “Birds of a feather fl ock together”, “You are known by the company you keep” What does God say about your relati onships? A) Choose Christi an friends who encourage your relati onship with Christ. Proverbs 13:20; 27:17 You will fi nd these friends at High Voltage! Hebrews 10:25 B) Run from those who say they are Christi ans but don’t live like it. 1 Cor. 5:9-11; 2 Thess. 3:6-9 Revelati on 3:15-16 - Lukewarm friends will drag you down and destroy your testi mony. C) Don’t allow anyone who is not a Christi an be your close friend. 2 Cor. 6:14-17; 1 Cor. 15:33; Amos 3:3 If you are a Christi an, desiring to live for Christ, your non-Christi an friends do not have the same goals and objecti ves as you and they cannot understand that. Therefore, your “common ground” is not about your relati onship with Christ. You need close friends who have the same desires as you.

Illustrati on: The Great Game of Golf

5 | How does my life merge with my faith? By making WISE CHOICES. Romans 13:11-14 - Paul gives a big warning to the Roman believers to LIVE out their faith through the choices they were making.

Life is made up of choices. Everything we do involves making decisions and choosing one directi on or another. Many ti mes the decisions we make eliminate all other opti ons and relegate us to one. A lot of choices you can only make once... ever! Some choices seem meaningless and pointless... like “what will I have for breakfast?” Many ti mes we treat BIG decisions like we are choosing our breakfast. Occasionally we treat small decisions like we are choosing our spouse. The fact is, every choice we make has an outcome. Every choice we make determines the directi on of our life.

If you are a mediocre golfer, you tend to play more like those who you are playing with. For example, when playing with golfers who are really good, a mediocre golfer will slow down, take more ti me, look at shots more carefully and typically play a litt le bett er than his/her average game. If that same golfer plays with oth-ers who are not as good, his/her game will typically suff er because there is not as much expectati on to per-form at a higher level. Shots aren’t as important, short putt s don’t matt er as much and the overall thought process through the game is not as serious.Life is the same way. When you surround yourself with people who aren’t as concerned with their spiritual walk, YOU WON’T BE AS CONCERNED EITHER. If you surround yourself with people who are concerned about living according to their authenti c faith, who exercise spiritual discipline, and who set-up moral boundaries in their lives, you will live out your faith to a higher degree.

Navigati ng life’s choices is a lot like ordering off a menu at a nice restaurant.Just like dinner on a menu, you have choices to make in life. Some of those choices are bett er than others and some cost more than others. Some items are worth what you pay for it, others are not. Some sound good, but when they show up at your table, they are nothing like what you expected and you want to send it back and re-order. Some menu items don’t cost much, but you will be feeling the aft er eff ects for days! Then there are those menu items that are like undiscovered treasures; items you have never ordered be-fore that just might be the best dinner in the history of the human race just waiti ng to be discovered!The answer to the MENU DILEMMA? If only we had a personal MENU helper who knew everything on ev-ery menu, what it tasted like and if it was worth the price or not. But this person ALSO knew us so well that they knew what enti ces us, but also whether or not it is what we expect it to be. Then we would be set!

5 | Wise Choices ...the just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17

1 | The TRUTH about our choices - Romans 13:11-12 A) Every choice you make is URGENT and IMPORTANT. There is no such thing as a UNIMPORTANT decision. In this verse, Paul is using the analogy of going through life asleep vs. going through life awake. What is the diff erence? If you are “sleep-walking” through life, how do you think you would view your decisions? 1 Thess. 5:1-9 - Those who are “of the day” are sober, watchful, and aware of what is going on around them. The darkness of night hides sin and evil. 1 Peter 5:8 - There is an enemy who wants you to be lazy in the choices you make so he can take you down. The failure to choose is, in fact, choosing!

B) Contrary to the cultural opinion, there is such a thing as GOOD choices and BAD choices. The analogy of sleep carries through to the later half of verse 12. If you are “sleep-walking” through life, the decisions you will make will be decisions according to your immediate desires and feelings - INSTANT GRATIFICATION, what feels &/or sounds good RIGHT NOW! We can see this in the current housing market. Real-life everyday people who were “sleep-walking” through life took out loans based on the RIGHT NOW instead of the 5-10 year picture only to lose it all later. What are your decisions based on? Are they based on instant grati fi cati on? 1 Thess. 5:1-9; Romans 13:13-14 - Those who are “awake” make decisions based on a certain set of criteria...

2) How you can make Wise Choices EVERYDAY - Romans 13:13-14 A) Make INTENTIONAL choices with your fi nal desti nati on in mind - a DESIRED OUTCOME. Paul instructs the Roman Christi ans to WALK honestly, as in the day. What does that mean? This does not mean that you when you walk to 7/11 you go straight there and not anywhere else. Paul is referring to “walking” through life! He is saying live your life in a way that is becoming of a Christ- Follower. Proverbs 29:18 - This verse has a lot of applicati ons, and one of them applies to our decision making. If we do not have an idea of where we want to end up, we will never be able to fi gure out how to get there! Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years? Are the choices you’re making today going to get you where you want to be someday? Most teens I ask that questi on to say “no”. You may say, “Tim, whoa! I don’t know where I want to be next week!” Then wake up! What should be the desired outcome of the choices we make?

B) Make Choices that produce BLAMELESSNESS - literally “without blame”. Paul instructs the Roman Christi ans to walk HONESTLY, AS IN THE DAY. What are the 2 most important words in the Bible? LIKE & AS Paul says we are to live our life: i) Honestly - Truthful, not hypocriti cal or two-faced ii) AS in the day - in the open, visible, having nothing to hide, Philippians 2:12-16 - The desired outcome of making wise choices is that we are WITHOUT REBUKE (without sharp disapproval or criti cism), and that we SHINE AS LIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE OF A CROOKED AND PERVERSE NATION!!!

Romans 13:13b CAVEAT: Paul lists some specifi c stuff that had likely come to his att enti on through someone who had fi rsthand knowledge.Chances are this stuff was what Paul was referring to in verses 11-12 when he said, (TRutherford Paraphrase Version) “Hey! You’re living life as if you are asleep and you’re doing some things that are not good! Wake up and smell the coff ee and make decisions based on your faith for cryin’ out loud!”

5 | Wise Choices ...the just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17

2) How you can make Wise Choices EVERYDAY - Romans 13:13-14 (cont’d) Caveat Conti nued... The list of poor choices made by the Roman Christi ans... (List compiled from NIV, NLT, ESV, NASB)

1) ORGIES - a wild party, esp. one involving excessive drinking and unrestrained sexual acti vity

2) DRUNKENNESS - Drunk or intoxicated; a parti cular frequency in being drunk or intoxicated

3) SEXUAL PROMISCUITY/IMMORALITY - demonstrati ng or implying an undiscriminati ng approach to sexuality

4) SENSUALITY the pursuit of sexual pleasure

5 FIGHTING confl ict, either physical or non-physical

6 JEALOUSY desiring to have or be what belongs to someone else

Why would Paul point this stuff out so blatantly? He knew this was destructi ve behavior! This is not a comprehensive list of destructi ve behavior, but it is some of the big stuff ! Do we sti ll struggle with this stuff today? Surely not! (that was sarcasm).

C) Make Choices based on the WORD - the very mind of CHRIST. (we’re bringing WWJD back!) In verse 14 we are to “put on the Lord Jesus”... WHAT!?! If you were to “put on the Lord Jesus” how would you make decisions diff erently? Would you be more concerned about the choices you made? Would it be easier to make decisions? We have that ability you know! Check out 1 Corinthians 2:9-16! We hold the very mind of Christ right here in our hands! If you want to know how God thinks, it’s right here! If you want to know how He faced temptati on it’s right in front of you! Look at Matt hew 4:1-11... Jesus responded to physical temptati on by answering with the BIBLE! Romans 13:14 says not to make provision for the fl esh... Jesus showed us how to do that! He did that by using Psalm 119:9-11!

Conclusion |

When we make decisions based on the Word of God, which produce Blamelessness and have a desired outcome in mind, we will accomplish many things in our lives! A few of those things are:

1) 1 Corinthians 10:31 - We will fulfi ll our PURPOSE!

2) Matt hew 28:18-20 - We will accomplish our MISSION!

3) Philippians 1:6 - We will be conformed closer to the IMAGE OF CHRIST!

Wise choices aren’t free. They come with a cost. You may have to sacrifi ce a litt le instant grati fi cati on now, but will earn

a greater reward later. But don’t be fooled! Foolish choices come with a cost also! The diff erence is you will pay later for

the rewards of a foolish choice and the payment is usually more than the thrill.

Wise Choices = pay now and earn great reward later.

Foolish choices = earn limited enjoyment now and pay dearly later.

The questi on then is, “Are you getti ng what you are paying for?”

6 | Personal Ministry ...the just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17

In our quest to discover what it means to LIVE your FAITH everyday, we have covered a lot of

ground. This week we are going to talk about a CORE VALUE that is one of the cornerstones

of God’s commands to His people. This week we will examine Personal Ministry and how

this criti cal CORE VALUE can help us LIVE BY FAITH!

Romans 1:16-17“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto Salvati on to everyone that believes; to the Jew fi rst, and also to the Greek. FOR THEREIN IS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD REVEALED FROM FAITH TO FAITH: as it is writ-ten, The just shall live by faith.”

“The righteousness of God is revealed” What does this mean exactly?

God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS is SHOWN (MADE KNOWN).

What is God’s righteousness? ROMANS 10:6-13

God’s Righteousness is SALVATION!!!

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be SAVED.” “...from faith to faith” And what does this mean? That faith is PASSED from ONE to ANOTHER . Did you know your faith was meant to be CONTAGIOUS?

Your life as a Christi an is a lot like a Basketball...

A basketball has a job. That job is to be used in the game of Basketball. Play-ers dribble up and down the court bouncing the ball, passing the ball, and shooti ng the ball. The ball is designed to go through the hoop and score points. In fact, a basketball’s job is so much a part of what it is, that when you see a basketball there is no questi on what it does. It’s role is so much a part of what it is that they go hand in hand. But what if a basketball didn’t have any air in it? Is it sti ll a basketball? Can it do what it is supposed to do? Is an air-less basketball doing its job? As a Christi an you are the same way. You were designed to fulfi ll a task, just like a basketball. That task is to LIVE by FAITH so others will HEAR and BELIEVE on JESUS CHRIST! If you are just doing part of the things God desires for you, but you are not involved in ministry, you are not fulfi lling your MISSION!

6 | Personal Ministry ...the just shall live by faith. - Romans 1:16-17

So what is PERSONAL MINISTRY? It’s simple...

Personal Ministry is living a lifestyle surrendered to God’s MISSION. God’s Mission for us = Reproducing Sons of God!

Genesis 1:27-28; 9:1 A Physical Co-Mission Matt hew 28:18-20 A Spiritual Co-Mission 2 Timothy 2:2 A Personal Co-Mission

Personal Ministry 101 - Romans 10:14-17 C) Personal Ministry involves life-changing decisions. v. 14 If the your un-saved friends are going to experience eternal life, they have to believe in Jesus Christ! Why? Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Romans 6:23a, Revelati on 20:11-15, John 14:6 How? John 3:16, Romans 5:8, Romans 5:19, Romans 6:23b, Romans 10:9-10, 13 B) Personal Ministry involves spiritual conversati ons. v.14, 17 How can they believe in Jesus Christ if no one has told them? > Nothing spiritual is ever accomplished without having a spiritual conversati on. > It is good, and a command (see 1 Timothy 4:12 among many others), to live a life that is an example of faith, but no one will ever HEAR apart from spoken Truth. > Don’t assume your friends know the Truth based on your “lifestyle”. John 8:32

A) Personal Ministry is the responsibility of every believer. v.15 This includes YOU, a teenager. A teenager who may even feel unprepared and unequipped. Check out what Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12. > In order for the Gospel to be heard, someone has to be there to speak it! > You are sent to your relati onships with the message of the Gospel. > Don’t assume some else will tell your friends. You may be the only one who can!

Conclusion |

Friends come in two varieti es. The fi rst are your CLOSE friends, those who we established 2 lessons ago who should be like-minded believers. The second group contains your other friends, those who may not be believers who, if they do not hear and believe face an eternal desti ny that God does not want for them. This second group of friends is your personal ministry fi eld. These are your friends who you need to share the Truth of the Gospel with. They may never hear of you do not speak up.

Personal Ministry is living a lifestyle surrendered to God’s MISSION.

It’s FULL TIME MINISTRY... period.

7 | Authority


HVCV | How does my life merge with my faith?In this study, we have been discussing the challenge of living out your faith in a daily way. How do you LIVE according to your faith? At home? At the mall? With your friends? In your Personal Life? In every minute of every day? These 7 Core Values will help you live out your faith in a daily way. They will help you become the person God desires you to be no matt er the circumstances or situati ons you fi nd yourself in. These 7 principles will get you well on your way to living a victorious Christi an life!

1 | Authenti c Faith - Romans 1:16-17 A) Establishing a relati onship with Jesus Christ - Romans 10:9-13 B) Allow your relati onship with Christ to guide you - Romans 12:1-2; Psalms 119:9-11 Illustrati on: Coff ee Maker When water is poured through a coff ee fi lter it transforms it into something good and desirable. Just like that, our lives should be transformed through the Word of God. When we read and study it and do what it says, its the same as “fi ltering” our lives through God’s fi lter! This is authenti c faith! It’s living life according to his Word!




4 | Meaningful Relati onships - Romans 12:9-21 (21) A) What your relati onships say about you... i) Your relati onships will show you if you are LEADER or a FOLLOWER. God calls us to be LEADERS. Romans 12:21 ii) Your relati onships will reveal to others what you are like. Amos 3:3 B) What God says about your relati onships... i) Choose CHRISTIAN friends who ENCOURAGE you to grow in your relati onship with Christ. Proverbs 13:20; 27:17 ii) RUN from those who say they are CHRISTIANS but don’t live like it! 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 2Thessalonians 3:6-9 iii) Don’t allow anyone who is not a believer to be your CLOSE FRIEND. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; 1 Corinthians 15:33 Illustrati on: Golf Outi ng

5 | Wise Choices - Romans 5:1-5 The Truth about our Choices: A) Every choice you make is URGENT and IMPORTANT. There is no such thing as a UNIMPORTANT decision. 1 Thess. 5:1-9; 1 Peter 5:8 B) Contrary to the cultural opinion, there is such a thing as GOOD choices and BAD choices. What are your decisions based on? Are they based on instant grati fi cati on? 1 Thess. 5:1-9; Romans 13:13-14 How you can make Wise Choices EVERYDAY - Romans 13:13-14 A) Make INTENTIONAL choices with your fi nal desti nati on in mind - a DESIRED OUTCOME. Proverbs 29:18 B) Make Choices that produce BLAMELESSNESS - literally “without blame”. Philippians 2:12-16 C) Make Choices based on the WORD - the very mind of CHRIST. Matt hew 4:1-11

Unlike many sports, golf is an individual sport. There are not many sports that way (maybe tennis). One unique characteristi c about golf (verifi able by nearly every golfer), is that if you are a mediocre golfer, you tend to play more like those who you are playing with. For example, when playing with golfers who are re-ally good, a mediocre golfer will slow down, take more ti me, look at shots more carefully and typically play a litt le bett er than his/her average game. If that same golfer plays with others who are not as good, his/her game will typically suff er because there is not as much expectati on to perform at a higher level. Shots aren’t as important, short putt s don’t matt er as much and the overall thought process through the game is not as serious. Life is the same way. When you surround yourself with people who aren’t as concerned with their spiritual walk, YOU WON’T BE AS CONCERNED EITHER. If you surround yourself with people who are concerned about living according to their authenti c faith, who exercise spiritual discipline, and who set-up moral boundaries in their lives, you will live out your faith to a higher degree.

Illustrati on: MenuNavigati ng life’s choices is a lot like ordering off a menu at a nice restaurant.Just like dinner on a menu, you have choices to make in life. Some of those choices are bett er than others and some cost more than others. Some items are worth what you pay for it, others are not. Some sound good, but when they show up at your table, they are nothing like what you expected and you want to send it back and re-order. Some menu items don’t cost much, but you will be feeling the aft er eff ects for days! Then there are those menu items that are like undiscovered treasures; items you have never ordered be-fore that just might be the best dinner in the history of the human race just waiti ng to be discovered!The answer to the MENU DILEMMA? If only we had a personal MENU helper who knew everything on ev-ery menu, what it tasted like and if it was worth the price or not. But this person ALSO knew us so well that they knew what enti ces us, but also whether or not it is what we expect it to be. Then we would be set!


6 | Personal Ministry - Romans 1:16-17 “...from FAITH to FAITH” What is PERSONAL MINISTRY? Personal Ministry is living a lifestyle surrendered to God’s MISSION. God’s Mission for us = Reproducing Sons of God! Genesis 1:27-28; 9:1 A Physical Co-Mission Matt hew 28:18-20 A Spiritual Co-Mission 2 Timothy 2:2 A Personal Co-Mission Personal Ministry 101 - Romans 10:14-17 A) Personal Ministry involves life-changing decisions. v. 14 B) Personal Ministry involves spiritual conversati ons. v.14, 17 C) Personal Ministry is the responsibility of every believer. v.15 ESPECIALLY YOU!!!

7 | God Given Authority - Romans 13:1-5

The Facts of Life: A) Everyone has AUTHORITY over them. Romans 13:1a B) Authority comes from GOD! Romans 13:1b C) Failure to follow your AUTHORITY is rejecti on of God’s hand in your life. Romans 13:2a D) Your AUTHORITY has good INTENTIONS. Romans 13:3-4a E) Your AUTHORITY is designed by God to keep on the RIGHT PATH. Romans 13:3-4a Hebrews 13:3-11; Matt hew 7:13-14 F) Follow your AUTHORITY because you follow God! Romans 13:5

HVCV | How does my life merge with my faith?A commitment to God through having AUTHENTIC FAITH will transform you from the inside out! Living your faith takes SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE much like a body builder. Because of your relati onship with Christ, you will put into eff ect MORAL BOUNDARIES that will help you to live a life God can use in any way he chooses. Focus on having MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS that encourage your faith and hold you accountable to your God honoring prioriti es. Make WISE CHOICES so you can live a life of blamelessness and be a city on hill. Through your surrender to Christ, all other relati onships become your PERSONAL MINISTRY to reach the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Along your journey, you are provided with GOD-GIVEN AUTHORITY to protect and provide for you.When your faith and life merge, you WILL experience the VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIFE no matt er your situati ons or circumstances!

Illustrati on: BasketballYour life as a CHRISTIAN is a lot like a BASKETBALL!A basketball has a job. That job is to be used in the game of Basketball. Players dribble up and down the court bouncing the ball, passing the ball, and shooti ng the ball. The ball is designed to go through the hoop and score points. In fact, a basketball’s job is so much a part of what it is, that when you see a basketball there is no questi on what it does. It’s role is so much a part of what it is that they go hand in hand. But what if a basketball didn’t have any air in it? Is it sti ll a basketball? Can it do what it is supposed to do? Is an airless basketball doing its job? As a Christi an you are the same way. You were designed to fulfi ll a task, just like a basketball. That task is to LIVE by FAITH so others will HEAR and BELIEVE on JESUS CHRIST! If you are just doing part of the things God desires for you, but you are not involved in ministry, you are not fulfi lling your MISSION!

In life there are certain things which are guaranteed. One is your alarm clock going off in the morning (as long as you set it, that is). If you get up when it tells you, you generally have a decent morning where you have ti me to get dressed, eat, brush your teeth and make it on ti me. If you do NOT listen to your alarm clock (you snoozers!) your whole is off from the very beginning! The rest of the day just isn’t on schedule! Like your alarm clock, your authority governs you. If you under-stand it and its purposes in your life, you will benefi t and appreciate it. If you are always trying to undermine it, or avoid it, your whole life will be spent a litt le off track.

HV Core Values

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