Last night in flipside (1/18)!

Last night was another great night in flipside!!! Awesome worship, a lot of students responded to the message, and we had a great crowd last night. If you missed it, here is a recap on the sermon (if you would like to catch up,just scroll down to previous posts):

NOT A FAN PART 3

Title: One and only or one of many?

• There is a moment that every relationship comes to and its called the “Define the Relationship” moment
• This is where you and that other person define what you really want out of this relationship and really where that person stands
• There is that moment when we say this is cool but there is something better out there or even something else more important
• Whether you realize it or not, you “define relationships” all the time.
• You can easily “DTR” by actions you commit as well
• There is that moment when we “DTR” with Christ….
• In Luke 14, there was a moment like this… we all know Jesus always had a following
• You just never knew what would happen at any given time, the miracles that were taking place, the awesome messages, and so on
• There will always come a moment when Jesus would draw a line in the sand to see where this crowd of people really stood…
• Luke 14:25 & 26- Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them He said: “If ANYONE comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters- yes, even his own life- he cannot be my disciple.
• This is a “DTR” moment, you would think he would say something totally different from that.
• Instead he tells the people that if they want to follow Him, they must hate their family, even their own lives.
• I am so certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that people grabbed their bags and got to walking another direction
• There is so much more behind what he is saying, we look at that and think the worst….
• You may be thinking in your mind, doesn’t hating someone totally go against what Jesus teaches?
• Does Jesus really want me to hate my paw-paw, nana, my mom, and everyone in my family?
• He uses this type of language at this time because at this time, if you became a follower of Jesus without your family’s blessing, you were saying you hate your family.
• A decision to follow Jesus would have been seen as turning your back on your family and walking away from them.
• Jesus was being real with this crowd of people
• For some of you to be a true follower of Christ, would cost you some friends/relationships
• It may offend some family member, it may even mean being cut off from your family.
• It may even mean your mom or dad, rolling their eyes at you or even your boyfriend/girlfriend breaking up with you
• The case in point is, if you are not willing to choose Jesus over your family, then you are not ready to become a true follower.
• The word “hate” is defined as “to dislike something intensely” or to have “feelings of intense hostility.”
• Jesus doesn’t want you and I to hate our family members or anyone for that manner
• It would totally go against what the Bible teaches on the subject.
• The two greatest commandments are to love God with everything and to love your neighbor as yourself
• What Jesus really is saying, is found in another version of the Bible…
• Luke 14:16 (NLT)- If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison- your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters…
• Another version of the Bible says, “love me more.”
• Jesus is telling us that we should love Him more than anything else, and “hate” is still in the mix…
• We should love Him so much that it doesn’t even compare to the love we feel for someone else, that is the kind of love we should have for Him.
• Rebekah (my wife)  knows where she stands in our relationship and I have told her more than once and she has told me that same too
• In my life… #1- God, #2- Wife, #3- Family
• This is how you can determine if God is truly your one and only…
• #1. What you do with your money? (what we are not willing to let go of, is what controls/master over our life)
• #2. When you hurt, where do you go for comfort?
• #3. What disappoints or frustrates you more? (what do you allow to determine you attitude or set the day)
• #4. What is it that really gets you excited? (a specific team, relationships, sports, and etc)
• A lot of times, following Jesus can mean following Him alone.
• Fans will allow things to take the place of Jesus
• Followers will understand what is more important…
• There is a cost in following in Jesus and there will be sacrifices that have to be made.
• Are you willing to pay the cost?

God should be first in your life above anything else! All you have to do is get your priorities right! Put God first and live like it and you will see things come together and no matter what you face in life, it will be ok!!! We love you at flipside and we hope to see you again next week! If you missed us this past Wednesday night, know that we missed you and be sure to come next week! We are here for you. -Pastor Leo and Rebekah