ABLE to Pray

There are times throughout our journey that we just don't have the words to say to God. We feel so down, or inadequate, or confused, or scared that we literally do not even know what to pray. In those times, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. He prays for us! Romans 8:26 says, " Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness...

1. Likewise: This is referring to the verses that come before it.

A. Creation itself groans for the return of Jesus

B. Believers groan and long for eternity. Those in Christ groan for the restoration of all things.

Sometimes we just don't know what to pray. It's ok to just sit and wonder when we are in a time of suffering. A healthy understanding/theology of suffering is good for the Christian. The Holy spirit is a comfort and help in our suffering.

2. Helps: The Holy Spirit will walk with you through everything. He will empower

you. When you say, "I don't have enough __________", the Holy Spirit, who is IN you, promises to say, "Let's pick this up together."

He doesn't make everything go away, but He is there to help shoulder the load.

3. Weakness: This is regarding when we don't know what to pray for. The Spirit

Himself will intercede with groanings too deep for us to hear.

Reasons why we don't know:

A. We don't know the future. We are limited in our knowledge of that reality.

B. We don't know what is the best outcome of the situation.

Romans 8:27 says that the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. There is an emotional connection of the Holy Spirit that shows us compassion.

Prayer reminds us:

1. That we are a needy people. God moves through the earth through our prayers. They matter to Him!

2. The Holy Spirit AND Jesus (Rom 8:34) are both interceding for us. When you don't have words, He does.

To Discuss Today:

1. Think back to a time when you literally didn't have the words to pray. How did that situation work out? Read Romans 8 and discuss the faithfulness of God.

2. Spend some time praying and thanking God for the opportunity to talk to Him and be in relationship with Him.

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ABLE to Pray

There are times throughout our journey that we just don't have the words to say to God. We feel so down, or inadequate, or confused, or scared that we literally do not even know what to pray. In those times, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. He prays for us! Romans 8:26 says, " Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness...

1. Likewise: This is referring to the verses that come before it.

A. Creation itself groans for the return of Jesus

B. Believers groan and long for eternity. Those in Christ groan for the restoration of all things.

Sometimes we just don't know what to pray. It's ok to just sit and wonder when we are in a time of suffering. A healthy understanding/theology of suffering is good for the Christian. The Holy spirit is a comfort and help in our suffering.

2. Helps: The Holy Spirit will walk with you through everything. He will empower

you. When you say, "I don't have enough __________", the Holy Spirit, who is IN you, promises to say, "Let's pick this up together."

He doesn't make everything go away, but He is there to help shoulder the load.

3. Weakness: This is regarding when we don't know what to pray for. The Spirit

Himself will intercede with groanings too deep for us to hear.

Reasons why we don't know:

A. We don't know the future. We are limited in our knowledge of that reality.

B. We don't know what is the best outcome of the situation.

Romans 8:27 says that the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. There is an emotional connection of the Holy Spirit that shows us compassion.

Prayer reminds us:

1. That we are a needy people. God moves through the earth through our prayers. They matter to Him!

2. The Holy Spirit AND Jesus (Rom 8:34) are both interceding for us. When you don't have words, He does.

To Discuss Today:

1. Think back to a time when you literally didn't have the words to pray. How did that situation work out? Read Romans 8 and discuss the faithfulness of God.

2. Spend some time praying and thanking God for the opportunity to talk to Him and be in a relationship with Him.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABLE Women

We see in Genesis 1:26-27 that there is gender clarity and simplicity in God's creation. There is male and female. Men and women are a reflection of God. We complement each other. We are so different, but cherish the mystery of our differences. In Christ, we see women as honorable and dignified. These verses also say that together, we "have dominion" over the earth. In Near East culture, when a sovereign left a region, they would leave an icon to be a reminder. Women are that icon to remind creation of who God is.

Pastor Alex asked his bride, Christy, to give some insight to a few very important topics. Here are her thoughts:

1. Identity starts with God. Genesis 1 shows us that it was God's idea to create, and His creation includes patterns and distinction. (Psalm 100). The fall blurred these patterns and distinctions. When culture wants to add to gender, it is trying ti take authority over something it doesn't possess.

2. How can women choose to be confident? Isaiah 6 shows us that Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up. When he saw the Lord, he was "undone". He was very aware of his sin. He couldn't close that gap. Our confidence comes from being a child of God. Hebrews 4:14-16 ends with, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." By His grace we can stand before Him. Women need to remember that He is who matters. Jesus gave up His life for you!

3. How does a woman navigate a culture obsessed with beauty? We spend lots of time seeking beauty of the lesser things. Psalm 24 reminds us to "gaze upon the beauty of the LORD". Proverbs 31:30 says, "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Charm is the out adornment that is a false hope. A woman who "fears the Lord" SHINES. The fear of the Lord comes back to Proverbs 1 - the fear of the Lord is wisdom. When a woman radiates the wisdom of Christ, she is beautiful.

Pastor Alex challenged the single ladies that desired marriage to find a man who sees the beauty of Christ in them. Don't settle for anything less!

Ezer=helper. A woman is called a "helpmate" to her husband. This is a very honorable term. God is called the "helper of Israel". The Holy Spirit is called "The Helper". It Is a powerful piece of woman's identity.

To Discuss Today:

1. Who are the women in your life that have helped spiritually shape you?

2. Women are often much more sensitive to God's leading than men are. Why do you think this is?

3. Take time (especially men) to speak blessing to the women in your life. Remind them why they are loved, treasured, and valuable.

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ABLE Men

We see in Genesis 1:26-27 that there is gender clarity and simplicity in God's creation. There is male and female. Men need to see first that their identity is in Jesus, and then action flows from that truth. Too often, subcultures in our society tell us "who we are", or "who we can be". There is a crisis of masculinity in our culture, and the enemy attacks that identity. When we see God's design, that clarity gives us freedom in our responsibility.

I Corinthians 16:13-14 says,

Be watchful, Stand firm in the faith.

Act like men

, be strong.

Let all that you do be done in love.

WATCHFUL:

To be awake, alert, and dialed in. Be present. Don't get lulled into passivity (which goes back to the garden). Passivity is our default due to sin. We must be watchful. Ask, "Where is the Holy Spirit leading me?

STAND FIRM:

This is a military term. Don't give in to the culture. Stand firm in the gospel. Don't compromise. Don't be a "nice guy" that conforms. Be resolute like Jesus and His commitment. Men need courage and tenacity to fight off the culture - our families need this, our church needs this, our businesses need this.

ACT LIKE MEN:

This is also a military term. Don't be a boy - be a man! This is the only time this term is used in the New Testament. Put aside childish ways. Show a maturity of courage. This speaks to the difference between being a father and being a dad. One is intentional. Courage is "stepping in the way" of something to make a difference for the Kingdom. Jesus is the ultimate example of courage.

BE STRONG:

This is in the passive tense, which means the subject is being "acted upon". Men don't "man up". When we are watchful, we stand firm, and we act like men, there is a strength given to us. Gentlemen are strong men. Men's hearts leap at movies like Gladiator or Braveheart because they are hard-wired to serve, protect, give, and sacrifice. God put that in men. He gives men strength so that they can give their lives away. The battle right now is a spiritual one. We live in a war zone and there is an "X" on our wives, our children, our homes, and ourselves.

Men that try to "go it alone" will get "picked off" EVERY time. Men need other men. It creates a link to walk through difficult times. It is critical.

There is a perpetual adolescence in males today that live in the fantasy world while their wives and children are being ravaged by the enemy. As men, we should be self-sacrificing for the good and prosperity of the women around us.

ABLE MEN:

1. Our wives are not our possession.

2. We should give more than we take.

3. We shouldn't look for self gratification, but instead we should be self-sacrificing.

BE DONE IN LOVE:

The strength comes through love. Look at the example of Jesus.

The first Adam gave us original sin, but the second Adam gave us abundant life!

"Masculinity is not a matter of being athletic, artistic, or musical, it is a matter of self-sacrificing courage."

To Discuss Today:

1. Who are the men around you that exemplify 1 Corinthians 16:13-14?

2. As a man, are you in a healthy community of other men? Why?

3. How do you show courage at home, at work, and while you are alone?

4. How do you courageously advocate for the prosperity of women?

Please feel free to call or email your thoughts each week!

Blessings.

Pastor Patrick

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ABLE to Pursue City Unity

Today Pastor Alex was joined by Rob Kelly, Executive Director and Founder of For Charlotte. Rob and Pastor Alex passionately shared God's heart for our city. Jesus gives us a clear blueprint for how to build unity in the city. During His time with the disciples in the upper room, just hours before being arrested, Jesus spoke very clearly of His desire for His disciples, including us. John 13-17 records His desire for us to love one another, abide in Him, and to be one "so that they will know you sent me".

Theology of Oneness

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in perfect unity. They are one. We are hidden with Christ in God. When we are baptized, we are united into Him. Paul shows us in Ephesians 5 that "two becoming one flesh" in marriage is a mystery. He goes on to share that this mystery represents oneness of Christ and the Church. When we place our faith and trust in Jesus, we are not only saved from sin and separation, but we are saved INTO a oneness with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Theology of Place

Cities matter greatly to God. The Bible shows His love for cities in numerous places. We will spend eternity with God in a redeemed city, The New Jerusalem. God calls His people in Jeremiah 29:7 to "seek the shalom of the city." Today, we are called to pray for the peace of the city. When the city is at peace, we find our own peace.

Cities Matter:

1. They show us who the Church is. City churches are talked about throughout the New Testament.

2. They are the center of commerce and culture - In 2011, the world became an urban society for the first time in history. Cities are growing rapidly.

3. They are the place where God calls us on mission - We are each called specifically here, specifically now!

4. They show us how God loves people and places - Jesus wept over Jerusalem just as He was entering the city for the Triumphal Entry.

The greatest declaration of the gospel is the unity of the church. What we have been doing for the last few decades in not working.

-5% of Gen X identifies as "none"

-29% of Millennials identify as "none"

Good things God is doing through For Charlotte:

-Creating environments where people can be the body of Christ in the city.

- Bringing Pastors together

- City Initiatives like the unified sermon series

-New technology for collaboration

- Research and resources

- Creating practical expressions of unity

Encouraging Numbers:

-15 Pastor Networks

- 285 local churches engaged

- 740 churches served by For Charlotte

- 100 churches (representing 60,000 people) participated in the unified sermon series

To Discuss Today:

1. If the theology of place matters, where are you?

2. Are those places united or divided? What part did you play?

3. You must fight for unity. Are you dividing or unifying the church?

4. Do you really care that the church is losing ground to the next generation?

5. Pray for the shalom of the city. Ask God to move. Ask for unity.

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ABLE Starts with an A

Our strategy is ABLE: We will Abide in Christ to Build Relationship and Live the gospel with Everything. This all begins with understanding what it means to "abide". Everything flows out of our abiding. Abiding means "to remain" or "to stay". It is our identity in Him.

1 John 4:12-13,15-16 has six mentions of the word "abide". To begin to abide, we DO NOTHING. We rest in who He is. Abiding is not something to attain, but instead it is something to remain. For example, a baby in the womb in just "being", not striving. The mother does the work. Another example would be that you have a family name. You don't need to "try" to be that name...you just are!

We are to yield and surrender to Him. We also have the joy of doing this in community. When we abide, we love well because our life is supposed to be given away.

1 John 4:7-8 calls us "beloved". You are loved by the Father, and if you confess Christ as Lord, you will be marked with a loving Spirit. The Trinity is perfectly loving and unified, and we are made in His image. He says, "be like Us". Love each other. In verse 9, Jesus was a tangible example of this. Because of His sacrifice, we moved from objects of wrath to God's beloved. Now, we are to love one another.

1 John 4:17-18 says, "By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." This word "perfected" is in the passive voice, which means that the subject is being acted upon. We are being fingerprinted. Perfected means, "completeness, wholeness, or maturity", and it comes from abiding!

We have no fear in love:

1. Fearless

A. We can love without risk

B. We don't fear judgment because we know Whose we are

2. We can love really well

To Discuss Today:

1. What does it mean for you to "yield" and "surrender" to God?

2. As we get older, we should become more loving. Is this true of your life? Do you have more smile lines or frown lines? Why?

3. What fear has been taken away from your life as a result of God's love?

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What is the Church after all?

Last week we began this new series looking at the importance of the church. We established that Jesus established the church, loved the church, and gave His life for the church. We are one holy catholic apostolic church. At Carmel, we are one small part of the greater church. There are many beautiful expressions of the Bride of Christ!

Today, Pastor Alex asked and answered three critical questions:

1. What makes a church a church?

-Right teaching of the Scriptures.

Right teaching shows the character of God revealed to people in order to know Him and His life through His Word. It must communicate the nature of man in how man is dead and an enemy of God until the gospel changes him to be alive in Christ. It understands faith and repentance in that we must turn from our ways to His ways. It focuses on the gospel being at the center.

-Right administration of the ordinances.

Both ordinances (baptism and the Lord's supper) show that the work of Christ is finished. They are symbols...not literal. Jesus lived them out and they preach a powerful visual message.

Baptism - It is a big deal! It means "to immerse" and is the way Jesus commanded us to show others that we are going to follow Him. We do not practice infant baptism because infants can't confess sins and willingly give their lives to Jesus.

The Lord's Supper - We do this as a symbol to remember the powerful reality that Jesus died for our sins. We do not believe in transubstantiation - the belief that the elements literally turn into the flesh and blood of Jesus. We do practice "open communion", which states that all believers are welcome to join us in participating in the Lord's Supper.

2. Is Church Membership Biblical?

Church membership is never explicitly spelled out in Scripture, but its importance is recorded throughout the New Testament. It is not a club or organization. It is an organism that lives and breathes. 1 Corinthians 12:12 shows us that we are part of a greater whole. If you want to belong, you must make a commitment. Often, people do not join a church because the do not want to be held accountable. The church is not the building, but the people that gather to be encouraged and sent out to be ambassadors.

3. What is the Mission/Purpose of the Church?

1. To worship God

2. To equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12)

3. For the ministry of evangelism and mercy.

All of this works together to MAKE DISCIPLES.

To Discuss Today:

1. JD Greear said, "You are either a mission field or a missionary. There is no 3rd option." Which are you? Why would you say that?

2. Are you a member of a church? Why?

3. If you need to become a member or need to be baptized, please take the step to go to the Carmel room on Sunday morning and start that conversation. If you know someone that needs the encouragement to belong to the body of Christ, talk to them and invite them to journey with you.

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