UPCOMING EVENTS:
March 13: Gateway Church South Campus (9:45am, 11:30am)
Austin, TX
March 20: Gateway Church McNeil Campus (9:30am, 11am, 12:30pm)
Austin, TX
March 30, 2011: College Metro
Fort Worth, TX
May 11, 2011: Whiteboard Sessions
Atlanta, GA
May 13, 2011: Thrive Conference
Sacramento, CA
June 17-18, 2011: Momentum
Wales, United Kingdom
At Gateway Church in Austin we continued our series Momentum which is about overcoming our issues and struggles. This week at the South campus Bruce Gilson shared. Here are some of his insights:
“All of us are influencing others – whether we intend to do so or not.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but we can make a difference in the lives of others even before we have sorted out all of our own issues. Throughout the Scriptures we see examples of men and women who did not feel ready to influence others, but God was able to work through them.
Some of us may have a formal leadership role. Others of us may be able to reach out to encourage a neighbor going through a tough time. Some of us may have children who are looking up to us and noticing how we live our lives and how we respond to what life brings.
How powerful would it be if we lived transformed lives and were known for the good we do in the world?!
Titus 2:11-14 says: ‘For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.’
All of us can influence others in positive ways. Some of us are more ready than we realize to take the next step to invest in others.”
You can watch this message here in a couple of days and the rest of the series at http://www.gatewaychurch.com/podcast.
At Gateway Church in Austin we continued our series Momentum which is about overcoming our issues and struggles. This week at the South campus Bruce Gilson shared. Here are some of his insights:
“The old adage ‘You are what you eat.’ reminds us that our lives are shaped by the choices we make.
If we try to apply this series to our lives but skip today’s step, then this entire series would be a waste of time.
We need to allow God to renew our mind so we can understand what He wants for us. Romans 12:2
We need to exert the effort to train in order to become the person God wants us to be. Spiritual training produces results. 1 Timothy 4:8
Training moves us forward. God works in our lives and makes us new, but we have to then live out what He has done for us.
Four ways to train spiritually (no matter where you are on your spiritual journey):
1. We are already training spiritually even if we aren’t aware of it. We are deeply impacted by what we put into our minds. ‘Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.’ 2 Cor. 6:12
2. Get disciplined or be disciplined. For example, in school we either go thru the pain of studying before the test or the pain of failing the test if we didn’t study. Just as an athlete continues to work out and a nutritionist continues to eat in a healthy way, spiritually we need to build on what we’ve done rather than live on the efforts from our past.
3. Never train alone. Running partners are a way to help others in their spiritual life while they help me. We have to be intentional in our relationships to ask each other the hard questions. Hebrews 10:24-25
4. Small steps over a long period of time beat big steps all at once. We cannot microwave spiritual growth. Eccl. 7:16
What are the small steps God wants us to take to move forward?”
You can watch this message here in a couple of days and the rest of the series at http://www.gatewaychurch.com/podcast.
At Gateway Church in Austin we continued our new series Momentum which is about overcoming our issues and struggles. This week at the South campus Bruce Gilson shared. Here are some of his insights:
“We are surrounded by noise and voices. In our lives, there is a competition between the voice of God and the noise of the world. To whom are we listening?
We tend to be like the hare in Aesop’s fable ‘The Tortoise and the Hare.’ We rush into relationship or race after our careers, but we allow arrogance to make us think shortcuts are ok. This pursuit wears us out which leads to falling asleep on the path of life.
Are we going to listen to the voices that will wear us out or to the steady voice of God?
‘Who will listen to me?’ Jeremiah 6:9-10
We seem to like the noise because we don’t have to hear what is really going on inside of us.
What if we took the time to be still in order to hear God’s voice? What if we took the time to be in solitude or in silence?
Blaise Pascal: “All of man’s misfortune comes from one thing, which is not knowing how to sit quietly in a room.”
How does God speak to us?
1. Through the Scriptures
We can develop a better understanding of who God is by seeing how He has interacted with others throughout history. We can learn from others who had close relationships with Him. The more time we spend with Him through the Scriptures on our own or with others, the more His message impacts our lives. Memorizing Scriptures helps us
At www.gatewaychurch.com there are resources for those of us who are skeptical of whether we can trust the Scriptures.
2. Through other people
Paul was encouraged through a conversation with Titus. 2 Corinthians 7:6
When we feel prompted to encourage someone, we should do it!
The more we become familiar with God, the more we can discern His voice in our lives through others. John 10:3-6
3. Through a whisper
God was not in the wind, earthquake, or fire but in a whisper. 1 Kings 19:11-13
We can hear Him if we are willing to listen. We need to become intentional in our pursuit if hearing God.”
You can watch this message here in a couple of days and the rest of the series at http://www.gatewaychurch.com/podcast.
At Gateway Church in Austin we continued our new series Momentum which is about overcoming our issues and struggles. This week John Burke shared. Here are some of his insights:
“Like toxic waste that is buried beneath the ground, the painful moments in our lives cannot be solved by hiding them. In time if not treated, unhealed wounds become toxic.
We all have wounds. We all wound others whether we mean it or not.
Types of wounds:
1. Relational Wounds
Often we may not even know we’ve been hurt until we begin to see the consequences. The rejection we may feel from someone close to us may be because of their issues not our own issues.
God desires to move us towards healing – even healing from our deepest wounds.
If we see character defects that keep popping up, then there is probably something toxic buried in our lives.
We go back to destructive patterns because of relational hurts.
Mark 11:25 Forgiveness brings healing. Bitterness and resentments hurt us more than the one that betrayed us. We may be unwilling to forgive thinking: “But they don’t deserve forgiveness!” Of course they don’t! None of us does.
Prayer of healing: “God help me to forgive others just as I need you to forgive me.”
“as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans
12:18 We cannot force others to make things right, but our willingness to do our part is enough to move us towards healing.
2. Moral wounds
Other times, our choices wound us. Sometimes we are fueled by a greed that comes from how we were raised or the materialistic culture in which we live.
God wants redemption for our lives. This takes a willingness to take a thorough moral inventory of our lives and involving at least one other person with us.
With God’s help and the help of others, we can find healing. 1 John 1:7-9, James 5:16, & Romans 15:1-7
We are not the sum total of our worst mistakes. We are so much more with the help of God & others!”
You can watch this message here in a couple of days and the rest of the series at http://www.gatewaychurch.com/podcast.