Phil continued our series on spiritual gifts by talking about discernment.
These times together in the 3 areas are opportunity to discover our identity, allow God to shape us by encountering him, understand how we can affect our community by taking responsibility for seeing his Kingdom come where are, and build Holy Spirit filled communities that are effective and growing.
Here's the notes and some questions, but my encouragement would be take time to encounter God and let him give you fresh vision
The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever.
GEN 13:14-15 ESV
http://bible.com/59/gen.13.14-15.ESV
What is the way God is leading us
Who we are in God , what do we carry?
We are on a journey of discovery as well as an adventure.
The children of Israel when they came out of Egypt knew they were slaves, it didn't take any discerning, they saw themselves as grass hoppers.
The majority of that generation died in the desert, the new generation who were going to possess the land didn't have any identity other than being a nomadic people.
God was to give then a new identity
Even when they went to Jericho they still had no idea who they were but the Canaanites knew who they were and were terrified of them.
We are to discern who we are, God’s new identity for us
How we perceive ourselves determines how we live When we know who we are well act accordingly.
“Everything you can comprehend through faith’s vision belongs to you. Look as far as you can, for it is all yours. All you long to be as a Christian, all you carry from God, all you long to do for God, and all that lies before us as a church are within the possibilities of faith”.
Questions
From where you are, what is it that you are seeing ?
What is it that you are longing for in God and how are you perusing it?
If how we perceive ourselves determines how we live – Is our perception of who we are lining up with who God says we are ? If not how can this be changed ? What signs can we look for that show a change in our identity ?
