Rules of Engagement

So I downloaded a ton of podcasts and one of them was from North Point Ministries...I have the series Life Rules. I listened to the 1st installment called Rules Of Engagement and Andy Stanley delivered an awesome message, I'll share my notes. I can't wait to listen to part 2 :-)

Ephesians 4
Unity in the Body of Christ
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— (this is where he drew most of his sermon from)

In our lives a lot of times there is a difference between how we relate to people and God, when all God wants is to draw them into one.

Your relationship with God is determined by the people God puts in your life and how you interact with them

Don't talk to God and give your offering until you have settled your earthly battles

You cannot divorce the 2 relationships you must treat them as 1

People will know you follow Jesus by how you treat them and interact with them not by how many services you attend or how often you open your Bible (Actions speak louder than words...they cannot see your heart, only God can, they can see your actions)

it is easier to have just religion than a relationship, with relationships come pain and suffering and trials..

When you say yes to God, you say yes to the lifestyle changes He requires of you, you are saying that yes i am worthy of this invitation.

God humbled Himself for us...Christ His only son died on a cross for us and for our sins

I must do for others what was done for me through Christ

We need to be gentle, patient, and preserve our relationships.

When things become unbearable, you must remove the anger from the person and remember how patient God has been with you...you must show that same patience and perseverance...

DO NOT bail out on relationships and DO NOT give up because of a lack of progress

When we lose sight of the invitation, that is when we fail in our earthly relationships and in the times when it is hard to see that is when God measures our real and true understanding of Christ.

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I needed to hear some of these things again. Right now me and a few friends are struggling with patience in a certain relationship we have with a few people. This taught me that I need to be patient, I need to remain calm and try to preserve the relationship i have with the person. It also reminded me of how important treating our relationship with God the same as the one we have with our neighbor. God wants to know us..He wants us to cry out to Him ad He wants to rejoice with us and He wants to cry with us. He just wants to be our daddy like Rob said it a few weeks ago.