Unit 2, Looking to God.

TWO. Looking to God.
<><><> see question prompts from S. Gladstone appended below; then feel free to use the "comment" button to add your thoughts for the Unit 2, or for the question prompts.

--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>

 1. To know and do God’s will, you must deny self and return to a God-centered life.

 2. Understanding what God is about to do where I am is more important than telling God what I want to do for Him.

 3. God’s revelation of His activity is an invitation for you to join Him.

 4. God has not changed. He still speaks to His people.

 5. God develops character to match the assignment.

--in more detail <daily subheadings>

(1) God-centered not self-centered living: God's purposes, not *our* plans;
summary> Think of God's purposes instead of own planning; wait until God shows me what He is about to do through me; watch what God is doing around me then join in

(2) God's plans vs. our plans: Following God's ways, Knowing what God is about to do,
summary> Doing a thing in God's way, adjust your life to accommodate His work

(3) God takes the initiative: Learning to walk with God,
summary> Get used to stilling your will so that your heart is guided by God instead of self, Seek the LORD's will actively through/with scripture (not feeling or impression)

(4) God speaks to his people: Hearing God's voice
summary> God continues to speak to his people, God's voice comes from love relationship we have with him

(5) God speaks with a purpose: Character that matches the assignment
summary> God's moment of speaking is also the moment we respond (His timing not ours -interruptions and all), God develops my character to suit the assignment

::::: DVD message notes 1-14, p49

============== QUESTION PROMPTS you might like to respond to:
Reflect on you experiences with God.  Can you identify times when God was at work around you- and you knew it?  

Was there a time when God was working around you in past situations but you did not recognize it as God's activity at the time?

Unit 3, God Pursues a love relationship.

THREE. God Pursues a love relationship.


--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>

 1. A love relationship with God is more important than any other single factor in your life.

 2. To be loved by God is the highest relationship, the highest achievement, and the highest position in life.

 3. When your relationship is as it ought to be, you will always be in fellowship with the Father.

 4. God takes the initiative. He chooses us, loves us, and reveals His eternal purposes for our lives.

 5. God’s plan for the advancement of His kingdom depends on His relationship with His people.

--in more detail <daily subheadings>


(1) Created for a love relationship: With all your heart
summary> My Christian life depends on the quality of my love relationship with God; God created me for a love relationship with Him; All God does is an expression of love; This love relationship is more important than all other factors in my life

(2) A love relationship with God: Created for eternity, Investing in the future
summary> Being loved by God is the highest relationship/achievement and position in life; God created us for eternity not for a limited time; I will let my present by molded by what I am to become in Christ; I will be sure to invest in lasting things, "Seek Ye First His Kingdom and all things will be added unto you"

(3) Walking with God: Quiet time with God
summary> When my relationship is as it ought to be, you will always be in fellowship with the Father; Prioritize loving Him with all my heart; Make quiet time with Him to know Him and to love Him, not just to learn about Him

(4) God pursues a love relationship.
summary> God takes the initiative; I do not choose Him. He chooses me, loves me, and reveals His eternal purposes for my life; I cannot know His activities unless He reveals it to me

(5) A real, personal, practical relationship: God's presence and work in your life is practical
summary> God's plan for the advancement of the kingdom depends on His working in real and practical ways through His relationships with His people.

::::: DVD message notes 1-5, p67

Unit 4, Love and God's invitation.

FOUR. Love and God's invitation.


--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>

 1. I know God more intimately as He reveals Himself to me through my experiences with Him.

 2. To worship is to reverence and honor God, to acknowledge Him as worthy of your praise.

 3. If I love Him, I will obey Him!

 4. When you see the Father at work around you, that is your invitation to adjust your life to Him and join Him in that work.

 5. What God initiates, He completes.

--in more detail <daily subheadings>


(1) Know God: Knowing God by experience
summary> Knowing God comes by experience as He reveals himself

(2) Worship God:
Ways to worship> bless his name, glory in his name, call on his name, hope in his name, remember the name, declare/sing praise to his name, know/seek his name, ear his name, lift up hands in his name, love his name, trust in his name

(3) Love God: God's nature, God's commands
summary> Obedience is the outward expression of inner love of God; God is all-knowing/all-powerful; when giving a command God frees me, not restricts me

(4) God invites you to join him: God works through people, God's revelation is your invitation, working where God is at work [already]
summary> God takes the initiative to involve me in his work; God opens my spiritual eyes so I can see what he is doing; when I see him at work that is my invitation to adjust my life to him

(5) Knowing where God is at work: Things only God can do [draw people to Himself, cause people to seek Him, reveal spritual truths, convict the world of guilt about sinning; about righteousness; about judgment]; Watching nfor God's activity; When God speaks
summary> A tender, sensitive heart will be ready to respond to God at the slightest prompting; Pray and watch what God does next; Make the connection/ask probing questions and listen; What God initiates He also completes [in his own time]

::::: DVD message notes 1-9, p87

Unit 5, God speaks -part 1.

FIVE. God speaks -part 1.


--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>

 1. If a Christian does not know when God is speaking, He is in trouble at the heart of His Christian life.

 2. When I understand spiritual truth, it is because the Holy Spirit is working in my life.

 3. God’s revelations are designed to bring you into a love relationship with Him.

 4. When the Spirit directs my attention to a truth, I write it down, meditate on it, and adjust my life to it. I alert myself to watch for ways God may be that way in my life during the day.

 5. Prayer is a relationship, not just a religious activity.

--in more detail <daily subheadings>


(1) God speaks in different ways: God spoke in the OT, a wrong pattern, does God give specific directions?
summary> That God spoke to people is more important than *how* He spoke; When speaking it was usually unique to that person; When God spoke the person was sure & understood; When god spoke that was an encouter with God; Without clear instruction from God I will pray and wait so as not to bypass the love relationship

(2) God speaks by the Holy Spirit: God spoke in the Gospels, God speaks today, Encountering God, Respond immediately
summary> An encounter with the Holy Spirit is an encounter with God; Truth is never discovered but instead is revealed; When I come to God's Word, the author himself is present to instruct me

(3) God reveals: God reveals himself, God reveals his purposes, God reveals his ways
summary> Revelations are designed to build the love relationship with Him; God reveals himself to increase my faith; God reveals his purposes so that I will do His work

(4) God speaks through the bible: The spirit of truth, Responding to truth
summary> When God speaks to me I will recognize his voice and follow him; I cannot understand spiritual truth unless the spirit of God reveals it; God is more interested in what I become than in what I do.

(5) God speaks through prayer: Truth is a person, Prayer is a relationship to a person, Praying in the spirit
summary> When God speaks in my quiet time I should write it down and not forget it; Truth is a person; Prayer is 2-way; Prayer is a relationship not just discipline; I need to be sure that my only desire is to know God [God's will]

::::: DVD message notes 1-8, p111

Unit 6, God speaks -part 2.

SIX. God speaks -part 2.


--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>

 1. Only the Spirit of God knows what God is doing or purposing in my life.

 2. To understand you bad or difficult circumstances, God’s perspective is vital.

 3. You cannot know the truth of your circumstance until you have heard from God.

 4. When God gets ready for you to take a new step or direction in His activity, it will always be in sequence with what He has already been doing in your life.

 5. As I function in relationship to the church, I depend on others in the church to help me understand God’s will.

--in more detail <daily subheadings>


(1) What happens when you pray: Spiritual concentration, the silences of God
summary> God will tell me what He is doing in my life when and if I need to know; Sometimes God’s silences are caused by sin; Other times God is silent as He prepares t bring me to a deeper understanding of Himself

(2) God speaks through circumstances: God’s perspective is vital
summary> God used circumstances to reveal to Jesus what He was to do; Jesus watched circumstances to know where the Father wanted to involve him in His work; to understand my bad or difficult circumstance, God’s perspective is vital

(3) The truth of your circumstance: Hearing from truth
summary> Never determine the truth of a situation by looking at the circumstances [rationalizing after the fact]

(4) Spiritual markers: Physical markers of spiritual encounters, Seeing God’s perspective, A spiritual inventory
summary> In a decision-making time my greatest difficulty may not be choosing between good and bad but choosing between good and best, God works in sequence to accomplish His divine purposes, A spiritual marker identifies a time of transition, decision, or direction when I clearly know that God has guided me

(5) God speaks through the church: Allow God to speak through the church
summary> Church is the body of Christ, Jesus is head, God places every member in the body as it pleases Him, We need one another, Every member needs to listen to what the other members say, I depend on others in the church to help me understand God’s will

::::: DVD message notes 1-10, p 131

Unit 7, The crisis of belief.

SEVEN. The crisis of belief.


--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>

 1. When God tells me what He wants to do through me, I will face a crisis of belief.

 2. Faith is confidence that what God has promised or said will come to pass.

 3. God’s interested in the world’s coming to know him.

 4. What you do reveals what you believe about God, regardless of what you say.

 5. Faith without action is dead!

--in more detail <daily subheadings>


(1) A turning point
summary> When God invites me to join his work, He has a God-sized assignment for me, the way I live my life is a testimony of what I believe about God, When God tells me what He wants to do through me, I will face a crisis of belief.

(2) Encounters with God require faith: Something only God can do
summary> When God speaks my response requires faith, Faith is confidence that what God has promised or said will come to pass, sight is the opposite of [blind] faith, Faith must be in a person, What I believe about God will determine what I do

(3) Encounters with God are God-sized
summary> When God’s people and the world see something only God can do, they come to know God; Let other people see the difference that a living Christ makes in a person’s life, a family, or a church and thereby make a difference in how they will respond to the gospel

(4) What you do reveals what you believe: Actions speak
summary> What I do reveals what I believe about God, regardless of what I say; What I believe about God will determine what I do and how I live

(5) True faith requires action
summary> Faith without action is dead; God has planned something far better for people of earth; Don’t grow weary in being faithful. A reward awaits faithful servants.
::::: DVD message notes 1-17, p153

Unit 8, Adjusting your life to God.

EIGHT. Adjusting your life to God.


--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>

 1. You cannot stay where you are and go with God.

 2. God is interested in absolute surrender.

 3. Obedience is costly to you.

 4. Obedience is costly to those around you.

 5. Obedience requires total dependence on God to work through you.

--in more detail <daily subheadings>

(1) Adjustments are necessary: Adjustments to God
summary> When God speaks to me… is my invitation to adjust my life to Him; Adjustments prepare me for obedience; I cannot stay where I am and go with God

(2) Kinds of adjustments: Absolute surrender
summary> I adjust to a Person; Adjustments are well worth the reward of experiencing God; The God who calls me is also the One who will enable me to do His will

(3) Obedience is costly –part 1: The cost of enduring opposition
summary> Obedience is costly to me and to those around me; I must adjust my plans and program to what God is doing

(4) Obedience is costly –part 2: Let Christ communicate with His People
summary> I can trust God to care for my family; Don’t deny others the opportunity to sacrifice for their Lord; I need to trust Christ to communicate with His People; Whatever my Lord may ask today or in the future my answer is yes

(5) Total dependence on God: The Holy Spirit helps you accomplish the Father’s will, Adjustments in prayer
summary> Obedience requires total dependence on God to work through me [stubborn or bull-headed differs from attentive obedience]; “things” don’t work, but He works; The key is my relationship with a Person; Waiting on Him is always worth the wait

::::: DVD message notes 1-5, p177

Unit 9, Experiencing God through obedience.

NINE. Experiencing God through obedience.


--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>

 1. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you.

 2. Obedience means joy and uninterrupted fellowship with God.

 3. You too will be blessed when God does a special, God-sized work through you.

 4. God reveals Himself to His people by what He does.

 5. God will never give me an assignment He will not enable me to complete.

--in more detail <daily subheadings>



(1) Obedience –part 1: If you love Him you obey Him, The importance of obedience
summary> Obedience is the outward expression of my love for God; Faith that does not obey in action is dead; God blesses those who are obedient to him

(2) Obedience –part 2: What is obedience, Obey what you already know to be God’s will, Second chances, Disobedience is costly, Affirmation
summary> When God sees that I am faithful and obedient in a little, He will entrust me with more; God often gives second chances; But sometimes He does not; God wants to develop my character; Affirmation comes after obedience.

(3) God works through you: Moses obeyed [reluctantly] and God accomplished, The disciples obeyed and God accomplished
summary> When I obey God He will accomplish what He has purposed to do, I will be blessed when God does a special God-sized work through me, any testimony about what God has done gives glory only to him, “Let he who boasts boast in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:31)

(4) You come to know God
summary> n/a

(5) Questions and answers: Why doesn’t God give me a big assignment, What is happening when I obey and the doors close, How can I know whether the word I receive is from God, my selfish desire, or Satan, Does God have one plan for my life for eternity
summary> God will accomplish things in His time, Any assignment is an important responsibility, I will not ignore the relationship and take things into my own hands

::::: DVD message notes 1-10, p197

Unit 10, God's will and the church.

TEN. God's will and the church.


--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>


 1. When a church allows God’s presence and activity to be expressed, a watching world will be drawn to Him.
 2. A church comes to know the will of God when the whole body understand what Christ –the Head—is telling it.
 3. A church needs to learn to function as the body of Christ.
 4. I understand the will of God for my church when I listen to the whole body express what they are experiencing in the life of that body.
 5. Right relationships with God are far more important than buildings, budgets, programs, methods, church personnel, size, or anything else.

--in more detail <daily subheadings>


(1) The church: Being is more important than doing [holy, unified, loving], Knowing and doing God’s will as a church
summary> When a church allows God’s presence and activity to be expressed, a watching world will be drawn to Him; church mission to carry out the Father’s redemptive purposes; God wants His people to be holy and pure; and to display unity [of heart; of intention –not simple conformity]

(2) Discerning God’s will as a body: church decision making, real motivation
summary> Every believer has direct access to God, Individual opinions matter less than God’s will, Church needs to learn to function with Christ as the head; must wait for God’s timing

(3) The body of Christ –part 1: The Holy Spirit equips each member to function in the body, The body of Christ in 1 Cor. 12
summary> The Holy Spirit is the gift; God puts spiritual leaders and members in the body where He wants them to be; Members of the body should have equal concern for one another; different assignments for members and leaders for the good of the whole body

(4) The body of Christ –part 2: God’s concern for the body of Christ
summary> Jesus is the body’s head; God is concerned about body unity

(5) Life in the body: A covenant relationship, God builds the body to match the assignment
summary> God doesn’t add members to the body accidentally; God equips the body to carry out its assignment; I will pay attention to the people God adds to my church

::::: DVD message notes 1-5, p223

Unit 11, Kingdom people.

ELEVEN. Kingdom people.


--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>

 1. You cannot be in relationship with Jesus and not be on mission.
 2. You cannot be in true fellowship with God and out of fellowship with other believers.
 3. Koinonia takes on new dimensions, new possibilities, and new richness as churches relate in the wider circles of the kingdom.
 4. Koinonia with God is an experience of His presence.
 5. Only a personal encounter with the living Christ will result in effective Koinonia

--in more detail <daily subheadings>


(1) On mission to the world: God has the world on His heart, Impacting the world
summary> I belong to the kingdom and Christ is my king; Every congregation is a world-missions strategy center; Anytime God has access to our church, He can touch the world through us

(2) Koinonia: Fellowship among believers
summary> Fellowship of believers; Koinonia is the fullest partnership and fellowship with God and with others; I cannot be in true fellowship with God and out of fellowship with other believers

(3) Koinonia in the Kingdom: Loving on a new level, Cooperative relationships among churches, Experiencing more of God
summary> Everything the early church possessed belonged to one another by love; belongs to the Kingdom  When koinonia exists among churches it is evident in their relationships; Human barriers fall when Christ is allowed to rule; New Testament churches were interdependent

(4) Essentials of Koinonia –part 1: We must love with our total being, Submit to God’s sovereign rule, Experience God in a real and personal way, Completely trust in God
summary> Koinonia with God is His presence; Koinonia with God is the basic element of salvation and eternal life; Koinonia is possible only if a church is made of individuals willing to submit to the lordship of Christ in the body of Christ [church]

(5) Essentials of Koinonia –part 2: We must experience God in a real and personal way, We must completely trust in God
summary> I must experience God in real and personal way; I must completely trust in God

::::: DVD message notes 1-7, p247

Unit 1, God's will and your life

ONE. Gods's will and your life.

--in a nutshell <daily sidebar>

 1. As you follow Jesus one day at a time, He will keep you in the center of God’s will.
 2. Jesus watched to see where the Father was a work and joined Him.
 3. To be a servant of God, you must be moldable and remain in the hand of the Master.
 4. You cannot stay the way you are and go with God.
 5. God reveals what He is about to do. That revelation becomes an invitation to join Him.


--in more detail <daily subheadings>

(1) Jesus is your way: A prerequisite, Looking for more in your experience of God, Jesus is your "map," Following one day at a time
summary> As I follow Jesus one day at a time, He will keep me in the center of God's will. Jesus is my wayl I need no other road map.

(2) Jesus is your model: Bible as your guide, What is God's will, God is always at work around you,
summary> Bible is my guide; ask 'what is God's will'; see where God is always at work all around me, so join in there

(3) Learning to be a servant of God: Potter and clay, Don't just do something [stand there; the Vine],
summary> Servant of clay must be moldable and remain in the Master's hand; I can do nothing when separated from God, but anything is possible with Him; Come to know God from experience (obeying)

(4) God works through His servants -part 1: Seven phases in experiencing God (see his work, hold relationship to him, respond to the invitation, hear his voice, crisis of belief, adjust, obey & experience)
summary> n/a [sketch on p.21]

(5) God works through His servants -part 2: What can one ordinary person accomplish, God's standards differ to ours
summary> God reveals what he is about to do; revealing this is your invitation; either go with God or stay where you are; God can use all people; his standards differ to ours

::::: DVD message notes 1-10, p29