Being GOOD FOR PEOPLE makes us GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY.

Good for the Community: Where we LIVE, where we WORK, and where we PLAY.

God make me the same person OUT THERE as I am IN HERE.

Paul’s life MIRRORS the life of Jesus Christ.

Paul EMBRACES HIS FREEDOM to live in a way to BRING OTHERS to Jesus.

Where he is, Paul SPEAKS to the PEOPLE in front of him.

Paul’s MOTIVATION TO SHARE the Gospel comes from his LOVE FOR OTHERS.

Whenever I SHARE the Gospel, I HEAR the Gospel. Everyone is blessed.

We’re going to be PRAYING for our food, how can we PRAY for you?

We control the INPUT. We don’t control the OUTPUT.

We PLANT AND WATER, God GIVES THE GROWTH.

John Wimber: “When we prayed for no one, no one was healed. Now we pray for lots of people and some are healed.”

Devotion Day 13: Build the HOUSE, Bless the CITY. “As we work with city officials and neighbors, let’s embody the character of ‘the One for whom we build’ by being patient, kind, truthful, and peace-seeking.”

Verses Referenced: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23; Mark 10:45; Acts 17:22; 1 Corinthians 10:33, 11:1; 1 Corinthians 3:6-8.

If you want to get more OUT OF something, you need to get more INTO it.

Romans 12:1-8

God gives all of His gifts by GRACE. We receive them by FAITH.

God’s MERCY doesn’t automatically produce OBEDIENCE.

Augustine: “Without God, we can’t. Without us, God won’t.”

RELATIONSHIPS are the way lives are CHANGED.

Where is the BEST PLACE for me to BE? HERE.

Hebrews 10:24-25

When we stir up ONE ANOTHER, our PEOPLE are blessed by GOOD WORKS.

Devotional Day 7: JOYFUL and CHEERFUL

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

God loves a CHEERFUL GIVER, because God is a CHEERFUL GIVER first.

JOY grows where GRATITUDE is practiced, FAITHFULNESS is remembered, and IMPACT is made visible.

Action Step: Write a short note to someone on staff or a volunteer who has served you. GRATITUDE grows GENEROSITY.

God is GOOD FOR US, so may we be GOOD FOR PEOPLE.

EVERYTHING starts with BELIEVING.

The FIRST generation DIES because of their FAITHLESSNESS.
The NEXT generation LIVES because of their FAITHFULNESS.

Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing: “Zelophehad’s daughters exhibit humility and faithfulness. They’re prompted not by selfish desires but by the desire to do what’s good for families, tribes, and the nation.”

The daughters of Zelophehad show us we can BRING OUR STRUGGLES to God.

Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing: “God’s DELAYS aren’t God’s DENIALS.”

What should we do when we STRUGGLE TO BELIEVE?
Pray: I BELIEVE, HELP MY UNBELIEF.

Verses Referenced: Psalm 78:32; Psalm 78:1-8; Numbers 27:1-7; Joshua 24:13-15; Mark 9:14-27

The Wilderness is the place in-between PROMISE and FULFILLMENT.

We are not where we HAVE BEEN, and we are not yet where we WILL BE.

When you’re in the wilderness, SEEING is not BELIEVING.

Twelve men went to spy on Canaan. TEN were bad. TWO were good.

God is FAITHFUL, and He will let His people REBEL.

Nostalgia is DANGEROUS. It LIES to you and gets you to LIE to yourself.

REMEMBRANCE tells the truth and EMPOWERS you in the moment.

BELIEVING unlocks EVERYTHING.

Verses referenced: John 1:29; John 18:37-38; Numbers 13:1-2; Numbers 13:27-28; Numbers 13:30-31; Psalm 78:12-32; Numbers 14:1-4; Numbers 14:21-23; Numbers 14:31-32; 1 Corinthians 10:1-7; Hebrews 3:12-19; John 20:24-29

The Ten Rebellions (according to ancient Jewish rabbis) The Red Sea (Exodus 14:11-12) Marah (Exodus 15:23) The Wilderness of Sin (Exodus 16:2) Twice at Kadesh (Exodus 16:20, 27) Massah and Meribah (Exodus 17:2-7) Sinai (Exodus 32:1-35)  Taberah (Numbers 11:1) Kirbroth Hattaavah (Numbers 11:4-34) Kadesh in Zin Wilderness (Numbers 13:1-14:45).

Acts 1:8: “You will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT ME EVERYWHERE—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We are in DANGER when we COMPARTMENTALIZE our FAITH.

Acts 5:1-11

Their love of MONEY and LOOKING GOOD led them to lie to GOD and their FRIENDS.

1 Timothy 6:6-10, Mark 12:41-44

It’s not about the AMOUNT, it’s about the ATTITUDE.

2 Corinthians 9:7

Be HONEST with what you’ve GIVING to God and give Him EVERYTHING you can.

Acts 4:32-37

Disciples who make disciples bring Jesus into EVERY relationship.

Susan Maros “God is dynamically engaged in the universe God created, constantly forming, shaping, healing, and transforming lives—yours, and the lives of the people around you. Simply put, the Spirit is always fundamentally present and active. Sometimes we recognize this activity and cooperate with it; other times we cannot recognize that it is God’s activity, or we recognize it but either don’t understand it or resist the transformation.”

By CREATING us, REDEEMING us, and CALLING us, God is COMMITTING to fulfill His purposes in our lives at a specific place and time.

Acts 17:16-32

Some MOCKED but others LISTENED.

Reach one: Who’s the one God is placing on your heart? PRAY for them. TELL them. INVITE them.

John 1:43-46, Luke 10:1-6, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, 1 Peter 3:15

Have you ever got in trouble for what you THINK?

Typically, I get in trouble for what I SAY or DO.

Matthew 5:21-22; Matthew 5:27-28

Why does it MATTER what we THINK?

Matthew 12:34-35: For out of the ABUNDANCE of the HEART the MOUTH SPEAKS.

The biggest companies in the world know: shaping how we THINK shapes how we ACT.

The Gospels are filled with Jesus RESPONDING to peoples’ THOUGHTS.

Matthew 22:15-22: Give to Caesar what BELONGS to Caesar, and give to God what BELONGS to God.

What does it mean to GIVE TO GOD what BELONGS to God?

Romans 12:1-2: [1] And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to GIVE YOUR BODIES to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a LIVING and HOLY sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. [2] Don’t copy the BEHAVIOR and customs of this world, but let God TRANSFORM you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is GOOD and PLEASING and PERFECT.

What we SAY and DO is HOW we make disciples.

Luke 6:39-42: First take the LOG out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the SPECK that is in your brother’s eye.

Our CONFESSION is more HELPFUL for making disciples than our ACCUSATION.

1 Timothy 1:15-16: Christ Jesus came into the world to save SINNERS” and I am the WORST of them all.

Every RELATIONSHIP you have is RECIPROCAL. There’s a BACK and FORTH, a GIVE and TAKE.

2 Timothy 1:6-7

What COMES OUT when you are SQUEEZED?

Matthew 15:10-20

But what comes out of the MOUTH proceeds from the HEART…

The TRUTH is SIMPLE, we need PEOPLE.

Acts 2:42–47: And they DEVOTED themselves to the APOSTLES’ TEACHING and the FELLOWSHIP, to the BREAKING OF BREAD and the PRAYERS.

God uses ALL OF US to shape ALL OF US.

What makes for a FULFILLING life?

Scottie Scheffler, “I would much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer. At the end of the day, that’s what’s more important to me.”

What is MORE IMPORTANT to you?

Matthew 6:19-21

Where is your HEART?

Matthew 28:18: “Then Jesus said, “All AUTHORITY in HEAVEN and on EARTH has been given to me.””

The FOUNDATION of our FAITH is our answer to WHY.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4: “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ DIED for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was BURIED, and he was RAISED from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”

Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore, go and MAKE disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the FATHER and the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT, and teaching them to OBEY everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you ALWAYS, to the very end of the age.”

God’s plan for TRANSFORMING THE WORLD: Disciples Who Make Disciples

If you want to be a disciple who makes disciples, HONEST self-assessment is REQUIRED.

Psalm 139:23-24

WHO are you FOLLOWING?

1 Corinthians 11:1

WHAT are you WORKING toward?

1 Timothy 4:7-8

Why aren’t you ________________ this summer?

John 13:15-17

Jesus CALLS us to be His disciples because He believes we can DO WHAT HE DOES.

Robert Greenleaf, The Servant as Leader: “The enemy is SERVANTS who have the POTENTIAL to lead but DO NOT lead.”

Mark 10:42-45

Beta Test: Creating opportunities for intentional mentoring relationships.

Matthew 26:17-28 — pg. 1543

How do you PREPARE for the FEAST?

JESUS is in CONTROL.

At the feast of FORGIVENESS all the guests are SINNERS.

You are INVITED to the FEAST. You are WELCOME at HIS TABLE.

Jesus is doing SOMETHING NEW during the PASSOVER MEAL.

The Lord’s Supper is a FORETASTE of the FEAST to come.

How do you prepare for the feast? COME TO HIS TABLE.

Verses Referenced: Exodus 12:11-14; Matthew 9:11-13; 1 Timothy 1:15; Matthew 22:2-10; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Isaiah 25:6-9; Revelation 21:3-5

John 15:1-17 — pg. 1676

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”

Jesus uses FAMILIAR imagery for the people from the SCRIPTURES and their SURROUNDINGS.

What was TRUE in the days of Isaiah is EVEN MORE TRUE in the days of Jesus.

Martin Luther: “Christ wants to teach us to have a view of the affliction and suffering of Christians that is far different from what appears on the surface and before the world.”

Jesus is making a PROMISE. Jesus will be with you ALWAYS.

Consider the FRUIT of the faithful in the past, present, and future.

This is a WARNING. There are consequences for UNBELIEF.

All things are not good, but God WORKS for our good in all things.

It’s EASY to start to love. It’s HARD to keep on loving. Our love is how we are KNOWN.

Jim Wilder and Michel Hendricks, The Other Half of Church: “JOY helps us regulate our emotions and endure suffering. Jesus refused to relinquish JOY in the midst of His suffering on the cross. When we are able to stay relationally connected to others and God, we experience joy while we suffer. JOY does not remove our pain, but it gives us the strength to endure.”

Your FRUIT is FROM God FOR others.

Verses Referenced: Isaiah 5:1-7; Galatians 5:19-23; Hebrews 12:11; Romans 5:3-5; Titus 3:5; Matthew 28:20; Luke 1:50; Romans 11:16-24; Romans 8:28; John 13:35; Mark 10:45; Romans 5:6-8; Matthew 5:16

What do you do when you DISAGREE with God? TELL Him.

MY will vs. THY will

Teach us to PRAY.

Jesus doesn’t need to be PHYSICALLY present to heal someone.

Jesus has POWER over death.

John 11 — Pg. 1668 Central issues of our text: DEATH and LIFE.

RC Lenski “God always sees the END from the BEGINNING.”

We should read John 11 through the LIFE-GIVING death and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus wants something GREATER than physical healing for Lazarus, for Mary and Martha, and for us. Jesus is WITH us in our SUFFERING.

Jesus’ STATEMENT empowers His QUESTION and makes possible her ANSWER.

Jesus CONFRONTS the death of his friend as the One who lays his life down and picks it up again.

Jesus ENTERS death, CONQUERS it, and BANISHES it.

Lazarus HEARS the voice of his Good Shepherd. Everyone who RECOGNIZES His voice will RISE.

How do you RESPOND to the Resurrection and the Life?

May MY will become THY will.

Verses Referenced: Matthew 6:10; Matthew 26:38-39, 42, 44; The Centurion’s Servant (Matthew 8); The Official’s Son (John 4) The Syrophoenician Woman’s Daughter (Matthew 15); The Ten Lepers (Luke 17); The Widow’s Son in Nain (Luke 7); Jairus’ Daughter (Luke 8); Luke 8:56; Hebrews 12:1-2; Mark 9:24; Psalm 34:18; Matthew 5:4; John 16:20; Romans 12:15

]]> https://www.faithtroy.org/episode/ash-wednesday-2025/ Thu, 06 Mar 2025 02:23:15 +0000 https://www.faithtroy.org/?post_type=podcasts&p=3748 ASH WEDNESDAY does not EXIST without EASTER. Lent is not about what you DO but what Jesus has DONE and is STILL DOING. Do you ever feel DISCONNECTED as if you’re a DIFFERENT person here than you are elsewhere? Jesus is working to RECONNECT all of us to HIMSELF and to EACH OTHER. God’s Law […]]]>

ASH WEDNESDAY does not EXIST without EASTER.

Lent is not about what you DO but what Jesus has DONE and is STILL DOING.

Do you ever feel DISCONNECTED as if you’re a DIFFERENT person here than you are elsewhere?

Jesus is working to RECONNECT all of us to HIMSELF and to EACH OTHER.

God’s Law CONVICTS and GUIDES according to the Holy Spirit and our own SPIRITUAL condition.

We LEARN how to live by WATCHING others.

Stanley Hauerwas: “GOOD people help keep each other GOOD.”

Martin Luther: “Christ’s baptism is your baptism, and your baptism Christ’s baptism, and in the end there is only one baptism.”

We don’t get what we DESERVE, but what Jesus DELIVERS.

Martin Luther: “Sin, death, devil, and hell had taken us captive; but Christ has in turn taken them captive… He takes my captivity captive, intercepts my hangman, eliminates my sins, exterminates my death, damns my hell.”

Thomas Winger: “As a servant himself, Christ devotes all his energy to the growth of his body. The end result is a vitality of life that shows itself not in disunity, but in love. ‘In love’ qualifies not just a way of speaking, but a way of believing, confessing, and acting.”

How can we STRENGTHEN our faith for the days ahead?

Recommendation: Don’t GIVE UP something you love for Lent—SHARE it.

OFFER or ACCEPT an INVITATION.

You were MADE from dust, and to dust you will RETURN, but Jesus will RAISE this dust to everlasting life.

This Dust by Kip Fox
Death is all around us
We are not afraid
Written is the story
Empty is the grave

Verses referenced: Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Corinthians 12:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; Romans 6:3-4; Matthew 3:17; Luke 6:38; Ephesians 3:20; Matthew 11:28; Acts 2:46-47; Hebrews 10:24-25; Romans 8:18