New Beginnings

New Beginnings? Choices and Decisions Influences Time Money & Resources Responses Influences Other people impact us Aims | Goals | Plans | Desires New Year’s resolutions A To-Do List for the first week in January

Spiritual Goals Romans 12 2 aspects beginning with “D” 42 possibilities to aim at Positive and Negative attributes 2 aspects beginning with “D” Distinctive Deliberate

Distinctive (Different) “…if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” “ …to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” “For God knew his people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” New creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) New attitudes (Ephesians 2:23-24) New relationships (Romans 8:29) New image (2 Corinthians 3:18)

God has our postcode in His address book! Who & Where “From one man He (God) made every nation of men (and women), that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live” Acts 17:26 “God did this so that they (all people) would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him…” Acts 17:27 God has our postcode in His address book!

Deliberate “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” Ephesians 2:10 “So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” Ephesians 4:11-13

Good works? Growing Deepening Strengthened Spiritual maturity Kingdom of God extended Communities impacted positively Deepening Faith and Commitment Relationships – upwards and outwards Prayer and Understanding Strengthened Overcomers – attitudes and characters Filled with the Spirit “…strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” Ephesians 6:10

Whole-life Discipleship Living on purpose Daily submission Believing and obeying Living sacrifices Completing the Commission Go Make (disciples) Baptise Teach ‘We only believe those parts of the Bible we put into practice’ “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” Matthew 28: 19-20

Where are we going? How do we spend our time? Effective Influence 168 – 48 – 10 = 110 hours each week 92% of our waking time Effective Influence Gathered or Scattered?

Being Deliberate 6 ‘Alignment Areas’ – aspects for prayer To display the Father’s glory so that His Kingdom grows To become more like Jesus – be conformed to His image To be led and empowered by the Holy Spirit – grow in fruit and gifts To bless, encourage and support other people – not a hinderance To stand against temptation To grow in spiritual maturity ‘I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up asking God to do His work through me’ – James Hudson Taylor