2. Colossians: It's All About Jesus Love Walks In

3. 2 Churches: Strong personalities Anger and fighting Gossip and slander Pressure to conform

4. 2 Churches: Serving personalities Peacemaking and loving Encouraging one another Freedom to be…

5. We are designed to need One another

6. A community of Faith Will always be as strong As the people in it are willing to Seek after and submit to Jesus And serve one another

7. Seeing that Jesus is enough And knowing that toxic Community must be rejected How do relate to one another? How do we pull this off?

8. If then you have been raised with Christ… Let no one pass judgment Let no one disqualify you

9. …buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life -Rom. 6:4

10. Prison rules… Conform Be accepted Live by what they say

11. Prison rules… But you ain't there no more!

12. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God

13. Zéteó- to investigate so as To reach a absolute resolution To desire as ultimate

14. Investigate and desire 1) Seek it out* 2) Learn about it by experience 3) Cultivate a desire for the best *I can't desire till I discover

15. God…richly provides us with everything to enjoy - 1 Tim. 6:17

16. Christian Hedonism: My greatest pleasure is found In glorifying God in all that I do - What I'll do - How I'll do it

17. A cross will come into play There will be denial of self And following after Jesus It won't be always be easy But it will always be worth it

18. I will never know God's goodness until I take specific steps of obedience By faith

19. Christianity has not been Tried and found wanting When found wanting It hasn't been tried Jesus is more than enough

20. List of things… You won't like it Because of cultural discipleship

21. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth Focus on: Strong belief lived out

22. So freeing Let no one pass judgment… Let no one disqualify you…

23. You are freed from: Men's rules/religion Human reasoning with The appearance of wisdom

24. Think in heavenly, spiritual ways Freed from doing whatever The people at church say Just because they said it

25. To seek and set my mind on is to Replace my current desires/focus With new ones That set me free

26. Set free to follow Jesus With radical obedience to him Regardless of what Your world says

27. What are you worried about That won't matter 1,000 years from now?

28. Do you really believe That the God of the universe The one who put Satan to Open shame on the cross Can't handle it?

29. Why am I going through this? Why are you doing this, God? How am I going to make it? What are you up to, God? How can I trust you more?

30. Starts with… God, I give you everything Every relationship, possession Bit of ego and pride and self Knowing what you want is best

31. …seek the things that are above …set your minds on things that are above

32. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory

33. Dead people don't worry Dead people don't impress They ain't stressed over anything Christ is victorious. You in him And you have glory awaiting

35. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you… Prison life The things of chains and death

36. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry

37. Which of these upsets people?

38. sexual immorality impurity passion evil desire covetousness, which is idolatry

39. On account of these the wrath of God is coming

40. That escalated quickly!

41. "There's nothing wrong Unless it hurts someone Or takes advantage of a child"

42. Pragmatic: If it hurts others Theistic: Accountable to God And he wants more for us

43. “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak

44. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us…

45. …like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea

46. We are far too easily pleased” - C.S. Lewis

47. God wants more for us Than we want for ourselves We are far too easily pleased” - C.S. Lewis

48. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry

49. Christian Pragmatic: Actions outside God's will Leads to consequences God is not obligated to fix

50. 80% Help me escape the Consequences of my actions!

51. Seek… Set your minds… Do I honestly believe What I say I believe If it means I have to change?

52. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them

53. You were dead in your trespasses…

54. If it was so good Why did I sense a need For God? I liked it! I just didn't like Where it led me…

55. And…God will not be tamed He won't become a bigger Version of my own desires Beliefs and prejudices

56. This is fleshed out relationally All the time: I love you (as I want you to be) I accept you fully (If you change)

57. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth Seen and unseen…

58. Not enough to change What's seen by others Slow-burning anger Or an explosion of anger

59. Desiring harm to others Or lying so as to harm them And "low and obscene talk"

60. All reveal a heart condition That desperately needs change Rather than a behavior In need of tweaking

61. If you're showing What God isn't growing It won't last

62. Seek the things above… Set your heart…

63. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator

64. Lying represents the enemy The Truth is who our Jesus is When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies- John 8

65. Put off…put on Logizomai- reckon, consider, count

66. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all

67. You are less than, so I can - Talk about you like… - Treat you like… - Lie to you as if…

68. Here there is not Greek and Jew…but Christ is all, and in all To lie to you, slander you Treat you disrespectfully Is to treat Jesus that way

69. We will not Disrespect one another Within community Without confronting for Restoration, but willing to let go

70. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…

71. God's chosen ones, holy and beloved Before you ever took One step of obedience God said, "Mine! I love you!"

72. Therefore, this is how you Walk in it: Be who you really are Clothing… It's how you're known So be who you really are

73. Seek… Because it is best Set your minds… Because it frees you In so many ways

74. …bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive

76. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony

77. If I am seeking what is in God's (and your) best interests I will kill Sexual immorality, Anger, Slander, Lies Unforgiveness in my life

78. I become about compassion Patience, bearing with, forgiving And here's the result:

79. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful

80. We will only have peace As a Community of Faith To the degree what we each Seek Jesus as our peace

81. When Jesus rules in my heart Peace rules in my heart When it's chaos and strife Anxiety and anger, it's not Jesus So…what rules my heart?

82. Seeking the things above Setting my mind on those things Leads to letting go of the Very things that lead to death And becoming what is life-giving

83. Great…but how? I try, but I forget I struggle

84. Plural… Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…

85. …singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God

86. Time + Proximity + Intentionality = Depth

87. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him - Colossians 3:1-17

88. Jesus calls us to a Community That will never be perfect In which grace is messy And we walk together in spite of And because of

89. This is how each of us become What God has called us to be And together continually form A community of Faith that Is life-giving and glorifies God

90. What are my greatest desires? Can I honestly say There are areas of my life In which I'm carrying a cross?

91. Am I intentional in Encouraging others And pointing toward Jesus With my life?

92. What needs to change? Will I?

93. Questions, Comments Disagreements

94. Pray