1. New Beginnings

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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)

5. 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!

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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?

10. 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