Your Personal Grow-Pray-Study (GPS) Guide

We begin our Complete Love (Summer) journey with 1 John 4:16-17. We will be looking forward this summer to scripture, experiencing activities together (PDF), and improving our facilities .  Future series will be focused on: Love God (Fall), Love Your Family (Winter), and Love Your Neighbor (Spring).

Day 1: Read Galatians 5:1. When you were first on your own, what did "freedom" mean to you? Free to do what? Free from what? How do you need Christ to "liberate you into freedom" in your spiritual growth?

Day 2: Read Romans 6:14. What kind of legalisms do Christians get caught up in? What motivates you to live a good life?

Day 3: Read James 1:23-24. What do you use a mirror for during the day? How is the Bible like a mirror for us? As you look into the mirror of the law, what do you see about yourself? As you look into the eyes of Jesus, what do you see about yourself?

Day 4: Read Romans 6:20-22. “Everybody’s gotta serve somebody.” What’s the difference in your life between being a slave to sin and being a slave to God? If we realize sin is no longer our master, how is your life different?

Day 5: Read Romans 6:23. If you try to earn your relationship with God, you are doomed. Life with God is a gift from God. It’s very important that we understand that we live by grace. How do Paul’s words in this verse give you comfort and hope? Take time today to thank God for His incredible gift.

Day 6: Read John 14:6. How does Jesus describe the great path of freedom in this verse? Since this is the only way to freedom, why do we stray off this path? How have you grown in your relationship with Jesus in the past year? What steps in freedom can you take in the week ahead?

You can GO DEEPER this week by reading the book The Grace Awakening by Charles R. Swindoll.

You can also listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS

We begin our Complete Love (Summer) journey with 1 John 4:16-17. We will be looking forward this summer to scripture, experiencing activities together (PDF), and improving our facilities .  Future series will be focused on: Love God (Fall), Love Your Family (Winter), and Love Your Neighbor (Spring).

For this week’s GPS time, we emphasize “Pray the Six Prayers” from our Create for Community Prayer book earlier this year. Take time to read the passage, pray the prayer for the day and any other areas of life God leads you to pray. One of the great blessings of our journey of generosity this past year was the daily time in prayer.

Day 1: Read 1 John 4:16-17. Lord, help me to love and be led by God’s Word.

Day 2: Read 1 John 4:19. Lord, help me to receive God’s generous love.

Day 3: Read 1 John 4:10. Lord, help me to live sacrificially to love and serve others.

Day 4: Read 1 John 4:16. Lord, help me to love and bless my community.

Day 5: Read 1 John 4:11-12. Lord, help me to love my neighbor.

Day 6: Read 1 John 4:16-17. Lord, help me to hope in God for my future and our church’s future.

 You can also listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS

NOTE: The sermons this week cover Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday services (June 15-18, 2017) and the G.P.S. is now order by Days since the last sermon you heard.  So, if  you go to Thursday service you start Day 1 on Friday.  If you go to Saturday service you start your Day 1 on Sunday.  And guess what?  If you go to Sunday service you start your Day 1 on Monday!  Pretty simple right?!?

Day 1: Read Ephesians 6:4. What three words or phrases would you use to describe your Dad? How do those words or phrases influence your understanding of your Heavenly Father?

Day 2: Read Luke 15:20b, 22-24. What fills your child’s or friend’s love bucket? What sacrifice might you need to make to have that bucket overflow?  

Day 3: Read Luke 15:12-14, 31-32. How does the father show both love and discipline with both of his sons? How do you see God showing both love and discipline in your life? Why are both needed and valuable in your life?

Day 4: Read Proverbs 22:15. How do you know when discipline is needed in a child’s life? In your life? What is the difference for you between “right size” discipline and wrong-size discipline?

Day 5: Read Luke 15:17. Who has been a positive example of the Christian faith in your life? What lessons did he or she teach you? What example are you giving to your family? To your friends? To your co-workers?

Day 6: Read Psalm 68:5. Where do you need to remember God’s fatherly love and care in your life today? Where can you bring that love and care of your Heavenly Father into someone else’s life today?

You can GO DEEPER this week by:

• Read the book on Luke 15:11-32: The Prodigal God by Tim Keller
• Read the book: What Makes a Man: 12 Promises that Will Change Your Life by Bill McCartney and others

 You can also listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS

This week we are completely focused on Matthew 28:19-20.

NOTE: As we transition to the summer we are adding Thursday night services in addition to our existing Saturday night and Sunday services.  So during the summer the GPS will be published on Thursday and can be used the 6 days after you attend worship as part of your daily devotional time.

Monday (Day 1): Pronounce it! Read Matthew 28:19-20 aloud more than once. How does emphasizing different words change the focus?

Tuesday (Day 2): Picture it! Imagine how you would feel in the situation described in Psalm 1. What would you do and say?

Wednesday (Day 3): Probe it! (SPACEPETS) In Matthew 28:19-20, does it suggest a:

• Sin to confess?
• Promise to claim?
• Attitude to change?
• Command to obey?
• Example to follow?
• Prayer to pray?
• Error to avoid?
• Truth to believe?
• Something to praise God for?

Thursday (Day 4): Paraphrase it! Put Matthew 28:19-20 into you own words. How do translations vary (e.g., word-for-word vs. paraphrase)?

Friday (Day 5): Pray it! Read and pray Matthew 28:19-20 aloud to God. What fresh insights do you receive?

Saturday (Day 6): Personalize it! Insert your name in place of any first-person pronouns in Matthew 28:19-20. What additional insights do you get?

You can GO DEEPER this week by:

• Read the book: They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations by Dan Kimball

 You can also listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS

Pastor Burkey outlined three images to visualize "What the Church Means for Life Today":

1. Wind & Fire
2. One Body 
3. Living Water 

Monday: Read Acts 2:12. When does the church amaze you showing its beauty? When does the church perplex you showing itself as a beast? How might God use you to bring out more “beauty” than “beast” in our church?

Tuesday: Read Acts 2:17, 21. Where have you seen God’s power working in the lives of people of all ages? How do you sense the Holy Spirit being poured out in your life and in our life together as Christ Lutheran Church?

Wednesday: Read 1 Corinthians 12:12. If the church is the body of Christ, who does Christ Lutheran Church look like to you? Why?

Thursday: Read 1 Corinthians 12:7. Do you know your spiritual gifts? (If not, go to this online tool version of the ELCA Spiritual Gifts assessment). If you know your gifts, how are you using them at this point in your life?

Friday: Read John 7:37. Where do you see our community “thirsting for God”? Where do you find yourself “thirsting for God”?

Saturday: Read John 7:38-39. Where do you see the Holy Spirit “making waves”? Where is the Holy Spirit inviting you to join Him in making the church beautiful? What holds you back from joining the Holy Spirit’s work? What draws you to the amazing work God wants to do through you and through us as Christ Lutheran Church Ministries?

You can GO DEEPER this week by:

• Read the book: They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations by Dan Kimball

 You can also listen to this week's message or read the full PDF of the message & GPS