Living A Different Story
Following Jesus means living a completely different story to the world around us, with different attitudes and behaviours. God's invitation is for us to live a completely different life that reveals the radical love of God to us and through us. The problem is our lives can often look no different from the culture around us.
Walking in relationship with God
Living a different story can be challenging, especially if we don't know where to look for instructions.
Where should we be looking to for our instructions for living our best life, a different life?
God has given us everything we need to live a different story. When we walk each day in relationship with God, we create a place where we thrive!
Dealing with authority
We almost always think we’re right, otherwise why would we believe the things we do? We all make mistakes and it’s those that care about us that point to the things we can’t see in ourselves. Sometimes though, for pride or fear, we find it hard to listen to leaders in the church and our Christian brothers and sisters who love and care for us. This week's short talk takes us through 1 Thessalonians 5:13-14 to think about what discipleship might look like in these difficult conversations.
Happy to be judged
God is judge and he sets the standard. The Bible tells us we have all fallen short but wonderfully are not without hope. God so loves the world that he sent Jesus to pay the penalty for all the injustice in the world so we don't have to. If this is the case how should we therefore live? How should we manage our life and what should we concentrate on?
Looking to Heaven
The bible says what we do in this life determines how we live our life in eternity. But how do we live a life that’s focused on heaven? And why aren’t we doing it?
Desiring Sexual Purity
We live in a sex-obsessed culture, so how do we as believers live a sexually pure life? The Bible tells us to flee from sexual immorality, but what does that mean? How do we draw close to God and what does it mean to live out the instruction to be holy and set apart for God?
Loving One Another
The Bible tells us we should love one another, putting others’ needs before our own. But what does this love look like and how do we love sacrificially when the other person is not that lovable? Our example is Jesus, who loved others with a radical, perfect love. But how do we love like Jesus? Is that even possible?
It's probably going to hurt
Being a follower of Jesus may not make us popular. But this has implications for our own hearts also. Why is being a disciple not an easy life?
People are not going to like you
The good news of Jesus when boldly preached is quite unflattering and does not paint us in a particularly good light. It will not make you popular with everyone, however the Gospel is the power of God to transform people's stories.
You should probably chat to God
Living a different story looks like making prayer a habit in our lives. But prayer can be hard, so why is it so important and how do we make prayer a habit?
The Power of a Different Story
Living the Jesus story challenges the dull and the bland in our lives. What key thing will help as we take on a Christian lifestyle?
Happy Ever After
We are all chasing a happy ever after story in our lives. But Christians are told to live a radically different story. What does it mean in the pursuit of happiness and how does it alter how we view injustice in the world?
