“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.” Luke 12:32

“Little flock” refers to believers who belong to God’s kingdom and live under God’s loving care (vv. 22–31). This image recalls the Old Testament's depiction of God as a caring shepherd of His people (e.g., Psa 77:20; Jer 13:17; Mic 4:8).

Elsewhere the NT presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the OT’S promise of a true shepherd of God’s people (see Matt 9:36; Mark 6:34; John 10:11–18; compare Isa 40:11; Ezek 34:11–31, 34:23 and note). (Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Lk 12:32). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)

The true disciple is not afraid because of a sincere trust in God. The true disciple doesn’t draw their security from things, or people, or places but from God. This makes you...

“If you love me, obey my commandments.”

When he makes this statement, it was a big evening for Jesus.  It’s his formal farewell to his disciples, his friends.  And his friends are freaking out! They are scared. How does Jesus decide to comfort them? He promises the Holy Spirit - the great comforter. The one who would guide, teach, encourage, empower, and mediate on behalf of the believer. Ultimately he was giving them the comforting presence of himself - Jesus.

The provision of Jesus that will bring about this relationship is declared to be the indwelling Spirit (vv. 15–17)

Holy Spirit has two new names: 

1. the Paraclete (NIV Counselor, v. 16)
2. the Spirit of truth

Paraclete (Gk. parakletos) is unique to John (elsewhere 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; 1 John 2:1) and expresses the Spirit’s strengthening, equipping role. 

A parakletos was a judicial advocate (cf. Matt. 10:16–20) and here Jesus says that Christians alone can enjoy his aid...

'From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”' Matthew 4:17

• A true disciple is not first a learner or reader of his words.  You are a doer. In v19 Jesus says, “Come follow me”.
• The first command of Jesus’ public ministry was, “repent”.
  • Jesus wants an inward change because nothing else will stick if you don’t first address YOU
• Your actions need to be immediate
  • v20 “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
  • A friend’s wife was giving a sermon where she shared this same advice, because it’s what she did.  Drugs, alcohol, miserable. Meets a janitor at the church who tells her to repent and go and tell everyone that she now believes in Jesus.
  • Repent is “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.”

'Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great...

1. The transformational power of Jesus’ words John 14:23

"Jesus replied,“All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.”  John 14:23

1. If you really love Jesus, you’ll do what he says!
1. Get to know his commands
1. All his commands are either about loving God or loving others.
2. “The first thing to notice is that loving Jesus is not the same as keeping his commandments. It precedes and gives rise to keeping the commandments. Keeping his word is the result of loving him, not the same as loving him.” John Piper
3. Love is the root, obedience is the fruit.
2. God responds to our love and loves with a unique, personal, intimate, affectionate, caring, committed love that belongs only to those who love his Son.
1. We get the Holy Spirit
2. We get Jesus.  He will give us what orphans need: they need protection and provision and guidance.
3. If you love me and keep my word, my Father and I will...

Great relationships have grit: Passion and Perseverance

GRIT: firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck (dictionary.com)

Passion
An intense desire or enthusiasm for something. strong and barely controllable emotion. A thing arousing enthusiasm. The suffering and death of Jesus.

Perseverance
steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Other words for perseverance: persistence, tenacity, determination, staying power, steadfastness, purposefulness…

What does this mean for your relationship? Everything!

1. What is your dream statement
1. To honor God and others by relentlessly pursuing authentic relationships, valuing hospitality, self-awareness, diversity, adventure, joy and freedom in Christ.
2. Validate each other’s dreams
1. Your official Dream Statement should be a healthy combination of both your desires.
2. Matthew 7:12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
3. Ask what we can do to further develop and encourage each other’s dreams.
1. What do you think would be the best way for us to pursue authentic relationships?
2. What kind of adventure would be fun or exciting for you?
4. Decide on a win/win for your statement
1. What does a win/win mean and is it biblical?
2. 'Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear...

1. Without a clear and defined purpose (which we will from now on refer to as your DREAM) how can you expect your marriage to be all it can be? If you do not know where you are headed together as a couple, or what kind of legacy you want to leave through your children and moments of your marriage, then how can you expect to truly enjoy your marriage. Spending day after day in a bottomless pit of indecision, confusion, and lack of a dream will (or already has) take a huge toll on your marriage happiness and enjoyment.
1. “A man without a vision is a man without a future. A man without a future will always return to his past.” (P.K. Bernard)
2. Praying together about your Dream Statement
1. Prayer is an important element to this study being a successful experience. Prayer is also important on a global level as well for your relationship. Without prayer, your relationship is missing out on God's direction and encouragement. Prayer is our intimate time with God and it WILL draw you...

Tim and Nancy's story should inspire anyone about what it takes to stay committed to each other through "sickness and in health"!

Tim wrote:

Since 1979 I have lived with the consequences of a brain-based mental health challenge called bipolar disorder. Through these years I have experienced episodes of extreme mania, protracted periods of dark depression, as well as eruptions of psychosis.

Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, a leading authority and herself a diagnosed bipolar, clearly expresses the effects of this brain disorder in her book, “Touched with Fire.” She wrote that bipolar illness “encompasses the extremes of human experience. Thinking can range from florid psychosis, or ‘madness,’ to patterns of unusually clear, fast, and creative associations, to retardation [slowing down] so profound that no meaningful activity can occur.”* This very succinctly and accurately describes how I have often experienced bipolar disorder.

Hear their story through...

• Hebrews 10:23-25 “23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
• Live your life each day with a purpose, to stir one another to acts of love and good works.
• Why do you wake up each day? If you don’t ask yourself this question, you are purposeless which is like lifelessness.
• Community isn’t a story, it’s an experience and filled with story after story after story. It’s why I came here for my surgery.
  • I knew I would be
    • Loved
    • Not judged
    • Encouraged
    • Filled with hope
• God’s plan for your life is to wake up each day and…
  • Choose hope (v23)
    • Because he is a promise keeper, and there is nothing we need to fear
    • But this isn’t the kind of hope...

1. Relentless Grace
1. No matter how far you run away or how disobedient you are, God still loves you and bathes you with His unending grace
2. Phillip Holmes wrote, “He’s not ignorant of all the ways we’ve sinned against him. He knows everything we’ve ever done and is able to stomach it. His knowledge of who we really are will never hinder his love for us. He’s even aware of the evil behind our righteous deeds. The intimacy by which the Lord knows us but is able to lovingly embrace us as his children is supernatural. God’s grace is mind-blowing. Every time I think of this reality, I’m brought to tears because I serve a God whose love and grace baffle me.” https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/gods-grace-is-mind-blowing
3. I blatantly rejected the voice of the Holy Spirit
1. Heaviest - 138 kilograms
2. I’ve lost 18 kilograms in three weeks
3. No pain, no recovery, no problems of any kind!
4. Joel 2:12-14 'But there’s also this, it’s not...