Fueling What You're Doing ~ THE INCESSANT MINDSET

 Philippians 2.5-11 "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

The entire letter to the Philippians is oriented around this INCESSANT MINDSET. In fact, our whole human disposition should be fueled and shaped by this attitude.

👉 MEDITATE ON THIS PASSAGE and COMMENT BELOW 👀~ share what God shares with you.

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One of the DRIVING OBJECTIVES of MI3* Executive Forum is that we work to become a "Psalm 1 Man" ~ a Tree of Life ~ men who meditate on God's Story - His Partnership with Humans - which leads to JESUS and employs us to serve, sacrifice & suffer to move His Human Project forward now and in the life after.

("MI3" = Men of Influence Influencing Influencers)

The Perfect Storm

Promiscuity 

(Immorality, sex without boundaries)

Personal Pollution 

(Impurity, Personal Attitude, Actions & Culture that infect ourselves & others)

Power & Greediness

These 3 Culprits create THE PERFECT STORM that sabotage us.

Joey, OSU Baseball Player

“...my generation has grown up in a world based on fallacies. Tip toeing around feelings. No definite "winner or loser". Everyone I know that has graduated and moved into the real world has quickly realized that is not the case. This has led to people I love really struggling with the transition, struggling finding the point of what's next. Young professionals everywhere are desperately looking for an answer to that question. We grow up, surrounded by our friends, doing what is fun. We communicate with them constantly via Snapchat, text, social media, etc. and then one day it's all gone - or at least it's not the same. People are Desperately looking for someone somewhere to give them responsibility, and give it to them in a way where there is no cookie cutter tip toeing to the point. That means something to my generation. We have grown up in a virtual world, and can clearly tell what is real and what is not. The truth is that life is tough and honestly too many people are scared to say it.”

READ Ephesians 4 & 5 and you will observe that Paul repeats these 3 CULPRITS 3 Times.

"...they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness." (Ephesians 4.19)

"...But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you..." (Ephesians 5.3)

"...know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man..." (Ephesians 5.5)

❓Do You Think this is True for us Today or was that an ancient cultural thing?

❓What does Paul prescribe to help us sabotage these Saboteurs?

❓What 3 Illustrations or Metaphors does Paul present to help us sabotage the Saboteurs?

WATCH:

MI3 Executive Forum Google Slides Presentation of "The Perfect Storm" Session:

Let's talk about all this Friday at:

"MI3" Executive Forum

6.30-8.00 AM

Ruscilli Construction Company Conference Room

Game Changing Presence ~ Seeing the Miraculous in Mundane

Luke 5:1-11 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; 2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.
4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.

------------QUESTIONS------------

👉 (1) "...listening to the word of God..." On any given day, what would you hear Jesus talking about?

👉 (2) "and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets." When did Jesus "mix it up" with people? [in other words, what time of the week and what time in the day]

👉 (4) When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

👉 Who were the skilled fishermen?

👉 What did Jesus know about fishing?

👉 (5) Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

👉 How would you describe Peter's "attitude of obedience" toward Jesus?

👉 How does Peter's obedience compare to Adam & Eve's obedience to NOT eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Bad?

"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." (Genesis 3.6)

👉 (8) "..he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”" Why did Peter & his business partners react like this?

👉 (10) “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”

👉 (11) "...they left everything and followed Him..." How would you describe the fishermen's ultimate response to what they just experienced?

👉 Why is it so difficult to SEE or anticipate the powerful "Gaming-Changing Presence" of God in your everyday?

👉 Is it possible to develop a keener sense of His "Gaming-Changing Presence"? If so, how?

------------WORK------------

READ:

NOTE: Verse 1.17 ~ Paul prays that God would give us a spirit of wisdom and REVELATION. The actual Greek Word for "...revelation..." is 'APOCALYPSE'.

'Apocalypse' is when we can SEE, through the "eyes of our heart", the spiritual realm and our earthly realm converging, or overlapping. That's when we have EYES TO SEE & EARS TO HEAR and hands & feet to work & walk it out.

Ephesians 1.15-17 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of REVELATION (apocalypse) in the knowledge of Him.

We need to work toward and pray that God would continue to make us aware of the unseen world constantly at work in our everyday ordinary life.

Is Our Ethnicity a TEST?

READ this brief recent article by OSU where a panel of professors and students discuss and attempt to re-define Ethnicity: OSU Center for Ethnic Studies Discusses Ethnicity, Looks to Help Student Understand Their Identity

There are some insightful comments and shared epiphanies from the faculty and collegians.  As I read this article several times I kept thinking, "I wonder what the Author & Architect of humanity would contribute to this discussion?"

What DOES the Bible say about our origins, our different cultural values and human uniquenesses?  

Is it is a moot point?  

Does it really matter? 

The important thing is getting everyone into heaven ~ right?

Is our ethnicity a TEST?

Aren't Redeemed & Restored Human Image Bearers supposed to occupy this space?  Isn't that the responsibility of the Church (not necessarily the institution, but the people)?

It is clear we (followers of Jesus ) have left and are leaving a huge, growing vacuum in helping the world figure out their identity, purpose & mission as human beings.  

IS THERE ANY VALUE TO OUR ETHNICITY?

WHAT PURPOSE DOES IT SERVE?

Check out this quick video explaining more about the multi-ethnic movement that Jesus started and continues to day to revolutionized the world.

Modern Followers of Jesus have done a better job of explaining our EXIT STORY, but we are greatly lacking when it comes to explaining our EXISTENCE STORY.  

The world is dying to hear, why they HERE.

WHY CAN'T CHRISTIANS GET ALONG?

We can understand why human beings who are not followers of Jesus can't get along...

BUT WHY CAN'T GENUINE CHRISTIANS GET ALONG?

The stakes are cosmically high and the impact is literally out of this world for the community of believers in Jesus Christ, locally and globally, to live and work in unity. 

"(10)...the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.(11) This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,..." (Ephesians 3:10–11).

“When the multi-ethnic, unified assembly of human beings (e.g. the new humanity) get together, disregarding the boundary lines of identity that work to keep them apart, 

THEY ARE THE WISDOM OF GOD INCARNATE. ”

The stakes have always been high from the very beginning when God entered into a "partnership" with Humanity as His Image Bearers to share His dominion through a "mediated rule" (Genesis 1.26—28). 

We are to rule this world with WISDOM. 

What wisdom personified looks like is Humans loving their neighbors as themselves. 

Is this reality just too much to expect from the Church then & now? 

Is God just dangling a carrot that is too far to reach? 

Even more sobering, are Christians and Christian Leaders even aware that this is the threshold by which the world will observe & experience the tangible presence of God? 

Can we do better? 

How can we do better? 

The Church's Finest Hour?

The Manifold Wisdom of God

TODAY, should be "The Church's Finest Hour". By "Church" I am NOT referring to the local church leadership, Sunday services and other gatherings in which the functions, activities and service projects the local body participates.

I AM referring to YOU, follower of Jesus, individually and collectively, out in the world, and specifically for MI3's focus, the work you do everyday in your occupation.

EVERY DAY ought to be YOUR FINEST HOUR for Jesus and His Kingdom economy ~ especially NOW ~ at this moment in the history of our country.  It is said that we have never been more polarized, divided and destructive.  

TODAY is fertile ground for followers of Jesus who are informed and animated by the STORY that God shares with us in the Bible about our HUMAN PURPOSE and MISSION to fill, rule, reign, subdue and multiply our influence, in and through Jesus to help humanity become the humans He created us to be.

Paul explains that "...the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord…" (Ephesians 3:8‭-‬13 NASB1995). 

You see, “When the multi-ethnic, unified assembly of human beings (e.g. the new humanity) get together, disregarding the boundary lines of identity that work to keep them apart,

they (the "Church") are the WISDOM OF GOD INCARNATE.”

In other words, when the followers of Jesus, gathered and scattered, GENUINELY get along with each other, accept and love each other, in spite of and in light of our differences, that displays to the world the beauty, majesty and manifold wisdom of God. 

We become the winsome, contrast community of which the world longs to be a part. We become a fragrant aroma.  

As marketplace and professional "Influencers" surrendering and being shaped by Jesus, we have the greatest leverage to help cultivate this winsome and winning culture through the work we do everyday where we invest the majority of our time, energy and effort.

We are the "agents of change" who are scattered throughout every human sphere.  We must ask God, through the Powerful Person of the Holy Spirit, to awaken us in our "twenty square feet" and be the "salt & light" to the deceived & desperate humanity around whom we live & work.  

2022.11.04 Session Resources:

2022.11.04 MI3 Google Slide Presentation

Letter to the Ephesians

Letter to the Ephesians Notes:

Letter to the Ephesians Video Overview: 

Ephesians 5- Part Podcast