Balance - A message on Grace at NVCL

What do you do with the Christian Doctrine of Grace?

This is an opportunity for you to "push back" on this weekend's message. What are you thinking about? Struggling with? Excited about...when you think about God's Grace in your life? I would invite you to wrestle with the following questions...

Is Religion Good Enough?

Read Romans 3:20 - 31. Where in my life am I relying upon the law (and my good works...Religion) to save me? Am I/have I been guilty of legalism? In what areas of my faith journey do I have false pride? What do I do that is “mere religion?” Where am I guilty of “just going through the motions of faith?”

Abusing Grace

Read Romans 6. Am I still a “slave to sin?” In what specific ways am I taking advantage of God’s grace?

Living Sacrifice? Really?

Read Romans 12:1-2. Am I a “living sacrifice?” What does it look like for me to be walking around on the altar of life? Do I live a lifestyle of worship?

Swimming In God's Grace

Do I “Swim in God’s Grace?” Do I really accept the free gift he’s given? How is the Balance in my life between legalism/the law on one side of “the rope” and taking advantage of God’s Grace on the other side? If I “slip off the rope,” which side do I fall in?

Extra Credit :)

Consider reading the book of Romans this week to dig deeper into this concept of living by grace and balancing the Law with abusing Sin. To learn more about God’s grace and the freedom we have in Christ, consider reading the book of Galatians.

Revealed - A Sermon at NVCL

What do you see when you look in the mirror...Spiritual Mirror?

This is an opportunity for you to "push back" on this weekend's message. What are you thinking about? Struggling with? Excited about...in your own Spiritual Growth Journey? I would invite you to wrestle with the following questions. And invite you to allow them to be a kind of self-guided Spiritual Growth Inventory.

And while you're online, I would urge you to take twenty minutes to take an online survey for us called REVEAL (click here). (West Lafayette campus click here.) This will help us as we try to assess where we are as a church in the Spiritual Growth area. And then, if we know where we are, that will help us provide a better roadmap to where we would like to be...

A Question to Ponder...

Which of these two pictures best describes your Spiritual Growth thermometer?

Is Jesus "Top of Your List?" or "Center of Your World?"

After wrestling with that question, why don't you answer for yourself a few of these questions (below)...

Spiritual Growth - Prayer

1. I tend to pray:
· Throughout the day
· Daily
· A couple times/week
· A couple times a month

2. When you pray, do you also allow time to just listen to God...rather than talk?


3. When you have a problem/concern/worry, to whom do you go first? God? Spouse? Friend? Parent? Other?


4. When you pray, do you feel that God is a friend with whom you are comfortable sharing both your difficult times and your joys? If not, why not?

Spiritual Growth - Reading the Bible

1. I tend to read my Bible:
· Daily
· Weekly
· Monthly
· Rarely
· Never

2. When I read my Bible, it’s mostly out of:
· Obligation
· Guilt
· Bible study requirement
· Desire to know more about God
· Desire to spend time with God

3. Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God?


4. Do you believe that the Bible gives us all the answers that we need to live as believers on this earth? ie...answers on marriage, parenting, business, etc?


5. Use at least 15 adjectives to describe God.

Spiritual Growth - Daily Living according to the Biblical Model

1. Would you feel comfortable explaining the Biblical model of Marriage? Do you feel that your marriage is an example of one?


2. Would you feel comfortable explaining the Biblical model of Parenting? Do you feel that you try to model this?


3. Do you tend to make your daily decisions based on how you feel or on God’s truth? (I don’t want to forgive her because I’m angry vs. I will forgive her despite how I feel because God commands me to.)


4. My communication tends to be loving and patient:
· Never
· Rarely
· Sometimes
· Usually
· Always


5. Name an area in your life that you have given over control to God.

Spiritual Growth - Evangelism

1. When it comes to sharing the Gospel with someone, I am:
Super comfortable
Somewhat comfortable
Not comfortable
Very uncomfortable
Depends on the situation

2. How many people have you shared the Gospel with in the past year?


3. How many people have you invited to Church in the past year?


4. About what percentage of your friends, extended family, colleagues are believers? Who do you have in your life who is not yet? How are you going to bump that percentage up?


5. Are your kids comfortable with sharing the Gospel with their friends?

Spiritual Growth - Service

1. How much of a priority is serving God in your life?
· High
· Medium
· Low


2. In what ways do you serve God on a regular basis?


3. Approximately how many hours per week do you spend serving God?


4. Do you pray regularly to God to ask Him to show you how you can better serve Him?

Spiritual Growth Plan

1. Pick at least one area (from above) in which you would like to concentrate on growing this coming year.


2. Write a plan of how you would like to accomplish this including a schedule if necessary.


3. Share with your spouse (or a trustworthy friend) about your plan and ask him/her to hold you accountable. This will require regular meetings on the matter in order to keep on track.


4. Are you in a Life Group? Do you have a group of Believers around you to help you grow? If not, take steps to make that happen!