How is the LR going for you? Are you having an adventure with Jesus? As you Listen to Jesus, what is He saying to you? How would you describe the Risk factor with Listening? Do you feel closer to Jesus?

Friendship...
Familiar, fondness, acquaintance, associate, casual friend, pal are all terms of friendship. How are you doing with friendship these days?

"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit,if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." Phil 2:1-4 

Friendship is a choice.
Jesus chose to be in a relationship with you. Do you have "any encouragement" from Jesus choosing you? Choice is a powerful gift and responsibility, especially as it relates to friendships. Friendships can come and go. There are so many other demands, responsibilities and relationships that seem to come before friendship. Friendship is scarce these days. That is why as we seek to live out the Great Commission and Great Commandment, we need the reminder; Friendship is a choice. "I chose to be your friend" is a powerful decision.

​Friendship is a choice to be interested in another person.
"Do you have any encouragement" that Jesus chose to be interested in you and your concerns, fears and worries? Does Jesus' focus on you and your concerns motivate you to be interested in other peoples' concerns, fears and worries? Do you connect with a friend to find out what they are going through or are you just focused on sharing what you are going through? "Do nothing out of selfish ambition." "Do nothing out of vain conceit." Two powerful instructions that need to be contemplated.

Friendship is a choice to be with another person.

Once we respond to Jesus' invitation to be adopted into His family, He tells us, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 How often do you spend time with your friends? Time is a precious gift. What kind of gifts are you giving your friends? To say, "I am with you in spirit," is to say, "I am not with you." Let's be more and more like Jesus and give our friends our time.

Seeking to BB (Be with & Build Up),
Pastor Chris

LR = Listen & Risk with God
BB = Be with & Build up Christians
SS = Serve & Share with those far from God

Motivating and Sobering.

What motivates you?
What sobers you?

Look at one of Jesus' parables and how Jesus described the owners response to the gifts he gave his servants.

To the one who buried their gifts and did nothing with it, “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb.'" Matt 25:26-29 (Msg)

Sobering.

But, what about the owners response to the servant who risked.
"His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’" Matt 25:24 (Msg) 

Motivating.

How risky was it for Jesus to go to a cemetery to meet a demon possessed man?
How risky was it for Jesus to intentionally start a conversation with the Samaritan Woman at the well?
How risky was it for Jesus to heal people on the Sabbath?
How risky was it for Jesus to give ministry opportunities to the 12 disciples and then the 72 disciples?
How risky is it for Jesus to give us the ministry of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission?

Jesus said, "According to your faith, it will be done." Matt 9:29

How big is your faith? How small is your faith?

What risks are you going to take for Jesus today? Tomorrow? Every day?

Seeking to live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission with the LR, BB and SS reminders,
Pastor Chris

LR = Listen & Risk
BB = Be with & Build up
SS = Serve & Share

How are you planning on cooperating with Jesus this year to change the world? As Jesus has invited you to the most important work on the planet of living out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, how are you going to intentionally team up with Jesus to do this?

As I have been praying and as I shared this past Sunday, six words and phrases came to mind. It is my hope and prayer to live out these six words and phrases in order to let Jesus change the world in me and through me. I invite you to join me.

These six words and phrases follow in line with Southtown's Vision Statement which is based fully on the Great Commandment and Great Commission.
Southtown Baptist Church exists to honor God, by joining Him in creating His multi-ethnic group of Believers who help others say "Yes" to Jesus' love, truth and mission.

The first two words connect with "to honor God." 
LISTEN and RISK.
Daily spend time with Jesus to LISTEN to His ideas and agenda for you that day. Then RISK to do what He asks you to do.

The next two words and phrases connect with the second part of our vision statement; "by joining Him in creating His multi-ethnic group of Believers." 
BE WITH and BUILD UP.
Schedule  time weekly with brothers and sisters in Christ from Southtown to BE WITH each other. In doing this we get to know each other better, even those things that are not attractive and we commit to love each other anyways. By loving each other anyways BUILD UP each other like Jesus does with us.

The last two words connect with the third part of our vision statement; "who will help others say "Yes" to Jesus' love, truth and mission."
SERVE and SHARE. 
Daily pray for God to lead you to those far from Jesus in your life and ask Jesus to give you ideas to SERVE them each week. Then once in awhile SHARE with them how much Jesus loves them.

Daily cooperating with Jesus with these six words and phrases could change your life, change your marriage, change your family, change your work place, make Christians' day, and de-populate hell.

LISTEN and RISK
BE WITH and BUILD UP
SERVE and SHARE

Jesus, accomplish what you want to accomplish in us, around us and through us in 2017.

Excited and expectant,
Pastor Chris