Elements City Church Podcast

Over 165 million complaints were filed with the BBB in 2018 - it seems we live in a culture that cultivates complaint and in an age of outrage. But what if we as followers of Christ were to cultivate gratitude and limit our complaining, arguing and dissension? As we continue to look at how to maximize and leverage our words for God's good, we lean into how we're to exchange many ways our words can go negative and lean on the words of God's promises to help us. Let's learn to take our thoughts captive, shrink the complaint and grow the gratitude!

Tonight we lean into some wisdom when it comes to conversations going sideways. Where we’re not talking TO a person, but we’re talking ABOUT that person. Some refer to it as gossip and we need to ZIP IT. Those with loose tongues cannot expect tight relationships. We are to be people that are building up others with our words, curating healthy relationships and fighting for them to keep from going sideways.

We continue looking at our communication - we are to lean into a new purpose for our words, that the Apostle Paul suggests (see Ephesians 4:29). We are to see our words as 'building material' that we can use to build people up. Each conversation is a construction zone moment. We're to use our words to benefit those who listen; so they walk away better for having encountered us. Imagine the impact if we all used our words to BUILD UP and not to tear down.

We continue in our series and looking into what James has to say to us about the power of words! He starts off entitling this section in chapter 3: ‘taming the tongue’ then he proceeds to tell us in the next 12 verses, it’s impossible. Our tongue: a small part of your body – has HUGE influence over our life. Our words control the direction, destiny and quality of our life. From our first word until our very last, we must wrestle with the tension that comes with the unpredictable nature of our tongue. Our mouth cannot be tamed, it can only be guarded. We must intentionally and continually be on our guard.

It takes 2 years to learn to talk, but it takes the rest of one's life to learn to control what we say. Our words have power and we must lean into a new rhythm as it comes to navigating our conversations, conflicts and communication. We must learn to be QUICK TO LISTEN and slow to speak.

Jesus had much to say about money. It’s like he knew that this subject would compete for our hearts devotion like none other and he reminds us that we cannot serve both God and money. There will always be this 'tug-a-war' tension that calls us to choose. So the Scriptures have some wisdom for us as it comes to relating and interacting with money. Tonight we look into 4 biblical money mental shifts we're called to make. 

Jesus bled for us and he is calling us to bleed for one another! When did our love for one another become so safe, so shallow, so measured, so rational that it no longer resembles the love of Christ? We must return to our first love and a fresh revelation of just how deep and wide the love of Christ is! Then will we be empowered to go into the world to love well.

Part of growing as a disciple is becoming certain about who Jesus is and also becoming certain about who we are – the beloved of God. When we put our faith in Christ we are enfolded into the eternal love of God and our identity finds its rest there. Now, embracing our true identity of who God says we are is far from automatic, but we must learn to love ourselves from that reality (Ephesians 3:16-19). The Cross is THE key to knowing our worth and value to God – to embracing a real love for self. Your value is not based on what you do, how much you have or what others say about you. As one who is, in Christ, your value is based forever, solely and securely on WHO JESUS SAYS YOU ARE.

Love God most, Love ourselves rightly, Love others really well. Tonight we lean into how can we grow our upward love back to God.

History matters and history shapes us. If this is true then the history of Jesus should shape us in such a way that we begin to "make history". As we grow in our desire for God we learn to enter His story, His history and that changes history for eternity. Desire for God grows as we no longer live for ourselves but learn to live as Jesus lived.

Tonight we highlight our next generation ministries. The church of today must always care about and invest in the church of tomorrow! We hear from some of our graduating students, celebrate our kids and look at how we can all be people who seek to pass along the baton of faith to the next generation. It takes an authentic faith, intentional practice and each of us taking our next steps.

We have a phrase we use: 'sing the praises' - referring to when we talk up or share about something or someone that means a lot to us. Psalm 145 is chalked full of insights, understandings and instruction all about praise for God. King David is talking up God, practicing his praise to the Lord and pushing us to follow his pattern - to make praise a normal and natural part of our lives. It's helping us learn how to PAUSE to PRAISE and to grow our relationship with God.

Worry and envy is the opposite of faith! In Psalm 37 1-8, God gives us action steps to put a stop to these feelings so we can live a life of faith and trust, otherwise we can be robbed of our joy, promises, and peace.

This Psalm is David writing himself a 'spiritual sticky note' - if you will. A reminder of all He's been given in having life with God. David is challenging himself and US – don’t let your hearts become ungrateful or drift from living with a thankful heart! Grow your gratitude by never losing sight of God's benefits. More gratitude will not come from more acquisitions, but from more awareness of God's presence with you and God's goodness to you. His blessings and benefits!

Psalm 119 is wisdom psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. It has one main theme - to celebrate God's Word and inspire full obedience to it. We're to be people seeking to know God better and walk in His ways as we experience Him in the Scriptures.

Psalm 51 is one of the several Penitential (confessional) psalms. It calls to us to be a people who seek to keep short accounts with God and others. To live an open and authentic life. We live in a world that pushes us toward concealment, the secrets, the cover-ups ...but it's confession that brings true freedom. We want to be a people who practice confession and turn away from the tendency to want to cover-up. We looked at 3 key take-aways as it comes to living out a confession rhythm in life. 

The Psalmist is telling us that the universe is declaring the reality of God. It also calls us to have a reverence for Him. To have reverence for God is to recognize Him for who He is and stand in awe of Him for all that He has done to redeem us.

This is one of the most beloved Psalms as it speaks to our value to God. God knows us, he is with us and for us, what then is our response to that greatness? This Psalm closes with one of the great simple prayers in all the Bible (verses 23-24) - we invite you to come back to this prayer often to allow God to keep your heart aligned with him.