Creating Atmospheres of Hope Through Our Words
Summary
### Summary
Good morning, everyone. Today, we conclude our series on family values by focusing on our final value: "We create the atmosphere." This value emphasizes the power of our words and actions in shaping our environments. We began by reflecting on Genesis 1:1-3, where God’s words brought light into the formless void. Similarly, our words have the power to create, affirm, build up, or tear down. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, "Our words create worlds," highlighting the profound impact our speech can have on our surroundings.
We also discussed the importance of physical environments and how they can influence our experiences. Whether it's a sports stadium or a family gathering, the atmosphere can be electrifying. However, being electrifying is not just about hype; it’s about embodying the hope and help that God has entrusted to us. This hope is not superficial but deeply rooted in our faith, as emphasized by figures like Desmond Tutu and Martin Luther King Jr.
We explored the story of Saul's conversion in Acts 9, focusing on Ananias' obedience to God's call. Ananias' willingness to trust God and go to Saul unlocked Saul's potential to become Paul, a pivotal figure in Christianity. This narrative teaches us that trusting God can unlock the potential in our environments and that God's plans are always bigger than our excuses.
We are called to be more than just thermometers that reflect our environments; we are to be thermostats that change them. By embodying our values and actively participating in our church and community, we can create atmospheres that reflect God's love and hope. Whether in our homes, workplaces, or communities, we have the opportunity to bring a little bit of heaven to earth.
### Key Takeaways
1. The Power of Words: Our words have the power to create, affirm, build up, or tear down. Just as God spoke light into the formless void, our speech can shape our environments in profound ways. Reflect on the words you use daily and consider their impact on your surroundings. [35:46]
2. Hope and Help: Being electrifying is not about superficial hype but about embodying the hope and help that God has entrusted to us. This hope is deeply rooted in our faith and can transform our environments and relationships. [42:18]
3. Trusting God Unlocks Potential: The story of Ananias and Saul teaches us that trusting God can unlock the potential in our environments. Ananias' obedience led to Saul's transformation into Paul, showing that our simple acts of faith can have monumental impacts. [52:27]
4. Thermometers vs. Thermostats: We are called to be thermostats that change our environments, not just thermometers that reflect them. By actively participating in our church and community, we can create atmospheres that reflect God's love and hope. [01:01:53]
5. Everywhere is Holy Ground: As believers, we carry the Spirit of God within us, making every place we go holy ground. This understanding should inform how we approach our relationships, careers, and daily interactions, knowing that we are stewards of God's love and hope. [45:28]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[30:16] - Introduction and Family Picture
[31:00] - Gratitude and Leadership
[31:42] - Church Expansion and Values Recap
[32:54] - Family Values Overview
[33:50] - Electrifying Value: We Create the Atmosphere
[34:27] - Genesis 1:1-3 and the Power of Words
[35:46] - The Impact of Our Words
[37:00] - Reflecting on Our Environments
[38:05] - Why Being Electrifying Matters
[42:18] - Hope and Help: More Than Hype
[45:28] - Everywhere is Holy Ground
[49:29] - Saul's Conversion and Ananias' Obedience
[52:27] - Trusting God Unlocks Potential
[56:22] - God's Plan is Bigger Than Our Excuses
[01:01:53] - Thermometers vs. Thermostats
[01:04:33] - Call to Action and Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
1. Genesis 1:1-3: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light."
2. Acts 9:10-19: The story of Ananias and Saul's conversion.
### Observation Questions
1. What did God create by speaking in Genesis 1:1-3, and how does this relate to the power of our words? [34:27]
2. How did Ananias initially respond to God's command to go to Saul, and what was his final action? [51:06]
3. What does the phrase "everywhere you go is holy ground" mean in the context of the sermon? [45:28]
4. What are the differences between being a thermometer and a thermostat according to the sermon? [01:01:53]
### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the creation story in Genesis 1:1-3 illustrate the power of words in shaping our environments? [35:14]
2. In what ways did Ananias' obedience to God unlock Saul's potential, and what does this teach us about trusting God's plans? [52:27]
3. How can embodying hope and help, as described in the sermon, transform our relationships and environments? [42:18]
4. What practical steps can we take to ensure that we are acting as thermostats rather than thermometers in our daily lives? [01:01:53]
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on the words you use daily. How can you be more intentional about using your words to create a positive atmosphere in your home or workplace? [35:46]
2. Think of a situation where you can embody hope and help. What specific actions can you take to bring God's hope into that environment this week? [42:18]
3. Have you ever felt hesitant to follow God's prompting like Ananias did? What steps can you take to overcome those hesitations and trust God's plan? [51:23]
4. Identify an area in your life where you tend to reflect the environment rather than change it. What can you do to start acting as a thermostat in that area? [01:01:53]
5. How can you remind yourself that everywhere you go is holy ground? What changes might this perspective bring to your interactions and decisions? [45:28]
6. Consider a relationship or environment that feels heavy or fragile. How can you use your words and actions to bring light and hope into that situation? [37:00]
7. What is one specific way you can serve someone in your community this week to reflect God's love and hope? [49:29]
Devotional
### Day 1: The Power of Words
Our words have the power to create, affirm, build up, or tear down. Just as God spoke light into the formless void, our speech can shape our environments in profound ways. Reflect on the words you use daily and consider their impact on your surroundings. [35:46]
Bible Passage:
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." — Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
Reflection:
Think about a recent conversation where your words may have had a significant impact. How can you be more intentional about using your words to build up and affirm others today?
### Day 2: Hope and Help
Being electrifying is not about superficial hype but about embodying the hope and help that God has entrusted to us. This hope is deeply rooted in our faith and can transform our environments and relationships. [42:18]
Bible Passage:
"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." — 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)
Reflection:
Identify one person in your life who needs hope and help. How can you embody the hope and help that God has given you to make a difference in their life today?
### Day 3: Trusting God Unlocks Potential
The story of Ananias and Saul teaches us that trusting God can unlock the potential in our environments. Ananias' obedience led to Saul's transformation into Paul, showing that our simple acts of faith can have monumental impacts. [52:27]
Bible Passage:
"And the Lord said to him, 'Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying.'" — Acts 9:11 (ESV)
Reflection:
Consider a situation where you feel hesitant to trust God fully. What step of faith can you take today to unlock the potential that God has placed in that situation?
### Day 4: Thermometers vs. Thermostats
We are called to be thermostats that change our environments, not just thermometers that reflect them. By actively participating in our church and community, we can create atmospheres that reflect God's love and hope. [01:01:53]
Bible Passage:
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house." — Matthew 5:14-15 (ESV)
Reflection:
Think about your role in your community or workplace. How can you be a thermostat that changes the atmosphere to reflect God's love and hope today?
### Day 5: Everywhere is Holy Ground
As believers, we carry the Spirit of God within us, making every place we go holy ground. This understanding should inform how we approach our relationships, careers, and daily interactions, knowing that we are stewards of God's love and hope. [45:28]
Bible Passage:
"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" — 1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV)
Reflection:
Reflect on your daily routine. How can you approach your interactions and tasks with the mindset that you are standing on holy ground, carrying the Spirit of God with you?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "What comes out of our mouths affects our atmosphere. Electrifying. We create the atmosphere. So what we say matters. There's incredible power in our words. Maybe even what we don't say matters. Not just what we do say. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Hessel says, our words create worlds. It's a fascinating detail woven into the creation story how to think about this value." [35:46] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Hope is not just hype. Help, the nature of helping others, serving other people, is tied to the very nature of Jesus. Jesus came not to be served but to serve. And his disciples were clear on it and wrote about it. When you genuinely connect with God, you genuinely experience hope, and you experience his help, what Jesus has done, you then become a steward of everything that God has done for you toward other people until the day that you die. You get to steward that." [43:33] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Everywhere you go is holy ground. Well, what do you mean by that, Preston? In the Old Testament, we read about God's Spirit dwelling within the temple, in the Holy of Holies. In the New Testament, we read that it dwells in another place. It's indwelling of the believer, the person who chooses to place their faith, hope, and trust in Jesus, and they are filled with the Spirit. And it's why Paul would write, your body is a temple of the living God, not just to help us understand that our bodies matter and taking care of them matter, but that now, everywhere you go, you have the Spirit of God within you. Therefore, everywhere you go, is holy." [45:28] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "When we genuinely experience a God who loves us, the natural reaction is to begin to do what God did in creation like we just looked at. We start to say some things that start to change some environments. We start to build some people up because there's real hope that we've experienced that we can give away. We start to serve because there's things that we can do to help other people out and help them experience God." [44:05] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "If you've never had your life changed by God and you've never genuinely experienced him, there'll be a hope team up here. You can do that today. You say, God, I want to go all in with you. You can start there. But if you're here and you're already following Jesus, jump in. That's what's electrifying. If it feels boring right now, it's because you're not jumping in. I promise. There's opportunity. There's excitement. It's not always buttoned up. It's a little messy. And it can look like work sometimes. But if you truly have been changed by the love of God, you've been deposited with real hope, you have some things to offer." [01:04:33] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "Trusting God unlocks the potential that God has for you in your environment. Maybe you've heard of this conversion before. It's pretty crazy. We always hear the headline. Terrorist becomes apostle and missionary after radical encounter with God. So while I'm not here to say that that is normative, I think Ananias' response is really an important secondary narrative that is much more normative for us. While Saul becoming Paul is a headline, rightfully so, in order for Paul's potential to be discovered, it took the simple and courageous obedience of Ananias." [52:08] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "God's plan was already in motion. The verse says, he is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again. Could I remind you today that God never sleeps nor slumbers. And every space that you step into today, he's at work toward a desired outcome. You are his plan A. I am his plan A. We, the church, are his plan A. And if you can't get excited about that, I don't know how to give you some more juice in your veins. The creator of the universe invites you to join him and his work in all of creation." [53:04] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "So the question I want to leave you with to embody this value is do I reflect the temperature? Thinking of the environments I'm in, do I just reflect the temperature? No. I'm just here. Maybe I'm just consuming and I like it and there's good. There's a time and a place for that, but there is a maturing piece that says, well, now I'm going to contribute. I'm going to jump in. I'm going to help change the temperature of the places I'm in. The opportunity for our church and our school is enormous, but I'm telling you, we get there because people choose to say, you know what, I'm going to jump in. I'm going to be electrifying. I'm going to help with whatever's needed." [01:03:34] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "When Ananias followed God's command to go, Saul ultimately became Paul and ended up writing most of the New Testament as we know it in our Bibles. Missionary journeys, three of them, starting churches all over the world. Investing in leaders was included with the disciples as the one who had spent time with Jesus even though he never really did. He had that kind of reputation of the kind the other side of what God has already told you. What's on the other side of what God has already told you? Creating the atmosphere in our homes, in our workplaces, in our communities, I would submit to you that it's not a lack of information that's gonna change those atmospheres." [54:16] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "So, what do I mean by that? How does that impact my everyday life? Well, I don't know what you do, and I don't have the time to ask everybody in the room what you do, but here's what I would hope it would mean for you. Now, every interaction you have, if you were a follower of Jesus, every interaction you have, God has a desired outcome for that interaction. Every relationship you have in your life, God has a desired outcome for that relationship. And because of that, you having something indwelling within you as a follower of Jesus should inform the direction of that relationship, the direction of how you approach your career." [47:04] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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