Living a Spirit-Filled Life: Faith, Prayer, and Worship
Summary
In today's gathering, we explored the profound invitation God extends to each of us to live a life beyond the ordinary, a life filled with His Spirit. This life is not about striving but about having faith that God sees us, loves us, and desires a face-to-face relationship with us. We are reminded that God’s plan is not just to save us but to fill us with His Holy Spirit, enabling us to live beyond our natural abilities. This is a call to live a life of expectation, revelation, and the sweetness of His presence.
We celebrated the recent baptisms in our community, recognizing the transformative power of taking steps of faith and obedience. These steps are not just symbolic but are moments where God meets us, blessing our faithfulness. We also discussed the importance of being actively involved in the church community, not just as consumers but as contributors to what God is building.
Our current series, "Face to Face," draws inspiration from Moses' audacious faith in setting up the Tent of Meeting, a place where he expected to meet God. This series challenges us to cultivate the same audacious faith, believing that God desires a face-to-face connection with us today. We are encouraged to elevate our prayer lives, understanding that prayer is the foundation of a face-to-face relationship with God. Without prayer, significant chapters of our lives remain unwritten.
Moreover, a face-to-face life is a prophetic life. It involves speaking God’s truth over our lives and the lives of others, especially our children. We are called to be prophetic parents, declaring God’s promises over our children, countering the lies of the world. In a prophetic church, dreams are unlocked, and destinies are realized.
Finally, a face-to-face life is a worshiping life. Worship breaks chains and opens doors, transforming our circumstances. We are invited to worship with expectation, knowing that God is present and active in our lives. As we conclude, we are reminded of the joy and newness of life that comes from surrendering to God, embracing His invitation to a deeper, more intimate relationship.
Key Takeaways:
1. Faith Beyond Striving: Embrace a life filled with the Holy Spirit, where faith, not striving, is the key to experiencing God's presence and power. This life goes beyond our natural abilities, inviting us to live with expectation and revelation. [00:45]
2. The Power of Obedience: Taking steps of faith, such as baptism, opens the door to God's blessings. Obedience is not just a duty but a pathway to experiencing God's transformative power in our lives. [10:30]
3. Prayer as a Foundation: A face-to-face life with God is rooted in prayer. Without prayer, significant chapters of our lives remain unwritten. Prayer is the key to unlocking God's plans and purposes for us. [47:08]
4. Prophetic Living: We are called to be prophetic, speaking God's truth over our lives and others. This involves declaring God's promises and countering the lies of the world, especially over our children. [54:07]
5. Worship Breaks Chains: Worship is a powerful act that breaks chains and opens doors. It transforms our circumstances and invites God's presence into our lives, leading to freedom and newness. [01:04:39]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:45] - Invitation to a Spirit-Filled Life
- [10:30] - Celebrating Baptisms and Obedience
- [20:00] - The Tent of Meeting: Audacious Faith
- [30:00] - The Role of Prayer in a Face-to-Face Life
- [40:00] - Prophetic Living: Speaking God's Truth
- [47:08] - The Power of Prayer in the Church
- [54:07] - Prophetic Parenting and Unlocking Dreams
- [01:01:28] - The Importance of Youth Ministry
- [01:04:39] - Worship as a Transformative Act
- [01:10:00] - Invitation to Surrender and New Life
- [01:14:29] - Prayer of Dedication and Celebration
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- Exodus 33:7-11
- Acts 2:1-4
- Acts 16:25-26
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Observation Questions:
1. What was the significance of Moses setting up the Tent of Meeting, and how did it reflect his faith? [33:00]
2. How did the early church in Acts demonstrate the power of prayer, and what were the outcomes of their prayer meetings? [49:33]
3. In Acts 16, what happened when Paul and Silas worshiped in prison, and what does this tell us about the power of worship? [01:04:39]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of a "face-to-face" relationship with God challenge the way believers typically approach their faith? [33:00]
2. What does it mean to live a prophetic life, and how can believers speak God's truth over their lives and others? [54:07]
3. How can the act of worship transform a believer's circumstances, according to the sermon and the example of Paul and Silas? [01:04:39]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current prayer life. Are there "chapters" of your life that might be missing due to a lack of prayer? How can you begin to write those chapters through prayer this week? [49:33]
2. Consider the role of obedience in your faith journey. What is one step of obedience you feel God is calling you to take, and how can you act on it this week? [10:30]
3. How can you cultivate a prophetic voice in your life, especially in your family or community? What specific promises of God can you declare over your children or loved ones? [54:07]
4. Worship is described as a transformative act. How can you incorporate more intentional worship into your daily routine, and what changes do you hope to see as a result? [01:04:39]
5. The sermon emphasized the importance of being contributors in the church community. What is one way you can move from being a consumer to a contributor in your church? [10:30]
6. How can you create a "tent of meeting" in your own life, a space where you regularly expect to encounter God? What practical steps can you take to establish this space? [33:00]
7. Reflect on a recent situation where you felt limited by your natural abilities. How can you invite the Holy Spirit to empower you to live beyond those limitations? [00:45]
Devotional
Day 1: Living Beyond the Ordinary
Embrace a life filled with the Holy Spirit, where faith, not striving, is the key to experiencing God's presence and power. This life goes beyond our natural abilities, inviting us to live with expectation and revelation. The invitation is to step into a life that is not limited by our own capabilities but is expanded by the presence of God within us. This is a call to trust that God sees us, loves us, and desires a face-to-face relationship with us, where His Spirit empowers us to live beyond the ordinary. [00:45]
Ephesians 3:16-19 (ESV): "That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel limited by your own abilities? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to empower you in that area today?
Day 2: The Transformative Power of Obedience
Taking steps of faith, such as baptism, opens the door to God's blessings. Obedience is not just a duty but a pathway to experiencing God's transformative power in our lives. When we take steps of faith, we are not merely performing rituals; we are engaging in moments where God meets us and blesses our faithfulness. These acts of obedience are significant because they symbolize our commitment to God and our willingness to follow His lead, allowing His transformative power to work within us. [10:30]
1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV): "And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.'"
Reflection: What is one step of obedience God is calling you to take today, and how can you trust Him to meet you in that step?
Day 3: Prayer as the Foundation of a Face-to-Face Life
A face-to-face life with God is rooted in prayer. Without prayer, significant chapters of our lives remain unwritten. Prayer is the key to unlocking God's plans and purposes for us. It is through prayer that we cultivate a deeper relationship with God, allowing us to hear His voice and align our lives with His will. Prayer is not just a routine but a vital connection that sustains our spiritual journey and opens us to the revelations and guidance God has for us. [47:08]
Colossians 4:2-4 (ESV): "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak."
Reflection: How can you intentionally create space in your day for prayer, and what specific area of your life do you need to bring before God in prayer today?
Day 4: Prophetic Living: Speaking God's Truth
We are called to be prophetic, speaking God's truth over our lives and others. This involves declaring God's promises and countering the lies of the world, especially over our children. A prophetic life is one that aligns with God's truth and speaks it boldly into the world, bringing hope and clarity. By declaring God's promises, we not only affirm our faith but also influence the spiritual atmosphere around us, encouraging others to see and believe in God's active presence in their lives. [54:07]
Joel 2:28-29 (ESV): "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit."
Reflection: What is one promise from God that you need to declare over your life or the life of someone you love today?
Day 5: Worship as a Transformative Act
Worship is a powerful act that breaks chains and opens doors. It transforms our circumstances and invites God's presence into our lives, leading to freedom and newness. Worship is not just about singing songs; it is an expression of our hearts that acknowledges God's sovereignty and invites His transformative power into our lives. Through worship, we experience the joy and freedom that comes from surrendering to God and embracing His invitation to a deeper, more intimate relationship. [01:04:39]
2 Chronicles 20:21-22 (ESV): "And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, 'Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.' And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed."
Reflection: How can you incorporate worship into your daily routine, and what is one area of your life where you need to invite God's transformative presence through worship today?
Quotes
You don't have to strive to enter into it. You just need the faith to believe that God in heaven sees you, loves you, made a way for you through Jesus Christ. And his plan is so complete and perfect. He didn't just stop at saving you. He wants to fill you with his Holy Spirit so that your life wouldn't just be an ordinary life. It would go beyond our abilities and what we could do in the natural. [00:30:31] (38 seconds)
Something happens when you take a next step in your faith journey. When you have an active faith, God will meet you at the point of that action in your faith. I see some faces in the room that got baptized last week. My prayer for you is that you've already been experiencing that this week. There's just something that happens when you take a step of faithfulness and obedience. The blessing of God will meet you at faithfulness and obedience. [00:38:23] (26 seconds)
You see, there are chapters of your life that do not get written and you do not experience apart from living a life that is face to face with God. A face to face life with God. And we know this from the book of Acts that there are pages that are only possible because of prayer. Of course, this is going to go against the grain of our culture because culture is going to tell you, you know what, you are all that you need to live a healthy, wealthy, successful life. [00:41:17] (27 seconds)
Acts chapter 4 goes on. There's another prayer meeting. The disciples pray, Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants with all boldness they may speak your word and stretch out your hand that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus. It's a prayer meeting. Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 5. I don't think you still believe me. We'll go Acts chapter 5. We'll stop when you believe. [00:45:56] (18 seconds)
Face-to-face life is a life of prayer. Face-to-face church is a church of prayer. I was talking to pastor Jess this week. She's one of our assistant pastors. She oversees a lot of things. One of them, the biggest part, is actually our resonate kids ministry. Come on, shout out resonate kids and our kids team. She recently had a meeting with our kids team, and I love that so many of them set aside a weeknight to get together at our headquarters to plan for strategize envision for a future ministry for our kids. [00:47:43] (30 seconds)
So Resonate Church family, a face-to-face church is a church that prays. And for this reason, in these 90 days of prayer that I felt called to personally, we're also elevating prayer life of our church. We're putting two prayer nights in the church calendar each month in these 90 days. And so the first one of those will be tonight at our headquarters, 6 to 7 p.m. A bunch of our prayer team will be there. You're invited to be there. Come pray for one hour. [00:50:55] (21 seconds)
A face-to-face church is a praying church, but here's number two. I was really pumped about this one. A face-to-face life is a prophetic life. Prophetic life. What does that mean? Because some of us, when we hear the word prophecy, all we think about is that we don't talk about Bruno because it's weird. And that's not what I'm talking about. And maybe you even grew up in a church where it, like when someone, there was like a microphone and someone would get up on stage and then when they would start to talk in some sort of prophetic word, it just wasn't even, didn't even sound like them. [00:52:33] (30 seconds)
It's actually meant for the entire body of Christ. In fact, the apostle Paul said of all the spiritual gifts that prophecy was the one that every single one of us in this room, if you're a follower of Jesus, should be craving and desiring. Well, why is that? Because to prophesy, all it means is to speak like God speaks. It's to speak the word of God, to speak future-oriented words the way God does. Acts chapter 2, verse 17 says, in the last days, God says, I'll pour out my spirit on all people, and your sons and daughters are gonna prophesy. [00:53:29] (31 seconds)
Your kids need you to be a prophetic parent. I'm all about parent podcasts, parent books. I read them. I like it. I'm about parent Instagrams. I don't really do a lot of Instagramming, but if I do, I want to find a good parenting tip, like one I saw recently about if your kids are in some sort of disagreement or they're needing you to count to 17 before you respond. I thought, well, that's a good tip. Now, I don't know if 16 seconds doesn't work. [00:55:33] (23 seconds)
Because a parent that's been face-to-face with God in the tent of meeting talks differently about the future than a non-face-to-face parent that's not speaking prophetically over their kids. See, when I've met with God, when I've had face-to-face time with God and our kids come down the stairs and they're just rubbing the tiredness out of their eyes and they're still in their underwear and they're just coming downstairs and all of a sudden I'm like, oh, baby girl, God's hand is on your life today. [00:56:41] (32 seconds)
You see, sometimes we come into a worship atmosphere and we sing some words like, all that matters now is you. Christ is my portion. Christ my devotion. Oh, you're the center of it all. And we sing it, or maybe we don't sing it. We mouth the words, or maybe we don't mouth the words. We stand there, but we see the words and it doesn't sink deep into the level of our hearts. But here's the thing. [01:04:26] (27 seconds)
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