• They have prayer-meetings, but there are few present, for they like quiet evenings home.
• When more attend the meetings they are still very dull, for they do their praying very deliberately and are afraid of being too excited.
• They are content to have all things done decently and in order, but vigor and zeal are considered to be vulgar.
• They may have schools, Bible-classes, preaching rooms, and all sorts of agencies; but they might as well be without them, for no energy is displayed and no good comes of them.
• They have deacons and elders who are excellent pillars of the church, if the chief quality of pillars be to stand still, and exhibit no motion or emotion.
• The pastor does not fly very far in preaching the everlasting gospel, and he certainly has no flame of fire in his preaching.
• The pastor may be a shining light of eloquence, but he certainly is not a burning light of grace, setting men’s hearts on fire.
• Everything is done in a half-hearted, listless, dead-and-alive way, as if it did not matter much whether it was done or not.
• Things are respectably done, the rich families are not offended, the skeptical party is conciliated, and the good people are not quite alienated: things are made pleasant all around.
• The right things are done, but as to doing them with all your might, and soul, and strength, a Laodicean church has no notion of what that means.
• They are not so cold as to abandon their work, or to give up their meetings for prayer, or to reject the gospel.

Build up with our words – or tear down.  I’m convinced beyond complimenting people on their looks or their talents that there are at least 4 really good phrases that speak life into people:

“I’M SORRY.” – Those words have humility written all over them.  After having done someone wrong, there’s no simpler more powerful way to build someone up and restore a relationship than with these words admitting fault.

“I FORGIVE YOU.” – Those words have Jesus written all over them!  I’m not sure we’re ever more Christ-like than when we’re saying words of forgiveness to others – whether they deserve it or not, whether they receive it or not.

“I BELIEVE IN YOU.” – Those words speak something precious into someone’s future.  They say you see more about what they could be in the future than what they have been in the past.  They say you see God’s fingerprint in the hope of their tomorrow more than what everyone else says about them today.

“I LOVE YOU, NO MATTER WHAT.” – Those words, both pre and post comma, are crucial.  Everyone needs to hear that they are loved, not just have to guess at it.  But the “no matter what” is what’s really different about the phrase.  We’re used to love being conditional upon our performance or value, but “no matter what” communicates the unconditional – it  communicates the words of the heartbeat of Jesus.

We’d do well to pass any, if not all of these on, to family and friends as often as possible.

• BEING MARRIED IS A HUGE GIFT, BUT BEING SINGLE IS A GIFT AS WELL. (You may have one gift now, and get the other gift later.)
• SINGLE PEOPLE SHOULD REMEMBER, “WHEREVER YOU ARE, BE ALL THERE.” (Appreciate the gift while you’ve got it.)
• SINGLE PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SHALLOW ROOTS IN A FADING WORLD. (Make the most of this unique opportunity.  You want always be this free.)
• SINGLE PEOPLE HAVE A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY TO PLEASE GOD WITH LESS DISTRACTIONS. (Your focus can be singular in ministry while you’re single.)
• IF YOU’RE WALKING IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT, YOU’VE GOT THE FREEDOM TO DO WHAT YOU WANT. (To marry or not to marry?  You choose.  They’ve both got huge blessings!)

From part 2 of our Summer of Love series at Chapter 3 - 

Go read Matthew 5 first.  All of it.  Then zero in on the first handful of the beatitudes in verses 1-9.  Not only do these qualities (and the rest in Jesus’ sermon here) set the benchmark for Christ-followers, but they also make a heck of a list of qualities you’d be wise to seek out in your future spouse.  And just as important, if not moreso, you should start with being & developing these things in yourself first before you get too serious about looking for these things in others.  With that said, here’s your 7 qualities to both BE and then LOOK FOR:

1. DEPENDENT ON HIM: Look for humble people who are totally dependent on God for their strength, not prideful people who operate independent of God. (5:3)

2. REPENTANT: Look for repentant people who are grieved by their own sin, not hard-hearted people who are calloused to disobeying God. (5:4)

3. HUMBLE: Look for submissive people who put their strength under God’s authority, not arrogant people who won’t submit to anyone. (5:5)

4. GROWTH-MINDED: Look for growth-minded people who aren’t satisfied with anything short of holiness, not stagnant people who settle for mediocrity. (5:6)

5. MERCIFUL: Look for soft-hearted people who are quick to forgive and quick to say sorry, not hard-hearted people who always want to get revenge. (5:7)

6. HONEST: Look for pure-hearted people who value honesty and integrity, not dirty-hearted people who love filthy words and filthy things. (5:8)

7. PEACEABLE: Look for peaceful people who seek to resolve conflict, not combatant people who seek to start conflicts. (5:9)

Key Thoughts:

• Competitors see the differences in people.  Includers see what’s in common.
• Competitors judge others for their mistakes.  Includers don’t hold people’s mistakes against them.
• Competitors create cliques.  Includers break down cliques.
• Competitors are only concerned with winning.  Includers know that winning only happens when no one’s excluded.

Key Phrase: Cliques may be the way high school rolls, but it can’t be the way church operates.

Key Passage:

Key Thoughts:

• Prideful people try to operate independent of God.  Humble people depend heavily on Him.
• Prideful people act like the world revolves around them.  Humble people know they’re not the center of the universe.
• Prideful people serve themselves.  Humble people serve others.
• Prideful people point others to their own accomplishments.  Humble people point others to God’s work.
• Prideful people will fall.  Humble people will be lifted up.

Key Phrase:

To be great, get low.  It was Jesus’ model.

Most Wednesdays this summer I’m doing a series for our High Schoolers called Be The Moon.  Here’s the gist:

The moon doesn’t have any light of its own.  All it does is reflect the sun’s light.  Come spend a summer where we’ll unpack 10 personality traits that make you more attractive and, at the same time, reflect what Jesus is really like!  It’s time to Be The Moon and start reflecting the Son.

And here are the 10 weeks, plus another few weeks of activities:

• May 25 – Be Humble, Not Prideful
• June 1 – Be an Includer, Not a Competitor
• June 8 – Glow Kajabe
• June 15 – Hume Lake
• June 22 – Beach Trip
• June 29 – Be a Happy Harry, Not a Debbie Downer
• July 6 – Be a Truth Teller, Not a Liar
• July 13 – Beach Trip
• July 20 – Be a Quick-Forgiver, Not a Grudge-Holder
• July 27 – Be Real, Not Fake
• August 3 – Be Active, Not Stagnant
• August 10 – Beach Trip
• August 17 – Be a Giver, Not a Taker
• August 24 – Be One Person, Not Two
• August 31 – Be a Builder-Upper, Not a Tearer-Downer