Cole Phillips's Blog, page 3

Follow the Leader

Leaders are Learners! The word “Disciple” means to be a learner.

Everyone wants to be a leader, but no one wants to be a follower.

S. I. McMillen, in his book None of These Diseases, tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, “Are you a leader?”

Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, “No,” and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: “Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower.”

If you don’t know how to be a good follower, you can’t be a good leader.

We need an Attitude of Humility1 Corinthians 16:10 -16

When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11 No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.

12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, 16 to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. 

Timothy

Despite his youth, Timothy quickly gained Paul’s confidence and served as his trusted companion and emissary for 17 years.

Timothy was born in Lystra in Asia Minor to a Greek father and a Jewish mother, Eunice. He, his mother, and grandmother probably became Christians when Paul and Barnabas preached in Lystra during their first missionary journey. When Paul returned a year or so later, he invited Timothy to join him and Silas.

Somehow, he managed to stay out of harm’s way–he was not jailed with Paul and Silas in Philippi, and he avoided the riot in Thessalonica. But when Paul needed a messenger to go back to Thessalonica to encourage the new believers there, he sent young Timothy. Later, Paul sent Timothy as a missionary to Corinth, where he preached for some time.

Paul called Timothy his “beloved and faithful child in the Lord.” When Paul was put in prison in Rome, he asked Timothy to “come before winter” to comfort him.

Eusebius, the fourth century historian, says that after Paul’s death, Timothy became the first bishop of Ephesus, probably at around age 40. He outlived Paul by 30 years, One tradition says that because he protested celebrations honoring Artemis, he was stoned to death in 97. His relics were brought to Constantinople in 356.

We love and need young ministers in the church!

What should our Attitude be toward leaders in the church?

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. Hebrews 13:17

Submission means that we have humility to learn and receive direction from others.

Follow them.Share good things! 

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:10

Trust them.Encourage them.

There’s power in that. If you’ve been a leader you know you need encouragement. All of us need it! 

Those who devote their lives to serve the Lord and are faithful in their ministry are to be honored and followed as leaders.

A spirit of Victory!

13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.

All five of these verbs are in the present tense; that is, this is the way believers are to live. These things are to be continually done. Not tomorrow, or yesterday, but right here, right now.

Watch!

Be on the lookout for opposition.

There is an enemy who wants to take you out of commission.

Paul “Bear” Bryant is widely considered to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. Bryant’s record in 38 years at Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Alabama included 323 wins. He also took 29 teams to bowl games and led 15 of his teams to conference championships. In the 1960s and 1970s, no school won more games than Alabama (193-32-5). As one of his colleagues said, “He wasn’t just a coach; he was the coach.”

John Croyle, an All-American defensive end on the 1973 national championship team, played for the Bear, and was deeply impacted by the man. John recently told me about one of Coach Bryant’s pregame speeches.

Coach Bryant paced in front of his assembled team as the band played for the capacity crowd waiting outside in the stadium. He made eye contact with each player as he spoke the following words:

In this game, there are going to be four or five plays that will determine the outcome of this contest. Four or five plays that will swing the momentum toward us, or away from us. I don’t know which plays these will be. You don’t know which plays these will be. All you can do is go out there and give all that you have on each and every play. If you are doing that on one of those crucial plays, and you catch your opponent giving less, that play will swing things in our direction. And if we rise to the occasion like that, on those four or five plays, we are gonna leave here today a winner.

Stand firm in the faith

Keep holding on to what you know to be true. Keep on trusting God!

Roman Sentinel Stands Guard to the Very End

When the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius destroyed the city [of Pompeii in A.D. 79], many people were buried in the ruins. Some took cover underground, and the place became their burial chamber. Those who chose a high hiding place were also unable to escape destruction. But a Roman sentinel was found at the city gate, his hands still grasping his weapon. That was where he had been placed by the captain. While the earth shook beneath him, while the flood of ashes and cinders overwhelmed him, he stood at his post; and it was there he was found a thousand years later.

Be courageous!!!

Be mature! Not like a child, but like someone who has grown!

We are like Peter Pan, afraid of growing up!!

Courage is not the absence of fear—it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.

Courage is like a muscle. The more we exercise it, the stronger it gets. I sometimes worry that our collective courage is growing weaker from disuse. We don’t demand it from our leaders, and our leaders don’t demand it from us. The courage deficit is both our problem and our fault. As a result, too many leaders in the public and private sectors lack the courage necessary to honor their obligations to others and to uphold the essential values of leadership.

U.S. Senator John McCain

“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”

General George Patton

Be strong!

When I am weak, He is strong! 2 Corinthians 12

I am not strong in my own strength, but in the power of His might!

In a recent TED talk, Psychologist Susan David shares how the way we deal with our emotions shapes everything that matters: our actions, careers, relationships, health, and happiness. In this potentially life-changing talk, she challenges a culture that prizes positivity over emotional truth.

Do it all with love!

It all comes down to this one thing!

What can and will you do today out of love?

The post Follow the Leader appeared first on Making the Connection.

I Want to Be Rich

Matt Colvin was the guy from Tennessee who cleaned stores out of hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes so he could make a quick profit off the public’s panic over the coronavirus pandemic. He sold 300 bottles of hand sanitizer at a huge markup on Amazon before his listings were removed for price gouging. Instead of sharing in a time when people were desperate and legitimately in need of sanitizer, this guy was hoarding it all up for himself so he could make a buck. Now, in all fairness, I did see that he ended up donating all of that sanitizer to a local church so they could give it away to people in need. So it all ended well.

Jesus told a story about this. In Luke 12:16, Jesus said, “A rich man’s land was very productive. He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops?” [In other words, God blessed him so much that he didn’t know what to do with all of his blessings.] Then he said, ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. 19 Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’

21 “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”  

There are different ways to be rich! One way is to have a lot of money and possessions, things, stuff.  This guy only thought about himself. It never crossed his mind that God was blessing him so that he could be a blessing to other people. Maybe God gave him things to share with other people around him. All he thought was “I need to go out and get more storage space to hoard all that I have. I’ve already filled up my garage and my attic and my closets, so I need more room for more stuff.  I won’t give any of it away. I won’t bless anybody else.  I’ll just keep hoarding and say, ‘Look at all this stuff I’ve got.’” And God says, “You’re missing out on the most important thing. You think you’re rich, but you’re really poor.”

Money can buy a lot of things, but as the Beatles said, “Money can’t buy you love.”

Once we receive Jesus into our lives, He calls us to live lives filled with His love. In fact, of all the ways you can be rich, the only richness that really matters is to be rich in love!

I want to be rich in what matters most. Rich in Love!

God is rich in love! Look at Psalm 145:8

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Psalm 145:8 NIV

You can have all the money in the world, but without love, you are still poor. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but without love, you are still broke. You can have all the power there is, but without love you are destitute.

In fact, 1 Corinthians 16:14 simply says “Do everything with love.” 

This is the second Rule of Love: say it with me: “Do everything with love.”

Does that mean posting on Facebook? Yes. Maybe you need to get out a sharpie right now and right it on your phone screen so you’ll see it before you post your next status update.

What about those people who voted for the other candidate? “Do everything with love.”

What about those who believe something different than you do, and they might even attack you for your faith? Am I supposed to love those people? Yes. “Do everything with love.”

If you don’t, you’re missing what life is all about.

“Do everything with love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 (NLT)

In order to be rich with money, I need to have stacks of Cash, right? Cash is King. But what we’re saying is love is more valuable than money. So let’s talk about love, but let’s use the word C-A-S-H to understand what love really means.

First, to understand love, I need to make a Choice.

Love is a Choice

Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey Him and to cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days. Deuteronomy 30:20

Most people think love is outside of our control. That you can’t help it. But God says love is a choice. Look at this next verse: 2 John 1:6. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning. 

When Makenzie was a little girl, she came into our room one night in the middle of the night and said, “Mommy, I don’t feel good,” and then she immediately started throwing up. Now at that moment, Pam wasn’t having a loving feeling. But she acted loving. She got up, cleaned her up, gave her medicine, and tucked her back in bed. I just pretended to be asleep. I wasn’t acting very loving. When you get up with a sick kid in the middle of the night, you have powerful feelings, but they’re not especially loving feelings. But that’s real love.

Love isn’t really love until it’s tested. Sometimes our love’s tested with success. Like the woman who won the lottery, She called home and said, “I won the lottery, start packing.” He said, “Great, warm weather or cold weather.” She said, “it doesn’t matter as long as you’re out by the time I get home.”

Most of us have our love tested when times get hard. When things are smooth, it’s easy. But when problems come and the feelings go, love is tested. And you never know if it’s love until it’s tested. And then you know if it’s real.

Love is an Action

Love is something you do. Couples say, “we don’t feel like we used to, how do we get the feelings back?” Well, “attraction follows action.” If you sit around and wait for the feelings to come back, they won’t. But, when you start acting in loving ways, the attraction comes back. If you want the feelings to back again, you have to act like you did when you first fell in love. 

What it takes to fall in love, it takes to stay in love.

Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18 (NIV)  

Love doesn’t count until you act it out. 

You might ask, “Isn’t that being a hypocrite if I don’t really feel loving?” No, it’s doing what you should be doing, obeying God. It’s real love. And the feelings will follow the action.

Love is a Skill

Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they are the children of God, and that they are getting to know him better. 1 John 4:7 (TLB)

Ephesians 5:2 (MSG) –Keep company with God and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. 

If you want to become a more loving person, spend time with God. Spend time with him every day, learn from him, and you’ll be a much more loving person.

That’s why it’s important to open up your Bible, read it, and hear from God. Talk with God through prayer. As you walk with God, you will grow in love.

Love is a Habit

It’s not something you do once, and then you move on.

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Hebrews 13:1 (NIV)

You are the sum total of your habits. You may think you are a loving person but love happens when you love when it’s hard to love. Luke 6:32 “If you only love those who love you what credit is that to you?”

Love needs to be a habit. Love has to become a way of life.

The reason we love is that we are loved!

“We love because God loved us first.” 1 John 4:19 (GW)

God always makes the first move. He showed that love in the biggest way possible by sending Jesus to give His life for you. He showed His love with everything you have in life; it’s a gift of God’s love.

“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.” Philippians 1:9

That’s my prayer for you, that you will not be poor in love, but rich in love. I pray that you are so full of God’s love that it changes your relationships, and it changes your life.

The post I Want to Be Rich appeared first on Making the Connection.

What Do You Expect?

Wakanda Forever

Marvel fans the world over were shaken when they learned about the death of Chadwick Boseman, the star of Black Panther. Death is always shocking, but Boseman’s passing was all the more gripping because nobody knew what the star had been facing.

While filming for blockbusters like 21 Bridges, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, and Marshall, Boseman was undergoing treatments for stage 3 colon cancer. He knew about trials firsthand, and shared this wisdom in a 2018 commencement address at his alma mater, Howard University:

Sometimes you need to feel the pain and sting of defeat to activate the real passion and purpose that God predestined inside of you. God says in Jeremiah, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.

Later, he continued:

… you would rather find purpose than a job or career. Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill. Whatever you choose for a career path, remember, the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.

Then he concludes:

When God has something for you, it doesn’t matter who stands against it. God will move someone that’s holding you back away from the door and put someone there who will open it for you if it’s meant for you. I don’t know what your future is, but if you are willing to take the harder way, the more complicated one, the one with more failures at first than successes, the one that has ultimately proven to have more meaning, more victory, more glory then you will not regret it.

1 Corinthians closes with ways to see God’s ongoing work your life.

Here, Paul tells us the attitudes of a growing Christian.

We need to have an Attitude of Expectancy

1 Corinthians 16:4, 5-9

And if it seems appropriate for me to go along, they can travel with me.

Paul’s Final Instructions

5 I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia, for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. 

There is always a need to keep in touch with God’s people, strengthening and building them up. This was the constant beat of Paul’s heart.

6 Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination. 7 This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. 8 In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. 9 There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.

Sometimes expectations push us, making us grow in ways we wouldn’t otherwise. You can’t just automatically say no. Say “YES!” to God! Maybe God is opening a door for you to do something significant for Him and His Kingdom.

3 Key Phrases in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9:1. “A Wide-Open Door“

When Paul saw an open door for a great ministry work, he went through it. 

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”

Helen Keller

Maybe you’ve been knocking at some closed doors. They aren’t opening. Perhaps you should look to see where doors are opening instead.

Paul was wise enough to look and see where God was moving and working.

We shouldn’t pray, “God help me do what I want to do.” But, “God help me see where you’re at work so I can join you. “

I’m not saying leave if it’s hard. But sometimes, you need to make a change and not be so stubborn.

Sometimes, you move to an open door and the door shuts in your face. That’s actually good. God didn’t want you to go through it.

2. “I will be staying“

This was an opportunity for Paul to stay put and to keep his commitments. Some people are always looking for what’s next. The next big thing. The hottest, coolest opportunity. But sometimes, you have to stay long enough for God to work in that situation.

Two Perspectives

Imagine you have two women of the same age, the same socioeconomic status, the same educational level, and even the same temperament. You hire both of them and say to each, “You are part of an assembly line, and I want you to put part A into slot B and then hand what you have assembled to someone else. I want you to do that over and over for eight hours a day.” You put them in identical rooms with identical lighting, temperature, and ventilation. You give them the very same number of breaks in a day. It is very boring work. Their conditions are the same in every way—except for one difference. You tell the first woman that at the end of the year you will pay her thirty thousand dollars, and you tell the second woman that at the end of the year you will pay her thirty million.

After a couple of weeks, the first woman will be saying, “Isn’t this tedious? Isn’t it driving you insane? Aren’t you thinking about quitting?” And the second woman will say. “No. This is perfectly acceptable. In fact, I whistle while I work.” What is going on? You have two human beings who are experiencing identical circumstances in radically different ways. What makes the difference? It is their expectation of the future. This illustration is not intended to say that all we need is a good income. It does, however, show that what we believe about our future completely controls how we are experiencing our present. We are irreducibly hope-based creatures.

3. “Many will oppose“

Not everyone was on board with what Paul was doing. Not everyone approved. There are always obstacles when you’re doing what God wants you to do. 

Paul wanted to remain in Ephesus temporarily because a great door for effective work had opened for him. In other words, Paul saw that his efforts in Ephesus were succeeding. He recognized his success as an indication that he should continue to work in Ephesus.

Beyond this, Paul also saw resistance from the world as an indication that he should stay for a while. From his point of view, believers involved in godly ministry will suffer persecution from the world (2 Tim. 3:12). Jesus taught this as well (John 15:18–20). So Paul stayed in Ephesus because there were many who oppose[d] him. In this, the apostle demonstrated great sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s work. He also showed himself to be flexible, ready to change his plans as the Lord directed him.

When you step out for Jesus, you become a target. 

Even Jesus had adversaries.

The devil doesn’t want you to go through those doors. He will do whatever he can to keep you from staying committed to God and following Him through open doors.

An Open Mindset

Researcher Carol Dweck did a series of studies on how people handle adversity, particularly when they face limitations, obstacles, failure, and change. In one study, she took a group of ten-year-olds and gave them increasingly difficult math problems to see how they would handle failure. Most students got discouraged and depressed, but a few had a totally different response. One kid—in the face of failure—rubbed his hands together, smacked his lips, and said, “I love a challenge!” Another kid, failing one math problem after another, said, “You know, I was hoping this would be informative.”

“What’s wrong with them?” she wondered. “I always thought you coped with failure or you didn’t cope with failure. I never thought anyone loved failure. Were these alien children or were they on to something?”

She realized that not only were these kids not discouraged by failure, they didn’t think they were failing. They thought they were learning. She came to the conclusion that human beings have two different, almost opposite mind-sets about life. One of them I’m going to call a “closed mind-set.” Those with a closed mind-set believe that life is full of a fixed amount of gifts and talents, and their worth depends on how talented they are. Therefore, their job is to convince others that they’ve got “it,” whatever “it” is.

Dweck said there’s another way to go through life—the open mind-set. These people believe that growth is always possible. A commitment to growth means that they embrace challenge. … Therefore, failure is indispensable and something to learn from.

Questions to Consider

There’s a faith factor at work.

Are you living, expecting God to do great things, through you?

Will I stay put even though it’s hard?

How about your marriage? God wants you to remain faithful. 

Will I allow opposition to keep me from staying faithful to God?

What about going to church? Are you expectant? That God will show up? That He has something for you? That He will move in people’s lives?

When you invite someone to church with you, you will be even more expectant. It changes the way you see the whole experience.

God wants us to live with big faith. To have Great Expectations, believing God is at work and to trust that He has good ahead for you!

The post What Do You Expect? appeared first on Making the Connection.

Love on Top

One day, a guy walks up to Jesus and asks Him, “What is the most important commandment in the Bible? Give me the whole Bible in a tweet, 140 characters or less. Here’s what happened:

Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. ’This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.‘ Matthew 22:36-39 (NLT)

The First Rule of Love: Love God with all you’ve got and love people a lot!

There’s no better use of your life than love.

You only live once and you get to choose how you’ll use it. You can use it for yourself and waste your life. Or you can use it to learn to love and to love, and it will last. You outlast your life by learning to love. Who do you love? You love up and you love out, God and others.

We need to keep love first in every area of our lives. Paul says without love on top of everything, nothing else matters.

5 Things I Do That Don’t Matter Without Love on Top1.  Without love on top, my words don’t matter.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1

Speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:15

2. Without love on top, my knowledge doesn’t matter.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2

We live in the age of information explosion and overload. Check this out: knowledge and data doubles faster than once a day. That means that by tomorrow, all the knowledge of the history of the world will have doubled and then the day after that it doubles again. My brain is exploding just thinking about that!

We are smarter than we’ve ever been before in any other generation. But look at us! We are also more foolish than ever before. We still have the same problems – war, terrorism, crime, abuse, racism, hatred, violence. Because we need more love, we don’t need more knowledge. Without love, nothing I know will matter. All the knowledge in the world can’t make up for a lack of love.

3.  Without love on top, my beliefs don’t matter.  

If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. 1 John 4:20

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Galatians 5:6

4.  Without love on top, my gifts don’t matter.

If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.  1 Corinthians 13:3

God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

You can give for a lot of wrong reasons, but the Bible says if my motivation isn’t love, none of my giving counts and nothing I give will matter.

Love is spelled: T-I-M-E. 

Jesus taught that you measure real love by how much of yourself that you give away.

How do you find more time for love? 

Are you ready for this, it’s revolutionary: turn off the TV and shut off facebook and instagram.  Can you imagine? What if we didn’t have those time thieves? I don’t mean never. I mean set a limit. We, you, most of us are in front of a tv screen or monitor at least 6 hours every day. Some of us even more. That’s a thousand five hundred and sixty hours in front of a screen every year.

5. Without love, my accomplishments don’t matter.  

So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. 1 Corinthians 13:3 (MSG)

Questions to DiscussWhat is your favorite love song and what does it have to say about love?“I love ice cream. I love my kids. I love God. I love those shoes.” What does that say about the meaning of the word “love”?Read Matthew 22:37, 39. What does it look like to love God with all that you are? Sometimes loving others can be harder than loving God. How can showing love to others be an act of worship?Why do you think we know so much more about lust than we do about love these days?Read Ephesians 4:15. What do you think it means to “speak the truth in love”?Since we seem to have more information today than ever before in history, why do you think we seem to still have the same old problems?What are some ways you can suggest to make more time to show love to people in your life? (example: less screen time, etc.)Think of someone you haven’t shown love to recently. How can you apply this week’s lesson to that relationship? Here are some ideas to get you started:Take them out for coffee.Send a note, text, or e-mail.Give them a call to see how they’re doing.Ask how you can pray for them.Invite them to join your group.

The post Love on Top appeared first on Making the Connection.

Attitude of Gratitude

While the ongoing pandemic has badly hit the hospitality industry, a customer at a Colorado restaurant decided to help out the employees by leaving a generous tip.

In a Facebook post, the Notchtop Bakery & Cafe shared a picture of their employees with a $1,400 tip, as well as the tipper’s message that said, “Covid sucks. $200 for each employee today”. “Thank you ‘Covid Bandit’ for your generous gift to our staff. Your gift has touched many lives,” read the post’s caption.

Since being shared online, the post has gone viral and many people are praising the man for his generous tip and for helping those in need.

The surprising generosity of one man has made national news, and has likely impacted these lives significantly. A good question to be asked, then, is, “Why we don’t hear more news stories about the overwhelming generosity of Christians?”

People get funny when we talk about money, and they get strange when we talk about change.

Money is an extension of who we are, isn’t it? For a small piece of paper, it carries a lot of weight. We spend so much time trying to get money and invest money and protect money and save our money and spend our money and hoard our money. Money, money, money, money, money. “Show me the money!” Money talks, right, it says, “Good-bye!”

1 Corinthians 16 is an important chapter where Paul ends this powerful letter in a strong way. This chapter points to open doors. He tells us some great attitudes and actions that will lead to joy and growth in your life.

You need a Generous Attitude to be Spiritually Healthy1 Corinthians 16:1-3

Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.

This message from Paul isn’t just for the rich churches or for certain Christians, this is for all churches.

It’s clear that God loves and cares for the poor. He commanded his people to care for the poor. The New Testament church shared this concern. So, when famines struck Judea, the church rallied together to care for the poor by collecting a special relief offering.

Judea and other parts of the Mediterranean world experienced famines because of flooding, drought, or other harsh weather. Famines sometimes occurred even in areas that produced good crops. Several famines plagued the Mediterranean area between A.D. 46 and 54. It was the last of these that Paul was referring to when he wrote 1 Corinthians. Although conditions in Corinth were also bad, the Corinthians must have had enough food to survive.

Paul did not expect the Corinthians to give beyond their ability, but he wanted them to share what they had to provide help for the believers in Judea who were in poverty.

The church must meet the needs of the poor, the hungry, the sick, the homeless, the lost, and the thousands of people who have little, if anything, in this world, including health and hope. Believers must give sacrificially. Believers must do all they can. These instructions are for all the churches of the world.

The Bible says that attitudes are much more important than amounts. That’s why God developed the principle of tithing. It’s the fair thing. God could have said, “Everybody give $50 a week.” For some people, they don’t make $50 a week. For some that’s a drop in the bucket. It wouldn’t be fair if God set a specific amount. Instead, He says, bring a set proportion.

4 Attitudes of a Generous Christian  1.    We’re to give willingly.

God is more interested in my attitude than the amount. 2 Corinthians 9:12 “For if the willingness is there, your gift is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you don’t have.”  It’s according to what you have, not according to what you don’t have. When God looks at our giving, He’s not impressed with the amount. He doesn’t look at the amount you give, He looks at the amount you have left over, in proportion to what you gave.  

1 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under pressure.

I want to relieve a little bit of guilt, never give under pressure. The Scripture says you are to never give under pressure. You’re to give willingly, not reluctantly. If you feel pressured to give, you can say, “My pastor said I wasn’t supposed to give.” Because the Bible says if you give under pressure it’s not the kind of giving God wants. You don’t give to make up a budget deficit, you give because God says so whether the church needs it or not. The issue is, I need to give for my own benefit.  

2.    Give joyfully. 

“God loves a cheerful giver.” Bumper sticker: “God loveth a cheerful give but He also accepteth from a grouch.” The Greek word for “cheerful” is where we get our word “hilarious” from. In the New Testament church, when they gave, it was hilarious. In the modern church today, when you take the offering, that’s the low point of the service. If you can’t give cheerfully, don’t give. You don’t get credit for giving that’s not cheerful. If you can’t tithe cheerfully, what you need to work on is your attitude. 

How can you give joyfully when you have so many bills to pay? Whenever I don’t feel too joyful about giving, I go back and review the six benefits of what giving does in my life. (1) It makes me more like God, (2) It draws me closer to God, (3) It’s the antidote to materialism, (4) It strengthens my faith, (5) It’s an investment for eternity, (6) It blesses me in return. It makes me happy. When I begin to think about the benefits of generosity, I start getting joyful about it again. 

3.    Give generously.

2 Corinthians 8:3-4 “They gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability.  Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service.”

This is an incredible church. Paul says they were begging to give. They gave beyond their ability. This is the first financial principle of bringing a tithe.  

People ask me, “What if I can’t afford to tithe?” I say, “You can’t afford not to.” If you want God’s blessing on your finances, you need to give. You need to obey what He’s said.  

4.    Give expectantly.

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will reap generously.” 

God says it’s like the farmer who sows seed. If a farmer had a tough crop last year and he only has a few seeds does he say, “I can’t afford to plant this seed”?  He can’t afford not to.  He’s got the choice of either eat it himself or plant it.  He can eat it himself and that’s going to last one meal.  Or he can plant it.  God says if you want a big harvest, you plant a lot.  If you want a little harvest, you plant a little. How you plant is how you reap. It’s up to you.

They said they were one church. And they wanted to help meet each other’s needs. Even though they were diverse. 

Bringing an offering demonstrates unity as a church.

On the first day of every week, we come together and give. Giving is not doing business and paying bills. It is worship!

Giving put their faith into action.

They were sending the money with people they trusted who had strong character to help.

Giving is a habit.

“On the first day of every week.” That was the Lord’s Day – which is Sunday, the day Jesus’ rose from the dead was when they gathered for worship.

When/How often should we give?

Regularly – the first day of the week. As often as you get paid. Do you get paid once a week, every other week, or monthly? That’s how often you should give.

Who should give?

“Each one of you” – All of us are better than any one of us. We’re better together. Every Christian, every church member.  Not all can give the same amount, but all can do something. All can worship through what they have. All then feel included in the outcome and the ministry.

How Much should I give?

In keeping with your income – Proportionate. 

A specific amount of money – 10%, God could have said 50%, but He said, 10%.

I want to be a person who wants to give.

Where should I give?

The Local Church! This is where you are blessed, encouraged, grown, reach, all through. There are so many reasons we should give to God through the local church.

It takes a plan!

Kirk Cousins, starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, makes more in a year than many people make in a lifetime. But NFL careers have an expiration date. In fact, an old joke is that NFL stands for “not for long.” So, Cousins is committed to giving and saving in a way that will enable his family to continue giving generously for the rest of his life.

Back in 2005, when he was in high school, Cousins heard about the ministry of International Justice and their work fighting human trafficking and slavery. Cousins was moved. Instead of traveling with the organization or joining the staff, he had in his mind that he wanted to support IJM financially. Cousins said. “I walked out of the service that night and prayed, God give me more to steward, give me an opportunity to help some day.”

That didn’t happen immediately. But after college, Cousins was drafted to the Washington Football Team in 2012 as a backup quarterback, signing a $2.5 million four-year rookie contract. In his fourth year, the team promoted him to starting quarterback and he signed a one-year $20 million deal. When his contract expired, the Team signed him for another year for $24 million. Going into his seventh year in the NFL, Cousins and the team weren’t able to agree on a long-term deal, and he signed a three-year fully guaranteed $84 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018.

He said, “There aren’t many starting quarterbacks who are 50 or 60 years old. At some point, unfortunately, what I’m doing ends—earlier than I’d like—and the income stream gets cut off.” With that in mind, Cousins is learning to save so that even after he is no longer playing professional football, he can increase his giving percentage each year.

What kind of heart do I have to give to God and to others today?

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Where Faith and Football Collide

A conversation between Lead Pastor, Dr. Cole Phillips, at The Connection Church, and 2-Time Super Bowl Champion and wife, Bruce and Holly Collie.

To win on the football field, teams need a winning strategy. God’s playbook, the Bible, is full of principles for living a life of faith. In this powerful discussion, we talk with 2 time winning Super Bowl Champion, Bruce Collie and his wife Holly.

Bruce Collie is a former pro offensive lineman in the NFL for the San Francisco 49er’s and the Philadelphia Eagles. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1985 NFL draft from UT Arlington. He and first-round pick Jerry Rice were the only players from that draft class to suit up for the team, which went on to win Super Bowl titles in 1989 and 1990. Collie was a reserve in ’89 and a starter at guard in ’90.

He was released by the 49ers following the 1990 Super Bowl and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Among his new teammates was Reggie White, nicknamed “the Minister of Defense” for his Christian ministry work.

“One of the greatest things that ever happened to me was getting fired from the 49ers,” Collie said. “Through that whole process, I came to faith and Jesus Christ. When I got to the Eagles, I met guys that loved Jesus and weren’t ashamed to talk about it.”

He and his wife Holly have 13 children, aged 27 to 12, and two grandchildren.

In this message, you will discover how to deal with life’s hard hitting moments and how to execute God’s great plan for your life.

Questions to ConsiderWhat was your favorite Super Bowl commercial? What was the most exciting moment of the Super Bowl?Pastor Cole often says, “Don’t give first-class allegiance to a second-class cause.” What are some unworthy goals that you’ve seen people reach for?Bruce’s mom asked him this important question, “What are you going to do with your life?” How would you answer that question?How is the moment you are saved like the starting line instead of the finish line?Bruce said some of his teammates treated him like he had the plague when he became a Christian. How did your relationship with your friends change when you became a follower of Jesus?Read Psalm 127:3-5 and Psalm 128:6. In what ways are children a gift from God? What is our responsibility to God with the gift of children?Read James 1:22 and Luke 11:28. Bruce said that the Bible is our Playbook for life or like “Plays on a Chalkboard.” In what ways do you think the Bible is a Playbook for life?Coach Bill Walsh said, “It’s not the mistakes you make, it’s what you do about them. When you let the last play affect your next play, you’re not going to be a champion.” God is the same way. How will you apply that principle to your life and even to your parenting?

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Where’s the Sting?

Some friends were hanging out one day, and the conversation grimly turned to the issue of death. One of the friends asked the others, “What would you like people to say about you at your funeral?”

One friend answered, “I would want people to say, ‘He was a great humanitarian who cared about his community.'”

A second replied, “I would want people to say, ‘He was a great husband and father, an example for many to follow.'”

The third friend gave it some thought and answered, “I would hope someone says, ‘Look, he’s moving!'”

Do you get tired, worn out? Our bodies can only do so much, go so far. Our bodies are wearing out every day.

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

In his book The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson takes readers on a head-to-toe tour of the marvel that is the human anatomy. Starting from the outside and moving in, Bryson describes the largest organ of the human body, the skin:

The skin consists of an inner layer called the dermis and an outer epidermis. The outermost surface of the epidermis is made up entirely of dead cells. It is an arresting thought that all that makes you lovely is deceased. Where body meets air, we are all cadavers.

He then concludes:

These outer skin cells are replaced every month. We shed skin copiously, almost carelessly: some twenty-five thousand flakes a minute, over a million pieces every hour. Run a finger along a dusty shelf, and you are in large part clearing a path through fragments of your former self. Silently and remorselessly we turn to dust.

Kind of gross to think about. But let me tell you, there is an answer to that, and it’s not more moisturizer! It is found in 1 Corinthians 15:51-57:

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Great hope. Notice all the “wills.” This is a sure certainty.

Resurrection means we will be changed in a moment. It’s not just a change of clothes, it’s a change of you.

Not of view, but of you! So does your physical body matter? Yes! Take care of your body!

The perishable will put on imperishable. Principle: Our resurrected bodies will be perfect, not subject to death, disease, or weakness.

Our bodies now are wasting away because of the effects of sin. Hard living. It can age you fast!

People want to know, when do I get this new body? 

What will my new body be like? I want my body to look like Duane Johnson! How will this happen?

We go to be with Jesus the moment we die. If you’ve had a friend or a loved one who has died as a believer, they immediately go to be with Jesus.

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Jesus said to the thief on the cross, today, you will be with me in paradise.

Our soul goes to be with Jesus but our bodies are left here. What happens to our body? When Mary went to the tomb, there was no body there. It was changed and resurrected.

When do our bodies get changed? People were asking thew question: “But what if Christ comes back before I die? If I haven’t died, how can I be raised in a heavenly body and thereby inherit the kingdom of God?”

Paul assured his brothers and sisters that they would not all sleep (another world for dying), but they would all be changed. Like the nursery at church on Sunday, “They will not all sleep, but they will all be changed!” Paul says it will happen in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, How long exactly is the twinkling of an eye? You know when you’re sitting in traffic at the light, and the light changes, and immediately the car behind you honks, that’s’ how much time a twinkling of an eye is!

Paul tells us it is at the trumpet sound. In the Old Testament, the trumpet was used to sound the commands in battle, like calls to assemble for war or to attack (Josh. 6:4–5; Jer. 4:19). Paul talked about this idea of the trumpet in 14:8. The trumpet also announced the anointing of kings (1 Kgs. 1:34, 39), and the coming of the Lord (Exod. 19:16, 19). All of these come together in the idea of the day of the Lord that Paul had mentioned earlier in this letter. On the day of the Lord, God will come to earth as a conquering warrior king, saving his people and defeating all his enemies. In fact, the prophets said a lot about a trumpet in connection with the day of the Lord (Joel 2:1; Zech. 9:14), and Oaul used the trumpet sound in 1 Thess. 4:16, talking about the day when Jesus returns.

On that day, in that moment, our physical bodies are resurrected to join with our spirit in the air. And if you’re still alive at that moment, you are given your resurrected body. And we will be in the presence of the Lord in our resurrected body.

1 Thessalonians 5 talks about this same truth. Your body won’t be thrown out, it will be raised. And we are guaranteed of that because of the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus showed his power over death. 

When someone dies that we love, we grieve because we will be separated from them for a while, but we aren’t grieving for their body, because that body will be resurrected. It’s like a seed that goes into the ground that one day will be resurrected for eternity.

Death is real, but it is defeated. It is swallowed up in victory. The stinger is gone.

A boy and his father were driving down a country road on a beautiful spring afternoon, when a bumblebee flew in the car window. The little boy, who was allergic to bee stings, was petrified. The father quickly reached out, grabbed the bee, squeezed it in his hand, and then released it. The boy grew frantic as it buzzed by him. Once again the father reached out his hand, but this time he pointed to his palm. There stuck in his skin was the stinger of the bee. “Do you see this?” he asked. “You don’t need to be afraid anymore. I’ve taken the sting for you.” We do not need to fear death anymore. Christ has died and risen again. He has taken the sting from death.

When you think about someone who has died who you love, and you grieve because you miss them that’s good. But if you grieve because you think that somehow they are not going to be with Jesus in the presence of God, these verses remind us not to doubt it. 

Think about the worst thing in life. It’s death! The ultimate enemy. People are terrified of death. That’s what this whole pandemic is about. Trying to keep from dying/

But check it out. Death is defeated! We don’t “grieve like those who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13. Funerals really can be a celebration. THey should be hope filled. And we should tell people why we have this hope. Because Jesus has victory over death.

If you’re thinking, I know Jesus, but I wonder what will happen to me when I die, Can Jesus really do it! Yes, He proved it!

He’s done it before, He will do it again for you in your life. 

What does it mean for us that the sting is gone and the power of death is broken?

Paul tells us what it means in verse 58:

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

That’s what he’s been saying in this whole chapter. The future hope of resurrection isn’t just wishful thinking. It matters to the way we live each and every day. 

The ones who were just accepting the false teaching in the church were just being lazy. They didn’t want to do the hard work. They were too worried about what people thought about them, and what people might say about them. So they were ashamed about believing and trusting in the truth about the resurrection.

They were afraid of serving God. And what consequences they might face for standing up for the gospel. 

Paul said, “Don’t be afraid.”

And he said because you know the truth of the resurrection, here are three simple things you can do. Here’s how to live in light of the resurrection:

Stand Firm.

Let nothing move you. The truth of the resurrection changes you from a fearful doubtful person to a confident follower of Jesus. When you find someone you can count on as a believer, it’s because of the truth of the resurrection. We stand firm on the truth. You can’t stand firm on human wisdom and philosophy. You can’t stand firm on something that is shaky and that won’t last. You need something solid. 

Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord.

The resurrection gives your life direction. You don’t wonder what you should do. You have a purpose. It gives you energy and motivation. We all struggle with that. Yes, exercise and diet are good, but they’re not enough. You need a big WHY. ALWAYS and FULLY. It’s complete surrender to God’s purpose for your life. Labor is exhausting, hard work, wears you out. But it’s worth it to use our bodies now for what is greater to come!

Know your work isn’t wasted.

The resurrection changes things. It changes us from frustrated workers to excited servants of God. To move from having nothing to look forward to, to looking forward to the future. The work you do has an eternal lasting difference in people’s lives. Not just temporary. But for eternity. Your work isn’t wasted. 

There is a reward: a new body. Eternal life in the presence of Jesus! It is worth it all!

One day, you will meet someone in heaven who says, thank you for serving. You made a difference for me. You did the hard thing. You told the truth. You didn’t want to live it out, but the truth of the resurrection led you to live it out. 

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Wired For Worship

1 Chronicles 16:8–35

People worship. They do! Just look at the way we naturally worship celebrities such as actors, musicians, and athletes in our culture.

Psychologists have looked into the connection between faith and celebrity worship. They found that “as faith practices increase, the tendency to ‘worship’ celebrities decreases.”

Worshipping God and worshipping celebrities are mutually exclusive—they are different “faiths.” But, they found some people who did both, they thought they could worship God and worship the celebrities of our pop culture. They concluded, “Many people of faith apparently ignore the teaching that ‘Thou shalt worship no other gods,’ or fail to connect it to their ‘worship’ of celebrities.”

We are wired for worship! There’s something in us that is made to worship something greater than ourselves. But what is worship? Is it singing? Is it a worship service? Is it rituals? Listen to 1 Chronicles 16:8-35.

What is Worship? (28-30)

O nations of the world, recognize the Lord,
    recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
29 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
    Bring your offering and come into his presence.
Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
30     Let all the earth tremble before him.
    The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.

Let’s start by defining what worship is in verses 28 through to the end. We think worship is a certain feeling, like a quiver in your liver. Worship is doing certain things on the outside. But it’s not, let me give you The Connection Church, well the Biblical definition of worship:

“Worship is our response to all that God is and all God had done with all that we are!”

Cole Phillips

Worship comes from the word “worth-ship.” It’s not just what’s happening outside of us externally. But what is really going on in our hearts and minds? In other words, you can sit through a worship service and even feel good, but it’s not worship until you have recognized how great God is, and how much you need God in your life.

Ways to Worship (8-12)

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
    Let the whole world know what he has done.
9 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
    Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
10 Exult in his holy name;
    rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
11 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
    continually seek him.
12 Remember the wonders he has performed,
    his miracles, and the rulings he has given,

How do we worship? Well, in these verses, we see lots of ways we worship God. We give thanks to God, thankfulness for all that God has done in our lives. We pray, which is both talking with God and listening to God. We tell our story of His glory. We sing to God and about God, and we talk about what God has done, We trust in Him, we remember what Jesus did on the cross, we give financially, we hear and learn God’s word and then ultimately, we put it into practice. It’s not just what happens in a one-hour service once a week on Sunday. Worship is a lifestyle. It’s 24-7-365, every moment of every day living in the awareness of God’s presence and doing what He wants us to do with our lives!

Who do we Worship? (14–22)

He is the Lord our God.
    His justice is seen throughout the land.
15 Remember his covenant forever—
    the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
16 This is the covenant he made with Abraham
    and the oath he swore to Isaac.
17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
    and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
18 “I will give you the land of Canaan
    as your special possession.”

19  He said this when you were few in number,
    a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
20 They wandered from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another.
21 Yet he did not let anyone oppress them.
    He warned kings on their behalf:
22 “Do not touch my chosen people,
    and do not hurt my prophets.”

This passage says: that the God that we worship is alive, that God is powerful (creation), that God is personal, and that He is not remote, not far away, but He is actively involved in the details of the world and your life!

He is working out His judgments in the earth, He always keeps his promises, He is faithful, and He is protecting His people. That’s you and me! Right now, God is working things out for your good and for His glory!

The Weight of Worship (23–27)

Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
    Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
24 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
    Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
25 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
    He is to be feared above all gods.
26 The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!
27 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.

When worship goes up, it’s like the weight of his Glory comes down. Worship is something that happens internally, inwardly, but we express it on the outside. We express it by singing. Some of you are like, well, I love our band, but I don’t sing. You can sing in here. No one will be able to hear you! God is not looking at you like Simon Cowell, “Absolutely horrible,” No! He gave you a voice and the best use of your voice is in praise to God and to tell other people about Jesus. We worship with our life. Every time you do something God wants you to do, that’s worship. Every time you refuse temptation, that’s worship.

Worship should happen when we get together. But what happens when we get together is really a celebration of what God is doing out there. When the lost are being found in here, it’s because we’ve gone out there to reach them. If you’re not worshipping out there, then your worship in here is just an empty show, going through the motions. Worship is a total lifestyle that points to God and points the people around you to God!

In some ways, even with the modern worship movement, we are in danger of missing true worship.

If worship is anything, then worship should change everything.

Cole Phillips

Worship changes how we live. It changes our attitudes and elevates our thoughts. It lives it out in the details, in the weeds, even when it hurts. Even when it’s hard.

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