Relation Foundation
Verse 1
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?” _____________________________ • Why do we fight and quarrel? ... our DESIRES that battle within us. _____________________________ • “SELF” was clearly at the center in the lives of these immature believers. Until we overcome our selfish desires, we will always be an UNHAPPY person.
Verse 2
“You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.” _____________________________ • Q: How wanty/needy are YOU?....
Verse 3
“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” _____________________________ Q: Why don’t we receive answers to our prayer requests? A: Because we ask with wrong MOTIVES. _____________________________ The deeply entrenched issue in our life is: SELFISHNESS
Verse 11
“Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother, or judges him, speaks against the Law and judges it. When you judge the Law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.” _____________________________ Do not slander one another!
FORGIVE!
WHY should we forgive?... _____________________________ • Because GOD has forgiven us _____________________________ • Because RESENTMENT doesn't work _____________________________ • Because WE will need forgiveness ourselves in the future _____________________________ HOW should we forgive?... _____________________________ • Recognize that we're all IMPERFECT _____________________________ • Relinquish our desire to GET EVEN _____________________________ *Forgiveness is me giving up the right to hurt you for hurting me. _____________________________ • Respond to evil with GOOD _____________________________ Refocus on God's PURPOSE for our life _____________________________ *Hurt people hurt people.
Verse 12
“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you - to judge your neighbor?” _____________________________ Do not judge one another!
What is it that makes the local church so susceptible and vulnerable to division?
• The church is made up of people who are SINNERS—current or former. We all carry a “backpack”. Every one in the church is an “unfinished product” in process. _____________________________ • The church is filled with a wide variety of TEMPERAMENT types. Our differences are more an issue of “temperament” than “spirituality”. Be enlarged and blessed, not threatened and angered, by the wide range of personalities in our church! _____________________________ • The church is filled with people who have vastly different spiritual PASSIONS. Problems develop when any believer exercises the inability to control his/her ministry passion –- when they’ve determined their passion to be more important than anyone else’s passion - when they force their agenda with a demanding spirit.
Three Suggestions
• PRAY _____________________________ • Attach HIGH VALUE to every other person in this church family. _____________________________ • Matthew 18:15 & Galatians 6:1: RESTORATION _____________________________ • “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” (Matt. 18:15) _____________________________ • “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1) _____________________________ • Remember that every person in our church family matters to God exactly as much as you do! There is not one unnecessary person at Calvary Temple Church.