Revolution, Part 1 - Video

Here is an outline of the message...

In the Latin revolution means “to turn around"

• It is a fundamental change in the way things work
• It is a change that happens in relatively short period of time

Do you want that in your life? Revolution?

A fundamental change in the way things work? And do you want this to happen in a short period of time.

• Leave work at work and regain an identity other than worker
• Start exercising and eating better
• Being a better parent or a better spouse
• Pay off debt, start saving, or make a budget and stick to it
• Lose anger or the need to control others
• Have healthier relationships
• Grow closer to God

How do you plan to make this happen?

Some of us might say something like this: “If I can just make it through this week….then I can start changing.” Or, “After I get through this season of my life…I’ll be able to devote my time and energy to changing.” Well I got some news for you…next week is going to come. And so is the next season. Next week is going to bring new challenges. The next season is most likely going to be just as difficult as this season. So start the revolution today.

If we are looking for a revolution in our lives…look no further than God.

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. -1 Corinthians 13:13

What if you lived a life of faith? Not just believing God but believing the promises of God?

• When we walk through the fire God is with us
• He will bless us and use us as a blessing
• We are forgiven
• He will help us cross rivers we never thought we could never cross

What if you lived a life of hope?

• Knowing tomorrow can be better than today
• Knowing our past doesn’t determine our future
• Believing the best is yet to come
• Knowing that you can do things you have never done before

What if you lived a life of love? Not the cheap kind that gives an adolescent knots in his stomach. But the other kind. What if you lived a live based on that kind of love?

• Serving
• Sharing
• Listening
• Embracing
• Forgiving

When we embrace any of these our lives change. When we embrace all of these…revolution happens. A fundamental change in a short period of time.

Faith

πίστις – pistis – The moral conviction in the truth of a religious teacher

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. -Proverbs 3:5-6

The African impala can jump to a height of over 12 feet and cover a distance of greater than 40 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 4-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.

Think about the enclosures that keep you locked behind a wall

• The fear of failure
• I’m not good enough
• I’m afraid what others might think

Hope

ἐλπίς - elpis – The expectation of good

Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark. –George Iles

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. -Isaiah 40:31

Like faith, hope is a gift from God.

Hope is also an attitude. It is a way we look at the world.

Despite these men, I believed in the goodness of people. Despite these men, I believed in the goodness of God.

Hope itself is not a dream. Hope is a way to make dreams come true.

Love

αγάπη – agape – Love because of the character of the person loving rather than the worthiness of the object of the love

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. –Romans 5:8

That which is loved is always beautiful. –Norwegian Proverb

And do everything with love. -1 Corinthians 16:14

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love. –Mother Teresa