Pastor Ben's Dream for Living Hope Church

Matthew 5:12-14 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Here are the questions for our Wednesday night Refresh (7 p.m. at our campus):

Who is God asking you to carry right now?

Read Acts 1:8 The word “go” is not found in this promise. The Holy Spirit is going to make us “witnesses.” Pastor Ben said God told us we were to do ONE thing and let nothing (even warm fireplaces) distract us: what is God calling you to “be?”

Is there anything scary about God saying “YOU are the light of the world?”

What is your warm “fireplace” that God is calling you to leave behind?

Read 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (also Psalm 51:15-17) Who are those we “smell bad to?” Other Christians will be jealous of us; but those who hate light and love will also think we stink. How often are you “brought down” by others opinions?

Read the story of Mary and her offering of fragrance in John 12: Do you know a “broken, looking-for-light Mary" type of person? What would you give up to make it easier for her to find Jesus and receive healing?

The Dream Pastor Ben shared with Living Hope:

(Bruce Avery's notes :)

In his dream, Ben saw his daughter at a play set outside. She had tangled up the swings, they were a mess. Ben left his father at the warm fireplace and went out to get his daughter. He picked his four year old up in his arms and then began to carry her towards a destination God was calling him towards. A storm came up and he had to shield her from all the debris.

God shared Matthew 5:14 with Pastor Ben and told him to share this passage and the meaning of the dream with Living Hope Church. God is saying, “You are doing all of this Living Hope; don’t stop or be distracted or discouraged. Don’t let other’s jealousy or their enjoyment of their present rewards take you off course. Keep simply bringing people to Jesus.”

God wants us to know:

1. We are responsible to carry those in darkness to Jesus. That’s it!

2. This isn't always fun ; we are doing this –keep on keeping on.

3. Others will be enjoying life & it's rewards in their church; our reward, Living Hope, will come in the future!

4. The enemy will use circumstanced to attempt to prevent us from carrying these baby's to Jesus. Don’t freak out; keep carrying them to Jesus!

5. They (the babies) will hang onto us; they can’t see anyone else –they will depend on us. They have been blind, broken, and the only light they see is you!

6. Don't focus on their past issues - just keep taking them to Jesus. If we can just get people to Jesus He will fix them up!

7. These people will have left a mess from their stumbling in darkness: will you leave the mess and simply carry them in the storm. Again, God says we are doing this; keep pressing on!

8. Other churches will be jealous (they’re not evil, just human). Don’t worry about it.

9. You ARE a great light to the world (even Australia)! Many churches will leave their fireplace comforts and go out to carry blind children to Jesus! Don’t be discouraged!

Art, Music, and Amazing Food - This Friday, Oct. 23

It's been a very long day (according to my watch and brain) . . . Mentoring some of my friends in New Zealand, realizing I've got still go prep work to do for my talk I'll give to people in India tomorrow morning . . . and then thinking of our Art Event at our East Vancouver Campus tomorrow night.

Scott and I hung out again today and I was again reminded of how much we all touch each others lives . . . Scott has an incredible team of people around him and his passion and reason for living are so strongly expressed in his art.

My friend Jen is one amazing chef and artist and knowing she's planned a culinary delight for tomorrow is so cool. Will you be there (I hope so). It's 7 p.m. at our campus. No cost, no pressure, just a chance to unwind, recharge, and be reminded of how we all are built to invest in others . . . got to run (lots of hurting people that God let me reach out to today . . . tomorrow will be so refreshing) . . . see you at 7 p.m.

Wed Night Refresh - Questions to carry with U

Hope you can make it early (6:58 p.m.) this Wed for one of the shortest slide show's you've ever seen (Our E Vancouver STP Trip).

Questions for this Wed: Pastor John said 90% is 10% short of the "Full devotion" God is calling us to: 1. What past "religious-legal-beagle" scars keep you from risking "everything" for a passionate friendship with Jesus? 2. How does "being hard on yourself" keep you from "full devotion?" (No one judges us more critically than ourselves!). 3. Can you think of a sport, hobby, or project that you were fully devoted to? (We will share our stories . . . perhaps you know someone who was "fully devoted" in some way.).

Read Hebrews 10:1-4, 19-25 (Take special note of verse 24)

Read I Corinthians 4:2-4

Refresh - Tonight @ 7 p.m. Oct. 14

Come at least 5 min. early if you want to sample a "culinary delight" that's high in fiber and SO easy to make (wow) . . . special thanks to Bob's Red Mill . . . You'll like it!

Tonight - Courage in failure; promises and steps to carry is into God's dangerous adventure!

Read I Samuel 13-14:6 Do you see some "should" and "should not's" in this story of courage in the middle of serious danger?

Risk (in God's divine plan) means =

What do you think made Abraham Lincoln a great man?

What does God really want from us? Psalm 51:16-17

What would you risk becoming a rebel for? How much would you risk?

We will look at several of the wisest verses in all of scripture (Found in Proverbs); they can become our blueprint for our "dangerous adventure" with God!

Tonight - Wed Refresh (latest update)

Oct. 7 update

“And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free!” John 8:31-32

“I AM the way, truth, and life.” John 14:6

A lie is the opposite of the truth! Satan is the FATHER of all lies. Jesus claims to be the ultimate truth!

What is truth? It's far more than correct information! Learning Bible facts won't set you free from the stress, habits, and mess-ups that daily follow you. How do the verses above change the way you view "truth?"

Jesus ran into a lot of religious people and he said this to their face: “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” John 5:39

A powerful truth passage is Proverbs 3:1-5 Verse 3 “Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. 4 Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
 6 Seek his will in all you do,
 and he will show you which path to take. 7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.”

Jesus IS truth. To be free I need Jesus in my life. Building trust starts with a clear awareness of our own weakness. It grows when we are constantly seeking HIS PLAN.

Sin is the opposite of truth: Sin simply means "I did it my way." That is why God's friends in the Bible saw sin as something not just against someone else, rather that which would harm their relationship with God - See Genesis 39 for an amazing story and perfect illustration of this truth (also see Psalm 51:4).

Two very important chapters in the Bible about sin are Psalm 51 and Romans 6. Sin will always be far more than a "list." It's trusting myself over God - See Romans 6:23, Romans 14:23, & John 16:9.

New Questions for Wed Refresh (Oct. 7)

Freedom from "My Precious!"

The masterpiece "Lord of the Rings" illustrates the power of "SIN" in our lives. This Wednesday we will be touched by the powerful, freeing words of Proverbs 3 (especially verses 3-8).

We will also look at the Iceberg principle - a tool to help us, in prayer, dive beneath the surface to the deeper issues we need to release. God's authentic "realness" is waiting to shine out of us. Check back on Tue and Wed for more questions, more Bible verses and a couple of very cool tools!

Question: What are the three biggest lies that tempt you on a daily basis?

Maybe - "Life should be fair!" "I need to be happy." "I can't be OK if others judge me."

How do you dive beneath the surface to discover the lie that is behind your frustrations, fears, and guilt?

Jesus said, "The truth will set you free." What is truth? Hint - It's NOT what Religion has been pushing for more than 1,000 years!