SOLVING THE MONEY PUZZLE - Introduction

In the Introduction to the "Solving the Money Puzzle" 11-week series, we looked at an overview of the three parts:

1. ATTITUDE (your relationship to money)
2. APPLICATION (practical steps)
3. ASSIMILATION (lifestyle benefits)

"You should live in a way that proves you belong to the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory." I Thessalonians 2:12 (GW)

SOLVING THE MONEY PUZZLE - God's Plan for Financial Freedom

Contrary to secular teaching, financial freedom is not about making money; it is about your relationship with money. God wants Christians to successfully deal with the practical affairs of everyday life, especially their finances. Solving the Money Puzzle outlines God’s plan for financial freedom—the missing piece to the money puzzle.

The series is divided into three sections:

1. ATTITUDE - Being who you were created to be.
2. APPLICATION - Doing what God purposed for you to do.
3. ASSIMILATION - Having the life of peace and prosperity that God designed for you to have.

The SOLVING THE MONEY PUZZLE Series is our most important series yet. This series has the potential to change your life and put you on the path to true riches. You don't want to miss a single class!

"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am." (Matthew 16:24 MSG)

Let go, and let God. How do you let go and let God? First, you have to make Jesus the manager of your life.

The problem is, we usually want to be the manager of our own lives, and so we argue and disagree with God. We think we know what’s best. The reason you’re under a lot of stress is that you’re constantly fighting God in your mind — “I know God says to do this but I want to do that instead!”

Every morning when you wake up, you have a decision to make: Who’s going to be in charge of your life? Who’s going to be in control — you or God? Who’s going to call the shots — you or God? Every day, moment by moment, you are making that decision. When you choose to make yourself the manager of your own life, it causes conflict, confusion, and stress.

Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am” (MSG). Here’s what Christians tend to do: When we become believers in Christ, we give him the driver’s seat and then promptly hop into the backseat and become backseat drivers. We’re constantly giving him “advice,” like, “No, turn this way. Stop. Wait. Faster! I want to go that way. I want to see that sight.”

Your life doesn't look very pretty when you’re trying to lead with God at the same time. You just need to let God be God and make Jesus the manager of your life. (Rick Warren)

WORLD VIEW - Wide Angle, Framing Your World View

The World View Series will be a minimum of six sessions, depending on class participation. Each of the six sessions has three ten-minute sections. Between each of the three sections, we will take time for questions and discussion.

Below is an outline for the WV Series:

WIDE ANGLE
Framing Your Worldview

ð       Session One:................ My Worldview Matters

o   What differences do worldviews make? Are these differences important?

o   How do you see those around you compartmentalizing their lives? How do you see yourself doing the same thing?

o   When we look at the world, in what ways do we cry out “mine,” when we should cry out “his”?

ð       Session Two: ............... How Do We Know What’s True?

o   Is it possible to be tolerant and articulate truth at the same time? If so, how?

o   Which of these three approaches to knowing truth do you think is the most effective defense of the faith? Why?

o   How can you use the four worldview questions to show people that their worldviews do not work, but that the biblical worldview does?

ð       Session Three:............. Where Did We Come From?

o   Why is the Biblical idea that we are created in the image of God so important?

o   How is Darwinism more than just science?

o   How are “sanctity of life” issues related to the first worldview question: “Where did I come from?”

ð       Session Four:............... It’s a Messed Up World

o   Explain the impact of original sin (the fall). Why is it important?

o   How do you think love, free will, and human responsibility fit together in God’s plan?

o   Compare the Biblical worldview to other explanations of the problem of suffering. Which explanation makes more sense?

ð       Session Five:............... What’s the Solution?

o   What alternative “solutions” do you most often encounter? How do they affect you? How do you respond to them?

o   To be free you must first surrender you r life. Why is this paradox important?

o   How have you seen God’s reconciling power in our life?

ð       Session Six:.................. What Do I Do Now?

o   In what ways could you see your work as an area of ministry?

o   In what area of your life do you have the most difficulty recognizing God’s sovereignty?

o   What do you find most challenging about living out the Biblical worldview?

THE MARRIAGE BUILDER - "Secrets" Men and Women Need to Know

Today we concluded The Marriage Builder Series. In our divided groups (men & women) we addressed four key areas: Reflections, Spiritual, Roles/Responsibilities, and Romance.

1. Reflections: Name one take-away from the MB Series, and have there been any changes in the way you approach relationships as a result of the class material.
2. Spiritual: Men are given the responsibility to lead: "For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church..." Ephesians 5:22-30. Even when a wife is wiser and more spiritually surrendered, she must let her husband lead. The wife should pray for her husband as she submits to God's design and to her husband's sensitive and loving leadership. When she voluntarily submits (Colossians 3:18-19) to her husband, she is completing him, helping him fulfill his responsibilities, and helping him become the man, the husband, and the leader God intended him to be. The Bible places a special emphasis on a wife's responsibility as a "helper". Genesis tells us that God realized it wasn't good for man to be alone, and that He decided to make a "helper suitable for him" (Gen. 2:18). It is interesting to note that the Hebrew meaning of the word helper in this passage is found hereafter in the Bible to refer only to God as He helps us. The fact that this same word is applied to a wife signifies that women have been given tremendous power for good in their husbands' lives. God has designed wives to help their husbands become all that God intends for them to be.
3. Roles (Responsibilities) in Relationships: The marriage is much like a small corporation. It requires shared sacrifice, a lot of hard work, and Grace, Commitment, and Acceptance in order to reach the success we all desire of Oneness. There are no relationships immune from conflicts. There is no reason to be caught by surprise regarding conflicts. Expect them and be ready to resolve them. GREAT relationships are about knowing how to resolve conflicts. The tools for successful conflict resolution are Truth & Wisdom. Truth is found in God's absolutes. Wisdom is gain through the determined desire to understand and apply Truth. Someone once said that Truth is the first chapter in the Book of Wisdom.
4. Romance: Titus 2:4 calls for wives "to love their husbands." Colossians 3:19 calls for husbands to "love your wives...". In our groups, we addressed the topic of Romance from two different perspectives. A wife must know that she is the ONLY woman that her husband is in love with. A husband must know that he is the most important man in his wife's life and that she loves him unconditionally. A wife is the most powerful person in a husband's life. She has the ability to complete him or break him. I expanded on this in section 2, above. When a man knows that he is the most important person in his wife's live, his number one goal will be to please her. He will not stop at finding ways to surprise her with his love, know every detail about what makes her happy, and serve her. He will never intentionally hurt her or allow anyone to do so. When a wife knows that she is the "crown jewel" of her husband, she will do everything possible to please him, serve him, and support him in his efforts to lead.

Next week we have a change of plans. Due to my work schedule for the next few weeks, instead of having breaks in our series on Solving the Money Puzzle, we will start the Worldview & Crazy Makers series next week. This is a 6-week video series followed by a week, or two, on Crazy Makers. Solving the Money Puzzle will begin on August 17th, or shortly thereafter.

Framing Your Worldview is an amazing series that you don't want to miss! Please take time to watch the 8:13 min. preview of lesson one below:

FRAMING YOUR WORLDVIEW

THE MARRIAGE BUILDER - Acceptance

Today we completed The Marriage Builder Series with the final building block: ACCEPTANCE. The final three lessons in Part 2: Building The Foundation showed us that real commitment requires grace, and if commitment is missing in the relationship, it is impossible to ACCEPT. Dr. Crabb agrees that grace and commitment are not enough alone. There needs to also be ACCEPTANCE. In order to truly ACCEPT our spouse, we must understand the depth of Christ's love for us and how He ACCEPTS us unconditionally. When we ACCEPT our spouse the way they are, we bring praise to God. This is true ministry.

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." Romans 15:7

 We explored the two central points of what it means to add ACCEPTANCE (Building Block 3) to grace and commitment (Building Blocks 1 and 2):

1. There is a difference between ACCEPTING your mate and enjoying your mate; the former is a requirement, the latter is a blessing;
2. The experience of ACCEPTING your spouse depends upon the work of forgiveness, which in turn depends upon a willingness to see the offensive behavior of your spouse in Biblical context.

Forgiveness must proceed ACCEPTANCE in order to reach Total Oneness. Only one who appreciates God's forgiveness can truly forgive others. We looked at W-D-T-W-S (What Does The Word Say). The three reference passages were: Philippians 2:3-4; Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 18:21-22.

In our video, Dr. Crabb addressed the question: "How do I forgive someone who has hurt me?"

We will divide into groups next week for an exciting finish to our MB Series. You DON'T want to miss it!

The slides from today's lesson are below.

THE MARRIAGE BUILDER - Commitment

The second building block in the foundation of oneness is COMMITMENT. Last week we studied how God's grace is sufficient reason for continued obedience (Building Block 1). This week we studied how honoring your marriage vows consistently is possible because of a conviction that God's plan is always good (Building Block 2).

COMMITMENT must be motivated by DESIRE. There is a difference between making a "decision" to do something and having a "desire" to do something. Our "desire" to honor the marriage vow consistently, even to a difficult spouse, must be motivated from God's Goodness rather than from our obedience. Dr. Crabb teaches that there are three concepts to help you "desire" to fulfill your marriage COMMITMENT:

• POINT 1: The basis for true commitment is the goodness of God (see slide 35 in the lesson).
• POINT 2: Honoring commitments because of a profound trust in God's goodness will feel less like "doing one's duty" and more like pursuing one's deepest desires.
• POINT 3: Lack of joy (Note: Joy is one of the fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23) in honoring the marriage commitment cannot be blamed on our spouses; the fault lies in our failure to depend on the goodness of God.

The basic cure for weak COMMITMENT is renewed faith (Spirit), not rededicated effort (Soul).

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the DESIRES of your heart." Psalm 37:4

In the video illustration, John Wayne plays the copilot of a DC-4 on a return trip from Hawaii. In a time of crisis, the young captain decides that the crippled jet can't make it to the West Coast and "decides" that they must ditch the jet in the ocean. With the flight engineer screaming that they are but minutes from landing, the captain insists that they must ditch. John Wayne heroically takes charge because of his great "desire" to make it to land. After putting the captain in his place, Wayne safely lands the jet in California. I used this scene to dramatically emphasize that when crisis hits the marriage, someone (husband or wife) needs to rise to the occasion, and with great "desire" refuse to make the decision to "ditch" the marriage. Enjoy the short video:

"The High And The Mighty"

The slides from today's lesson are below. Be sure to take time to look up the verses on God's goodness (see slide 35). Next week we will complete the teaching portion of The Marriage Builder with Building Block 3: ACCEPTANCE.

THE MARRIAGE BUILDER - Grace

With God's blueprint for Oneness, we now turn to the last three lessons in The Marriage Builder series aimed at the critical building blocks needed to build the foundation to a Christ-centered marriage: GRACE, COMMITMENT, and ACCEPTANCE.

Real COMMITMENT requires GRACE and it is impossible to ACCEPT without COMMITMENT. So we start with GRACE--the first building block of a solid marriage, or any relationship.

As priest (1 Peter 2:5-9), we have access to The Holy of Holies; the presence of Almighty God. With access to the immediate presence of God, we never have a reason to regard anything as a disaster. Several truths we can and must believe:

1. God sovereignly directs every situation in our lives.
2. Nothing takes God by surprise.
3. No problem is beyond His power to master.
4. There is no event in life for which God's GRACE is not sufficient.

When Paul cried out and pleaded with the Lord concerning "a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." God answered, "My GRACE is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:7-9.

Regardless of the difficulty you might be going through in your marriage or other relationships, God's grace is sufficient. With His grace, you can extend grace to others. With His grace, you can continue to minister to others who might not be willing to reciprocate. In your most difficult relational trials, you will have the opportunity to grow closer to God and enjoy His presence more fully. He promised to meet your deep need for security and significance. GRACE is the first step that allows you to take the next step of COMMITMENT.

The slides from today's class are below. Next week we will continue with The Marriage Builder - Commitment.