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Blessed are the merciful… 1. when the person you trust the most hurts you. 2. when your children get on your last nerve. 3. when the relationship ends in betrayal. 4. when someone cuts you off in traffic. 5. Show mercy. Don’t repay evil for evil.

1. The Bible isn’t a self-help book. 2. The Bible isn’t a rule book. 3. The Bible isn’t just historical text. 4. The Bible isn’t a list of promises you can claim out of context. 5. The Bible isn’t just for theologians. 6. The Bible isn’t a book you “finish”. 7. It’s a living letter from a God who wants you to know Him.

Slide 1: One moment in God’s Word can completely shift your heart. Slide 2: One verse can change your perspective. Slide 3: One chapter can strengthen your faith. Slide 4: What’s something God has been teaching you through Scripture lately?

Slide 1: Recharge your spirit at MDWK Slide 2: Recharge your spirit at MDWK Slide 3: Recharge your spirit at MDWK

Slide 1: If you want to be great in God's Kingdom, follow the example of Jesus: Slide 2: Put God first But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. - Matthew 6:33 Slide 3: Serve others For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. - Matthew 20:28 Slide 4: Be humble But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Slide 5: Love unconditionally A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. - John 13:34

1. Nobody said it was easy… 2. "The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world." — Dietrich Bonhoeffer 3. "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again." — Dietrich Bonhoeffer 4. "God has not promised to keep us safe. He has promised to keep us." — Elisabeth Elliot 5. "Suffering is not God's failure. It is often His method." — F.B. Meyer. 6. "To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." — Karl Barth. 7. "If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all." — Oswald Chambers 8. The Christian walk isn’t easy. But it’s the best decision you’ll ever make.

1. You can’t truly know God on your own. 2. Community teaches you how to actually bear one another’s burdens. 3. Community teaches you that the Body of Christ isn’t just a metaphor. 4. Community teaches you that you aren’t as patient as you thought. 5. Community teaches you what forgiveness truly is. 6. Community teaches you how God can work through flawed people. 7. God made us to know Him not just alone, but in community.

1. When everything goes my way, I feel happy. 2. When nothing goes my way, I can still feel joy. 3. Happiness is temporary. Joy is eternal. 4. And that kind of joy? It comes from Jesus.

1. They’re watching you… 2. There are people in your life watching to see how you’ll react. 3. When things don’t go your way… When you get mad… When you’re struggling… 4. They know you’re a Christian, and they want to see if your faith is real. 5. Your response to what life sends your way is a greater witness than that fish on your car. 6. Show Jesus to the world in the way you respond.

Anger needs an outlet. 1. Without an outlet, it becomes bitterness and resentment. 2. You can either suppress it… (Not recommended) 3. You can express it… (Which is sometimes appropriate) 4. Or you can release it… (Give the anger to God and ask Him what to do with it) 5. Maybe God wants you to act. Maybe He wants you to confront. Or maybe He wants you to forgive. 6. Whatever you do, don’t ignore it.

You don't need to perform to belong.

God isn't asking for your help to plan. He's asking for your yes. 1. If God called you to something big, He's asking you to have faith. 2. When you plan it all, you leave God out of it. You only accomplish what you can accomplish. 3. Which means you don't need God to make it happen. 4. Say yes first. Then let God lead the planning.

1. Are you waiting for life to slow down? It won’t. 2. Don’t feel qualified? Your availability is qualification enough. 3. Tried it once and it didn’t feel like a fit? Try again. 4. You don’t know where to start? Just reach out. 5. Whatever your excuse for not serving at church…serve anyway. 6. Leave a comment or message us. We’ll get you plugged in.

Generosity isn’t just about what you do for others. 1. When we’re generous, it rewires our brain from a scarcity mentality to a trust that God is our source. 2. It loosens money’s grip on your heart. You can’t give freely and be controlled by money at the same time. 3. It increases your joy. Proverbs 11:25 says a generous person will prosper. 4. It breaks the power of materialism on your heart. People become more important than things. 5. You don’t give just because others need your generosity. You give because you need it.

Are you truly connected at church? 1. You’ve been coming for a while but still don’t know anyone’s last name. 2. Your phone suddenly needs your attention when Pastor asks for volunteers. 3. You have a strong opinion of things that need to happen but can’t be the one to do them. 4. You attend when it’s convenient and skip when it isn’t. 5. You have been spiritually fed week after week but haven’t invested in anyone else. 6. If this is you…here’s your invitation to truly connect. Church isn’t a spectator sport.

Don’t miss these opportunities to witness… 1. Your coworker mentioned they were going through something difficult… 2. Your neighbor asked why you seem so calm about everything… 3. Your friend calls you in crisis at 2am… 4. Small moments like these happen all the time. Don’t miss them.

Here’s what God has to say about what’s next for you… 1. "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." — Matthew 6:34 2. "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." — 1 Peter 5:7 3. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." — Philippians 4:6 4. "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." — Deuteronomy 31:8 5. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you." — Jeremiah 29:11 6. You are not the first one to worry about tomorrow. But God has already been there. He goes with you.

God designed you for community

1. Sometimes reading the Bible feels like a checklist. 2. Sometimes praying feels like talking to the air. 3. Sometimes worship feels like just singing. 4. Sometimes life feels dry. 5. But obedience in the dry times brings life, even if you don’t immediately see it. 6. Stay faithful. Stay committed. The season won’t last forever.

1. That person who frustrates you most? 2. God put them in your life on purpose. 3. Not to punish you. 4. Not to test your patience alone. 5. To form something in you that comfort never could.

1. The Bible knows more about you than you know about yourself. 2. You don't have to understand it all to let it change you. 3. The verse that wrecks you is usually the one you almost skipped. 4. God still speaks through words written thousands of years ago. That's not nothing. 5. You will never read it the same way twice. That's the point.

1. Stubbornness: refusing to change direction no matter what. 2. Giving up: changing direction because it got hard. 3. Perseverance: staying the course because you know who called you to it.