Continuing with the retroactive note uploads, I finally bring you the long awaited 2010 Winter Retreat notes, which featured Andrew Benedicion talking about Love & Relationships. And as outlined by Andrew himself:
- Message #1: Pro-Active Purity
- Ephesians 5:3; Romans 13:11-14
- this message is focused on sexual purity in relationships and personal life
- the following 2 messages are for relationships in general…
- Message #2: Pro-Active Holiness: Real Love Part 1 of 2
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
- Message #3: Pro-Active Holiness: Real Love Part 2 of 2
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
- Message #2: Pro-Active Holiness: Real Love Part 1 of 2
Friday evening:
- ACT
- Avoid temptation
- Eph 5; not even a hint of sin
- don’t do “diet mentality” with lust/sin; CANNOT according to God’s standard
- Eph 5; not even a hint of sin
- Change your habits (Note: I didn’t write this down, but I am thinking this is what was said…)
- Take initiative toward change (Note: I didn’t write this down, but I am thinking this is what was said…)
- Avoid temptation
- “Your worst days are never so bad as beyond THE REACH of God’s grace. Your best days are never so good that you are beyond THE NEED of God’s grace.” – Jerry Bridges
Saturday Morning:
- 1 John 4:7-12
- 1 Cor 13:4-8
- Love is…self sacrifice
- only possible with Christ
- patience & kindness…
- with people, not circumstances
- ie. loving enemies: loving those who hate you
- real spiritual love is for sake of Christ; selfish love is for own sake (own gain)
- envy…
- in ministry our goal is to make ourselves dispensible
- envy = “to boil”
- killing envy: love
- “hard to love someone who does what you do…but better”
- boast & pride…
- boasting = being full of hot air
- pride is only disease that makes everyone sick except self
- boasting hurts everyone except self…
- rudeness…
- to be insensitive to others feelings
- self-seeking…
- 2 types of people: those who think of rights and those who think of duties
- not easily angered…
- what Jesus said on cross
- righteous anger…against things that anger God
- anger against people is wrong
Saturday evening:
- keep no record of wrong…
- those experiencing God’s grace must become graceful people
- those who have been forgiven must become forgiving people
- “forgive us as we forgive those who sin against us”
- pray the Lord’s Prayer more meaningfully
- does not delight in evil; rejoices with truth…
- if you really love someone, you will be filled with grief when they are in sinful nature
- bears all things…
- always protects
- concerned with value of person
- CORRECT others, but not by shaming them; cover with silence
- Isaiah 1:8
- believes all things…
- will believe in optimism for the person
- always trust
- hopes all things…
- keeps hoping/praying etc. even if pain comes
- endures all things…
- always perseveres
- acknowledge that…
- love is a command
- Christ’s power in you to love (Rom 5:5, Gal 5:22)
- love is the norm (1 John 4:7-10)
- love must be practiced
Sunday morning devo:
- From Philip Yancey’s I Was Just Wondering:
- “God made me the way I am: with my peculiar facial features, my handicaps and limitations, my body build, my mental capacity. I can spend my life resenting this quality or that one, and demanding that God change my ‘raw material’. Or I can humbly accept myself, flaws and all, as the raw material God can work with.”
- Rom 12:2, Rom 12:18
Sunday morning:
- Eph 5
- Matt 25; unexpected coming
- 2 Cor 11:2
- Paul is like the person who helps get the bride ready
- jealous love for the bride
- Rev 19:6; marriage supper of the Lamb
- measure of holiness = relationship with:
- God
- parents
- others
- love cannot be based on personality, looks etc. alone
- can always find better
- God doesn’t love based on this; CANNOT love us because we are “good”
- we’re never good enough
- “A Christian is perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. BUT a Christian is perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all”
- free in Christ, slave to all