deeper relationships © mike breen

Deeper Relationships

© Mike Breen www.weare3dm.com

Up

Out In© Mike Breen www.weare3dm.com

Up, In and Out• UP: towards God

where we develop in intimacy with Him

• IN: with other believerswhere we look to be a community

• OUT: to non-believers where we seek to make an impact for the Kingdom of God


Jesus: Up, In and Out

Luke 6 : 12 – 20 One of those days Jesus went up to a

mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them designating them apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.


Luke 6 : 12 – 20He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.



Luke 6 : 12 – 20Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God”



Jesus: Looking Up to God

• Jesus was in constant contact with his Father, whom he spoke of in very personal, intimate and familiar terms.

• Prayer, praise and waiting on his Father was a fundamental element in the lifestyle of Jesus.

• Luke’s gospel tells us that Jesus could often be found in lonely places praying (Luke 10 : 21 - 2)


Jesus: Living In Community

• Jesus came as a human being and showed us the way human beings are to live out their lives in society with others. We need each other

After prayer, Jesus called the twelve to become his small group


Jesus: Living In Community

• Mark 3 : 13 – 14 “He called to him those he wanted...He appointed twelve – that they might be with him…”

• Jesus spent three years building strong relationships with the disciples.

.


Jesus – Reaching Out to the World

• Jesus prayed to His Father (Up), then gathered a team of people to be with him and work alongside him (In)

• Jesus then moved out into the crowd doing the works of the Kingdom, sharing the Good News (Out)


Jesus – Reaching Out to the World

• The pattern revealed in the life of Jesus shows us that in order to fulfill the great commission we first need to be in intimate relationship with the Father, then with one another before effectively moving out to the world with the Good News.


Up• God’s presence is in your life, but is often

hidden beneath the surface• We learn to dig for the presence of God as

we take on the daily commitment of spiritual disciplines

• The disciplines alone become tiresome, legalism and death

• Without the disciplines we have an uncertain experience of God’s presence

• Intimacy with Jesus grows of out time spent with Him.


Practices that develop Up

Include:• Bible Study• Prayer• Retreat• Fasting• Meditation, silence, listening to God• Worship – alone, in the car, in a congregation• Work (Colossians 3:23)• The Ministry of the Holy Spirit• Others that you can think of


How do you best relate to God?

How do you spend time in God’s presence?


Biblical Principles of Up

A relationship with God is not just about quiet times:

• A spring not a bucket! John 4:13 – 14• Intimately in touch with God so that he

directs our life John 5:19 – 30• Abiding in Christ John 15:5


The 3 Dimensions of Up

Up - In – Out in The Lord’s Prayer

(Matt 6: 9 – 13)

• Within this prayer Jesus refers to bringing glory to God, the importance of transparent and forging relationships and an outward focus towards the world.


In

• We live in an individualistic society• The nuclear family may well be a thing of

the past, yet our greatest heart’s desire is to belong

• The key element of growth in the church is small groups – the place of belonging


Practices that develop In

• Fellowship• Encouragement and exhortation• Teaching and Bible application together• Strong, open relationships• Mutual support, nurture• Accountability• Giving and receiving• Others you can think of


Where is your place of belonging in the church?

What do you give most in relationships with other believers?


Biblical Principles of In

Being the church is not just about Sunday Services:

• Confrontation and forgiveness Matthew 18: 15 – 35

• Covenant

John 13 : 34, 15: 12 – 15


Biblical Principles of In

Community

• Community marks the bond of our belonging together as a family

• We belong in expanding circles – accountability groups, small groups, clusters, and celebrations


The 3 Dimensions of In

Up – In – Out in Church

Ephesians 1 – 6• Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was a

circular letter to the church about the church; the foundational model for how we are to ‘do’ church. How does the church function and what it is supposed to look like? Up, In and Out.


Out• We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus

to the hungry, lonely, afflicted, homeless, abused

• The Great Commission says to GO out into all the world and make disciples, not wait for non believers to show up at our church services

• We need to take the initiative in developing relationships with non believers


Practices that develop Out

• Praying for and expecting opportunities at work

• Prayer walking• Researching your target community• Being aware of not-yet Christians who are

open to you• Connecting with the poor and marginalized


Practices that develop Out

• Standing up for social justice or environmental issues in your community and the world

• Going in pairs to bless strangers and form new relationships

• Looking for and taking openings in your relationships in the “real world”

• Alpha Course


Do you actively look to build relationships with non believers?

Do you see yourself more as a light

(an example) or salt (closely engaged) in the world?


Biblical Principles of Out

Mission is not just about foreign lands, evangelists and altar calls:

• Team – Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1• Time – Matt. 9:37 – 8; Luke 10:2• Target – Matt. 10:5 - 6, 11 – 14; Luke 10:6• Task – Matt. 10:7 – 8; Luke 10:9


Recognizing a “Person of Peace”

A person of peace

• Welcomes you• Listens to you• Serves you

(we will look at this more closely when we come to

the 8th shape – Relational Mission)


The 3 Dimensions of OutUp – In – Out in Mission

Luke 10 : 1- 16

The same basic principles of out reach that Jesus taught the twelve and the seventy two were the same basic principles used by the early church in their evangelism recorded in Acts, and serve as the model for us today.


Which is your weakest area?

• Up?

• In?

• Out?


Consequences of an Unbalanced Life

• Burnout

• Isolation and Loneliness

• Ineffectiveness for the Kingdom


Two Axis Churches?

• Strong on Up and In

• Strong on Up and Out

• Strong on In and Out


Further Reflection• Reflect on the Lord’s Prayer as a way to

focus on UP, IN and OUT. Use it in your time with God as a structure to pray through the UP, IN and OUT dimensions of your life

• Look back on your life as a Christian so far. Identify the seasons where your life was strongly on one axis or another of the triangle (neglecting one area). Draw a timeline depicting this.


Further Bible Study

Spend some time this week reading through the book of Ephesians. Can you see a flow of Up, In and Out through the six chapters? Where?


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deeper relationships © mike breen

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