selfish ambition

Humility.
Bible reference:  Philippians 2.1-11.
Series: Philippians.

What is MEligion? In this message, Pastor Jamie Nunnally explains that 

MEligion is when your faith is all about you.

James 1:27 ESV

Christians are called to be Christ-centered not self-centered. God came to save you, but part of that is saving you from you. 

4 Symptoms of being MEligious:

1. Your spiritual disciplines only benefit you.

Spiritual disciplines are the intentional activities we do to grow in our faith. Right things

done the wrong way become wrong things.

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. NLT

The invitation to follow Christ is an invitation into community because other people have been invited, too.

2. You make a big deal out of other people's sin instead of your own.

1 Timothy 1:15 "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst." NIV

An inflated view of yourself leads to a deflated view of your sin. 

Matthew 7:3-5 "And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." NLT

The Bible works best as mirror for seeing your own issues clearly, not a pair of binoculars to see others' issues clearly.

I often hear church people say things like "we need to take a stand against sin." I agree, but if we're going to be Biblical, we need to take a stand against your own sin, not the world's sin.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NLT

The church doesn't exist to judge the world, but to love the world so that they might pursue a relationship with God.

3. You get frustrated when God doesn't do what you want Him to.

Galatians 6:9 "Let's not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary." NASB

1 Peter 5:6-7 "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time"

When is God going to do that thing He promised? When He's good and ready.

Make sure your faith is tied to a relationship with God, not a result from God.

4. You struggle with confusion, instability, and disorder.

James 3:16 "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." NIV

When we're consumed with ourselves, we'll often make decisions that hurt others and hurts oursleves. When we're consumed with Jesus, we'll make decisions that help others and help

ourselves.

Are you being MEligious?

In this episode, James teaches us that there are 2 kinds of wisdom: an unspiritual, earthly, demonic type of wisdom and the wisdom that is from above (comes from God).  As we walk in the Spirit and are guided by God's wisdom there will be certain characteristics manifested through us: peace-loving, consideration of others, mutual submission, mercy, impartiality, and sincerity.

The wisdom of the world is unstable and unreliable, but the majority of people today, including many within the church put their trust in it.  A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways and the man who attempts to follow after Jesus Christ and trust in the wisdom of the world will live an unstable life. 
The wisdom of God is Jesus Christ Himself! This wisdom is a mystery to the world we live in.  This wisdom comes to us through the Holy Spirit as we walk in reverence with our Savior and Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
The wisdom of God is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, and good fruits, unwavering and without hypocrisy! The wisdom of the world is earthly, natural, and demonic. 
Are you living according to the wisdom from above?!

joniandfriends.org

--------

Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.  
 

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org

Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

What should be the method of ministry of pastors and preachers and teachers? I. Stay on message: Follow the pattern of sound words, v13a. II. Check your heart - for the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus, v13b. III. Guard the Gospel - the good deposit entrusted to you, v14b. IV. How? Depend upon the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, v14a. 

First of all, it ain't easy trying to be like Christ, but one thing I'm going to do is try my best. Leave the judgment up to our God. 

I'm so glad you're here. It's a pleasure to study with you.

Subscribe To the newsletter!!
www.blessed2bs.com
Instagram: @Bleesed2bs/ @Legion_love
Facebook: Boujeebiblestudies

When is the last time you really sat down and thought, “what do I want?” Not like in a shallow way. But like, “what do I want in life? It’s a more important question than I often acknowledge. There is ancient wisdom about how important what we want is. How powerful it is, and how dangerous it can be. James chapter 4 is a warning. A warning about wanting the wrong things, and the consequences to our faith and our community together. Jesus linked our unity, our ability to handle conflict well among one another, to the world’s belief in who Jesus is. When we are at war among each other, no one will believe that Jesus is the Son of God. So if we want God above all others, we must humble ourselves and come back to God, our first love.

21.10.24

It may seem like a trite question but how do you know you want what is best for you? What if we spend our lives chasing something that will leave me empty? Is there a way we can better navigate the mystery of our own future?
 
God longs to give us what is best for us, but it takes our participation. We don’t earn it, but we do have to do the work. How? And how do we know we’re on the right path? Join us as we continue in this brilliant letter from James, the half-brother of Jesus, in our journey toward real faith. 

21.10.24

The Philippians are a healthy, vibrant Church.  They are like a delicious banana split.  But Paul can see that something is missing: they need the cherry on top to really make them effective.  Discover the missing ingredient here.

Also, discover what happens when Chris' sermon notes get all out of whack.  A little bit of chaos.