The Gospel Net

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The Gospel Net

• AWAKENING
• SPIRITUAL
• INTEREST
• PART 3
• Cracking the Armor of a Seeker

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• By being social and coming close to the
  people, you may turn the current of their
  thoughts more readi- ly than by the most
• able discourse. Evangelism pg 436

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• TO KNOW GOD
• To find settled security in knowing that Someone
  very powerful is on the throne of the Universe
  He will never change or come to an end there is
  no limit to His power He will take care of
  things. To recognize and trust this power to
  include everything in our own lives.

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• Immutable Unchangeable, indestructible,
  unchallengeable, absolute, undeniable,
  indisputable.
• Infinite Endless, vast, boundless, limitless,
  ever-expanding horizon. Beyond.
• Omnipotent All powerful, invincible,
  unstoppable.
• Omnipresent All pervading, universal, everywhere
  at same time

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• Immutable Unchangeable, indestructible,
  unchallengeable, absolute, undeniable,
  indisputable.
• Like a rock Chevys ad
• Things predictable, dependable
• People in control, can control, safe, hold up
  to test
• Religions unchanging, claim immutability
• Careers predictable, in control, can control,
  reveal patterns design

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• Infinite Endless, vast, boundless, limitless,
  ever-expanding horizon. Beyond Omnipresent All
  pervading, universal, everywhere at same time
• Horizon
• To infinity and beyond Buzz Lightyear
• Be all that you can be. army
• Aim high airforce
• No boundaries ad in NY
• Without limits ads

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• Infinite Endless, vast, boundless, limitless,
  ever-expanding horizon. Beyond Omnipresent All
  pervading, universal, everywhere at same time
• The skys the limit. ads
• Beyond a powerful word
• Star Wars fascination with spacethe
  unreachable
• Desire to live forever Cryonics, reincarnation,
  brain mapping

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• Infinite Endless, vast, boundless, limitless,
  ever-expanding horizon. Beyond Omnipresent
  All pervading, universal, everywhere at same time
• Things element of intrigue, promise mystery
• People aspiring, creative
• Religions universal, awe-inspiring, positive
  thinking, you have it within you, spiritualism,
  out of body phenomenon
• Careers promises possibilities intrigue

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• Omnipotent All powerful, invincible,
  unstoppable.
• Feel the power car ad
• Fascination with fire, fireworks, storm,
  dynamite, ocean
• Harry potter power
• Things powerful, sports, extreme sports
• People relationships that make feel powerful,
  save, rescue
• Religions powerful, miraculous
• Careers powerful

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• Immutable Unchangeable, indestructible,
  unchallengeable, absolute, undeniable,
  indisputable.
• John 858 I am
• Malachi 36 I change not
• Illustration of Wexner Center for the Performing
  Arts at Ohio State University.

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• Immutable Unchangeable, indestructible,
  unchallengeable, absolute, undeniable,
  indisputable.
• SDA BIBLICAL DOCTRINE Divine pre-existence of
  God (always been the same), His unchanging love
  for the sinner, Gods unchanging law revealing
  His character as unchanging standard, the
  unchanging Sabbath, same gospel in OT as in NT

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• Infinite Endless, vast, boundless, limitless,
  ever-expanding horizon. Beyond.
• Job 58,9. I would seek unto Godwhich doeth
  great things and unsearchable marvelous things
  without number.
• Romans 1133-36 unsearchablehis ways past
  finding out!...

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• Infinite Endless, vast, boundless, limitless,
  ever-expanding horizon. Beyond.
• SDA BIBLICAL DOCTRINE
• Trinity (God always there as Father, Son Holy
  Spirit), Christ in you, The indwelling of God,
  no place so deep within you that He cannot come
  and dwell with you, no place you can hide within
  yourself where he cannot reach to you

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• Omnipotent All powerful, invincible,
  unstoppable.
• Jeremiah 3217-19 Nothing is too hard for God.
• Mark 923 All things are possible with Gods
  power.
• Philippians 413 We can do all things through
  Him.
• Ephesians 38-21 He can do exceedingly above all
  we could ask or think.

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• Omnipotent All powerful, invincible,
  unstoppable.
• SDA BIBLICAL DOCTRINE Victory over all sin, the
  indwelling power of God, Christian perfection

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• Omnipresent All pervading, universal, everywhere
  at same time
• Psalm 1395-18 Where can I flee from Gods
  presence? Nowhere!
• Genesis 3. When we runhe comes asking Where
  are you? Hes in the pathway of our most
  desperate flight.
• SDA BIBLICAL DOCTRINE
• Trinity (Father/Son/Holy Spirit), the plan of
  salvation no place He will not go to rescue,
  His pursuit on every hand

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• To KNOW (experience) something that is so real,
  true, relevant, and connected to my experience
  that it never changes.
• To FEEL my faith, to feel God
• Feel beyond theory and abstract facts, to an
  actual experience
• My its personal
• Faith its real, not fake

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• TO FEEL MY FAITH
• To FEEL my faith, to feel God
• REAL (not fake, not a facade)
• EXPERIENCE (touches the soul, affects the
  feelings, changes the life) THAT WORKS (victory
  over sin, brings peace, hope, joy, etc)

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• Having a form of godliness, but denying the
  power thereof from such turn away. 2 Timothy
  35
• There are thousands of rich men who are
  starving for spiritual food. Many in official
  life feel their need of something which they have
  not. Few among them go to church for they feel
  that they receive no benefit. The teaching they
  hear does not touch the soul. Shall we make no
  personal effort in their behalf? Evangelism pg
  555

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• The gospel is to be presented, not as a
  lifeless theory, but as a living force to change
  the life. God desires that the receivers of His
  grace shall be witnesses to its power. Desire
  of Ages pg 826

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• Riches and worldly honor cannot satisfy the
  soul. Many among the rich are longing for some
  divine assurance, some spiritual hope. Many long
  for something that will bring to an end the
  monotony of their aimless lives. Many in official
  life feel their need of something which they have
  not. Few among them go to church for they feel
  that they receive little benefit. The teaching
  they hear does not touch the heart. Shall we make
  no personal appeal to them? Ministry of Healing
  pg 210

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• TO FEEL MY FAITH
• Feel the joy Pepsi
• Snickers really satisfies
• Genuine/real man beer commercials
• The real thing ads
• Homemade ads
• The truth is out there The X-Files

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• TO FEEL MY FAITH
• Things living, sensational, trustworthy
• People real, dependable, charismatic, joyful,
  peaceful, alternative
• Religions charismatic, celebration,
  touchyfeely, in touch with peoples emotions,
  caring
• Careers/lifestyles alternative,
  non-materialistic, experiential, meaningful

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• TO FEEL MY FAITH
• Searching for answers that make sense, that are
  logical. Restless questioning. Arguing over
  evidence. Frustration with shallow answers.
  Trying to find something that is truly real!
• Unwillingness to settle for anything less that
  what is really realputting everything through a
  rigorous (even cruel) test.

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• TO FEEL MY FAITH
• Feeling that life often disappoints, describing
  life as ethereal, blurry, fake, surreal, unreal.
  Feelings of deadness, monotony.
• A strong desire for depth/genuineness in
  religion, career, relationships.
• Disillusionment with that which is superficial,
  materialistic, fake, shallow No use for the
  system, the way weve always done things, the
  structure.

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• TO FEEL MY FAITH
• Skepticism. Cynicism. Expressions of
  ambivalence or disbelief about happiness, peace,
  religion, marriage, etcInability to trust
  anything, anyone or God for fear it wont be
  real.
• Denial of absolutes. Its all relative. If
  it feels right to you, do it. (Absolutes have
  disappointed, left one empty, so we reject them)

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• TO FEEL MY FAITH
• Resignation to pessimism about religion and
  relationships You cant trust anyone.
  Every church says their religion is right, but
  they all disagree, Churches are full of
  hypocrites, You cant sort it all out you
  just have to try and be a good person. Apathy
  about ones experience, I pray, but nothing
  happens, Ive tried for years, but Im still
  empty.
• Shutting out facts and going with the rush of
  feelings

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• EMPTINESS NEED
• Fake Real
• Temporary Permanent
• Empty Full
• Craving Satisfied
• Error Truth
• False True
• Wrong Right

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• TO FEEL MY FAITH IS TO FEEL GOD BECAUSE HE IS
  REAL, HE IS THE CREATOR OF ALL THAT IS REAL
• So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my
  mouth it shall not return unto me void, but it
  shall accomplish that which I please, and it
  shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
  Isaiah 5511
• In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot
  lie, promised before the world began. Titus 12
• For he spake, and it was done he commanded, and
  it stood fast. Psalm 339. Gods word IS what
  is real.

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• TO FEEL MY FAITH
• FEEL?
• FAITH?

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• WHERES THE FEELINGS?
• Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any
  man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come
  into him and sup with him. Revelation 320
• Wherever theres a door, theres a wall.
• Wherever theres a door, theres a lock.

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• The spiritual need to feel my faith is found
  when we place our hand in Gods hand, feeling
  what HE feels sorrow and joy now, joy alone in
  the future.

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• FREEDOM FROM A GUILTY CONSCIENCE
• To find freedom from the pain of separation from
  God and the shame of hurting our Creator. To
  experience Gods forgiveness and acceptance,
  finding relief from the fear of condemnation and
  the need to hide. To allow God to surround us in
  the completeness of His love and to replace our
  sense of failure, unworthiness, and hopelessness
  with His willingness to forgive and completely
  cleanse.

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• Emotions associated with guilt
• Shame
• Failure
• Unworthiness
• Hopelessness
• Desperate need to hide something of oneself
• Isolation, aloneness, distance. But your
  iniquities have separated between you and your
  God, and your sins have hid his face from you,
  that he will not hear. Isaiah 592

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• EXPEL BY IRREVERENCE
• SMOTHER BY PRIDE
• CONCEAL BY FEAR
• DISMISS AS CULTURAL
• DENY BY INNOCENCE

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• 1 John 19
• Single Mom in SD

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• TO FIND A REASON IN SUFFERING
• To understand a reason that God allows the
  heart-wrenching experience of suffering. To be
  certain that God is good, fair, and loving in all
  situations, including our own.
• Habakkak 12,3
• Psalm 73

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• Positive
• Asking questions. Reading the Bible, going to
  seminars/church.
• Feeling pain.
• Reaching out to God and people for comfort and
  connection.
• Negative
• Atheism or agnosticism. I dont believe in
  God. Im an atheist/agnostic
• Anger against God and people, especially those
  who are closest or who are Christian. I cant
  accept what happened I prayed for ____ and God
  didnt do anything
• Controlling people and circumstances to avoid
  further pain. Unwillingness to trust anyone or
  be vulnerable.
• Numbness, denial, self-protection. Im fine.

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• Anger toward God
• Atheism
• Agnosticism
• Rejection of religion
• Rejection of religious people
• Anger/rejection toward people
• Anger when people (spouse, friend, fiance,
  mother, father) dont take the pain away
• Distance, aloneness
• Numbness, apathy
• Refusal to feel pain
• Distancing from things that would remind of pain

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• Habakkak 12,3 O Lord, how long shall I cry,
  and thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto thee
  of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost
  thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold
  grievance? For spoiling and violence are before
  me and there are that raise up strife and
  contention.

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• Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and
  washed my hands in innocency. For all the day
  long have I been plagued, and chastened every
  morning. If I say, I will speak thus behold, I
  shall offend against the generation of thy
  children. When I thought to know this, it was
  too painful to for me.

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• Where Is God? Does He exist? Does He care?
• Why Is There Suffering? - Is God love/good/ fair,
  all the time? if so, why does He allow
  suffering? Why doesnt he do something about it?
  Why is it preferential?
• If God exists and He is good, What good purpose
  does my suffering serve? Is there a reason for
  it, a good reason?

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• CHANGING THE QUESTIONS
• Why me? Why Him/Why God?
• Why do innocent people suffer? Why do guilty
  people live?
• Why is life so unfair? Why dont I get what I
  deserve?
• ONE ANSWER God is love!

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• Then Jesus turned, and saw them following,
  and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto
  him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted,
  Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto
  them, Come and see. They came and saw where he
  dwelt, and abode with him
• that day for it was
• about the tenth hour.
• John 138-39

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• WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING?
• Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and
  saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto
  him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted,
  Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto
  them,
• Come and see.
• They came and
• saw where he dwelt,
• and abode with him
• that day for it was
• about the tenth hour.
• John 138-39

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GOD
PEOPLE
THINGS
THE NAME FOR THE NAMELESS LONGING
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REASON IN SUFFERING
FREEDOM FROM LONELY HEART
FREEDOM FROM GUILTY CONSCIENCE
TO KNOW GODS DESIRE
TO FEEL MY FAITH
GOD
TO FIND FREEDOM IN PLEASURE
TO KNOW GOD
RELATIONSHIPS
PHYSICAL COMFORTS
THE NAME FOR THE NAMELESS LONGING
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• NEXT TOPIC
• Awakening
• Spiritual Interest
• PART 5
• finding God in a creed