Core Habits – Be Real (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) 18/19 Feb 2017 Pr Chris Kam Core Habits – Honour, Humility, Be Real, Pass It On and Fun. BIG IDEA: It’s OK not to be OK. 1. It’s ok to be in pain. (Paul’s ______________) 7 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. (NIV) Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. ~ Rick Warren. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33) 2. It’s ok not to have an answer. (Paul’s ______________ ) 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Lk 22:41–44) 3. It’s ok not to be ok but it’s not ok to stay that way. (Paul’s ______________ ) 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.“ ~ C.S. Lewis in “The Problem of Pain.” “Pain is inevitable but misery is optional.” ~Pr Edmund Chan 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Co 1:3–4) The response of the community: With Honour & Humility o Don’t be ______________ - Listen o Don’t Pre-Judge - Empathize o Don’t ______________ the person with Bible verses - Don’t Bible-bash. Most of us know what the Bible says but we need time for the truth to sink in. Give it at the right time. There is no simple answer. o Be ______________ - Practise the presence ministry. Sometimes people don’t want an answer. They just want someone to stand with them. o Pray Application Questions: 1. What is the most significant thing the Holy Spirit spoke to you about through this sermon? 2. What do you understand by this phrase: “It is ok not to be ok.” How is it related to you being real? 3. Do you find that it easy or difficult to be real in your CG? Why? 4. How do we apply honour and humility in our community to help each other to be real? 5. Examine how we may or may not have contributed to helping people to be real by the following: * Don’t be Prescriptive - Listen * Don’t Pre-Judge - Empathize * Don’t Pound with the person with Bible verses - Don’t Bible-bash. Most of us know what the Bible says but we need time for the truth to sink in. Give it at the right time. There is no easy answer. * Be Present - Practise the presence ministry. Sometimes people don’t want an answer. They just want someone to stand with them. * Pray Page 1 of 4