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· There is a connection between separation from the world as Jesus followers, and the spread of faith in Jesus.

· As God’s people separate themselves from sin, sinners separate themselves from unbelief.

· Separation is the exclusive love for God that makes all competing loves unacceptable.

· “Love God, and do as you please.” (Augustine).

· Love observes boundaries.

· “Evil, when we are in its power, is not felt as evil, but as a necessity…”

· Doctrine is not the enemy of devotion.

It’s the backbone, the skeleton of truth, meant to be clothed with a holy life.

· All sins are attempts to fill voids.

· We must make clean breaks with sin, not gradual ones.

Growth in grace is gradual, but rejection of sin must be surgical.

· Those who have most helped the world, have been those who have most contradicted it.

· Our emotions are often influenced more by our expectations, than by actual events.

· Positive expectations are born out of listening to Gods Word, not looking at our current circumstances.

· Confidence doesn’t await you in some new circumstance. Confidence is within you through the Holy Spirit.

· Your confidence for the future will grow in proportion to the manner in which you celebrate God’s faithfulness to you.

· The discipline of memory, fuels our confidence.

Because if we don’t commit ourselves to remember, we effectively consign ourselves to forget.

· Walking in faith-based confidence doesn’t make ministry easy.

It does however make it possible.

· We must continually make a deliberate effort to separate fact from fiction.

Through the Word of God and through remembering His grace to us.

· Confident faith walks up stairs erected by God’s Word.

Look out through the window of memory and looking forward in the knowledge of God’s truth.

· People who follow the Holy Spirit still go through difficult times.

· The tool of discouragement proved effective in Paul’s heart.

· A sequence or series of events may accomplish what no one event could do.

· When the Devil sows discouragement God sows encouragement.

He restored Paul by means of 2 things:

Friends and Renewed Focus.

· Our disappointments may be God’s appointments.

· God didn’t design or call us to minister alone.

All ministry should be team ministry.

· God is able to accomplish great things in dark places.

- The Holy Spirit leads Jesus followers to places where they never planned on going.

- People under the influence of sin always want to believe that they are superior to someone else.

- God shows no partiality, but in every nation whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him.

- While all belong to God by creation, we only become his children by redemption.

- God has no favourites.

All are created in his image, and are equally valuable to him, tainted by sin, and able to be redeemed.

1. In regard to prejudice: pray and search your own heart.

2. We need to study how Jesus treated other people.

3. Step out of your comfort zone.

4. Let's commit to being wall breakers and not wall makers.

5. Realise that some people will not always welcome your efforts but Jesus will bless those efforts.

- Jesus followers are called to upset the world.

- Jesus’ followers must be profoundly simple, not simplistic.

- Simple people examine the alternatives and then embrace the single conviction that the gospel is God’s truth.

- Jesus’ followers must be “radical”.

We must know God’s original design for humanity and make it known.

- God’s truth always causes disruption because it exposes and threatens evil.

- God doesn’t need endorsements from evil.

He knew the mix of good and evil, always dilutes the good.

- The gospel is always bad for bad business.

- He tells us that when people reject God’s truth God gives them over to their lies.

- If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it’s not the gospel that you believe, but yourself. Augustine

- Gods simple people live truth in the sight of people and speak truth regardless of the consequences.

- We don’t shrink so that unbelievers aren’t upset.

We need to shine so that unbelievers have hope.

- Jesus made it clear that we are the people of the less travelled road.

- I think Paul travelled that road, in his response to Mark’s desertion. Paul held him accountable, and he allowed him to face consequences.

- Unbelief always wants to justify its own sins, and unbelief wants to be well liked.

- When we exempt others from responsibility, we cut them off from hope, and render them powerless to shape a better future.

- Mark choose the freedom of forgiveness, rather than the bondage of blame and bitterness.

- Time doesn’t heal all wounds, it just buries them in shallow graves.

- Forgiveness is the result of a choice. Not a choice to forget, but a choice to remember differently.

- Forgiveness is setting a captive free, only to discover the captive was you.

- But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.

So that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished and that all the gentiles might hear

and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. 2 Tim 4:16-17

- God is able to weave our hurts, into our destiny.

- Believers who are Spirit-led are not immune from conflict.

- When believers disagree our adversary provides weapons for both.

- The Holy Spirit can provide wisdom to both sides.

- Believers see things differently due to our different backgrounds, experiences, personalities, gifts and callings.

- Don’t divide the church.

The unity of Christ’s church must never be sacrificed for personal disagreements.

- Don’t avoid, lash out, or vent.

When we start building walls between ourselves and another believer, the reality is, you start building a wall between yourself and God.

- Don’t talk rubbish, don’t gossip, don’t make accusations.

The things you should do in conflict.

- We need to work at finding the common ground for resolution.

- We need to work at finding that with a spirit of humility.

- God-honouring resolution doesn’t necessarily mean agreement.

- When you can’t agree, move on from that issue.