TheGiftRevolutionDotCom Week 4 Notes

It's easy to do something for a random stranger, the hardest gift to give it the gift of forgiveness and restoration. It doesn't cost any money, but it is the most challenging gift to give.
Everyone has dysfunctional relationships and families, we all have a family member or someone in our lives that we need to restore a relationship with. Someone that has hurt us or that we have hurt. We hold onto those feelings of bitterness and resentment and our hearts are chained to these emotions. They weigh us down and cause us to pass our animosity onto future generations. When you give the gift of forgiveness and restoration you will be set free from the bondage that bitterness and unforgiveness hold you in.

During the holidays we often fake it, acting like everything is okay, but in our hearts we are bitter. This is not honoring God. God doesn't look at our actions, he looks at our hearts. We have to truely desire, deep in our hearts, restoration - just as God did for us.

Matthew 1:20-21 - But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

this is Gods story of restoration. Christ was sent to restore the relationship between him and mankind. God knew that we could not restore ourselves alone, he truly desired a relationship with us so he sent Christ to bridge the gap.

John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

If you are serious about restoring a relationship then you need to do a few things:

1. Ask "WHAT CAN I DO?"

God did something, he took a step. God didn’t just accept the broken relationship, he did something about it. If we want to restore relationships we need we need to take a step. If you are serious about restoring a relationship you need to look inward and ask what can I do, not dwell on what the other person could do.

Romans 12:18 - Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
it is up to us to take that first step and ask what can I do to reconcile this relationship.

when we ask god with sincerity how to fix a relationship often times he will show us something within our own hearts.

Romans 5:8 - But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

every fiber in our being tells us no, i don't want to make the first move...but god can move into your heart and allow you to forgive. It's hard to make that step towards someone that has hurt you or that you have hurt, but God demonstrated this for us when he sent Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

As Christians we have been called to forgive as we have been forgiven. That means we need to apologize for what you have done and forgive what has been done to you.

Realize what God has done for you, what lengths he has gone to in order to forgive you. our flesh wants to do nothing, but god has called us to something much bigger.

2. MAKE A MOVE

it is really hard to be the one to make the first move. it requires a lot of humility to step out and say "I was wrong". There is alway the fear that our advances and efforts will be rejected, what if we look dumb or get hurt again. It is hard to go first.

God Made a Move, using His best effort

John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God gave his best effort. And He went first.

Romans 5:8 - But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Colossians 3:13 - Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

3. ALLOW ROOM FOR A RESPONSE

John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

you cant dictate the other persons response. just because you have asked what can i do and you have made a move you cannot force a response. You can be responsible for what you do and only influence the other person. You're not god...you can't change them, but he can. Pray for them.

This is the problem with church, they try to force people into religion instead of inviting them into a relationship. God doesn't force us into obeying him, he invites us into a relationship and then gives us room to respond. And we can't force someone into forgiveness and restoration, we simply need to invite them into that relationship and allow them to respond.

While allowing room for that response do not allow yourself to be dragged down by the fact that they may not accept what you have said. When you wear the weight of everyone elses actions you cannot reach your full god given potential.

***Chris & Diego Gastardi talk about their restored relationship - AWESOME!

TheGiftRevolutionDotCom Week 3 Notes

BLESS - to be divinely or supremely favored or to be very fortunate; to be on the receiving end of god's blessing.

We all want to live the blessed life, but to receive god's blessings we have to have our hands open and have a connection with god. God has blessings in store for all of us, but many of us are unblessable because we aren't open to receiving those blessings.

Proverbs 4:23 - above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

People fill their life with "ing"s and miss God's blessings.
WorryING - instead of trusting that God will provide.
PretendING - putting on a mask and acting, but never letting it go to your heart.
HoardING - pulling the things that God has blessed you with towards you and holding onto them, not being a blessing to others.
WhinING - complaining about what we don't have instead of being thankful for what we do have and what others are blessed with.
The enemy will put things in your life to pull you away from the blessings God has for you, there are many "ing"s that can distract you and leave your heart unguarded - GUARD YOUR HEART from the enemy and his "ing"s

Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist
Blessed late in life with a baby after wanting one her entire life. She kept her focus and guarded her heart and allowed God to bless her.

BELEIVING - Do I Believe That God is For Me?
Luke 1:11-15 - Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.

Luke 1:23-25 - When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

She believed that God was for her. God is for you

Romans 8:31-32 - What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

No matter what you have done, no matter what anyone says, God is for you and he wants to bless your life more than you can imagine. God can use anyone, in the bible he used some people that had done terrible things, but he transformed their lives and used them to do great things. Your past should never hold you hostage from your future.

CELEBRATING - What Leaps Inside of Me When Someone Else is Blessed?
Luke 1:39-45 - At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

Elizabeth was excited, she celebrated Mary's blessing. Even though Mary was blessed so much bigger than she was, she was GENUINELY happy.

Some of us act happy for others when they are blessed but if we really examine our heart we are upset that we didn't get that blessing - in doing that we miss what we are blessed with. Jealousy will blind us to the blessings that God wants to give us. We feel sorry for ourselves when God is doing something in someone elses life and miss the blessings that are right in front of us.

Romans 12:15 - Rejoice with those who rejoice.

SHARING - Do I Share the Blessings I Already Have?
Luke 1:56 - Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Even though Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant she allowed Mary to come stay with her for 3 months, she shared her home during the most uncomfortable time in her pregnancy with Mary. She shared her blessings with someone else and God continued to bless her. Her son, John the Baptist, grew to be a great man, he even baptized Jesus himself.

When we take the blessings that God gives us and hold onto them our hands are closed to receiving even bigger blessings that God has in store for us.

God puts things in our lives so he can do great things through us, when we open our hands and hearts and share our blessings we allow him to bless us further.

Genesis 12:2 - I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

Illustration: Clay gave church member a dollar, then asked them to pass it on. They blessed someone else with that dollar and Clay gave him $20.

Matthew 25:23 - 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.

Teach the children to give now while they are young, humans are naturally born selfish and sinful. Parents have the responsibility to teach their children how to be generous and share their blessings so as they grow up they don't miss the blessings God has in store for them.

God wants to bless you, he wants to give you more than you can even imagine and he blesses you so that you can be a blessing to others. It is so much more fulfilling to receive Gods blessings and then pass them onto others than to just grab them up and keep them for ourselves. Believ that God is for you, that he loves you no matter what is in your past and that he wants to bless you. Celebrate with those around you that God has blessed. Be genuinely happy for them and recognize how fortunate and blessed you are for what God has given you. Your bggest blessings can be right in front of you, don't miss them. And when God blesses you, remember that you are blessed to be a blessing and share what God has done with others. If you remain open to God's blessings and allow them to flow through you God will continue to bless you in bigger and better ways. Be a river, not a dam.



Sunday night service moving to Saturday night.

25 Days to Inspire the World - Day 1

So I'm pretty pumped about this Gift Revolution, it has already turned global and reached thousands of people. I decided to do one Random Act of Kindness everyday, so this is day one.

I went to Wal-Mart today to do some grocery shopping, while I was getting baby formula (which is $25 for a can of powder that last 3 or 4 days) I slipped a few dollar bills under the lids of some formula with a TGR card, then I stuck some money in a box of diapers with a card. That was my gift revolution for the day :) But then..... I was standing in line to check out with a cart full of stuff, a hungry baby and 30 minutes away from picking Mason up from the bus stop. A man walked by trying to juggle a dozen roses and a few random items in his arms. I wasn't sure if he was checking out as he walked by, but then he got in line a few rows down behind like 4 other people. I ran over to him quickly and told him he could cut in front of me. So there you have it. Day one...done!