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Be munificent—not penurious.

Be big—not small.

Depend on His strength and supply—not your own.

Live with a “There’s always more where that came from” perspective.

Dream big.

Make a difference.

Do extraordinary things.

You’ve got the strength for it: “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4.13 NLT)

You’ve got the supply too: “God will generously provide all you need. You will have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” (2 Corinthians 9.8 NLT)

Be munificent.

http://made-new.com/

Every 60 seconds, a new minute.

Every 60 minutes, a new hour.

Every 24 hours, a new day.

Every 7 days, a new week.

Every 30 or so days, a new month.

Every 365 days, a new year.

Life constantly reminds us that there is more…

More life—there’s always more where that came from.

“The One sitting on the throne said, Look, I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21.5 NLT)

God renews, refreshes, restores. He gives. He provides.

He is our creator, our source, our supply.

Everything we have comes from Him.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…” (James 1.17 NIV)

We’re not meant to live stale lives.

There’s no reason to live small, to hoard, to keep.

“God is the one who provides…He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.” (2 Corinthians 9.10 NLT)

We’re meant to live big, generous lives—because in Him, there’s always more where that came from.

http://made-new.com/

The host of a party cares about their guests and wants the party to be a success.

The pizza delivery guy doesn’t care about the party; he only shows up to get paid.

He’s in a hurry. He’s not staying—he leaves as soon as you give him what he came for.

One of the requirements for church leaders is having the gift of hospitality.

“He must enjoy having guests in his home.” (Titus 1.8)

Church is kinda like a party…

The invitations have been sent out—people are invited.

A lot of planning and preparation is done before the party gets started.

There’s music, celebrating, and of course, food.

Yeah, church is like a party…

And there are hosts and there are pizza delivery guys.

Hosts and hostesses are there to serve, bless, encourage, and give.

Pizza delivery guys are only coming if there’s something in it for them—they come to get.

Be the host, not the pizza delivery guy.

“Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting is the way.” (Luke 6.38 MSG)

http://made-new.com/

I just read this in a book recently (Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki)…

“There are two kinds of people in the world: eaters and bakers.

Eaters want a bigger slice of an existing pie; bakers want to make a bigger pie.

Eaters think that if they win, you lose, and if you win, they lose.

Bakers think that everyone can win with a bigger pie.”

This reminds me of a Scripture:

“The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.”
(Proverbs 11.24 MSG)

Live big.

Give big.

Be a baker, not an eater.

http://made-new.com/

I know you’ve heard it before.

In fact, you’ve probably said it before.

It goes something like this: “I’m just lazy—that’s who I am.”

Or another version: “I’m just hot-tempered—it’s the Italian in me.”

You can fill in the blanks: “I’m just…” (blah, blah, blah).

There’s a significant problem with this line of reasoning…

It completely ignores the God who makes all things new.

When we say things like: “I’m just… / I’ll never… / I can’t… / I won’t… / I’m always going to be…” we deny God’s power to renew us.

Gotta remember:

“You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you.” (Colossians 3.10 NCV)

“Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!.” (2 Corinthians 5.17 NLT)

“Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.” (Ephesians 4.23 NLT)

So, we can’t say things like, “I’m just not the compassionate type.”

Nope. Busted!

Here’s what is true (and what we should be saying)…

I’m living the new life now.

I’m being made new.

I’m becoming like the One who made me.

I’m a new person—the old me is gone—the new me is here!

God’s Holy Spirit is renewing my thoughts and attitudes every day.

Challenge: no more “I’m just…” (blah, blah, blah) because that’s the old you.

It’s time to embrace the new you—the you that’s being made new.

http://made-new.com/

Our attitudes and thoughts shape our actions and reactions.

Jesus was just traveling though Samaria, on his way to Jerusalem—and the people of Samaria rejected him.

When James and John (his disciples) saw what was happening, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

Jesus rebuked them, saying, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” (Luke 9.54-56 NKJV)

The disciples were bent on revenge, judgement and destruction.

They even had a Bible verse to support their idea… biblical precedence—Elijah did it, we should do it too.

Jesus, on the other hand, was bent on grace, mercy and salvation.

He hadn’t come to destroy—but to save.

Jesus was basically telling his disciples: “You guys need to renew your mind and attitude! You might know your Bible but you’re mean and vengeful. It’s time for you to be motivated by what motivates me—I came to save people because I love them. I want you to be bent towards compassion, not judgment.”

I think it’s interesting how the disciples had a Bible verse and were using it to reinforce their wrong bent—their wrong attitude, thought, heart, and response.

It makes me wonder how many times I’ve attempted to use the Bible to reinforce my bent.

Having a good Bible verse to reinforce my position (or my bent) isn’t what I need…

I need Jesus to make me new—to give me a new heart, a new attitude and a new mind.

I need Him to make me bent like He is.

“You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God.
?God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So you should aways clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. Even more than all this, clothe yourself in love.” (Colossians 3.10, 12-14 NCV)

http://made-new.com/

“Sasquatch, Godzilla, King Kong, Loch Ness, Goblin, Ghoul, a Zombie with no conscience…

Question—what do all these things have in common?” (lyrics from the song Monster by Kanye West)

Yeah, monsters are scary.

They cause physical harm and produce fear by their actions and appearance.

Our word “monster” comes from the Latin, monstrum—an aberrant occurrence, usually biological, taken as a sign that something is wrong within the natural order.

God’s plan for his people and his church does not include us being monsters.

“A body isn’t just a single part blow up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.” (1 Corinthians 12.14 MSG)

“No matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster.” (1 Corinthians 12.19 MSG)

When Christians decide to live solo, separated from the body—the church, they become severed body parts.

When Christians live to serve and satisfy only themselves, they become a single part blown up into something huge… a monster.

Our strength and significance comes from our place within the body.

“The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part. You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this.”

“Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything.”

“No part is important on its own.”

“I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less.”

“I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self importance.”
(1 Corinthians 12—select verses, MSG)

When we become Christians, God adds us to the church—his body.

In this body, we are becoming something new together…

A new family.

http://made-new.com/

You belong.

You fit in here.

You’re noticed, valued, wanted, and needed.

We’re in this together—we are family.

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by brining us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1.5 NLT)

“You… are no longer strangers… You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.” (Ephesians 2.0 NLT)

Maybe your family experience hasn’t been the greatest.

Perhaps you’ve often felt like you didn’t fit in or belong.

God doesn’t want to simply bandage or fix up your sense of belonging…

It is being made new!

In this new family, there is security, strength, and confidence.

Here, you will find significance.

Here, you belong.

http://made-new.com/

So you’re a butterfly now…

Ya got all that butter-fly-ness going on.

You’ve been made new—the old you is gone and the new you is vibrant and has wings.

The Bible says, “If anyone belongs to Christ, they are a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new!” (2 Corinthians 5.17 NCV)

You’re no longer a caterpillar.

You’re a new creation.

Some practical points about butter-fly-ness…

1. Your butter-fly-ness comes from God. It’s his work, his gift to you. You got nothing to be proud of or to brag about… except in God who made you new.

2. Butterflies come in different shapes, sizes and colors. Don’t assume because someone doesn’t look, sound, talk, or act like you that they’re a caterpillar. Appreciate and honor the beautiful diversity present in God’s kingdom.

3. Never forget where you came from. You used to be a caterpillar. Heck, you used to be a pupa. If not for God’s grace, you still would be a pupa.

4. Rather than seeing caterpillars as pests, we must see them as future butterflies. They might destroy a few plants but they don’t destroy butterflies—so quit worrying about their current state of caterpillar-ness.

5. Encourage caterpillars who are cocooning. There’s no reason to be dogging-on, criticizing or complaining about those who are works-in-progress. Be gracious, patient and kind. Speak positively about them and to them.

6. Speaking of cocoons—the church is a cocoon factory, not a butterfly exhibit. It is impossible to be “too good” to hang out with certain people (think about Jesus—he was perfect and he was known as “a friend of sinners”). How we welcome caterpillars and how we treat those who are cocooning is the real test of our butter-fly-ness.

7. We’re not a butterfly gang. Our group isn’t exclusive—we don’t exclude butterflies because of their characteristics, we include them. We’re a butterfly family—a growing family, a family that can’t stop adopting.

http://made-new.com/

Going into the cocoon, they were caterpillars…

Coming out of the cocoon, they are butterflies.

The caterpillar goes into a cocoon in order to end its caterpillar-ness.

It doesn’t emerge from the cocoon as a slightly improved caterpillar or a much better caterpillar.

It is something new—not a caterpillar, but a butterfly.

Caterpillar are considered pests.

I remember helping my dad cut caterpillar nests down from our trees and burn them in a fire pit.

I don’t recall ever trapping and burning butterflies.

In fact, as a kid I had the impression that seeing a butterfly was something notable, special, rare.

Did you know that Jesus didn’t come to make people better?

He didn’t.

Jesus didn’t come to make people better—he came to make people new.

When someone gets baptized in water, they are identifying with Jesus’ death (he went into the grave / we go down into the water).

Jesus didn’t stay in the grave. He rose again. He is alive!

The person being baptized doesn’t stay in the water…

When they get lifted back up out of the water, they are identifying with Jesus’ resurrection.

Baptism symbolizes death to the old self and a brand-new life in Jesus Christ.

Kinda reminds me of the caterpillar—ending it’s caterpillar-ness by going into the cocoon, being made new—and emerging as a new creation: a butterfly.

Self-improvement isn’t the goal.

Getting better and being better isn’t the objective.

“The important thing is being the new people God has made.” (Galatians 6.15 NCV)

Jesus didn’t come to make you better—he came to make you new.

Perhaps it’s time for you to let go of your old caterpillar-ness and be made new.

http://made-new.com/