
Lord of Leveling Up
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. —Philippians 1:6
BIG IDEA: God loves me just as I am… AND too much to leave me there
7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” —John 8:7–11
FYI: “Sin” = disobedience towards God and selfishness toward others that destroys me and those around me.
Check out this level-up language from the New Testament…
“1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. —John 15:1–2
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. —2 Corinthians 3:17–18
God changes Our HEAD, Our HEART, and Our HANDS
HEAD – knowledge, wisdom, understanding, beliefs, worldview
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. —Romans 12:2
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. —Colossians 3:9–10
HEART – desires, values, emotions
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. —Ezekiel 36:26–27
and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. —Acts 5:40–41
“27 But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” —Luke 6:27–28
HANDS – words, deeds, effects
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. —Psalm 63:4
10a Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…—Ecclesiastes 9:10a
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. —Colossians 3:17
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. —Ephesians 2:8–10
Level-up your life by leveling up your HABITS! Set aside 15 minutes a day to read the Bible passage, answer the prompt questions, and pray for God’s help with working it into your life.
Question 1: What does this Bible passage tell me about God?
Question 2: What does it tell me about people?
Question 3: What practical change can I make to apply this to my life?
Monday: 2 Corinthians 3:17–18
Tuesday: Hebrews 12:5-11
Wednesday: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (HINT: Head)
Thursday: Psalm 37:3-8 (HINT: Heart)
Friday: James 1:22-25 (HINT: Hands)
One Missoula Church gives back to God through sacraficial giving that we use to help others discover and strengthen a relationship with Jesus Christ. We’ve removed every barrier and inconvenience to make this sacrificial act as accessible and simple as possible. At present, here are the avenues avialable to us:
- Sunday Morning - offering boxes on the communion tables at theback
- Snail Mail - postage-paid envelope included in the handout
- Text “1MSO” to 888-364-4483
- Online at https://onemissoulachurch.com/give
- Via the One Missoula App under the “Giving” tab