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“Cryptic” Jesus Clarifies Our Message [Patrick Morley]
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John 3:1-21, 20:30-31 I suspect we both would have liked Nicodemus. Jesus certainly did! Who do you really care about who, like Nicodemus, just can’t grasp or accept the whole “Jesus” thing? In this lesson we’re going to drill down on how we can simplify our mission with those people. Join Patrick MorleyJesus Unfiltered Session…
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“Scary” Jesus Disperses Crowd at Shopping Mall [Patrick Morley]
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John 2:12-17 EVERYTHING Jesus did then applies now. In today’s passage Jesus cracks a whip and clears out an emporium of merchants and bankers. They were just trying to help people get what they needed to make their offerings and sacrifices to God. So why the “scary” Jesus? What made him so upset? And how…
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Can We Believe in Miracles [Patrick Morley]
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The Big Idea: Miracles release faith, so boldly explain them—don’t explain them away. John 2:1-11 Many consider the miracles charming, antiquated myths. In fact, you yourself may find them somewhat embarrassing, or feel a need to explain them away. But without miracles—the virgin birth, the resurrection, walking on water, and turning water to wine—what’s left?…
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What Do You Want? [Patrick Morley]
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The Big Idea: I would rather die for a worthy cause than live for no reason. John 1:29-51, Philippians 1:29 Imagine bumping into the President of the United States (or Bono or Billy Graham) on the sidewalk. You start to follow him. Seeing your curiosity, he asks, “What do you want?” That’s exactly what happened…
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Who is Jesus Christ? [Patrick Morley]
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The Big Idea: The best person to answer questions about Jesus is Jesus. John 1:1-14, Colossians 1:15, 2:9, Hebrews 1:3, John 10:30, 14:6, 9 Jesus Christ is easily the most interesting, unique, revered, admired, worshiped, misunderstood, disrespected, ridiculed, and talked about man of all time. What we know about Jesus dwarfs what we know about…
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You Too Can Be Fired Up About Witnessing! [Patrick Morley]
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The Big Idea: My motivation for outreach: I am so staggered by the love of Jesus that I can’t keep it in and be happy. Acts 1:8, 8:1, Matthew 9:36, 18:14, Mark 10:21, Luke 13:34, Luke 19:41, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9, Lamentations 3:33, Ezekiel 33:11, John 11:25-27 Bill Bright, founder of Cru, often…
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Why Are Christians So Convinced Christianity Is Special? [Patrick Morley]
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The Big Idea: My motivation for outreach: I am so staggered by the love of Jesus that I can’t keep it in and be happy. Romans 5:8, Matthew 9:36, 18:14, Mark 10:21, Luke 13:34, Luke 19:41, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9, Lamentations 3:33, Ezekiel 33:11, John 11:25-27, 2 Corinthians 2:14-5:21 In every generation, the…
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Jesus Picks Unremarkable Men To Do Remarkable Things [Pat Morley]
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BIG IDEA: The more unremarkable I am the more God can get the glory when I do remarkable. Mark 3:13-19, Acts 4:1-13, 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5 Were you ever the kid who got picked last for a team, or didn’t get picked at all? Jesus did the exact opposite when he picked his core leadership team.…
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What We Learn About Leadership From Jesus [Patrick Morley]
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Mark 9:33-37, 10:35-45, Matthew 23:1-12, Luke 22:24-27 The Big Idea: Everything I need to know about leadership I can learn by staring at Jesus. Three things make it difficult to talk about leadership. First, the subject is so broad that we tend to talk in “glittering generalities” rather than get down to specifics. Second, many…
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Broken Wings, A Warming Hut, “I Care” [Patrick Morley]
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Big Idea: Men will decide if our Christianity is “real” based on how well we love them. John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:20-21, 1 Peter 5:6-10, 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, Galatians 6:1-5 When a man shows up for your small group, why did he do that? What do you think just happened? What is the problem he…
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Why Does The Bible Teach Us To Be Joyful In Suffering?
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1 Peter 4:12-19, Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Romans 8:18-23, Psalm 118:24, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Psalm 119:67-75, 2 Corinthians 11:23-30 Suffering is part of the deal. Fortunately, the Bible doesn’t try to pretend suffering doesn’t hurt or that it’s something good. But the Bible does teach us to be joyful when we’re suffering.…
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The Surefire Way To Be Known As a Man Of Integrity
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The Big Idea: Just do whatever love would do. Galatians 5:13-24, Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 7:12, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, John 14:26 You already know if integrity was merely about getting the right information, we’d all have slam dunked this long ago! So what’s the problem? Is God’s moral code just a bridge too far? More importantly,…
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Understanding Integrity From God’s Perspective
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Luke 16:10-12, Job 2:3-10, Galatians 5:16-17, Mark 12:13-14, Genesis 39:6-10 We all have hopes and dreams. But what if you’re unwittingly sabotaging those hopes and dreams? Wouldn’t you want to know what’s holding you back, and how to correct it? Join Patrick Morley as we learn more about how we can live as men of…
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What If God Told You Money Can Buy Happiness?
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Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, Luke 18:18-30, 19:1-10, 1 Samuel 16:7, 2 Corinthians 8:12, 9:6-11, Psalm 37:23-26 The Big Idea: Have you ever known a generous man who was not fundamentally happy with his lot in life? In this week’s lesson we’re going to explore the relationship between money and happiness. There is a connection, but it may…
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The Spiritual Physics of Money
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Matthew 6:19-34, Psalm 37:4, Proverbs 21:20, 13:4, 27:23-24, 1 Timothy 6:7-10, Ecclesiastes 5:10-11, Philippians 4:19 Can you explain money to a new Christian? For example, is it okay for a Christian to want to be rich? How does money threaten our relationship with Jesus, and how can we protect ourselves? Can we really trust God…
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Finding Your Ministry Niche
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BIG IDEA: When I am filled to the overflow I can’t wait to give it away. John 15:1-17, Philippians 2:13 What’s their secret? Why do some men leave such a big crater for Christ, while others bump along barely getting by? You may be surprised at that the answer! Join us as we learn where…
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God Has a “Personal” Ministry Just For You
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Big Idea: I will feel most alive when I’m doing the works God created me to do. Ephesians 2:4-10, Matthew 28:18-20, Galatians 2:10 Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Peter 4:9-11 We all know we are created to serve—to make a difference, right? But did you know that God actually has a “personal” ministry…
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How Can You Help Hurting Men Through Your Work?
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The Big Idea: How I do my work is my loudest voice. 2 Corinthians 5:11-20, 1 Peter 3:15-16, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, Jeremiah 29:7 When a man you know through work is hurting and all hope is lost, where can he turn? Will he turn to you? That’s what we all want, right? But how does…
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How Hard Should You Be Working?
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Big Idea: God calls us to be faithful,not successful. Colossians 3:23-24, Matthew 25:14-30 Work is a topic that doesn’t receive a lot Christian teaching. Which is ironic since most of us spend half our waking hours at work! Regrettably, most of us have had to cobble together our own “theology of work.” Perhaps that’s why…
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What Does God Want Me To Know About My Work?
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The Big Idea: I am an “ordained” ________. John 5:7, Psalm 8:3-6, Genesis 2:15, 3:17-19 As men, we love to work, and we love to spend ourselves in a worthy cause. But can these two ideas be combined? Can installing septic tanks or unclogging stopped up plumbing really make the world a better place? Can…
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Introducing the Spiritual Disciplines
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The Big Idea: Disciplines are how I release the power of God into my everyday life. James 4:8, Psalm 19, Romans 1:20, Psalm 8:3-4 A man said, “Do me a favor. Tell me how to be good. I already know how bad I am.” Spiritual strength, like surgical skill or athletic excellence, requires training and practice.…
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How Your Child Decides How Much You Care
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The Big Idea: Yes, I love you and no, you can’t have your own way. A teenager was overheard on his cellphone, “Mom, I know you don’t care, but my car won’t start and I need you to come pick me up. Please call me.” How do you think your child decides how much you care…
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Fathering the Heart Trounces Fathering for Performance
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The Big Idea: What’s going on in my child’s heart that’s making them behave this way? Every Christian father wants every child to love God and people, live clean, serve others, and grow in spiritual maturity. In other words, to become a disciple of Jesus. The problem? “Folly is bound up in the heart of…
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Some Wounds Are So Deep That Only a Friend Can Heal
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The Big Idea: We are made for relationships. You’ve fought a good fight. But you’re tired. The fatigue is messing with your mind. It has made you fragile, touchy, maybe irritable. As a result you’ve been withdrawing from your friends. Then, isolated from a community of brothers who genuinely care about you, your mind begins…
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68 Words That Guarantee Marriage Success [Pat Morley]
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The Big Idea: Father, I said till death do us part, I want to mean it. Help me to love you more than her and her more than anyone or anything else. Help me bring her into your presence today. Make us one like you are three in one. I want to hear her, cherish…
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The 5 Types of Men
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The Big Idea: Adam failed. Jesus Nailed. Grace Prevailed. The “four visions of the world” explained in our last lesson produce “five types of men.” Which one are you? Join us this week and learn the answer! We’ll delve into the chart Man in the Mirror uses around the world to explain these 5 types of…
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4 Contrasting World Visions
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The Big Idea: My belief system is perfectly designed to produce the results I’ve been getting. As we kick-off the Challenge 2 in The Journey to Biblical Manhood entitled, “The Gospel: Build a Firm Foundation in the Faith,” I thought a good place to start would be contrasting the four visions of the world we…
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The Skeleton Key to Biblical Manhood
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The Big Idea: A group, a Bible, and serving someone else will solve 90% of my problems. You love Jesus. Great. But if loving Jesus by itself was enough to achieve biblical manhood, you would’ve arrived a long time ago, right? So what’s really going on, and what can we do about it? The solution…
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What Is Biblical Manhood, and How Do We Get It?
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The Big Idea: I don’t just read my Bible. I let my Bible read me. Why do we need biblical manhood? Mick Jagger tells us why in the evergreen lyric, “I can’t get no satisfaction. I try, and I try, and I try, and I try. Can’t you see I’m on a losing streak. I…
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The Goal of Biblical Manhood
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The Big Idea: Your worst day with Jesus can be infinitely better than your best day without Him. Every day you get up, get dressed, go to work, come home, eat some dinner, watch a little TV, maybe read something, go to bed, then get up and do it all over again. Why? So one…
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What Separates a Successful Leader From One Who Fails?
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Big Idea: Successful leaders, they have no illusion about what it takes for people to adopt change. Why do some men just get a better result? We want to give God all glory and credit, of course. But the Holy Spirit usually does his best work when people know what they’re doing–whether that’s piloting a…
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Is America Ripe for Another Great Awakening?
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The Big Idea: Only God can send revival but we can hasten the day through humble repentant prayer. It gets pounded into our heads every day: “We are a divided nation.” Even if that’s not as true as some would have us believe, it does seem to dominate public discourse. Where is Christianity in all…
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What Getting a “Quick Win” Can Do For You
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The Big Idea: Nothing can turn doubters into allies faster than getting a quick win. You always knew this would be harder than it looked, right? And you always knew there would be surprises? But you were determined. And that has paid off. You identified and removed the bottleneck that was holding you back. Now…
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What Can You Do When the “Wow” Wears Off?
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The Big Idea: What one bottleneck, if removed, will most accelerate you toward your goal? A lot of people were genuinely enthusiastic when you first shared your vision. They, too, shared the ache of your burden. So they joined your movement, and you got started with a big bang. The early wins were intoxicating. But…
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3 Keys to Overcome Oppostion
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The Big Idea: Expect opposition.Trust God.Take responsibility. It was looking so good. Great vision. A dedicated team. An awesome plan. Enough resources to get started. A quick win (or two). Everyone had such high hopes. And then, it started: the resistance. Some came from genuinely concerned people. Of course, there were a few grumps who…
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Creating Early Momentum
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The Big Idea: Dream unbelievably big, but start believably small. It’s your burden. But you’ve been successful to find others who share not only your pain and burden, but also your vision. You’ve assembled the right team, the right plan, and the right resources. But you can’t rebuild the whole thing in one fell swoop.…
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Three Things You’ll Need to Get Started
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The Big Idea: Preparation without prayer is presumption. Likewise, prayer without preparation is presumption. You feel the weight of a heavy burden. Maybe it’s the nation. But it could be your marriage. Or your business. Maybe it’s you. Whatever’s troubling you, it’s just not working. Something has to change. It’s time to rebuild. Let’s say…
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1st Step: What Does God Want You to Do?
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The Big Idea: The first step to every great outcome is to imagine its possibility. The challenges you face look and feel overwhelming. You’re not sure what to do. Or if it would make any difference if you did. Or whether it’s even worth the effort. But if you DID know what to do, and…
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Manhood Demonstrated
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The Big Idea: We can pursue, protect, and produce because Jesus has pursued, protected, and produced for us. What does manhood look like in real life? How do you know if the way you are living your life will really make a difference in the end? The scripture shows us not only what a man…
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Manhood Defined
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The Big Idea: Where God has made you responsible, you need to move to make the unfruitful fruitful. Would you say that most men have a good understanding of what a real man is and how to become one? Do you? Many men today feel unfulfilled because they are pursuing a false version of manhood.…
