City Church Tulsa

Message from City Daily on February 26, 2024

THE CROWDS The Rich Fool 2-25-24 Luke 12: 13-21 13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

A daily devotional for the Lent journey on scripture, a liturgy, a poem, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and His peace.

THE CROWD Don’t Look Back 2.18.24 Luke 9:51 As his time drew near, Jesus resolutely set his face towards Jerusalem. The question for the crowd: Will they stay with Jesus and become His disciples or will they turn away and desert Him? 1. Curious 2. Outraged 3. Excited 4. Selfish The social psychology behind mob mentality: • Deindividuation – when people are a part of a group, they experience a loss of self-awareness • Identity – when people are part of a group, they can lose their sense of individual identity and adopt a group identity • Emotions – being a part of a group can lead to heightened emotional states: excitement, anger, hostility, etc. • Acceptability – behaviors that are often seen as unacceptable become acceptable when others in a group are seen carrying them out • Anonymity – people feel anonymous within a large group, which reduces their sense of responsibility and accountability Crowds have the power to make the timid brave, the good better or the bad devastating. - Greg Morse Lu

TEACH US TO PRAY Lead us Not Into Temptation Feb. 11th Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, power & glory forever & ever. Amen. Ephesians 6:11 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Satan laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray. -Samuel Chadwich (The Path of Prayer) Luke 4:1 1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness Scheme #1 Satan packages a good thing as a God thing Scheme #2 Satan tempts us to choose painless over the process We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us: we are wondering how painful the best will be. God always wants what is best for us, but often times his

TEACH US TO PRAY Forgive Us 2.4.24 There is nothing more transformative than loving your enemy and offering forgiveness to the undeserving. Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, power & glory forever & ever. Amen. And forgive us our trespasses. · Do we comprehend the gravity of our sin, our need for redemption, and God’s unconditional love towards us? As we forgive those who trespass against us. · Will we freely give the forgiveness to others that we have received in Christ? Matthew 18:23-35 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingd

Teach Us To Pray Daily Bread 1-28-24 Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, power & glory forever & ever. Amen "All of Jesus' teaching on prayer in the Gospels can be summarized with one word: ask." Paul Miller - A Praying Life 1. Asking challenges our need for control Exodus 16:11–18 11 And the LORD said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’”13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 1

TEACH US TO PRAY Our Father in heaven 1.14.24 Luke 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:5-9 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: Prayer is less ab

TEACH US TO PRAY Our Father in heaven 1.14.24 Luke 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:5-9 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: Prayer is less abo

RESET SUNDAY 1.7.24 RESET SUNDAY is a time to prayerfully enter the new year with expectation and intentionality. Two declarations as we enter this new year: We are expectant that God wants to do something new in us Isaiah 43:16-24 This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. 22 “Yet you have not called on me, Jacob, you have

Making Room for Joy Advent 2023 12.17.23 What you’re waiting FOR determines HOW you wait. When power is our objective, we will always respond in fear. Matthew 2:9-10 After they (Magi) had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. When the hope of Christ is our aim, we will always respond with joy and worship. For Matthew, joy is the appropriate response to the kingdom of God. What can we learn from the Magi? They came seeking the Messiah They held onto hope They responded with joy They acted in obedience They gave extravagantly How can I cultivate joy in this present moment? Philippians 4:4-9 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 An

Sunday, Dec. 10th Jim Moss Make Room for Peace (Luke 2:8-14) Ordinary True peace, biblical peace is disruptive peace We have become so accustomed to the idea of divine love and of God's coming at Christmas that we no longer feel the shiver of fear that God's coming should arouse in us. We are indifferent to the message, taking only the pleasant and agreeable out of it and forgetting the serious aspect, that the God of the world draws near to the people of our little earth and lays claim to us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one— the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts… C.S. Lewis I was dumbfounded. At the heart of the Christmas story in Matthew’s gospel is a baby who poses such a threat to the most powerful man around that he kills a whole village full of other babies in order to try to get rid of him. At the heart of the Christmas story in Luke, too, is a baby who, if only the Roman emperor knew it, will be the

Make Room for Hope 12.3.23 Isaiah 9:1-5 1Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— 2The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 3You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. Hope as we see in scripture is the confident expectation of coming good based on the person and promises of God, and it's strength is in HIS faithfulness to see it through to the end

Simplicity: Making Room in Our Hearts 11.26.23 "Spiritual disciplines facilitate a process that is out of one's control, but it does not have the capacity to determine an outcome. A gardener for example, does not actually grow plants. The gardener practices finely honed skills, such as cultivating soil, watering, feeding, weeding, pruning. But there is nothing the gardener can do to make the plants grow. However, if the gardener does not do what a gardener is supposed to do, the plants are not as likely to flourish. In fact, they may not grow at all. Gardening involves skills of receptivity. The skills are necessary but by themselves insufficient." -Martin Laird Simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle - Richard Foster 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap,

Streams In The Desert Hunger We lack trust “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 ““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:7-11 ESV We settle “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of t

STREAMS IN THE DESERT Slowing 11.12.23 Genesis 1:31-2:3 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. God establishes a creation rhythm for life. If creation is the INHALE then rest is the EXHALE. Exodus 5:17-18 17 Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.” Pharaoh’s system: System of restlessness and anxiety System of acquisition and pursuit of more System that abuses others for gain System that is never satisfied or content Yahweh’s system: System of wor