If you want to love more, experience deeper and
more fulfilling love, and you want to do less,
I mean simplify your life, stay tuned. Because
today we're going to talk about three essentials
that you must do to make that happen. Thanks
for listening to this edition of Living on the
Edge with Chip Ingram. We are an international
teaching and discipleship ministry that motivates
Christians to live like Christians. Today, we're
wrapping up our series, Spiritual Simplicity,
with what might be the most challenging message
in this entire study. Chip's going to walk through
God's simple method for us to not only build
meaningful relationships, but keep them too.
But before he dives in, if you haven't already,
subscribe to our daily podcasts. With a few simple
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on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen
to podcasts. Well, with all that said, here's
Chip with the conclusion of his message, The
Love Train. Get on board. The ultimate test of
success and the ultimate test of spiritual maturity,
of becoming what he commanded, make disciples,
is that I love God more deeply and authentically
each day, and I love others more sincerely and
more practically in ways they can understand.
And the Apostle Paul, again, then takes what
Jesus said, that very simple thing, and then
in Romans chapter 12, he says, let me show you
what it looks like to love God, verses 1 and
2. Let me show you what it looks like to love
others as yourself. Verses 3 to the end of the
chapter. It's what the love of God produces in
relationship. And so the profile of a disciple
is verse 1 of chapter 12 of Romans. You're surrendered
to God. Verse 2 is this. We are not conformed
to this world, so we step away. And we're transformed
by the renewing of our mind that our actual lifestyle
would prove or demonstrate what God's will is.
Verse 3 is we get a sober self -assessment. We
don't think too highly of ourself or they're
too low. We think of ourselves accurately, clearly.
Our role in the body, verse 4 and 5. Our gifts
operational, verses 6 through 8. Then verses
9 through 13. We're surrendered to God, yes.
We're separate from the world's values. We're
sober in self -assessment. And then in verses
9 through 13, we're serving in love. We're actually
doing life with each other. We don't come to
an event called church or even to a small group.
We let love be without hypocrisy. We abhor what
is evil. We cling to what is good. We're devoted
to each other with brotherly love. We give preference
to each other in honor. We lay our lives out
for one another. We love each other in such a
way that people outside can't understand. It's
not an organization. It's a living organism of
people connected to God and connected to each
other who serve each other. And then verse 14
to 21, we're supernaturally responding to evil
with good. So when our enemies, need food, we
feed them. And when they want to drink, we give
them something to drink. And when we're harmed,
we don't take our own revenge, but we overcome
evil with good. So do you get it? It's real simple.
Spiritual simplicity, love God, love others.
What's spiritual simplicity look like? An R12
Christian. Well, how do you practice that? I
mean, how do you operationalize becoming an R12
Christian that's surrendered to God and separate
from the world's values and has a sober self
-assessment and is serving in love and supernaturally
responding to evil with good? What practices
actually have to happen? Because an R12 Christian
is what you are to be. The three practices are
what you are to do in dependency and faith so
God gives you the grace to become. what he wants
you to become. And we use the acronym BIO because
it's about life. It's not about religion. It's
not about duty. And so our goal, you will never
become an R12 Christian, nor will I, unless on
a daily basis, you are in God's word, surrendered
to him. What it means to be surrendered is on
a certain day, at a certain time, you say, God,
I'm all in. But it's not just a decision. Then
you say, that means whatever you say in your
word about anything, I will obey it. I'm going
to obey it when it looks like a great deal. I'm
going to obey it when I'm thinking, oh God, surely
I don't want to do this. But by faith, I'm going
to believe that if you say it in your word, I
guess handling my money this way will keep me
out of debt. Well, I guess doing relationships
this way. will not only stop sexually transmitted
diseases, but I'll probably stay married to the
same person for a long time. I guess if raising
my kids this way, it'll create it. But you say,
that's hard. No, no, no, it's not hard. It's
impossible. I can't do this. You can't do this.
But the word of God, as you talk with God in
the context of God, people gives you grace. Grace
is the want to. and the will to, and the power
to do God's will. And so we're asking and trying
to create ways where you can be before God. And
I don't mean just having a devotional life. I
mean, be before God daily. You experience his
presence. You talk with him in the car. You utter
quick prayers before meetings. You're mad and
you're angry. Oh God, will you help me with this?
It's this living reality. You don't live for
yourself. You're living with him and for him.
And then you're before him. regularly on a weekend
where you worship and have instruction and say,
God, I want to join with the family. And so that's
a practice. It's a discipline. The second is
to live in community. And to be in community
is not joining a small group. You need to be
in a small group, but community is when the real
you meets real needs for the right reason in
the right way. It's when you take off your mask
and I take off my mask. It's when you have a
need or someone has a need. And you spend some
money you don't have or you give some time that
you don't have to really help someone. And then
God goes, and you experience his grace. And the
O for life of bio is you're on mission. You're
on mission at 24 -hour fitness. You're on mission
at the job. You're on mission when you're just
walking in the neighborhood. You're on mission
when you're at Home Depot. You're on mission
when you're at Target. You're on mission when
there's a crisis in your house. You are on mission
asking the Spirit of God to give you the wisdom
to know what it looks like to serve and to reach
out and to be a minister of reconciliation as
an ambassador from heaven. Now, does this make
sense? This is not, you know, rocket science.
This is not overly difficult. This is the game
plan that's aligned in Scripture for you to be
on the love train. Now, there's some processes
that I've observed over the years. I don't have
a verse for these, and so you can weigh these.
But there's three things I've seen over the years
that ignites life change. The first one is, and
I've got a lot of demographics and a lot of actual
content on this one. We began to teach Romans
12 .1 and the R12 series about four or five years
ago on the radio. And by far, 85 % of all the
feedback, thousands and thousands of emails,
people, I've been a Christian 10 years, five
years, seven years, three years. And I don't
know what happened. I've never heard about surrender.
I prayed today to be all in. And then the testimony
goes on and they start talking about radical
life change. restoration of marriages, alignment
with God's will, restoration of finances. In
other words, the action doesn't really happen
until you, on a certain day, at a certain time,
come to the actual reality that there is a ladder
or something you're dependent on that is not
the lordship of Jesus Christ, and you get down
and you surrender. When that happens, things
begin to occur in people's lives. Radical things
occur. Now, you'll notice, I'm gonna connect
the phobia with it, is did you notice, the reason
people don't do that is fear of the future. Okay,
let's just get this all out in one good session
together. The reason people don't go all in is
I'm afraid if I go all in, I won't get married.
I'm afraid if I go all in, I got some money now
and I may not have some money. Because, The issue
is control. The issue is I have to be in control
because I know what outcomes are best for me.
And this all -knowing, all -powerful God that
died on a cross, was risen from the dead, and
loves me, I mean, what's he know? See, it's not
logical, is it? But I mean, I would just tell
you, the Pew research, the Gallup research, and
the Barna research that we instituted, the last
one. Nine out of 10 Christians in America are
not all in. If you're not all in, there's no
power. It's just like, yeah, you know, I can
be in. There's no flow. You're not compelled
by the love of Christ. You're not living for
him. You're living for you. You know, I've been
there, done that. It doesn't work. But it's the
fear of the future. Until you can say, that's
why Psalm 84 11 is like this verse that I just
harp on all the time. It says, the Lord God is
a sun and a shield. The Lord gives grace and
glory. No good thing will he withhold from those
who walk uprightly. That was for me. Okay, I'm
going to get the best by surrendering. Have you
done that? See, you can read the Bible a little
bit and be involved in it. You can do all kinds
of things to avoid that. You will never experience
the power of God. The second process is in this
area of In community. And it's the fear of rejection.
I've watched this happen. I've been in small
groups where nothing happens. I've been in small
groups where we talk about the Bible a little
bit. Everyone stays sort of superficial. Then
you eat a little bit. And it's okay. And it's
social. And it's nice. And you learn a little
bit. It's not the will of God. But here's what
happens. Every small group that becomes authentic
community, someone has some courage. And maybe
you divide up in groups sometimes, and it's the
men over here and the women over here, or maybe
it's together, and someone does something like
this. I feel a little bit safer here, and I've
not shared this ugly part of me before, and it's
vulnerability. And they share something that's
really real, that if they get shut down, they'll
probably put it back and may never take it out
again. But at some point in time, there's this
step of faith. The first you surrender your will.
Here, you surrender your image. And you let people
see who you really are. And this step of vulnerability.
And then I've watched it happen hundreds of times.
And what they assume would be met with rejection
is met with people that look and say, wow, you
struggle with that too? Yeah. And you just watch
the group change. So the igniting event is when
you share and you take that step where you're
in, but then you step up. But the fear is rejection.
As long as you never want to be rejected, just
go on record and know you'll also never be loved.
Never be loved. Because all you're doing and
all I, and we all do, we have all these defense
mechanisms. I always put forth what I want people
to think I am. And if they love that, that's
great, I guess. Except it's not me. Because I
got some good stuff, but I got some bad stuff.
I got some ugly stuff. I got some motives I don't
like. I have some really bad days. I have some
issues I'm wrestling with. When I can put those
out there and a group of people looks me in the
eye and loves me, I experience the love of Christ
and healing takes place. Healing takes place.
Confess your sins to one another that you might
be healed, James says. And then finally, in terms
of the third igniting process, and this is like
yesterday to me, I'll never forget, I was a Christian
about two and a half years, I'll never forget
the first person I ever led to Christ. I did
it very poorly. I said it very slowly. And at
the end, the guy says, can I receive Christ right
now? I mean, where's Billy Graham when you need
him? Yeah? Well, how do I do it? Let's pray together.
Oh, God, what do I do? What do I do? What do
I do? What do I do? And I prayed a very bad prayer
for him to pray that he prayed, and it was real,
and that guy's life changed. Here's the deal.
When you risk failure, and you step out with
your gifts, and you step out and serve, And supernaturally,
you become the conduit of the grace of God in
you and then through you. And maybe they come
to Christ, or maybe their marriage turns around,
or maybe they were super depressed. Whatever
it is, you actually realize it was like electricity
going through your body. Ooh, this is God. This
isn't me. It went out. It did something. When
that happens, it's wonderfully addicting. And
you'll take risks like never before. About 7
out of 10 Christians in America have never led
anyone to Christ. In most churches, 80 % of the
people are watching 20 % of the people work very
hard to make an organization move forward. You're
listening to Living on the Edge. Before we continue
today's program, let me ask you, are you in a
small group? Well, if so, are you looking for
a new study to do together this year? Join us
after Chip's message to learn more about our
library of study guides which are sure to help
you and your group grow in your faith. You won't
want to miss it. Well, with that, let's rejoin
Chip for the remainder of his message. As you
turn to the back page, I just have a little application
thought that I think will be very helpful for
us. It says, a call to all. Would you just write
the word an invitation to all? Here's, I just,
there's times it doesn't happen. Maybe sometimes
at the end of a series or sometimes when I'm...
praying, I would just tell you, I just, if I
could humanly figure out how to sit across from
every person in this room over a cup of coffee
and hear about an hour of your spiritual journey
and what's going on and what are the barriers,
I would just plead with you about getting before
God and getting in community and getting on mission
and facing those fears. And I would just want
to say, you know something, I've so struggled
with all of that. And I've been a pastor for
25, 28 years. And every time I watch people take
that step of faith through those things, amazing
things happen. And they're not easy, but amazing
things happen. And here's the invitation. What
you need to hear is you and I will constantly
be looking for love in all the wrong places unless
you hear Jesus say today and respond, hey, come
to me. All of you that are heavy laden, that's
old words for stressed out and overcommitted,
and I will give you rest. And then it goes on
to say, take my yoke upon you. It was a picture
of, you know, the two oxen and a yoke connects
them. And where this one goes, this one goes.
It's really a different way to say surrender.
Do life my way. Decide and pre -decide that whatever
this book says about how to do relationships
or decisions, that's how you're going to do it.
for I'm meek and lowly in heart. In other words,
I'm not pushy. I've got your best, and you'll
find rest for your souls. See, the picture that
we, last week, about experiencing and exporting
God's love, it really was, there's like, we're
all in different places. Some of you are here
today, and you know, you just, like me and everybody
else, you've tried different ways to make yourself,
I am somebody now. I am significant. Look at
me. Look what I own. Look how I dress. Look what
I've done. Look where my kids go to college.
Look how pretty I am. Look at my muscles. And
those things, at some point in time, you just
realize, you know something? What I need is beloved
for me, not for how I look, not for what I've
done. And in a moment of time, you actually,
you stop and you just say, Lord, I'm tired of
trying to, I surrender. And I am afraid. And
as you contemplate that, for some especially,
you realize, you know, I can't do that because
I know I'm living with this person, or I know
that I can't keep this activity, or I know that
the outrageous temper that I have behind closed
doors, or I know that my lack of... And God says,
okay, well, step away from the things and the
people and the media that pull you away from
me and step into the light. So he says, step
down, then step away. And he says, now renew
your mind. You got to get in your head and your
heart. You are what you eat. You are what you
think. And then since it's impossible to do by
yourself, he says, I want you to find a group
of people, you know, might be a group of guys,
might be a group of couples, might be a group
of women, and just do life. Don't have a Bible
study. And at some point in time, at the right
time, maybe in the group or maybe just one or
two that you really trust, share a part of you
that you're convinced if anyone ever knew it,
they would reject it. And watch where the love
of God will get manifested in a way where you
can say, you know, I wish I was making more at
my job and I wish our marriages, you know, was
a nine or a 10 instead of a six and a half. But
I'm on a journey. My kids aren't perfect and
I got struggles, but God loves me. And I'm learning
how to love other people. And I don't think anybody
has it together. And out of that, you step up
and you begin to let people see who you really
are. And what's amazing is it's the most beautiful,
dynamic, wonderful person because that's who
God made. You don't need to look like anyone
else. You don't need to have this or have that.
If God gives you stuff, great, you're a steward.
and then you step out, and you say, you know
something? I've got to get my focus off me. I
don't want to live for me. I want to be on mission,
and I want to discover what God made me to do.
He's got a plan for you. You know, most everyone
in this room, you're exactly where you're at
today because there was some series of decisions
that you made. You made a decision to go to this
school, and you made a decision to have kids,
or to marry someone, or not to marry someone.
made a decision to get up and come here. There's
more to life than making decisions, but every
pivotal moment begins with a decision. And I
would just wonder, and I know I can't do it,
but I so want you to have it. I wonder what would
happen if every person in the room that knew,
today I need to step down and surrender. If today
you did it. And for others, you said, I need
to step away. You know, I'm going to break up
with that girl or break up with that guy or I'm
going to get help with that addiction. And for
others, you stepped in. And maybe it's a ministry
team or a small group or maybe you're in one
and you step up. And for others, you realize,
man, I'm pretty mature and I'm soaking and sitting.
I need to get my gifts in the game. As we close
today's program, I want to speak very privately
and directly to you. If you're going to experience
God's love like we've talked about for the last
couple weeks, it means that you need to be before
God on a regular basis. You need to be in community
with other people with deep, authentic relationships,
and it requires that you're on mission. You're
using the gifts and the resource God's given
you to share and to care for others. And so at
the very end of this message with the people
in the room, I gave them a very specific opportunity
to make a decision to take the next step. And
I gave them three specific things depending on
where they were at in their life. And I want
to reiterate those for you right now. Do you
need to surrender? Do you need to just surrender
your fear of the future, your fear of what God
may do and say to God, I'm all in. Okay, God,
I'm all in. Whatever that may mean with my future,
my finances, my girlfriend, my boyfriend, my
lifestyle, my job, I trust you and I fear you
more than I fear what might happen. That is such
a pivotal moment. If you've never done it, tell
him right now, God, I surrender all that I am,
all that I have to you. If you're one of those
people, secondly, who you say, you know, I have
surrendered, but I, I'm not connected. I'm not
in community. I fear rejection. I'm kind of a
lone ranger. You know, I read my Bible. I do
my thing, or maybe I even go to a small group,
but no one knows my heart. No one knows what's
really going on inside. You have to overcome
your fear of rejection and take a step into community
and be vulnerable. And with at least one person
this week, get real, get open. I am struggling
with, and just risk it. And be wise with who
you risk it with. But take a step to let people
see where you're at, where you hurt, where you
struggle. We all do. And when the Spirit of God
allows you to experience acceptance through the
body of Christ, you'll find there's a love waiting
for you that you didn't know was possible. And
then third, for some of you, you need to serve.
I mean, the fact of the matter is, is that you
are surrendered, that you're in community. You're
basically, you come to church or you go to a
small group, but you don't see yourself as every
time you walk out the door, you're on mission
in your neighborhood. You're on mission where
you go to work. You're on mission in your church.
I challenge you, if you're not using your gifts
to serve others, to just ask God today. Where
do you want me to serve? And just volunteer.
It doesn't have to be the long -term solution,
but you need to act. Volunteer and say, you know,
go to your pastor. Where do you need some help?
Go to a Sunday school teacher. Where do you need
some help? Go to the junior high, the children,
the high school, the maintenance. I mean, go
to your local school. Go somewhere and just ask
the question, how could I serve and love people?
And I will tell you, God will show you where
to fit in. Our prayer is that you would get before
God, be in community, and get on mission in such
a way that as you love more, you'll do less,
and that the Lord will fill your heart with himself
and then overflow through you himself to others.
That's what it means to live the simple life.
Thanks for that encouragement, Chip. And if you're
eager to do a deeper study of that acronym Chip
mentioned, let me encourage you to listen to
our series titled, bio. It's an incredible opportunity
to unpack these three practices and discover
how to become more like Jesus. Check out our
bio series today by visiting the special offers
page on the Chip Ingram app or at livingontheedge
.org. Well, Chip's still with me in studio now.
And Chip, you know, over the past few weeks,
we've really stressed why community is so vital,
both for changing lives and helping us all grow
spiritually, which is why we've created a library
of small group resources. If you would take a
minute and highlight a few that our listeners
should get their hands on. Well, Dave, we all
have special times in our life where there's
either crisis or we know we need to improve our
parenting, our marriage, or there's some emotional
issues. And as people go through, there's plenty
of small group resources like that. But what
I think is missing is what historically has been
called a catechism. A catechism is a well -ordered
process of truth by which you go through it systematically
and intentionally. in order to become more and
more like Jesus and to fulfill more and more
what Jesus has called us to do. And so if you
follow Jesus' life, his actual chronological
life, the first thing is he defined what a disciple
is. And so the very first study I encourage people
to do is true spirituality, becoming a Romans
12 Christian. It'll let them know this is what
it means to be a follower of Jesus. The second
thing Jesus did is he took them through various
experiences to reveal who God was like. What
is God really like? And so our second study,
it's called The Real God. And in that, we study
the attributes of God and how to get them from
your head into your heart. The third thing that
Jesus did is he helped them understand How does
life change really occur? How do you put it into
practice? We have a study from Ephesians chapter
4 called Transformed, The Miracle of Life Change.
And then the fourth one I'll give you, because
I don't want to lay it all out, is that when
you take these kind of steps, all hell breaks
loose. I don't mean that as a cuss word. What
I mean is it's challenging. It's difficult. There's
spiritual warfare. And that's our study from
Ephesians chapter six. It's called the invisible
war. What every believer needs to know about
Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare. So let
me encourage you, unless there's a critical need,
a high felt need, consider studying in order
the catechism, the way Jesus taught his disciples.
Well, to learn more about the studies Chip mentioned
or any of our other small groups, go to livingontheedge
.org or call 888 -333 -6003. And let me tell
you, these materials are so easy to use. Chip
provides the teaching. Then you'll have time
to discuss what you've heard alongside our helpful
study guides. So if you're not in a small group
yet or are looking for something new to study,
check out our resources. And for a limited time,
we've discounted all of our small group tools.
Visit livingontheedge .org or call 888 -333 -6003
to learn more. App listeners tap special offers.
As we close, I want to thank each of you who
makes this program possible through your generous
giving. 100 % of your gifts go directly to the
ministry to help Christians live like Christians.
Now, if you found this teaching helpful but aren't
yet on the team, consider doing that today. Sending
a gift is easy. Go to livingontheedge .org or
call 888 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003. Or
visit livingontheedge .org. App listeners, tap
Donate. And let me thank you in advance for doing
whatever God leads you to do. Well, thanks for
listening to this edition of Living on the Edge
with Chip Ingram. I'm Dave Drewy, and I hope
you'll join us again next time.