Do you realize that the eternal God of the universe has an agenda for your life? Many of us may already know that God has a “master plan” for the world, but often we struggle to discern how our unique purpose fits into His greater plan.

To give us some clarity, I’d like to invite you to go back to the beginning of creation and then to the first century where we’ll discover what God’s agenda has been all along for all people.

It all started when God created humankind in His image and ignited the greatest love story ever.  When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sin and its consequences entered the world, God had grace for them.

At that very moment, God began an unstoppable wave of grace – one of reconciliation, redemption and atonement. He clothed Adam and Eve who were still in their guilt and shame and set them outside of the garden because He didn’t want them to eat from the Tree of Life and stay in their sinful state forever.

God’s “tsunami wave” of grace continued with Christ, who paid for the sins of all people, once and for all. The next wave followed as the Holy Spirit came to live inside of all believers, empowering them to carry out His grace to everyone on Earth.

In the book of Acts, chapter one, we begin to see this wave beginning to build. Before His ascension to heaven, the risen Christ instructed His apostles: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

From this passage, we can more clearly see God’s agenda: First, that his apostles would finish what Jesus began to do and teach on Earth. Second, the apostles’ focus would be a global agenda, not a national or political one. And third, the assurance of their success wouldn’t depend on their strength, but on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the certainty of Jesus’ return.

But God’s agenda wasn’t just for the apostles in the first century. It is also for us today in the 21^st century. Each of us is called to build up and carry out God’s unstoppable wave of grace by being a witness of Christ.

So how do we accomplish this calling? Here are four guidelines to help us follow God’s agenda:

1. Be confident in Jesus’ presence and purpose. Most of us have a self-image problem. Often we say, “I can’t do that!” or “I’m inadequate.” But, like the apostles, we need to have confidence in the person and purpose of Christ.
2. Be clear on your calling. Every believer is called to be a fulltime missionary, bearing witness to Jesus’ supernatural life – even if it’s in our own neighborhood or workplace. Our agenda, like that of the apostles, is global. We’re to live a life that reflects love and holiness so that others can see Christ in us.
3. Be dependent on the Holy Spirit. The best way to stay connected to God is through prayer. When we cultivate a lifestyle of prayer we will more clearly see His promises and plan for our lives.
4. Be obedient. There are times when God speaks very clearly about something, but there is a tendency for us to put off doing what He wants us to do especially if it requires personal discomfort. Don’t put it off! Just take the next, first step. God will give you the grace and strength you need.

This week, we are beginning a new series called Unstoppable. This series is draws from the book of Acts and will help you recognize how God’s plan unfolds in your lives and in the world around you, as well as how to avoid the “grace stoppers” that can destroy God’s work in your life. It’s my prayer that through this series each of us will discover our specific calling and be motivated to take steps of faith, both large and small, to change our world.

Keep Pressin’ Ahead,

Chip Ingram
Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge

Have you ever gone through a difficult period in your life when all hope seemed lost and you just wanted to give up? Maybe it was when you went through a divorce, lost your job, or buried a family member. Or perhaps you’re going through something like this right now and you’re desperately wondering, “Where is God in all of this?”

When life gives us trials that seem too difficult bear, it’s easy to want to give up and to believe the reason we’re suffering is because God is punishing us or that He doesn’t really love us. But God wants us to know the truth about adversity and how we’re supposed to deal with it.

Here’s what God says about adversity:

• It’s normal – In fact, we shouldn’t be surprised when we’re faced with adversity. Jesus said clearly: “In the world you will have tribulation.” (John 16:33)
• It’s purposeful – God sometimes allows adversity in our lives so that we will grow. In Romans The Apostle Paul writes: “And we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Rom. 5:5) When we’re going through a tough time, it can be helpful to ask God what He wants to grow or develop in us through our pain.
• It’s powerful — God wants transform our lives through adversity by confirming, strengthening and establishing us. He promises to help get us through anything. His Word says that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. (Phil 4:13)
• It’s temporary – As Christians, we need to live in the now, in light of the forever. When we have an eternal perspective we can have joy in the midst of adversity.

Now, some of you might be thinking, “This all sounds well and good, but what I’m going through is too difficult! I’ve reached my limit!” But before you give up, here’s the good news:

First, you were never meant to face adversity alone. We need God’s help. And God promises that when we cry out to Him, He is faithful to help us. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Second, God promises that when we choose to trust Him and to keep pressing on we will experience a great reward, both in this life and in eternity. In the book of Hebrews, the writer addresses a group of people who are experiencing a lot of pain and adversity. His encouraging message to them – and to us – is this: “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Heb. 10:35-36)

Part of our reward in going through adversity is that we will build endurance, strength and character.  The other part is that as we learn to trust God’s character and His Word, in all things and for all things, we can develop an intimacy with Him like never before.

Through adversity, God wants to wean us from our pride and self-dependency, usher us into deeper intimacy with Jesus and redirect our paths to insure our greatest good and His greatest glory. And He does all this as we learn to trust Him.

This week, we’re starting the new series Keep Pressing Ahead. In it, we will explore in depth how to face adversity, overcome personal attacks, what to do when we’re faced with life’s most difficult circumstances and discouragement, and how to face our personal failures. During our time together, my prayer is that as we learn how to successfully navigate through life’s difficulties we will more fully experience God’s transforming love.

Keep Pressing Ahead,

Chip Ingram
Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge

This December, seventy-one people from across the country have come alongside Living on the Edge and committed to match all donations up to $570,100. This is the largest match campaign in our history!

God is challenging us to stretch our faith and grow our ministry. This year’s campaign represents an important step toward fulfilling a God-sized vision of increasing our reach by 10x!

To fulfill this vision, we need your help. If you’ve benefited from the resources of Living on the Edge, will you “step out” and help us meet the match? Your gift - when given by December 31 - literally has twice the impact!

During a time when our nation is in desperate need of Christians who really live like Christians, God continues to open doors of unprecedented opportunity. I hope that you’ll partner with us to fulfill this 10x vision by giving as generously as God will allow.

If you’ve already given toward the December Match Campaign, let me be the first to thank you. This month’s income is critical for all that we are trusting God for in 2012. I hope that you’ll  download our 2011 Ministry Report and celebrate all that God is doing through our ministry.

Making a Difference Together,

Chip Ingram
Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge

Everyone – both believers and non-believers – wants to see positive change in their life. There’s a multi-billion dollar “self-help” industry that caters to this universal longing. So why is it that genuine and lasting change so rarely occurs?

Here’s why. Imagine an iceberg. The iceberg represents all that we want to change in our lives. All to often, we only deal with the tip of the iceberg – the part of us that is visible to others. When we try to project a false image or cover up what we don’t like about ourselves, we neglect what is beneath the waterline – the most significant part of who we are.

In order to experience lasting change, we must learn how to live authentically. Authentic living means that our words and our actions tell the same story on a consistent basis. When you’re committed to living authentically, you’re able to recognize and own the mistakes and failures that take you off track and get down to the real work of correcting them where it matters most: below the waterline.

Here are three reasons why you can’t afford to live a life apart from integrity:

1. Relationships — with God, ourselves and others — are impossible without integrity. The psalmist wrote: “LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart.” (Psalm 15:1) Being a person of integrity begins with getting real … with ourselves and with God. Having a sober self-assessment is essential to being honest with others. Without it, you will spend a lot of time trying to justify your actions to God and lying to yourself.
2. Peace is impossible without integrity. Col. 3:15 states: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart…” The “peace” described in this passage refers to the Spirit of God confirming that everything is OK.  When we avoid important issues in our life we often seek peace through things like eating, drinking or even a busy lifestyle. In doing so, we numb the Spirit’s work in our heart.

3. Impact is impossible without integrity. God put you here for a purpose, and that purpose may have a profound impact on someone else’s life.  That person may be your neighbor, friend, or co-worker. Whoever it is, if your words say one thing and your lifestyle says another, they will only see hypocrisy. In this sense, living without integrity diminishes all of the ways that God wants to uniquely use you to help others.

Remember, having integrity doesn’t mean being perfect, but it does means being real. It’s admitting, “I don’t have it together but I am in progress and I’m accepted by Christ.” If your words and actions don’t tell the same story, I encourage you, right now, to ask the Lord for forgiveness and seek His grace and power to live a life of authenticity. He longs to help you do this because He loves you.

This week, we’ll begin the series, “Authentic.” In it, we examine what it really means to be a Christian. We’ll learn how to live a lifestyle of faith, develop a dynamic, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, and how to portray Christ’s love and character in everyday activities. We’ll also learn how to find out if we’re growing spiritually. It’s my prayer that you’ll learn to live in ways that reflect what a genuine relationship with the living God is really like.

Keep Pressin’ Ahead,

Chip Ingram
Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge`

Many of us were raised in churches where we were taught that being “spiritual” meant going to church every Sunday, praying long prayers, and memorizing lots of Scripture. At some point, we began to equate spirituality with discipline, following rules, and lots of hard work.

But this was never God’s idea.

This is the world’s idea of spirituality, characterized by rules, laws and traditions, rituals, and confidence in our own abilities. The focus is external – our self-effort and religious activity.

Unlike worldly spirituality, true spirituality, according to the Bible, focuses on the internal – our connection with God. In fact, the whole goal of our spiritual life is summed up as this: to know Christ and to have a relationship with Him. Our spirituality is not based on human efforts but by the means of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Likewise, being spiritual isn’t about what we do but about what Christ has already done on the cross.

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul addresses this issue of true spirituality and how we can experience it. He writes: “Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh…” (3:1-3)

In these three verses, Paul makes two main points about spirituality:

1. True spirituality is always rooted in relationship and results in joy. Being spiritual isn’t about following a list of rules driven out of guilt. It’s about being in relationship with the Lord. Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord!” because the natural byproduct of a relationship with Christ should always be joy!

2. Religious traditions can be harmful to our spiritual zeal. Paul warns the Christians in Philippi to stay away from the “dogs” – a name that he uses to refer to the Judaizers – a religious sect who taught that in addition to believing in Christ one needed to follow the Jewish law and adhere to its practice of circumcision. Doing certain external things or following rules in order to get right with God basically negates what Christ did on the cross.

Paul shows us that the main difference between true spirituality and false spirituality is that one is grace-focused, and the other is guilt-induced. Rituals and rules, if needed, should flow from grace and confidence in the work of Christ.

So then, how do we experience true spirituality? We certainly can’t do it by “trying harder” or by accomplishing religious activities. The only thing required is that we give our whole hearts to God. Over time, when we progressively and intentionally come to know Christ deeper and deeper, we become more and more like Him.

This week we’re starting the series, True Spirituality. In it, we’ll uncover the truth about spirituality, as well as what it means to be spiritually mature and how to get there. As we take this journey together, my prayer is that we’ll be able to more clearly see what God’s path to true spiritually looks like, so that we can more fully experience His goodness and live out the life He desires for each one of us.

Keep Pressin’ Ahead,

Chip Ingram
Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge

Millions of people across the globe say they love God, but their lives tell a different story.  In fact, over 90 percent of Americans say that they believe in God, but only 10 percent live in such a way that their lives reflect their beliefs.

Even in the church, there’s a huge discrepancy between what most people think being a Christian means and what an authentic follower in Christ actually looks like. Although many professed Christians are indeed saved – which means they’ve accepted Christ as their savior – they haven’t truly surrendered their lives to Him. They’ve given God their heart in some areas, but held back in others.

If you can relate, then at one time or another you might have wondered: What does God want from me? The answer is simple.

What God wants the most from you … is you.

In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul writes, “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s great mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Rom 12:1)

In this passage, Paul lovingly urges us to make the commitment to offer our bodies – all that we have and all that we are – as a form of worship and obedience. This means acknowledging God’s lordship in our lives and completely surrendering everything to Him. And we’re talking everything — our ego, thought life, career, finances, relationships … you name it.

Most of us, if we admitted it, would agree that the idea of total surrender sounds scary at first. Early in my relationship with the Lord I wrestled with surrendering my whole life to God, because deep down I was afraid. I really believed God would make me do something I didn’t want to do, like become a missionary in Africa or stay single for the rest of my life.  My view of God was distorted, so I struggled with seeing God as a good, loving father.

But the truth is God is a loving and perfect father who wants us to have His best so we can become the people we were meant to be. God’s dream for our lives is bigger and better than what we could ever imagine. Ultimately, our motivation to surrender is the goodness and mercy of God.

Paul reminds us of this when he writes: “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:32)

Remember, surrender is about much more than a one-time decision to follow Jesus. It’s much bigger than a set of rules, or even learning how to be a “good Christian.” Surrender is about a dynamic and spiritual act of worship in response to God’s love. It’s requires continual pursuit of God … and is the ultimate expression of gratitude.

This week, we’ll begin the series Living on the Edge: Dare to Experience True Spirituality. In it, we’ll explore the depth of what it means to be an authentic Christ follower. We will be diving into Romans 12, which presents a relational profile of a Christian whose life is surrendered to God. It’s my prayer that this week each of us would firmly grab hold of the truth of God’s goodness and grace, and have the courage to go even deeper with Him than ever before.

Keep Pressin’ Ahead,

Chip Ingram
Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge

Let’s face it - the values of our fallen, broken world are upside down and in many cases life truly isn’t fair! Most of us face a variety of situations and relationships where things simply aren’t right. Sometimes that unfairness affects something small during the course of our day … like a blip on the radar. But other times, things are wrong on such a massive level that you  find yourself navigating deep-seeded corruption. It’s easy to become cynical when you’re living amidst corruption. Many believers choose to retreat completely into a Christian “bubble.” But God tells us that we how we respond to corruption is an opportunity to reflect His love to a hurting world that desperately needs His truth.

Keep Pressin’ Ahead,

Chip Ingram
Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge

Watch all the video blogs from “When Life’s Not Fair”

• Watch Part 1 - How to Silence Your Critics
• Watch Part 2 - Responding to the Government
• Watch Part 3 - Dealing With An Impossible Boss
• Watch Part 4 - How to Change Your Mate for the Better

Have you ever felt as though your marriage was “off balance?” It’s hard to keep a positive outlook on life when you feel like you carry an unfair share of responsibility or burden over things like finances, family, church or even your relationship with your spouse. Often those around us add fuel to the fire, affirming the inequity we feel and sometimes even encouraging us to give up the fight. In 1 Peter we find that God gives very specific direction for both men and women about how we can actually change our mate for the better … and it’s not what you might expect.

Keep Pressin’ Ahead,

Chip Ingram
Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge

Watch all the video blogs from “When Life’s Not Fair”

• Watch Part 1 - How to Silence Your Critics
• Watch Part 2 - Responding to the Government
• Watch Part 3 - Dealing With An Impossible Boss

Have you ever had a boss who was completely unreasonable - or even impossible to work with? Most people experience this at some point and it can be tough to know what to do.  Our tendency  may be to bad mouth them behind their back or respond passive aggressively … but God’s direction for this situation brings new perspective to our response. Our broken world has a lot of broken workplaces - but God promises to equip you for it and use you through it.

Keep Pressin’ Ahead,

Chip Ingram
Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge

• Click to watch part 1 of this series “How to Silence Your Critics”
• Click to watch part two of this series “Responding to the Government”

Dealing with unfair decisions made by people in authority - especially when the results deeply impact your life - is a particularly challenging situation. 1 Peter offers specific guidance for believers on this, and it’s not what you might expect. It begins with our respect for those very leaders who may be at the root of the problem. That respect is not the result of the credentials or performance of those in authority - but instead is based on our trust and respect of God’s sovereign will. God tells us that it is possible to conduct ourselves in a way that honors Him, even when we disagree with the values and actions of our leaders. Allow this truth to penetrate your heart and you’ll gain renewed perspective about the Biblical response. And in the process, you’ll become an even more effective advocate for change.

Keep Pressin’ Ahead,

Chip Ingram
Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge

Click here to view part 1 of this video blog series “How to Silence Your Critics.”