Awesome (adjective): inspiring awe, extraordinary.
The Creator of all things spoke with His word and, from nothing, everything that exists came into existence – awesome. With this same breath from which His word flowed, He breathed into the creature He formed from the earth: man – awesome.
Ordinary (adjective): of a kind to be expected in the normal order of events, routine.
To these humans, God gave the command to be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. It is this command that broke the chain of mere awesomeness and molded a magnificent aspect of the human reality that we far too often bat our eyes at – the ordinary. His command to reproduce and live in relationship with one another and to work alongside one another was to become the centerpiece of our existence with all glory and honor being given to Him through the process. It was to become ordinary.
We far too often glean the pathway as Christ followers, yearning for the extraordinary repetitiously. We’ve declared, “if it is ordinary, then it isn’t a powerful thing of God and, therefore, isn’t good enough for my attention”. In this series we will look to the contrary. The beauty of the ordinary lies right at our grasp and God has provided an “expected… normal order of events” to permeate the human life in order for us to be extraordinarily refreshed by His strength, love and promised hope. This is incredibly awesome.
The beginning of the church finds its beginning staple through awesome acts of God, pouring His Spirit out on all that call on the name of Jesus Christ. What was the result? A life of ordinary lifestyles that, when lived faithfully and joyfully, provokes foreigners of God to draw closer to His undying love as displayed through the sacrificial death of His beloved son for all who receive Him – this is awesome. God has called you, believers, to be outposts of the kingdom of Heaven in a beautifully ordinary way!
Use the resources below as we go through our "Ordinary Awesome" series.
Sermon Resources
- SOAP , REAP , RRRR, CIA and GROW. God wants to transform us by His word. Sometimes we just don't know where and how to start! Use any of these simple, one page guides to help you meet God in His word (GROW is the most robust).
- The Bible As One Story: These resources can help you get a handle on the overarching story of the scriptures. Having this framework will help give context and meaning to any book or passage in the bible. This will help you both understand and meet God in His word.
- To Whom How: This tool is created to help you think through and intentionally build relationships with those whom God sovereignly has placed around you. The more we fall in love with Christ, the more people around us will hear us talk about Him, and see us live differently for Him. This tool will help you become more intentional towards fostering real friendships with those who don’t yet know Him.