Catalyst Church of Carrollton

Make Moves

“…I was cupbearer to the king.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God has given you permission to make moves.

He Lived for You

”So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.“ Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

You Don’t Get Details

Here’s week 2 of our ADORE HIM Series! “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬ . We hope this speaks to and encourages you!

Don’t Miss It

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.” Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

38 And Feeing Great

Here’s Ben’s message from Sunday! 38 And Feeling Great. We hope this speaks to and encourages you!

The Struggle is for a Purpose

Here’s Mark Acord’s message "The Struggle is for a Purpose" from Sunday! We hope this speaks to and encourages you!

Why Do You Want It

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in other languages? Do all interpret? But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭29‬-‭31‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

 

Create Your Own

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Everybody's got something worth cooking, but you gotta find what you wanna cook. 

Pray.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Evaluate your life: What do you love? What are you good at?

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand about spiritual gifts.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ ‭NCV‬‬

“Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭24‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Work what you got and where you are faithfully and fiercely. 

“After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath rescued Israel. He once killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad.” ‭‭Judges‬ ‭3‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 

“Do not despise these small beginnings…” ‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 

Get really good at what you’re good at. 

“Use the gift you have, which was given to you through prophecy when the group of elders laid their hands on you. Continue to do those things; give your life to doing them so your progress may be seen by everyone.” ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NCV‬‬

Hang around the people that are better than you and make you better.  

“The righteous choose their friends carefully…” Proverbs 12:26 NIV

Your gifts will work for you.

“A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV

You Got the Sauce

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 

You gotta believe you got it! 

“It takes many parts to make a single body. That's why the eyes cannot say they don't need the hands. That's also why the head cannot say it doesn't need the feet. In fact, we cannot get along without the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest. We take special care to dress up some parts of our bodies. We are modest about our personal parts, but we don't have to be modest about other parts. God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy. Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of his body.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭20‬-‭27‬ ‭CEV‬‬

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us…” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent—” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭31‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Let every skillful man among you come, and make all that the Lord has commanded:” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭35‬:‭10‬ NIV

Scared isn’t an excuse

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭14‬-‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬