Message Title: Gentleness
Date: November 22, 2020

New to PCC? OR maybe you just want to connect? Text “CONNECT” to:
650-332-4438 to access more information

Big Idea: Biblical gentleness is controlled strength and displayed grace

Gentleness: controlled strength and displayed grace

--Despite my hurt, pain, frustration, I want to communicate LOVE, WORTH, and RELATIONSHIP

Gentleness in the Heart of God
--both strong and gentle - and never at odds with each other
--Ex: the Prodigal Son

The Lord delights in showing His Fatherly love, His gentle touch, His tender care to those who turn back to Him.

--Our ability to show gentleness flows from Him

Gentleness in the Person of Jesus
--gently embracing those who are spiritually poor: sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, children, women
--The rest Jesus is offering is different

Gentleness in Our Lives

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. --Ephesians 4:1-3

--without gentleness, there is no unity
--without unity, the Church is not different than the world
--Communicate love, worth, relationship

Living a Gentle Life

1. Take time to listen and love

2. Be slow to speak

3. Meet people in their pain

PCC BENEDICTION
May you jump into the arms of Jesus and may He push out into the world. May you be healed as you participate in the healing of others. Not because you must, but because you may. This is why we were born!

BEYOND SUNDAY
The Essentials 9-week series will focus on what it means to reflect the character of Jesus. Each week we will wrestle with one of the essential characteristics of Jesus with the hope of it bearing fruit in our lives as we become more dependent on the Spirit to lead us. This week our focus is on the eighth fruit of the Spirit - Gentleness.

1. How would you rate our society as a whole, with regards to the fruit of gentleness (Galatians 5:22-23)? According to this week's speaker and Lead Pastor of New City Church in Oakland, Gabe Garcia, gentleness seems to be absent from our culture today, and a quality that does not seem to appear of great importance to us. Would you agree or disagree?
Pastor Gabe defines gentleness as controlled strength and displayed grace. What does that mean to you?

2. Pastor Gabe informs us that gentleness is an opportunity to “shine brightly” (remember our Radiant series!) as a set apart people! And that God has called us into relationships with, do life with, love and be united with, people that are different from us! This includes those who wrong us, annoy us, and frustrate us! Gentleness says, despite the hurt, pain and frustration, I will communicate LOVE, WORTH, and RELATIONSHIP. How is this possible? See John 15:4

3. In his book, Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit, Christopher J. H. Wright says that David compares God to the gentle shepherd. See Psalms 23:2-3 and Isaiah 40:11 and list the acts of gentleness that you see. How have you seen God’s gentleness in your life?

4. We know that Jesus both confronted sin with boldness and strength, and showed gentleness to others. When others had no time for the weak and the marginalized, He was countercultural in His responses showing tremendous controlled strength and grace. Give a list of attributes of Jesus and then compare them with what Jesus called Himself in Matthew 11:28-30. Who, according to this verse, benefits from this rest? Who, in your life, might benefit from this kind of rest?

5. We see gentleness in both God the Father and in Christ the Son. And we know we are to be imitators of God. How does the apostle Paul urge us to live in Ephesians 4:1-3 and Galatians 6:1? Those in need of spiritual rest are watching our behavior. Pastor Gabe says that without gentleness there is no unity within the church. He goes on to say that today's world is filled with hatred, anger and rage. If we, as a church, do not show controlled strength and displayed grace, we are not differentiating ourselves from the world. The result, therefore, is that those in need of rest are not attracted to us, and therefore not attracted to our Savior. Discuss this concept.

6. Practical application:
1. Identify those people in your life that rub you the wrong way, have hurt you, think differently than you, live differently than you, frustrate you.
2. Which of Pastor Gabe’s areas of encouragement might help you to implement biblical gentleness?
a. Take time to build real relationships
b. Be slow to speak
c. Meet people in their pain
Remember, it’s not about us mustering up enough gentleness to be a better person. It’s about staying connected to our super power, and keeping our eyes fixed on Him, to change us, not others!

Series Daily Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.
Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control.”
---John Stott (1921-2011), evangelist and scholar

Actions & Resources
--Make space for God this week. Declare the prayer daily.
--Memorize The Fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5:22-23
--Read Chapter 9 (Self-Control) and the Conclusion in Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit by Christopher J.H.Wright
--Join a House Church -- see below

For PCC's Fiscal Year:
June 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021:

Giving Update
Goal: $4,072,377
Giving to Date: $1,382,676
Still Needed: $2,689,701