Our theme for the month of October is Make a Difference.
It's pretty simple to understand, but seemingly difficult for people to carry out. It requires a desire to reorganize one's life around kingdom priorities, and a willingness to live life with an eternal perspective and not an earthly one.
Matthew 5:13-16 [NLT]

Christ-followers should be living a life that is SALTY - adding spiritual flavor to the things of this world and a life of LIGHT - revealing God to those who are lost in darkness.
This is what it means to Make A Difference.
During this series we'll talk about making a difference in 5 areas:
-In Your Life
-In Your Family
-In Your Church
-In Your World
-In Your Community

Gregg Matte, senior pastor at Houston's First Baptist Church and founder of Breakaway Ministries.
The church’s website states, “Being a Difference Maker is a natural expression of having an abiding relationship with Jesus. It is an overflow of the difference God has made in your life. And, being a Difference Maker is about being intentional in what you do and how you live your life. Not content to sit on the sidelines, Difference Makers are ready and willing to go in His name and play their part in changing the world.”

Talk at your table:
Try to summarize Gregg's points about the idea of being a difference maker.
Then, be honest, what would you have to change to live a SALTY life and a life of LIGHT in your world as Jesus talked about in our Matthew passage.

Today we look at what it means to make a difference..."In Your Life."
The words and thoughts from Jesus in the Matthew passage and those of Pastor Gregg help explain our theme today.
They both show us that, "God has to do something IN you before He can do something THROUGH you."

Onie from the Philippines: they do what they do because they are grateful to the Lord for saving them; so they live as SALT and LIGHT. Someone has made a difference in their life and they want to make a difference during their life.
"God has to do something IN you before He can do something THROUGH you."
What has God done in your life? How is that evidenced by your dreams, words, lifestyle, use of resources, time commitment, and daily activities?

Based on the words of Jesus in Matthew and the messages of Pastor Gregg and Onie from the Philippines, we will look at two thoughts that explain the difference God makes in our life:

1. As Christians, we are SAVED. (Being saved implies a new IDENTITY)

We Recognize the brevity and meaninglessness of life.
We Realize that we are imperfect and broken sinners and helpless to live differently.
We Respond to God’s pull on our life as He opens our hearts.
We Repent of our sin and entrust ourselves to Christ as our Lord and Savior.
We Reject this world’s Identity and embrace our spiritual one.

As Christ-followers, our Biblical Identity is determined by God alone and revealed in the pages of Scripture. Listen to what the Bible teaches us:

1. We are made in the image of God,
2. We are fallen but now redeemed from the penalty and power of sin and soon from the presence of sin in our body and this world,
3. We are a child of God, redeemed from the penalty of sin, forgiven and made righteous, and reconciled to the Holy One,
4. We are recipients of the blessings and lavish attention of the Greatest Sovereign of all time,
5. We are objects of worth because of the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf,
6. We are uniquely gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve a kingdom agenda,
7. We are citizens of Heaven, called out of this world and adopted into the family of God,
8. We are known personally and protected by the All-Powerful One,
9. We are a new creation, given a mission which will fill our lives with passion and purpose as we live according to His plans, and
10. We are guaranteed to be victorious through this life and throughout the next one.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of our identity!

2. As Christians, we should be CHANGED. (Change implies a new PRIORITY that will be demonstrated in our Ambitions, Attitudes, Affections, and Actions)
Galatians 2:20

As Paul realized all Jesus had done for him, he was changed and his new lifestyle became a PRIORITY. He began to live differently. Examples:

Paul Determined to grow in his relationship with the Lord – by spending time in prayer and in the study of Scriptures. If you want to grow – you need to ask!
Paul Treated people like Jesus and not the way he felt they deserved.
Paul Shared the Story – His and God’s because he knew life was short.
Paul Lived a lifestyle like that of Jesus, and not like the person Jesus died to save.
Paul Reprioritized his desires around those of Heaven, and not just his heart.

During our recent series on Paul and the book of Acts, we learned that the Apostle had family and social connections, stress and health issues,
a secular job and ministry responsibilities, and times of trouble and glowing success...just like us!
And yet, he intentionally wove Jesus into every aspect of his life.
Why? Because he was truly SAVED and CHANGED.
Remember: “God has to do something IN you before He can do something THROUGH you!”

Difference Maker Declaration:

I was made for more than watching.

I have a history-changing, difference-making, life-giving, Spirit-empowered legacy to leave behind.

Jesus, I ask You to work deeply in me and clearly through me as I pray, give, and go in Your love.

I am a Difference Maker.

I will live like a Difference Maker starting now.

In Jesus’ name, Amen!