August 10th, 2025
-ISH - Week 2
Question: How many have some “ISH” in your life? The suffix "-ish" is used in English to indicate a degree of approximation or a sense of "somewhat" or "kind of”.
Today, lots of people identify as Christians—in fact, about one-third of the world! But how many know calling ourselves Christians, and actually following Jesus and His truth, can be two different things?!
What is Christian-ISH? It's having a half-hearted faith, wearing the label of Christianity, without truly following Jesus. It's where you have enough of Jesus that it makes you feel better, but not so much of Jesus that it changes anything in your life!
I. BREAKING THE CYCLE: It’s the small choices that keep you stuck
A. One of the most common qualities of someone who's Christian-ISH is something I call Selective Obedience.
Selective Obedience is the dangerous illusion that doing some of what God commands is enough, when it's really Disobedience in Disguise.
Deuteronomy 5:33 NIV
Exodus 19:5 NIV
Job 36:11 NIV
These verses show us that some of his blessings are actually tied to our obedience!
Unconditional Promise: that Jesus died and rose again offering forgiveness of sins and eternal life for all who believe! We're saved by grace through faith.
While salvation is a gift, given freely by God through grace, certain blessings flow from obedience to God. And the reason God blesses you with special blessings when you obey is because HE doesn't want our partial obedience; God wants our full surrender.
Disobedience always starts with a Whisper.
Disobedience is rarely a one-time event. And here's what happens: What you allow in the moment, often owns you in the future!
SIN never needs a good reason, SIN just needs a good excuse.
Every sin we justify builds a wall between us and God. That's why he sent Jesus to deal righteously with our sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV
Because partial obedience isn't obedience, it's sin. And every sin we justify, it builds a wall between us and the God who loves us.
-ISH - Week 2
Question: How many have some “ISH” in your life? The suffix "-ish" is used in English to indicate a degree of approximation or a sense of "somewhat" or "kind of”.
Today, lots of people identify as Christians—in fact, about one-third of the world! But how many know calling ourselves Christians, and actually following Jesus and His truth, can be two different things?!
What is Christian-ISH? It's having a half-hearted faith, wearing the label of Christianity, without truly following Jesus. It's where you have enough of Jesus that it makes you feel better, but not so much of Jesus that it changes anything in your life!
I. BREAKING THE CYCLE: It’s the small choices that keep you stuck
A. One of the most common qualities of someone who's Christian-ISH is something I call Selective Obedience.
Selective Obedience is the dangerous illusion that doing some of what God commands is enough, when it's really Disobedience in Disguise.
Deuteronomy 5:33 NIV
Exodus 19:5 NIV
Job 36:11 NIV
These verses show us that some of his blessings are actually tied to our obedience!
Unconditional Promise: that Jesus died and rose again offering forgiveness of sins and eternal life for all who believe! We're saved by grace through faith.
While salvation is a gift, given freely by God through grace, certain blessings flow from obedience to God. And the reason God blesses you with special blessings when you obey is because HE doesn't want our partial obedience; God wants our full surrender.
Disobedience always starts with a Whisper.
Disobedience is rarely a one-time event. And here's what happens: What you allow in the moment, often owns you in the future!
SIN never needs a good reason, SIN just needs a good excuse.
Every sin we justify builds a wall between us and God. That's why he sent Jesus to deal righteously with our sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV
Because partial obedience isn't obedience, it's sin. And every sin we justify, it builds a wall between us and the God who loves us.