Coastal Community Church

Pastors TJ and Shayla carry 7 questions they ask the leaders who mentor them. In this episode, we turned the tables and asked them those very questions. Honest stories and real wisdom you’ll want to take into your own journey.

1 John 5:1–5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.The Problem We Are Addressing: ANXIETYPhilippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything…If the mind can CREATE anxiety, that same mind can RESIST anxiety.Philippians 4:4–5 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.Philippians 4:6–9 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.1. Return to JOYPhilippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.2. REGULATE Your ResponsePhilippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.EXTREMES are often pain’s counterfeit attempt to REGAIN control.3. RELEASE the AnxietyPhilippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.WORRY is a monologue; PRAYER turns it into a conversation.4. Receive GUARDING PEACEPhilippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.5. REPLACE Anxious ThoughtsPhilippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.6. REPEAT the PrescriptionPhilippians 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.You get good at what you PRACTICE, even if what you have been practicing is PANIC.

1 Kings 2:2 (NLT) I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man.Godly men have INTEGRITY.Who you are PUBLICLY, is the same person you are PRIVATELY.Integrity: Doing what's RIGHT, as defined by GOD, regardless of the COST.Proverbs 11:3  The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.Genesis 39:4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.Genesis 39:6–7 Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”1. Integrity is being the same man in PRIVATE that you are in PUBLIC.Genesis 39:9 How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?REPUTATION is who OTHERS think you are. INTEGRITY is who you really ARE.The peace you're praying for may not come from more REST, it may come from more ALIGNMENT. 2. Integrity requires RUNNING from temptation, not just RESISTING it.Genesis 39:12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.3. Integrity has a COST, but compromise always costs MUCH more.Psalm 84:11 (NLT) For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.God CANNOT bless your compromise.Psalm 15:1–2 (NLT) Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Such people will stand firm forever.

1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.A godly man is all about your CHARACTER traits, not your PHYSICAL traits.Godly men are HUMBLE. They know pride is their DOWNFALL and humility is the path to GREATNESS.James 4:6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”2 Samuel 22:28 You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. Proverbs 16:5 The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Matthew 23:12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 1 Peter 5:5 All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 3 Marks of a Humble Man1. Humble men ADMIT they're not as STRONG as they think.Matthew 26:33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”1 Corinthians 10:12 MSG Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence.2. Humble men REPENT quickly and let God REWRITE their story.False humility focuses on your GUILT, not on God's GRACE.FALSE humility is still pride. It just SULKS instead of STRUTS.3. Humble men see greatness as SERVING, not as being SERVED.WE are not a big deal. JESUS is a big deal.John 13:15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.You don't FEEL your way into humility. You ACT your way into humility.

1 Kings 2:1-2 As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon: “I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man.”1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.Godly men take RESPONSIBILITY.Genesis 2:5-7 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.WORK to enjoyGod's WILL to obeyA WOMAN to loveGenesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”Genesis 2:18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”RULES OF RESPONSIBILITYRule #1: Responsibility means LEADING what you have before CHASING what you want.Genesis 3:6 She took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too.Men, if YOU WON’T lead your home, SATAN will be happy to.“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do NOTHING.”—Edmund BurkeRule #2: Responsibility BEGINS when APATHY ends.It might not be your FAULT, but it is still your RESPONSIBILITY to lean in and do something about it.Genesis 3:8-9 And they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”Genesis 3:12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me — she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”Rule #3: Responsibility comes ALIVE when excuses get BURIED.Excuses and responsibility CANNOT coexist. “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”—Benjamin Franklin When there's a problem, instead of yelling out the WINDOW, look in the MIRROR.The window gives you someone to BLAME. The mirror makes you take RESPONSIBILITY.When a MAN gets better, EVERYONE gets better.

Nobody trains for a fight just to stay in the gym. We are not in the fight for OURSELVES. The fight is FOR the people who aren't in the room yet.Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.1. Plant seeds with your FAMILY.John 1:40-41 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.2. Plant seeds with FRIENDS and ACQUAINTANCES.John 6:5-9 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”You are not responsible for the MIRACLE. You are responsible for the INTRODUCTION.1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.You will never reap a HARVEST if you never plant a SEED.3. Plant seeds with STRANGERS.John 12:20-22 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.You are not responsible for others APPROACHING Jesus. You are responsible for being APPROACHABLE.Jesus didn't call us to be his ATTORNEY. He called us to be his WITNESS. 2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

You can get IN the fight alone. You cannot STAY in the fight alone. COMMUNITY is what keeps you in the fight.Genesis 2:18a The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Being RECOGNIZED is not the same as being KNOWN. 1 Samuel 22:1-2 So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.2 Samuel 23:8 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.2 Samuel 23:9-10 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.2 Samuel 23:11-12 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.The Right CORNERThey ran TO the cave, not just AWAY from the fight.The Right VOICEYou can't see your own face.Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.The right voice won’t just help you FEEL better, but it will help you FOLLOW JESUS better. The Right PEOPLE You become who's in the cave with you.2 Samuel 23:16-17 So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.Galatians 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble… A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.A burden shared is not always a burden REMOVED, but it is no longer a burden CARRIED ALONE.Community grows when “SOMEBODY SHOULD” becomes “What can I DO?” Romans 12:5 So it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

Every Sunday runs on volunteers, but what's the truth about serving in the church? Pastors TJ and Shayla talk about why most people never volunteer, what frustrates leaders, how to get real buy-in instead of just filling slots, and if anyone in the body of Christ is more important than anyone else.

God did not design you to be a spiritual CONSUMER. He designed you to be a spiritual CONTRIBUTOR.1 Peter 4:10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.BOX SEATSBENCHTOWELThe BOX SEATS The mentality that the church exists to SERVE MEMark 10:35-37 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.” “What is your request?” he asked. They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”Mark 10:42-45 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”The BENCH The mentality that says, “I'm not QUALIFIED or WORTHY enough to serve,” or “I'm just TOO BUSY to serve God”There is NO bench in the body of Christ.God doesn't call the QUALIFIED. He qualifies the CALLED.God works through your AVAILABILITY far more than your ABILITY.The secret of serving: You are always more FILLED UP than you POUR OUT.HOLDING a TOWELThe universal sign of “I am here to SERVE YOU”John 13:12-15 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”Jesus measures greatness not by SEATS or TITLES, but by who picks up a TOWEL. SAVED people SERVE people.

We don't fight PEOPLE. We fight FOR people.Lukewarm Christianity is accepting just enough of Jesus to make us FEEL better, but not enough of Jesus to CHANGE our lives.COMFORTABLE Christianity is where faith goes to DIE.Revelation 3:15–20  “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”1. Jesus confronts what he LOVES.The rebuke is not REJECTION. It's RESCUE.Conviction is LOVE refusing to leave you where it found you.2. Distance creates DRIFT.Ephesians 5:25–27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.3. Self-sufficiency STARVES the soul.Revelation 3:17 "You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."Growth doesn't make us LESS dependent on God. It should make us MORE dependent.SUCCESS makes promises that only JESUS can keep.Hebrews 10:24–25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.4. Consistency REKINDLES devotion.All-in Christians do CONSISTENTLY what lukewarm Christians do OCCASIONALLY.What you do occasionally may INSPIRE you. What you do consistently FORMS you.Revelation 3:19–20 "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."Jesus went ALL IN for you. So go ALL IN for Him.