Discipleship Unveiled

When Adam and Eve sinned, death entered into the species of mankind. Through propagation of the species sin and death is passed on to each generation. Did you ever wonder why if death entered in, then why didn't they actually die in that moment? Well, they did die. The part of their being that died instantly was their spirit. The death of their spirit separated Adam and Eve, and therefore mankind, from God. Without a living spirit within to communicate with the living God, a relationship was not possible. In a cascade effect from sin entering in, the fall of mankind impacted all of creation. God cursed the creation and the redemption of the universe is tied to the redemption of mankind. Whoa! God Is The Only Source Of Life The Spirit of God is the source of life. Sin destroyed the spirit of man and the effect was a soul and body that although not dead began a process of expending the life that was present, unto a final death. And you were dead in your trespasses and ...

We interrupt this broadcast for this critical update... We are not just an insignificant machine subject to the mere physical world. It doesn't take too much observation to get a hint that we are much more than flesh and blood plodding along in the universe. The scriptures give us the insight of our entire being. They illustrate our make up and detail the many facets of who we are and where we have impact in this world. When God, took the dust of the ground (to form the body) and breathed into it His breath of life (the spirit of a man) Adam became a living soul (soul). Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. -  1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT

A key part of getting In The Cool Zone is coming to the Lord in a sincere way. We want to always approach others in a sincere manner as well. Your sincerity is a super power and it comes from a thought process that is seeking the truth. Truth Is Armor The first piece of armor listed in the Armor of God is truth. Seeking the truth in all things, in every encounter keeps us from trying to, "win" arguments or "always be right" about a topic. We do not need to force what we know into a topic, situation or discussion. We can sincerely have a discussion and have no other objective other than seeking and delivering the truth. Other powers to add to sincerity are forgiveness, listening, curiosity and a willingness to learn. There are many more super powers to discuss but for today, let's raise our awareness on our sincerity and seeking the truth.

In part 1 we learned that when we go into the world and deliver the Gospel we have a part to play and the Holy Spirit is doing His job as well. Now in reference to going into the world it's easy to pull up thoughts of the disciples in the New Testament going out two by two and talking to strangers in various cities. I also think of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron from   Living Waters and The Way of the Master ministries, standing on their soap box on a  crowded street preaching the Gospel to everyone passing by. Well that's not really how most of us get our opportunity to share the Gospel. Our opportunities come with friends, family, co-workers and folks we interact with for services or merchandise. Let's make the most of our opportunities and develop our ability to create opportunities where they do not seem to exist.

The first lessons of In The Cool Zone came through difficult encounters. As a server in a fine dining restaurant, providing impeccable service with a sincere attitude, grace, eloquence and a smile was the main function. Unfortunately, the steps of service can breakdown pretty quickly and suddenly. Every once in a while this led to an encounter with the chef that included a very harsh exchange. Both chef and server screaming at each other certainly would make for an unpleasant evening. The toughest part here was the server had to immediately go back out to the dining room with a smile on his face and a calm, cool demeanor. Have you ever gotten so mad at someone you wanted to scream? Uh huh. What if in the next instant you have to be sweet and empathetic? That can be a tall order... unless you have the right reasons and a bit of practice to motivate you and get you there. There Before You Know It The arguments with chef would come out of nowhere. Before I knew it I was in a...

Emotions are our friend. They are neither good or bad when talking about intrinsic value. How we place them in our thought process will determine their value. Do our emotions lead? If they do, they are clouding our thinking. I submit to you, emotions that lead us become our enemy! Recovering Our Thinking What can we do when our emotions get out in front? If we "throw the switch" and recover with a calm, cool and peaceful thought process the emotions are moved to a place to supplement and support our thinking. With practice your emotions begin to emulate your core values putting a turbo on your resolve. Activate your faith in the Lord which provides a clear thinking process. Doubt clouds the mind and keeps you off balance. Take a moment to review,  Faith… Updating Your Definition for quick recap. And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. -  Isaiah 32:17 NASB

Getting In The Cool Zone comes from a willingness and the practice of choosing a state of mind that is calm, cool and peaceful. This is the initial objective of In The Cool Zone and our namesake. When a situation is thrust upon us how do we respond? A "Go-To" State Of Mind When events begin to unfold around you and you find yourself in a stressful, frustrating or scary situation we need a mechanism and thought process that we can lean on. A true "go-to" state of mind to set us up to react appropriately and powerfully when we need it most. Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. -  Romans 12:2 KJV  

In the process of preparing our mind we need to be clear about who does what in the process of salvation and growing in the Lord. Remember that we want to do the things God told us to do and just as important, we need to let God do the things He said He would do . Delivering The Gospel When we obey the command to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, that is our part. The Holy Spirit will bring the conviction. He will bring the salvation. He will bring the growth. And He (the Holy Spirit), when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; - John 16:8 NASB When we deliver the Gospel, do the works He gave us to do and let the Holy Spirit do his job, we stand in faith. We are not required to convict anyone. We actually can't. That is a job for the Holy Spirit. Let Him do His job.

The core value of In The Cool Zone is in the techniques for putting our mind, emotions and body in a position to support our thinking so we can do the work the Lord has given us to do. That work as we define it is thinking like Jesus thinks, delivering the Gospel and teaching what we have learned. These are the same goals declared in our Vision Statement and Mission Statement . ITCZ 101 Foundations of Fortitude Preparation Introduction You Must Seize This Reality Count The Cost The Holy Spirit Leads Calm, Cool Demeanor A Sincere Approach Forgive, Forget Seek The Truth Willing To Learn Wise As A Serpent Harmless As A Dove Required: Daily Prayer List Developing Expertise In The Field Deliver The Gospel   Curious Unto Salvation Your Elevator Pitch Non-Christians Fellow Christians Body Language A Place Of Power An Attention Grabber Actively Stay On Topic An Expert Listener Ask Questions Set The Premise Not Looking For Agree...

We pick up today with our continuation of the Puzzle Analogy . Seeking The Truth Have you ever been able to connect two puzzle pieces together and later realized they shouldn't be connected? Oh sure! Some of the die cuts on the puzzle pieces allow for pieces that are not meant to be connected, to actually fit together. In some cases you really can't determine that two pieces do not go together until you build up the cluster. The colors match. The pattern matches. However, those pieces do not go together. The new pieces connected around the original two revealed the wrong placement. In the same manner, you may connect ideas that you discover do not go together the way you originally thought they did. In many ways the ideas fit but new information revealed the wrong placement. It could even be that the idea was just wrong. That's ok. Don't panic!