The Spirit is, therefore I think.
It’s important for us to remember because we are surrounded by people who don’t think like we think. We are surrounded by people who have built their lives on a different foundation than the one that we have on Jesus Christ.
Paul wrote: “…where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:20-24)
Christianity does not exist in a bubble. We are constantly exposed to the false thinking and philosophies of this world.
We go to church on Sunday, but the rest of the week we are exposed to people who don’t think like we do.
We go to work or school.
We spend time with co-workers, friends, relatives.
We spend time watching TV, or surfing the internet.
We read, we talk on the phone and so, and so on.
Everyplace we go we are exposed to somebody who doesn’t buy into our Christianity. They may say they do but they really don’t “get it”. Also, some may even reject or mock God’s kind of thinking. AND since a lot of these folks are very smart or very influential, we might be led to doubt or question what we believe. There are going to be times when you and I are going to feel outgunned and outmatched.
So Paul wanted to set the issue straight: On the face of things… we ARE outgunned and outmatched.
“Remember, … that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27)
And of himself, Paul wrote: “…I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.” (1 Corinthians 2:1) “I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:3)
His point was this: Just looking at the church the world will tend to look at us as being : Not very smart. Not eloquent. Not very important. Unpersuasive. They’ll often see us as weak and maybe even foolish.
So, if that’s true - then how in the world are we ever going to win the world to Christ? We’re not eloquent, we’re not persuasive, we’re not all that important to many people. Guess what? We can’t on our own!
That’s why so many churches and preachers try so hard to be eloquent, and persuasive and important in this world. They build majestic buildings and have powerful preachers and celebrity guests. They rejoice when the newspapers or TV reporters recognize them. And they glory in the praise and applause of the world. They believe that IF they are popular and attractive… that they can win the world over to Christ.
But Paul says…that’s a pipedream. The world isn’t looking for the things God wants to offer
Some of those in the world are looking for miracles, others are looking for wisdom. But God is offering something the world does not embrace.
1 Corinthians 1:18 says “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.”
So, if we can’t win people to Christ by our popularity… what can we do?
Well, we can learn to rely less on our impressiveness and more on the Spirit’s power.
Paul wrote: “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power…” 1 Corinthians 2:3
Did you catch that?
It is the Spirit INSIDE of us Christians that gives us the edge in winning the world.
You see, once we became Christians, that Spirit came and set up shop in our hearts.
Peter told the crowd at Pentecost: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive (what???) the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
You can’t belong to Jesus if you don’t have that Spirit inside of you. “…if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9b
AND the Spirit is the mark of God’s ownership of us. “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13b-14)
So, what Paul is telling us here in I Corinthians is this: The Spirit is what makes us think and live different than the rest of the world. And it’s the Spirit that will make all the difference in our ability to overcome the world.
Centuries ago, a French philosopher named Descartes struggled with the idea of reality. He wondered whether or not he could prove that he even existed (which gives something of an idea of how bizarre philosophers can get). And since he wondered how he might prove that he actually existed, he wracked his brain and struggled with reasonings that eventually led to make his famous declaration: “I THINK… therefore I am.”
That’s nice.
But that is a fairly pathetic statement. By contrast God has something far more impressive to tell you and I. YES, you exist. I created you. But this is what is really good: YOU THINK great things because His Spirit is inside of you. “The Spirit is, therefore you think.” That’s what God is telling us!!!
God’s Spirit inside of us makes us THINK like God thinks.
“And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.… But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:12, 14, 16
The Spirit makes us think like God thinks.
It is only thru the Spirit that we begin to understand how God wants us to live. And God’s kind of thinking is not reasonable to the world. How on earth would someone without the Spirit ever understand these teachings:
We see unseen things (2 Cor. 4:18)
We find rest under a yoke (Mt. 11:28-30)
We become wise by being fools for Christ's sake (1 Cor. 1:20, 21)
We are made free by becoming His bond servants (Rom. 6:10)
We conquer by yielding (Rom. 6:16-18)
We reign by serving (Mark 10:42-44)
We are made great by becoming little (Luke 9:48)
We are exalted by being humble (Mt. 23:12)
We become strong by being weak (2 Cor. 12:10)
We triumph by defeat (2 Cor. 12:7-9)
We find victory by glorying in our infirmities (2 Cor. 12:5)
We live by dying (John 12:24,25; 2 Cor. 4:10,11)
These things make absolutely NO SENSE to those without God’s Spirit inside of them. The King James Bible in 1 Peter 2:9a that we are “a peculiar people”. They might be able to comprehend WHY these statements are true… but they can’t make those principles be part of their lives, because God’s Spirit is not there to guide them into using them correctly.
We need to be so used to being guided by God’s Spirit that we don’t even give it much thought. God’s Spirit should be so much a part of our lives that we couldn’t think of living without His influence.
But we think differently than the world thinks because we have the Spirit of God inside us. It’s that way of thinking that gives us the edge in overcoming the world and winning them to Christ.
Now, how will we know if we have the Spirit in us? Well, Paul tells us: “…the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control...” Galatians 5:22-23a
When the Spirit is in control of our life - the changes that can take place inside us can make us a force for God.
And that is the power of the Spirit within us - the ability to show that we are redeemed by the change that God’s Spirit brings to our lives.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
How to Look Beyond Romance to Love as Jesus Does
How to Look Beyond Romance to Love as Jesus Does
Many Christians focus intently on finding someone to marry and then trying to live happily ever after in those marriages. They place such importance on romantic love that they may come to think of it as the pinnacle of their spiritual pursuits.
The need to be loved is a natural human emotion that we all desire. Romantic love is beautiful but God's love for all of us is the base of Christian spirituality. In his sermon "A Look At Love" James Merritt states "Love is the thermometer that can take your spiritual temperature. If you were put on trial for being a Christian, love is the one indisputable witness that would convict you of being saved. "
As Christians, our love proves two things. It proves that we are in the family of God because God created this world out of love. He created humans just so He could love us. God created Heaven so that we could love each other eternally. Love also proves our fellowship with God. Our love motivates us to know Jesus wholeheartedly, not just know about Jesus intellectually.
God's pure love for us was clearly shown on the cross when God sacrificed his only Son (John 3:16) so that we may have salvation. However, the kind of love that God offers is not something that is natural for humans. The kind of love that God offers through the Holy Spirit is something that is supernaturally produced through you. This means that if you belong to Christ, Christ lives in you. The kind of never-ending love that defines a true Christian is a sacrificial, selfless, satisfying and sharing love. We need to understand the importance of God's love for us and how we should embrace that amazing love.
Love--just think about that word. That one word can make a heart flutter uncontrollably. It can make the toughest man blush. It can make a grown man cry and women jump for joy.
The world is almost obsessed with this thing called love. The world sings about it, "What the world needs now is love sweet love." Or, "You're nobody till somebody loves you." "It's love that makes the world go around." And we can’t leave out the song “Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places”.
We have an insatiable desire to write about it. Almost without exception, you can walk into any store and just see shelf after shelf lined with romantic novels. Love has taken over the airways. Millions of people wait breathlessly from Friday till Monday to find out, "Will John get Mary, or will Mary forsake John for Luke. Or, will Luke go after Sally before Mary can forsake John for Luke."
God doesn’t place nearly so much importance on marriage as you might think. Yes, God did create marriage to fulfill good purposes in people’s lives on Earth (there’s no marriage in heaven – Matthew 22:29-30). But romantic love is just one expression of love, and Jesus wants those who follow Him to learn how to love as He does.
Focusing too much on marriage can distract you from Jesus’ greater call on your life: to learn how to wholeheartedly love God and other people. Whether you’re single (as I believe Jesus chose to be on Earth) or married, you can learn to love the best when you shift your focus away from romance and toward Jesus’ example. Here’s how:
Realize that singleness and marriage are equally valuable states. Although people in many church cultures unfortunately often make single people feel inferior to married people, God values single people just as much as He values married people. While many churches are oriented around families headed by married couples, from God’s perspective, the worldwide family of believers is what matters most. So if you’re single, don’t feel as if you have to get married to be complete or fully loved, or that you have to settle for a potential spouse whom you don’t truly sense God calling you to marry, simply to get married by a certain age. If you’re married, don’t pressure the single people you know to get married, but give them the freedom to follow God’s plans for them, in His timing. Rest assured that God loves you and wants to work powerfully through your life, no matter what your current marital status.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians: “I say this as a concession, not as a command. But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another. (1 Corinthians 7:6-8)
So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust. (1 Corinthians 7:6-9) and then he says: “Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you.” (1 Corinthians 7:17)
Love your neighbors. Expand your list of people to love to include many more than just the people who are closest to you, such as your spouse (if you’re married), other family members and friends. God’s call for you to love your neighbors means loving everyone you encounter in life – all the people around you now, plus all the people you happen to meet. If you spend so much time and energy focusing on finding or attending to a spouse, your life becomes so centered around marriage, that you can’t faithfully love your neighbors as God intends. Decide to make it a high priority to reach out in love to the people you meet every day – especially people in need (such as those who are poor, sick, imprisoned, or outcasts in society). Spend time daily in prayer and meditating on Jesus’ words in the Bible about loving your neighbors. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you start seeing people as God sees them, and to give the compassion you need to treat them with real love. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:39 that “The second greatest commandment is “Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.”
Love your enemies. Jesus says: “… I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:43) “If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. (Matthew 5:46-47)
Ask God to help you love those difficult people you know – the ones who won’t return your love. Rather than holding grudges against them, ask the Holy Spirit to guide and empower you through the process of forgiving them. Instead of avoiding your enemies are even just putting up with them peaceably, Jesus calls you to pray for them and express real love when interacting with them. So keep in mind that all people are worthy of dignity and respect because God has made them, and ask God to help you relate to your enemies through the power of His love working through you.
Surrender your personal desires to Jesus so you can pursue what’s best for you. Be willing to surrender your desire for a husband or wife (if you’re single) or for a happy marriage (if you’re married) so those desires don’t dominate your life and prevent you from experiencing the full range of what God intends for you. View your deepest desires as opportunities to give what’s dear to your heart to Jesus so He can give you what’s best for you (which may or may not include your personal desires). Letting go of what you want frees you up to receive what God wants for you, which is beyond what you could imagine for yourself. It also frees you up to follow Jesus’ example of denying yourself so you can fully love others, giving generously however God may call you to do so. Be ready to say “yes” to God when He calls you to sacrifice your time, money, energy, emotions, or expectations in order to fully love Him and other people. Build your entire life around a commitment to serve God, even when it’s costly. Doing so invites God to fill your life with true love. The Apostle John tells us to “.. not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.” (1 John 2:15)
Seek God first, before all else. Set your priorities so that you’re giving God more attention than anyone or anything else in your life, including your husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend. Recognize that God, who is the source of all love, is worthy of your highest devotion. Keep in mind that when you give God your undivided attention, He will empower you to love others in ways that you couldn’t otherwise. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28)
Open the gift of solitude. When you’re alone with God, you can express your thoughts and feelings to Him fully and listen to His responses without distractions. So spend time praying in solitude regularly. If you feel lonely, let your loneliness motivate you to seek God more. Turn to God – not a romantic partner – to fulfill your deepest needs, because God alone can truly fulfill you, and His love is more than enough to satisfy you.
“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. (1 John 4:16)
Many Christians focus intently on finding someone to marry and then trying to live happily ever after in those marriages. They place such importance on romantic love that they may come to think of it as the pinnacle of their spiritual pursuits.
The need to be loved is a natural human emotion that we all desire. Romantic love is beautiful but God's love for all of us is the base of Christian spirituality. In his sermon "A Look At Love" James Merritt states "Love is the thermometer that can take your spiritual temperature. If you were put on trial for being a Christian, love is the one indisputable witness that would convict you of being saved. "
As Christians, our love proves two things. It proves that we are in the family of God because God created this world out of love. He created humans just so He could love us. God created Heaven so that we could love each other eternally. Love also proves our fellowship with God. Our love motivates us to know Jesus wholeheartedly, not just know about Jesus intellectually.
God's pure love for us was clearly shown on the cross when God sacrificed his only Son (John 3:16) so that we may have salvation. However, the kind of love that God offers is not something that is natural for humans. The kind of love that God offers through the Holy Spirit is something that is supernaturally produced through you. This means that if you belong to Christ, Christ lives in you. The kind of never-ending love that defines a true Christian is a sacrificial, selfless, satisfying and sharing love. We need to understand the importance of God's love for us and how we should embrace that amazing love.
Love--just think about that word. That one word can make a heart flutter uncontrollably. It can make the toughest man blush. It can make a grown man cry and women jump for joy.
The world is almost obsessed with this thing called love. The world sings about it, "What the world needs now is love sweet love." Or, "You're nobody till somebody loves you." "It's love that makes the world go around." And we can’t leave out the song “Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places”.
We have an insatiable desire to write about it. Almost without exception, you can walk into any store and just see shelf after shelf lined with romantic novels. Love has taken over the airways. Millions of people wait breathlessly from Friday till Monday to find out, "Will John get Mary, or will Mary forsake John for Luke. Or, will Luke go after Sally before Mary can forsake John for Luke."
God doesn’t place nearly so much importance on marriage as you might think. Yes, God did create marriage to fulfill good purposes in people’s lives on Earth (there’s no marriage in heaven – Matthew 22:29-30). But romantic love is just one expression of love, and Jesus wants those who follow Him to learn how to love as He does.
Focusing too much on marriage can distract you from Jesus’ greater call on your life: to learn how to wholeheartedly love God and other people. Whether you’re single (as I believe Jesus chose to be on Earth) or married, you can learn to love the best when you shift your focus away from romance and toward Jesus’ example. Here’s how:
Realize that singleness and marriage are equally valuable states. Although people in many church cultures unfortunately often make single people feel inferior to married people, God values single people just as much as He values married people. While many churches are oriented around families headed by married couples, from God’s perspective, the worldwide family of believers is what matters most. So if you’re single, don’t feel as if you have to get married to be complete or fully loved, or that you have to settle for a potential spouse whom you don’t truly sense God calling you to marry, simply to get married by a certain age. If you’re married, don’t pressure the single people you know to get married, but give them the freedom to follow God’s plans for them, in His timing. Rest assured that God loves you and wants to work powerfully through your life, no matter what your current marital status.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians: “I say this as a concession, not as a command. But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another. (1 Corinthians 7:6-8)
So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust. (1 Corinthians 7:6-9) and then he says: “Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you.” (1 Corinthians 7:17)
Love your neighbors. Expand your list of people to love to include many more than just the people who are closest to you, such as your spouse (if you’re married), other family members and friends. God’s call for you to love your neighbors means loving everyone you encounter in life – all the people around you now, plus all the people you happen to meet. If you spend so much time and energy focusing on finding or attending to a spouse, your life becomes so centered around marriage, that you can’t faithfully love your neighbors as God intends. Decide to make it a high priority to reach out in love to the people you meet every day – especially people in need (such as those who are poor, sick, imprisoned, or outcasts in society). Spend time daily in prayer and meditating on Jesus’ words in the Bible about loving your neighbors. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you start seeing people as God sees them, and to give the compassion you need to treat them with real love. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:39 that “The second greatest commandment is “Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.”
Love your enemies. Jesus says: “… I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:43) “If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. (Matthew 5:46-47)
Ask God to help you love those difficult people you know – the ones who won’t return your love. Rather than holding grudges against them, ask the Holy Spirit to guide and empower you through the process of forgiving them. Instead of avoiding your enemies are even just putting up with them peaceably, Jesus calls you to pray for them and express real love when interacting with them. So keep in mind that all people are worthy of dignity and respect because God has made them, and ask God to help you relate to your enemies through the power of His love working through you.
Surrender your personal desires to Jesus so you can pursue what’s best for you. Be willing to surrender your desire for a husband or wife (if you’re single) or for a happy marriage (if you’re married) so those desires don’t dominate your life and prevent you from experiencing the full range of what God intends for you. View your deepest desires as opportunities to give what’s dear to your heart to Jesus so He can give you what’s best for you (which may or may not include your personal desires). Letting go of what you want frees you up to receive what God wants for you, which is beyond what you could imagine for yourself. It also frees you up to follow Jesus’ example of denying yourself so you can fully love others, giving generously however God may call you to do so. Be ready to say “yes” to God when He calls you to sacrifice your time, money, energy, emotions, or expectations in order to fully love Him and other people. Build your entire life around a commitment to serve God, even when it’s costly. Doing so invites God to fill your life with true love. The Apostle John tells us to “.. not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.” (1 John 2:15)
Seek God first, before all else. Set your priorities so that you’re giving God more attention than anyone or anything else in your life, including your husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend. Recognize that God, who is the source of all love, is worthy of your highest devotion. Keep in mind that when you give God your undivided attention, He will empower you to love others in ways that you couldn’t otherwise. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28)
Open the gift of solitude. When you’re alone with God, you can express your thoughts and feelings to Him fully and listen to His responses without distractions. So spend time praying in solitude regularly. If you feel lonely, let your loneliness motivate you to seek God more. Turn to God – not a romantic partner – to fulfill your deepest needs, because God alone can truly fulfill you, and His love is more than enough to satisfy you.
“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. (1 John 4:16)
Sunday, September 23, 2012
What Spiritual Immaturity Looks Like
What Spiritual Immaturity Looks Like
“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11)
Every church needs a healthy portion of immature members. After all, new believers start out as spiritual babies with a world of learning and growing ahead. No one is born fully grown.
However, the sad part about this is that many who have been in church most of their lives are still "babies" when it comes to spiritual "maturity". How long one has been in church has nothing to do with this maturity. So having "new" immature member s is good, having "old" immature members is not good. By old and new I am not talking physical age but "church" age. I am afraid there are many members of all churches that have been faithful members for years. They attend, tithe regularly and can quote the Bible, at least some can, but still don't "get it". Sometimes we want to say to these “Have you not ever read any of the Bible”? The writer of Hebrews kinda’ felt this way as we will see later on in lesson - Hebrews 5:12
What spiritual immaturity looks like:
A spiritual infant looks and acts a lot like human infants. They’re self-centered, cry-babies, impatient, helpless, noisy, and messy.
1) Spiritual infants are self-centered. They arrive at church thinking, “What can I get out of this?” Then, they sometimes leave saying, “I didn’t get a thing out of that today.” Church is all about them. Jesus says in one of his parables that “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.” (Matthew 13:19)
2) Spiritual infants are noisy. They cry a lot, particularly when they don’t think their needs are being met. The church leadership presents a plan for reaching young adults in the community and the senior adults immediately complain that the church plans to abandon them. That’s immaturity on display.
The leadership asks the church to fund a mission project and someone complains that the girls’ bathroom needs remodeling with that money.
The story of the Israelites in the wilderness is one instance of griping and complaining after another. Poor Moses had to babysit hundreds of thousands of God’s infants for a full generation. No wonder pastors admire Moses so much and identify with him so readily.
Sometimes we need to do as the Psalmist writes, “Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10a)
3) Spiritual infants are messy. Toddlers do not clean up after themselves. That’s someone else’s job. On Sunday night after everyone has vacated the premises, walk around the church building and you’ll know in a heartbeat whether the congregation is mature or immature.
4) Spiritual infants are impatient. The crying baby cannot be told that the milk is warming and should be ready in a few minutes. He wants what he wants and he wants it five minutes ago.
“Why did you leave that church?” “We were not having our needs met.” Ever heard that? This is the customer/provider approach to Kingdom work. The church is there to provide services which members pay for with their offerings; if the services are inferior, they withhold their money or even leave. Such is the nature of worldly devotion. Paul says one of the fruits of the Spirit is “patience”. (Galatians 5:22) Note: There are times when one may need to leave a church but only when led to do so by the Lord. Should be a lot of praying involved.
5) Spiritual infants are defined by what they cannot do. They cannot cooperate, cannot submit to others, and cannot understand deep things. They are unable to apologize and mean it, and resist sharing.
They cannot see far away. Suggest the church participate in a community event or send money to missions, and they respond, “Why? What does it do for us?”
6) Spiritual infants are explosive and can “go off” at anything. They were in the hospital and the pastor did not visit them, so they drop out of church. They worked hard on that project and got no recognition from the pulpit so they are ready to quit. Paul tells us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander.” (Ephesians 4:31)
7) Spiritual infants are irresponsible. They’re great at expecting a lot from others and nothing from themselves. They always know who is to blame for all that’s wrong in the church.
It’s the nature of the immature to be childish. It’s the natural order of things for babies to be infantile. We’re not saying otherwise. We love babies.
Babies can love and laugh and add a great deal to any gathering. The biggest huggers in any church and the ones most likely to call out a hearty ‘amen’ to the sermon are the newer members, those “fresh in from the cold.” They add a lot to the church.
But we don’t want to keep our children as toddlers forever. They should grow.
We should not be against spiritual babies: everyone goes through that developmental stage.
But to remain a baby forever is unnatural. And the same applies to “baby” Christians. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:13-14 that “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.”
Growing into maturity is the natural order of things. The writer of Hebrews said to some unnamed Believers, “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.” (Hebrews 5:12). Which really means “But you need to return to the first grade and start over with the basic truths of the kingdom”.
We don’t tell our babies to grow. It’s the natural order. If we feed and nurture them, protect and care for them, they will grow.
But Spiritual growth is a choice.
We grow spiritually into Christlikeness by the choices we make–whether to read the Bible and pray, to obey the Lord in a particularly difficult situation, to give our tithes when finances are tight, to share our faith when doing so might be uncomfortable, to resist temptation when its pull was so strong.
We choose to grow by making right choices. And, when we make the wrong choices we choose not to grow. We feel lazy on Sunday mornings and decide to sleep in; we are deciding not to grow. We decide to spend God’s money on ourselves rather than give it in church; we decide not to grow. We go a week without serious attention to the Word of God; we are sentencing ourselves not to grow.
To use Eugene Peterson’s phrase, spiritual growth takes place as a result of “a long obedience in the same direction.” BTW, this is the title of his book.
The Apostle Peter writes “…., you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18).
There is a way for God’s children to speed up the maturity process, to grow at a much faster clip than is normally the case.
But you won’t like it.
It’s called persecution.
When believers are persecuted for the faith, when they are harassed and tormented, and some even killed, when being identified as a follower of Jesus Christ subjects one to all kinds of opposition and humiliation, the Lord’s people decide in a hurry to what extent they believe Him and believe in Him, and how important He is to them.
The faithful who persevere in difficult times grow much faster than those who live in safe societies where serving Christ costs them little or nothing. They have to.
But I wouldn’t want to volunteer for persecution. There are easier ways–not to say more survivable ways!–to grow in the Lord.
“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11)
Every church needs a healthy portion of immature members. After all, new believers start out as spiritual babies with a world of learning and growing ahead. No one is born fully grown.
However, the sad part about this is that many who have been in church most of their lives are still "babies" when it comes to spiritual "maturity". How long one has been in church has nothing to do with this maturity. So having "new" immature member s is good, having "old" immature members is not good. By old and new I am not talking physical age but "church" age. I am afraid there are many members of all churches that have been faithful members for years. They attend, tithe regularly and can quote the Bible, at least some can, but still don't "get it". Sometimes we want to say to these “Have you not ever read any of the Bible”? The writer of Hebrews kinda’ felt this way as we will see later on in lesson - Hebrews 5:12
What spiritual immaturity looks like:
A spiritual infant looks and acts a lot like human infants. They’re self-centered, cry-babies, impatient, helpless, noisy, and messy.
1) Spiritual infants are self-centered. They arrive at church thinking, “What can I get out of this?” Then, they sometimes leave saying, “I didn’t get a thing out of that today.” Church is all about them. Jesus says in one of his parables that “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.” (Matthew 13:19)
2) Spiritual infants are noisy. They cry a lot, particularly when they don’t think their needs are being met. The church leadership presents a plan for reaching young adults in the community and the senior adults immediately complain that the church plans to abandon them. That’s immaturity on display.
The leadership asks the church to fund a mission project and someone complains that the girls’ bathroom needs remodeling with that money.
The story of the Israelites in the wilderness is one instance of griping and complaining after another. Poor Moses had to babysit hundreds of thousands of God’s infants for a full generation. No wonder pastors admire Moses so much and identify with him so readily.
Sometimes we need to do as the Psalmist writes, “Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10a)
3) Spiritual infants are messy. Toddlers do not clean up after themselves. That’s someone else’s job. On Sunday night after everyone has vacated the premises, walk around the church building and you’ll know in a heartbeat whether the congregation is mature or immature.
4) Spiritual infants are impatient. The crying baby cannot be told that the milk is warming and should be ready in a few minutes. He wants what he wants and he wants it five minutes ago.
“Why did you leave that church?” “We were not having our needs met.” Ever heard that? This is the customer/provider approach to Kingdom work. The church is there to provide services which members pay for with their offerings; if the services are inferior, they withhold their money or even leave. Such is the nature of worldly devotion. Paul says one of the fruits of the Spirit is “patience”. (Galatians 5:22) Note: There are times when one may need to leave a church but only when led to do so by the Lord. Should be a lot of praying involved.
5) Spiritual infants are defined by what they cannot do. They cannot cooperate, cannot submit to others, and cannot understand deep things. They are unable to apologize and mean it, and resist sharing.
They cannot see far away. Suggest the church participate in a community event or send money to missions, and they respond, “Why? What does it do for us?”
6) Spiritual infants are explosive and can “go off” at anything. They were in the hospital and the pastor did not visit them, so they drop out of church. They worked hard on that project and got no recognition from the pulpit so they are ready to quit. Paul tells us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander.” (Ephesians 4:31)
7) Spiritual infants are irresponsible. They’re great at expecting a lot from others and nothing from themselves. They always know who is to blame for all that’s wrong in the church.
It’s the nature of the immature to be childish. It’s the natural order of things for babies to be infantile. We’re not saying otherwise. We love babies.
Babies can love and laugh and add a great deal to any gathering. The biggest huggers in any church and the ones most likely to call out a hearty ‘amen’ to the sermon are the newer members, those “fresh in from the cold.” They add a lot to the church.
But we don’t want to keep our children as toddlers forever. They should grow.
We should not be against spiritual babies: everyone goes through that developmental stage.
But to remain a baby forever is unnatural. And the same applies to “baby” Christians. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:13-14 that “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.”
Growing into maturity is the natural order of things. The writer of Hebrews said to some unnamed Believers, “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.” (Hebrews 5:12). Which really means “But you need to return to the first grade and start over with the basic truths of the kingdom”.
We don’t tell our babies to grow. It’s the natural order. If we feed and nurture them, protect and care for them, they will grow.
But Spiritual growth is a choice.
We grow spiritually into Christlikeness by the choices we make–whether to read the Bible and pray, to obey the Lord in a particularly difficult situation, to give our tithes when finances are tight, to share our faith when doing so might be uncomfortable, to resist temptation when its pull was so strong.
We choose to grow by making right choices. And, when we make the wrong choices we choose not to grow. We feel lazy on Sunday mornings and decide to sleep in; we are deciding not to grow. We decide to spend God’s money on ourselves rather than give it in church; we decide not to grow. We go a week without serious attention to the Word of God; we are sentencing ourselves not to grow.
To use Eugene Peterson’s phrase, spiritual growth takes place as a result of “a long obedience in the same direction.” BTW, this is the title of his book.
The Apostle Peter writes “…., you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18).
There is a way for God’s children to speed up the maturity process, to grow at a much faster clip than is normally the case.
But you won’t like it.
It’s called persecution.
When believers are persecuted for the faith, when they are harassed and tormented, and some even killed, when being identified as a follower of Jesus Christ subjects one to all kinds of opposition and humiliation, the Lord’s people decide in a hurry to what extent they believe Him and believe in Him, and how important He is to them.
The faithful who persevere in difficult times grow much faster than those who live in safe societies where serving Christ costs them little or nothing. They have to.
But I wouldn’t want to volunteer for persecution. There are easier ways–not to say more survivable ways!–to grow in the Lord.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Obedience!
Obedience!
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” 16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.
17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples. Mark 14:12-17
As I was reading this scripture this week in preparation for our Sunday afternoon Bible Study at CHBC (HINT: We meet at 5:00pm in the WhoSoEver room, if anyone would like to attend.), I thought, “How strange that Jesus would give such “details” about what to do to get ready for the Passover meal.”
Passover was a major event in the lives of the Jewish people. It was in remembrance of when they were captive in Egypt by the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh would not allow them to leave Egypt so God had caused several really bad things happen to the Egyptians. The last was the Angel of Death killing the first born of each household that did not have blood from a lamb on the door post. The Jewish were told that by following God’s command about this the Death Angel would “pass over” their house.
Wouldn’t it have been okay to just tell his disciples to all meet at this certain house at a certain time for the meal since Jesus knew where it was going to be? I know that I would have asked this question –“Aw, Jesus, can’t we just meet”? Then I “felt” the answer: “Hayward, it is about obedience, even to small things”. Thus, the title of today’s lesson – OBEDIENCE! Now every one of you may read this scripture and not get the same message as me! However, why would Jesus go through all these steps? Do you think that maybe God through the Holy Spirit might ask us to do things that make absolutely no sense to us but He has a purpose. In some cases the purpose could be just to “test” us in our obedience. Or it could have much more far reaching consequences.
Have you ever made a decision to obey God as a way of life? I’m not talking about obeying once in a while but in every area to the best of your knowledge and ability. Or do you find that there are times when you struggle to do what you know is right and in keeping with His principles? There may be times when it is easy to discern between what is right and in keeping with God’s will and what is wrong and not a part of His plan. In fact, you may actually obey Him at crucial junctures because you want His best. Other times, you may feel as if you are being pulled aside by disobedience simply because you did not do your homework in prayer and the study of God’s Word.
Solomon admonished us to “catch the foxes.” He went on to explain that it is the “little foxes that are ruining the vineyards” (Song of Solomon 2:15). Often the smaller decisions bring about the biggest consequences. A decision to tell a little white lie is very costly because it leads to sin and usually the next step, which is deception. The enemy is very keen. He knows better than to tempt a seasoned believer to flat out be not be obedient to God. Obvious sin always draws a response. Friends and family members usually speak up when you are involved in something that leads to shame, failure and a damaged testimony. You may falsely believe that something perceived as being insignificant is much easier to disguise. It may be for a season, but at some point God pulls the covers back, and the truth is revealed about what you have done.
Obedience to the Holy Spirit in small things can be so very important even though we are not aware of them at the time.
Edward Kimball was a Sunday School teacher at a little church in Chicago, his class was for teenagers. It wasn’t the biggest church in town, actually, it was a rather tiny church. Kimball had a small Sunday School class that consisted of just a handful of kids.
One Sunday a new kid showed up in church all on his own. This kid just showed up at church, he didn’t come with his family and no one from the church brought him. He just appeared.
He went to Edward Kimball’s Sunday School class that morning. Kimball quickly found out that this kid had never been to church before and was completely unfamiliar with the Bible and Christianity, compared to the other teens.
Edward Kimball realized that he needed to talk to this kid one on one about Jesus Christ and so that same week Kimball walked down to where the young man worked, a shoe store. Kimball saw the kid through the window working but hesitated to go in. He knew that he needed to really talk to this kid; again Kimball turned to enter, but again, he hesitated..
I mean who was Edward Kimball anyway? He was just a guy at one of the least significant churches in town, a guy with a relatively ineffective Sunday School class that only attracted a few teens, he wasn’t brilliant or especially articulate, he was just a part time Sunday School teacher and not much more. Has anyone here ever heard of him?
Still, this kid needed to hear about Jesus, and so, one more time Edward built up the courage to enter the store and talk to the kid - this time he followed through. Edward presented the gospel to the new kid as best he could….and the kid responded by giving his life over to Jesus Christ, right there in the store.
There are hundreds of thousands of people who have come to know Jesus Christ as a result of this single act of Edward Kimball. This small act that Kimball almost let pass by, quite possibly could have been the demise of our chance to hear about Jesus, if he had not acted. Chances are, we owe our gratitude to this man for our opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
You see, that kid who gave his life over to Jesus Christ that day was none other than Dwight Moody who later became one of the greatest evangelists in the world with hundreds and thousands becoming Christians as a result of his witness.
One of those who came to Christ as a result of Moody’s ministry was the Reverend Billy Graham, who in turn brought millions to Christ, worldwide.
A man few people could name today, a man who wasn’t really anyone, a man who didn’t stand a chance to win the Sunday School teacher of the year award, yet, in one single act, this man set in motion the creation more followers of Jesus Christ, perhaps, than anyone in the history of Christianity. This happened by a simple man doing a “small” thing in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit!
The small things we do in the Kingdom of God will have a greater impact than the great things we strive to do in the Kingdom of God. Let’s say that again, The small things we do in the Kingdom of God will have a greater impact than the great things we strive to do in the Kingdom of God.
You know, doing small things in the Kingdom of God, is well….doing things. When we do little things, we are actually doing the work of the kingdom of God. Now, striving to do great things in the Kingdom of God is excellent, but the truth is, we may simply pass up opportunities God sets before us, by ignoring the small things.
We want to have an impact for Jesus Christ and we may shy away from little things, because we believe, in the end little things will matter little. Yet, the truth is, God calls you to what God calls you to.
In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents in which three men are given various amount of money, each according to his ability. With what was given was an expectation from God. God has given us whatever He has given us with the expectation that we will use it for the building of the kingdom of God - even in the little things.
Obedience to the Holy Spirit in small things can lead to far reaching blessings. What Jesus did on the cross for us was not a “small” thing but it was “obedience”.
“…he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” Philippians 2:8
“Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.” Hebrews 5:8
In closing, Jesus gives a new commandment. One which He expects us to do in obedience to His will: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35
And, the disciples were amazed when Jesus calmed the storm at sea. They said “Even the wind and waves obey him!” Mark 4:41b Soooo, shouldn’t we obedience, even in small things??
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” 16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.
17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples. Mark 14:12-17
As I was reading this scripture this week in preparation for our Sunday afternoon Bible Study at CHBC (HINT: We meet at 5:00pm in the WhoSoEver room, if anyone would like to attend.), I thought, “How strange that Jesus would give such “details” about what to do to get ready for the Passover meal.”
Passover was a major event in the lives of the Jewish people. It was in remembrance of when they were captive in Egypt by the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh would not allow them to leave Egypt so God had caused several really bad things happen to the Egyptians. The last was the Angel of Death killing the first born of each household that did not have blood from a lamb on the door post. The Jewish were told that by following God’s command about this the Death Angel would “pass over” their house.
Wouldn’t it have been okay to just tell his disciples to all meet at this certain house at a certain time for the meal since Jesus knew where it was going to be? I know that I would have asked this question –“Aw, Jesus, can’t we just meet”? Then I “felt” the answer: “Hayward, it is about obedience, even to small things”. Thus, the title of today’s lesson – OBEDIENCE! Now every one of you may read this scripture and not get the same message as me! However, why would Jesus go through all these steps? Do you think that maybe God through the Holy Spirit might ask us to do things that make absolutely no sense to us but He has a purpose. In some cases the purpose could be just to “test” us in our obedience. Or it could have much more far reaching consequences.
Have you ever made a decision to obey God as a way of life? I’m not talking about obeying once in a while but in every area to the best of your knowledge and ability. Or do you find that there are times when you struggle to do what you know is right and in keeping with His principles? There may be times when it is easy to discern between what is right and in keeping with God’s will and what is wrong and not a part of His plan. In fact, you may actually obey Him at crucial junctures because you want His best. Other times, you may feel as if you are being pulled aside by disobedience simply because you did not do your homework in prayer and the study of God’s Word.
Solomon admonished us to “catch the foxes.” He went on to explain that it is the “little foxes that are ruining the vineyards” (Song of Solomon 2:15). Often the smaller decisions bring about the biggest consequences. A decision to tell a little white lie is very costly because it leads to sin and usually the next step, which is deception. The enemy is very keen. He knows better than to tempt a seasoned believer to flat out be not be obedient to God. Obvious sin always draws a response. Friends and family members usually speak up when you are involved in something that leads to shame, failure and a damaged testimony. You may falsely believe that something perceived as being insignificant is much easier to disguise. It may be for a season, but at some point God pulls the covers back, and the truth is revealed about what you have done.
Obedience to the Holy Spirit in small things can be so very important even though we are not aware of them at the time.
Edward Kimball was a Sunday School teacher at a little church in Chicago, his class was for teenagers. It wasn’t the biggest church in town, actually, it was a rather tiny church. Kimball had a small Sunday School class that consisted of just a handful of kids.
One Sunday a new kid showed up in church all on his own. This kid just showed up at church, he didn’t come with his family and no one from the church brought him. He just appeared.
He went to Edward Kimball’s Sunday School class that morning. Kimball quickly found out that this kid had never been to church before and was completely unfamiliar with the Bible and Christianity, compared to the other teens.
Edward Kimball realized that he needed to talk to this kid one on one about Jesus Christ and so that same week Kimball walked down to where the young man worked, a shoe store. Kimball saw the kid through the window working but hesitated to go in. He knew that he needed to really talk to this kid; again Kimball turned to enter, but again, he hesitated..
I mean who was Edward Kimball anyway? He was just a guy at one of the least significant churches in town, a guy with a relatively ineffective Sunday School class that only attracted a few teens, he wasn’t brilliant or especially articulate, he was just a part time Sunday School teacher and not much more. Has anyone here ever heard of him?
Still, this kid needed to hear about Jesus, and so, one more time Edward built up the courage to enter the store and talk to the kid - this time he followed through. Edward presented the gospel to the new kid as best he could….and the kid responded by giving his life over to Jesus Christ, right there in the store.
There are hundreds of thousands of people who have come to know Jesus Christ as a result of this single act of Edward Kimball. This small act that Kimball almost let pass by, quite possibly could have been the demise of our chance to hear about Jesus, if he had not acted. Chances are, we owe our gratitude to this man for our opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
You see, that kid who gave his life over to Jesus Christ that day was none other than Dwight Moody who later became one of the greatest evangelists in the world with hundreds and thousands becoming Christians as a result of his witness.
One of those who came to Christ as a result of Moody’s ministry was the Reverend Billy Graham, who in turn brought millions to Christ, worldwide.
A man few people could name today, a man who wasn’t really anyone, a man who didn’t stand a chance to win the Sunday School teacher of the year award, yet, in one single act, this man set in motion the creation more followers of Jesus Christ, perhaps, than anyone in the history of Christianity. This happened by a simple man doing a “small” thing in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit!
The small things we do in the Kingdom of God will have a greater impact than the great things we strive to do in the Kingdom of God. Let’s say that again, The small things we do in the Kingdom of God will have a greater impact than the great things we strive to do in the Kingdom of God.
You know, doing small things in the Kingdom of God, is well….doing things. When we do little things, we are actually doing the work of the kingdom of God. Now, striving to do great things in the Kingdom of God is excellent, but the truth is, we may simply pass up opportunities God sets before us, by ignoring the small things.
We want to have an impact for Jesus Christ and we may shy away from little things, because we believe, in the end little things will matter little. Yet, the truth is, God calls you to what God calls you to.
In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents in which three men are given various amount of money, each according to his ability. With what was given was an expectation from God. God has given us whatever He has given us with the expectation that we will use it for the building of the kingdom of God - even in the little things.
Obedience to the Holy Spirit in small things can lead to far reaching blessings. What Jesus did on the cross for us was not a “small” thing but it was “obedience”.
“…he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” Philippians 2:8
“Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.” Hebrews 5:8
In closing, Jesus gives a new commandment. One which He expects us to do in obedience to His will: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35
And, the disciples were amazed when Jesus calmed the storm at sea. They said “Even the wind and waves obey him!” Mark 4:41b Soooo, shouldn’t we obedience, even in small things??
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
5 Attitudes Toward Someone With Whom We Disagree
I wish I could have “captured” the discussion generated by this lesson. The most discussion was not about different opinions on “politics” but about “difficult” people in each day.
Hayward
5 Attitudes Toward Someone With Whom We Disagree
We live in a generally uncivil world (because we are fallen creatures) and we are in the midst of an uncivil season (Campaign 2012 or if you live in the south it is probably more about the 2012 football especially if we live in the state of Alabama.) Technologies, the proliferation of campaign spending, and the insidious, but effective tool of dishonest 30-second TV ads all add to a very uncivil culture. And Facebook, especially when it comes to football. This lesson is really about politics but I thought I would throw in the football “thing” at the beginning since negative “comments” are already popping up on Facebook!
Rick Warren, the Pastor of Saddleback Church decided against hosting a presidential debate due to the “nastiness” of the current campaigns. In his announcement, Warren said the campaign’s current climate, highlighted by “irresponsible personal attacks, mean-spirited slander, and flat-out dishonest attack ads,” is not what a civil forum aims to promote: respect between those with differences. He said he does not expect that climate of incivility to change before the election. "It would be hypocritical to pretend civility for one evening only to have the name-calling return the next day,” he said
For Christians, it can be difficult to know how to conduct ourselves in this “uncivil” season. On the one hand we want to stand boldly for truth, speaking out when appropriate. On the other, we're commanded by Scripture to conduct ourselves differently. So how do we do this? Here are five principles from the Scripture that helps us adopt grace-filled attitudes toward those with whom we firmly disagree:
1) Love Your Neighbor As Yourself (Mark 12:31). At the very least your political opponent, whether it's the President, someone in the other party, your opinionated relative, or the blogger who has it all wrong--that person is your neighbor. And we are to love our neighbors, not with a sort of grudging foot-dragging love, but "as yourself." In other words, you are to treat them with the same respect you would want to be treated. How does this play out in the public square? Well I think it means we argue principles without making it personal. It means we give them the benefit of the doubt. 1 Corinthians 13 says that one of the definitions of love is that it "4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In other words, we can oppose someone politically without thinking they are part of some evil scheme to make our lives miserable.
2) Love Your Enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). Viewing a political opponent as an "enemy" might be too strong, but let's just assume that for a moment, on the issues about which you care, he or she is your enemy. For instance, it could be honestly said that most liberals are adversaries of the pro-life position that most Christians hold. So how does Jesus' words to love them apply? Well, we’re supposed to love them with the fullest definition of love. We can oppose what they stand for without ridiculing the person or mocking them or their families. We can love our political adversaries by speaking only what we know to be true about them. It means we see any good and redeeming values in them and pray for them!
3) Honor the King (1 Peter 2:17). Peter wrote these words to a church about to endure four decades of brutal persecution at the hands of Roman oppressors. And yet Peter writes, "Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.”
If this seems difficult to do under leaders who might oppose biblical values, imagine how difficult it was for Christian citizens of Rome. But it's made easier with the middle words of that phrase, "Fear God." Romans 13 (If you have not read or remember reading this chapter, do so! It is very interesting.) reminds us that nobody is in power except those God anoints and puts in power. So, you can show proper respect to a political adversary because you acknowledge the sovereignty of God and you affirm that even your enemy was created in God's image. And therefore you can honor a political leader because in doing so you're honoring the God who put him or her there. The words, "respect" and "honor" give us a good idea of how we should make political arguments. We can forcefully oppose unjust, unwise, or unbiblical policies without resorting to name-calling, mockery, and slander. In doing this, Christians can set themselves apart. Think of men like Nehemiah, Daniel, and Joseph who served wicked monarchs and still always showed proper respect to the office.
4) Pray for Your Leaders (Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy 2:2). There are not many specifics in the New Testament about Christian political activism. But we might look at Jesus's words “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” in Matthew 5:16, His prayer in John 17 and Paul's appeal in Romans 10 for the necessity of Christians to help shape culture at all levels (including political and governmental). But the one very specific instruction regarding Christians and their leaders is the command to pray for them. We Christians seem to have it backward. We treat activism as a necessity and prayer for our leaders as an option. We should do both. We should pray and watch, pray and build, pray and act. But we must never diminish prayer. We must pray for our President, our Congress, our Governors, our statehouses, our mayors, our local leaders. Public service is a difficult calling. Max Lucado, pastor and author of MANY Christian books is gathering Christians to pray during this election season.
5) Speak with Grace (Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:6). This verse should really convict us, because often our speech is not always marked by grace. Especially in election season. (And football season.) Especially when we’re all wound up with an opinion or idea about someone with whom we disagree. But followers of Jesus should be marked by grace. This means that what we post, what we say, what we discuss should be viewed through the window of grace. How is graceful speech different than ordinary speech? It flows from a heart humbled by God's forgiveness. It considers the human behind the argument. It tries not to divide, but to unite. It grounds every argument in the gospel story. Graceful speech doesn't post angry, half-truth, slanderous opinions on Facebook. Graceful speech doesn't support distorted 30 second TV ads. Graceful speech is open to new arguments, admits wrongs, and doesn't assume that it's right all the time.
Summary: This is not a complete or exhaustive list, just a few ideas about living out the gospel during political season and beyond. Christians can be both civil and engaged, full of grace and yet firm in support of truth.
Hayward
5 Attitudes Toward Someone With Whom We Disagree
We live in a generally uncivil world (because we are fallen creatures) and we are in the midst of an uncivil season (Campaign 2012 or if you live in the south it is probably more about the 2012 football especially if we live in the state of Alabama.) Technologies, the proliferation of campaign spending, and the insidious, but effective tool of dishonest 30-second TV ads all add to a very uncivil culture. And Facebook, especially when it comes to football. This lesson is really about politics but I thought I would throw in the football “thing” at the beginning since negative “comments” are already popping up on Facebook!
Rick Warren, the Pastor of Saddleback Church decided against hosting a presidential debate due to the “nastiness” of the current campaigns. In his announcement, Warren said the campaign’s current climate, highlighted by “irresponsible personal attacks, mean-spirited slander, and flat-out dishonest attack ads,” is not what a civil forum aims to promote: respect between those with differences. He said he does not expect that climate of incivility to change before the election. "It would be hypocritical to pretend civility for one evening only to have the name-calling return the next day,” he said
For Christians, it can be difficult to know how to conduct ourselves in this “uncivil” season. On the one hand we want to stand boldly for truth, speaking out when appropriate. On the other, we're commanded by Scripture to conduct ourselves differently. So how do we do this? Here are five principles from the Scripture that helps us adopt grace-filled attitudes toward those with whom we firmly disagree:
1) Love Your Neighbor As Yourself (Mark 12:31). At the very least your political opponent, whether it's the President, someone in the other party, your opinionated relative, or the blogger who has it all wrong--that person is your neighbor. And we are to love our neighbors, not with a sort of grudging foot-dragging love, but "as yourself." In other words, you are to treat them with the same respect you would want to be treated. How does this play out in the public square? Well I think it means we argue principles without making it personal. It means we give them the benefit of the doubt. 1 Corinthians 13 says that one of the definitions of love is that it "4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In other words, we can oppose someone politically without thinking they are part of some evil scheme to make our lives miserable.
2) Love Your Enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). Viewing a political opponent as an "enemy" might be too strong, but let's just assume that for a moment, on the issues about which you care, he or she is your enemy. For instance, it could be honestly said that most liberals are adversaries of the pro-life position that most Christians hold. So how does Jesus' words to love them apply? Well, we’re supposed to love them with the fullest definition of love. We can oppose what they stand for without ridiculing the person or mocking them or their families. We can love our political adversaries by speaking only what we know to be true about them. It means we see any good and redeeming values in them and pray for them!
3) Honor the King (1 Peter 2:17). Peter wrote these words to a church about to endure four decades of brutal persecution at the hands of Roman oppressors. And yet Peter writes, "Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.”
If this seems difficult to do under leaders who might oppose biblical values, imagine how difficult it was for Christian citizens of Rome. But it's made easier with the middle words of that phrase, "Fear God." Romans 13 (If you have not read or remember reading this chapter, do so! It is very interesting.) reminds us that nobody is in power except those God anoints and puts in power. So, you can show proper respect to a political adversary because you acknowledge the sovereignty of God and you affirm that even your enemy was created in God's image. And therefore you can honor a political leader because in doing so you're honoring the God who put him or her there. The words, "respect" and "honor" give us a good idea of how we should make political arguments. We can forcefully oppose unjust, unwise, or unbiblical policies without resorting to name-calling, mockery, and slander. In doing this, Christians can set themselves apart. Think of men like Nehemiah, Daniel, and Joseph who served wicked monarchs and still always showed proper respect to the office.
4) Pray for Your Leaders (Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy 2:2). There are not many specifics in the New Testament about Christian political activism. But we might look at Jesus's words “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” in Matthew 5:16, His prayer in John 17 and Paul's appeal in Romans 10 for the necessity of Christians to help shape culture at all levels (including political and governmental). But the one very specific instruction regarding Christians and their leaders is the command to pray for them. We Christians seem to have it backward. We treat activism as a necessity and prayer for our leaders as an option. We should do both. We should pray and watch, pray and build, pray and act. But we must never diminish prayer. We must pray for our President, our Congress, our Governors, our statehouses, our mayors, our local leaders. Public service is a difficult calling. Max Lucado, pastor and author of MANY Christian books is gathering Christians to pray during this election season.
5) Speak with Grace (Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:6). This verse should really convict us, because often our speech is not always marked by grace. Especially in election season. (And football season.) Especially when we’re all wound up with an opinion or idea about someone with whom we disagree. But followers of Jesus should be marked by grace. This means that what we post, what we say, what we discuss should be viewed through the window of grace. How is graceful speech different than ordinary speech? It flows from a heart humbled by God's forgiveness. It considers the human behind the argument. It tries not to divide, but to unite. It grounds every argument in the gospel story. Graceful speech doesn't post angry, half-truth, slanderous opinions on Facebook. Graceful speech doesn't support distorted 30 second TV ads. Graceful speech is open to new arguments, admits wrongs, and doesn't assume that it's right all the time.
Summary: This is not a complete or exhaustive list, just a few ideas about living out the gospel during political season and beyond. Christians can be both civil and engaged, full of grace and yet firm in support of truth.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Addicted to Love!
This week's lesson is from James Merritt, Sr. Pastor at Cross Pointe Church, Duluth, GA. This is a GREAT sermon so please try to watch it when you can. I have included a link to his sermons but the current sermon (which is also very good) is the one you see first. Just scroll down and you will see a calendar of his sermons. Click on August and select the sermon for August 28. Click on the picture of Dr.Merritt and that video will displayed above. Just scroll back up and click to start video. Here is the link:
http://www.touchinglives.org/multimedia/video-broadcasts/?no_cache=1
Dr. Merritt can be seen on TBN at 7:30 on Sunday mornings, unless TBN has a fund raiser.
If you have problems getting to sermon, please let me know.
http://www.touchinglives.org/multimedia/video-broadcasts/?no_cache=1
Dr. Merritt can be seen on TBN at 7:30 on Sunday mornings, unless TBN has a fund raiser.
If you have problems getting to sermon, please let me know.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
How to Live With God
How to Live With God
God made us to live with Him. In the Garden of Eden, the first human beings lived with God, enjoying the blessings of close relationships with Him. After they sinned and had to leave God’s presence, God still made a way for people to be with Him by trusting in Jesus Christ for their salvation from sin. Jesus came to Earth as Immanuel (which means “God with us”) so that people could live with God once more. Jesus himself said: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
Christians now have the profound blessing of God living with them in the form of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that “If you love me, obey my commandments. … I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.” (John 14:15-16) Yet too often, we don’t approach God as if we are really living with Him. Instead, we live life over, under, from, or for God, missing out on the type of relationship He wants us to enjoy with Him.
Here’s how we can change the way we relate to God so we are truly living with Him:
Stop living under God. If we’re living under God, we’re relating to Him primarily as a sinner. We’re thinking of ourselves as a bad person who lives under the constant threat of God’s wrath and punishment. We work to figure out what God approves and disapproves of and then carefully live within those moral boundaries as much as we can. We hope to appease God through our morality, as well as by following rituals that we think may please Him. But there are no guarantees that God will rescue us from suffering if we do what God wants us to do, from living with integrity to supporting our church financially. Look what Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:8-10). Instead, God allows suffering to come into the lives of everyone both the righteous and the unrighteous in this fallen world (and God often uses suffering to accomplish good purposes in people’s lives). Sometimes this is very hard for us to understand. But Jesus told his followers that God “… gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” (Matthew 5:45) Also, God is most concerned about our internal state (what’s going on in our soul) than He is about our external actions. Recognize that we can faithfully adhere to religious rules and perform religious rituals, and yet still be harboring sinful conditions such as hatred, greed, pride, lust, and deceit in our soul. We can’t connect to God by living under Him. But thankfully, Jesus welcomes everyone (even the worst sinners) to rely on Him (rather than religion) to connect with God. He wants to save us all if we will let Him. Jesus said “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10) And Paul added “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8)
Stop living over God. If we’re living over God, we’re relating to Him primarily as a manager. We’re thinking of ourselves as an autonomous being who tries to control our own life without God’s intervention. An atheist believes that they control their own fate entirely, but when life doesn’t turn out as they had planned, they become frustrated. Other people believe that their fate ultimately depends on how well they implement God’s principles and instructions, and when they do what’s right yet still experience suffering, they become frustrated. But no matter how hard we may try to make certain outcomes happen in our life, we’re ultimately not in control - God is. Trying to take God’s place in one’s life by either denying His existence or trying in one’s own power to “please” Him won’t lead us to the peace and joy that living with God will give us. Scripture tells us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Stop living from God. If we’re living from God, we’re relating to Him primarily as a consumer. We’re thinking of ourselves as a discontent person who constantly deals with the pain of unmet desires and expects God to give us what we want, when we want it, or we doubt His love for us. We seek God’s blessings and try to convince God to fulfill our expectations, and become disappointed when life doesn’t turn out the way we’d hoped. We don’t care as much about God Himself as we do about what God can do for us. But God is not a divine butler, a cosmic therapist, or a holy vending machine. While it’s true that God wants to bless us, He wants to do so in the context of enjoying a close relationship with us. Also, God knows what’s truly best for us, so rather than trying to dictate what we think He should give us, we need to decide to trust Him to answer our prayers according to what’s best. We need to check our motives when we’re approaching God in prayer and make sure that we’re not too distracted by how much we want His blessings to pursue the biggest blessing of all: a closer relationship with God Himself. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
Stop living just for God. If we’re living for God, we’re relating to Him primarily as a servant. While serving God is good, it becomes unhealthy if it overtakes the main way in which God intends for us to relate to Him as a beloved child who goes through life with Him, regardless of whether or not we’re able to accomplish something great for Him. We’re thinking of ourselves as a worker whose value as a person is tied to whether or not we’re able to accomplish God’s mission for us in life. If we don’t have the impact on the world that we believe we should have, we worry that we're a failure who doesn’t deserve God’s love and fear that our life is insignificant. But real success comes from connecting to God through a relationship with Him, and our life will be significant no matter what we do or don’t accomplish for God, because our significance comes from the simple facts that God made us and loves us. Although it’s important to work on whatever God’s mission calls us to fulfill, it’s more important to make our ultimate goal pursuing God Himself. When we make our top priority living with God in a close relationship, the details of serving Him will fall into place properly, and we’ll experience peace and joy as we serve Him. Paul tells us that he is “convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Start living with God. When we focus on living with God, we relate to Him primarily as a beloved child. Then we can see God’s beauty, grasp His unconditional love, perceive His glory, and experience His goodness. We can strengthen our union with God by training ourselves to be aware of His constant presence with us and communing with Him in prayer often. Have faith that we’re always safe in God’s care, place our hope in God Himself rather than in our circumstances, and let God’s love inspire us to wonder, make new discoveries, and have joy that only He can give us.
In closing let’s look at what the Apostle John wrote about how much God loves those who have accepted his Son: “We know how much God loves us because we have felt His love and because we believe Him when He tells us that He loves us dearly. God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living WITH God and God is living in him. And as we live WITH Christ, our love grows more perfect and complete; so we will not be embarrassed at the day of judgment, but can face him with confidence and joy, because He loves us and we love Him too.” (1 John 4:16-17)
God made us to live with Him. In the Garden of Eden, the first human beings lived with God, enjoying the blessings of close relationships with Him. After they sinned and had to leave God’s presence, God still made a way for people to be with Him by trusting in Jesus Christ for their salvation from sin. Jesus came to Earth as Immanuel (which means “God with us”) so that people could live with God once more. Jesus himself said: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
Christians now have the profound blessing of God living with them in the form of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that “If you love me, obey my commandments. … I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.” (John 14:15-16) Yet too often, we don’t approach God as if we are really living with Him. Instead, we live life over, under, from, or for God, missing out on the type of relationship He wants us to enjoy with Him.
Here’s how we can change the way we relate to God so we are truly living with Him:
Stop living under God. If we’re living under God, we’re relating to Him primarily as a sinner. We’re thinking of ourselves as a bad person who lives under the constant threat of God’s wrath and punishment. We work to figure out what God approves and disapproves of and then carefully live within those moral boundaries as much as we can. We hope to appease God through our morality, as well as by following rituals that we think may please Him. But there are no guarantees that God will rescue us from suffering if we do what God wants us to do, from living with integrity to supporting our church financially. Look what Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:8-10). Instead, God allows suffering to come into the lives of everyone both the righteous and the unrighteous in this fallen world (and God often uses suffering to accomplish good purposes in people’s lives). Sometimes this is very hard for us to understand. But Jesus told his followers that God “… gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” (Matthew 5:45) Also, God is most concerned about our internal state (what’s going on in our soul) than He is about our external actions. Recognize that we can faithfully adhere to religious rules and perform religious rituals, and yet still be harboring sinful conditions such as hatred, greed, pride, lust, and deceit in our soul. We can’t connect to God by living under Him. But thankfully, Jesus welcomes everyone (even the worst sinners) to rely on Him (rather than religion) to connect with God. He wants to save us all if we will let Him. Jesus said “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (Luke 19:10) And Paul added “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8)
Stop living over God. If we’re living over God, we’re relating to Him primarily as a manager. We’re thinking of ourselves as an autonomous being who tries to control our own life without God’s intervention. An atheist believes that they control their own fate entirely, but when life doesn’t turn out as they had planned, they become frustrated. Other people believe that their fate ultimately depends on how well they implement God’s principles and instructions, and when they do what’s right yet still experience suffering, they become frustrated. But no matter how hard we may try to make certain outcomes happen in our life, we’re ultimately not in control - God is. Trying to take God’s place in one’s life by either denying His existence or trying in one’s own power to “please” Him won’t lead us to the peace and joy that living with God will give us. Scripture tells us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Stop living from God. If we’re living from God, we’re relating to Him primarily as a consumer. We’re thinking of ourselves as a discontent person who constantly deals with the pain of unmet desires and expects God to give us what we want, when we want it, or we doubt His love for us. We seek God’s blessings and try to convince God to fulfill our expectations, and become disappointed when life doesn’t turn out the way we’d hoped. We don’t care as much about God Himself as we do about what God can do for us. But God is not a divine butler, a cosmic therapist, or a holy vending machine. While it’s true that God wants to bless us, He wants to do so in the context of enjoying a close relationship with us. Also, God knows what’s truly best for us, so rather than trying to dictate what we think He should give us, we need to decide to trust Him to answer our prayers according to what’s best. We need to check our motives when we’re approaching God in prayer and make sure that we’re not too distracted by how much we want His blessings to pursue the biggest blessing of all: a closer relationship with God Himself. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
Stop living just for God. If we’re living for God, we’re relating to Him primarily as a servant. While serving God is good, it becomes unhealthy if it overtakes the main way in which God intends for us to relate to Him as a beloved child who goes through life with Him, regardless of whether or not we’re able to accomplish something great for Him. We’re thinking of ourselves as a worker whose value as a person is tied to whether or not we’re able to accomplish God’s mission for us in life. If we don’t have the impact on the world that we believe we should have, we worry that we're a failure who doesn’t deserve God’s love and fear that our life is insignificant. But real success comes from connecting to God through a relationship with Him, and our life will be significant no matter what we do or don’t accomplish for God, because our significance comes from the simple facts that God made us and loves us. Although it’s important to work on whatever God’s mission calls us to fulfill, it’s more important to make our ultimate goal pursuing God Himself. When we make our top priority living with God in a close relationship, the details of serving Him will fall into place properly, and we’ll experience peace and joy as we serve Him. Paul tells us that he is “convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Start living with God. When we focus on living with God, we relate to Him primarily as a beloved child. Then we can see God’s beauty, grasp His unconditional love, perceive His glory, and experience His goodness. We can strengthen our union with God by training ourselves to be aware of His constant presence with us and communing with Him in prayer often. Have faith that we’re always safe in God’s care, place our hope in God Himself rather than in our circumstances, and let God’s love inspire us to wonder, make new discoveries, and have joy that only He can give us.
In closing let’s look at what the Apostle John wrote about how much God loves those who have accepted his Son: “We know how much God loves us because we have felt His love and because we believe Him when He tells us that He loves us dearly. God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living WITH God and God is living in him. And as we live WITH Christ, our love grows more perfect and complete; so we will not be embarrassed at the day of judgment, but can face him with confidence and joy, because He loves us and we love Him too.” (1 John 4:16-17)
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