More Th>n a Presence Acts 1:6-8 Vs. 8 “… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the farthest part of the earth.”
Sunday’s sermon message had a different scenery, Pastor George spoke to us around a burning fire, with the smoke rising upward. Was this just a comforting scene on a cool Sunday morning? Or is there more to this picture? In the message we read about receiving power when the Holy Spirit comes, and to be a witness. Have you given much thought to the power of the Holy Spirit? We hear much about God, and his son Jesus but what about the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit? One of the video’s we watched this week in RNM is titled Earth – Wind – Fire, learning from and listening to the Holy Spirit by Jason Nelson. He addressed the nature of the Spirit, a separate essence of God. God three in one: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. First Jason addresses EARTH – We have all read and/or heard the Genesis account of creation. God created. Did you also catch in reading, the Spirit of God hovering over the Earth? We are referred to as mortal clay, earthly vessels of which God breathed life into, the very breath of God, the Holy Spirit breathed life into us, filling people with the power and presence of God. We are temples of the Holy Spirit. Jason Nelson then addressed WIND – His daughter, when asked to describe the Holy Spirit saying, “I see something invisible, I see air, but I know He’s there”. The Divine Wind. We can see, feel, or hear the effects of wind. Jesus, in his Word confirms the Divine Wind, the Holy Spirit. There is no life apart from the Spirit of God. How do you receive it, Nicodemus asked? Jesus replied by believing. Place your faith in the Son of God. Be Born Again, Born of the Spirit. The Spirit of God swirling within the depths of our soul. We can hear this wind, the Spirit, be still and know. It is through the Spirit giving us wisdom, insight, guidance that we can also breath this message of faith into our family, neighbors, strangers. A breath of fresh air in a spiritually polluted world. A second video we watched this week was Working for the Man Upstairs by Rev Tim Radkey. He quoted Martin Luther who said “Our occupation is a mask behind which God hides himself, working through our lives – our hands, our feet, our head – doing great and wonderful things for people He placed around us.” Martin Luther also said, “God does not need good works but your neighbor, community, family do”. Rev. Radkey wants us to think on the work that we do. Do we enjoy it? Or do we put in our time looking forward to clocking out for the day? We can look at our jobs as an occupation – earning a living – filling up with stuff that could fill a U-Haul. Or we can look at our jobs as a vocation – living your life for God. Striving to do what the creator of the universe wants you to do – that which fills into the lives of people that God has placed in our paths. Rev Radkey went on to say that each of us have a part within God’s society. Colossians 3:23… “whatever you do, do for the Lord”. We are conduits that God works through, to love and serve. As we interact with others, we can tell of all that Jesus has done for us. We have Ten Thousand Reasons for our heart to sing! A song that we sing, with words that hold so true. We show a fire that is burning within us. FIRE is the last attribute of the Holy Spirit that Jason Nelson addressed. We are all familiar with fire. We see its presence and know its power. Jason stated that with a fire you need heat, fuel, and oxygen. Without one there is no fire. In referring the Holy Spirit in relation to fire, there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Without the three there is no Trinity. Is there a fire burning within you? Have we caught on fire with enthusiasm? He said the fire of the Holy Spirit will never go out. Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, God in three persons, Blessed Trinity, all powerful, all knowing, ever present wants to work in and through our lives. On Sunday we sang Soul of Fire. Burning for Jesus? Pastor George talked around the fire on Sunday as we witnessed the smoke rising. The smell of smoke. That smell gets on us, our hair, our clothes. The Aroma that identifies. In burning for Jesus are we emitting an aroma? The same aroma as that of the Disciples? Are we part of the Gospel wildfire? Referring to Sunday scripture passage, to be a witness in Jerusalem, where you live, work and play; in Judea, our surrounding communities, our state; in Samaria, people who we tend to avoid, don’t like to be around; even to the ends of the earth. Let’s spread the wildfire! The aroma of fire, the aroma of Jesus, is what lingers on…………………. As we live for Jesus, we want to be More Th>n a Presence. We want to smell like Him! Larry & Darlene
0 Comments
More Than By-standers John 21:15-17
Living life is being anything but a by-stander. Seems like there is always something that needs tending too. Errands to run, kids to get somewhere, meals to prepare, work to finish, work to start, laundry, on and on this list can go. From Sunday’s message and this week’s RNM we focused on what is means to be More Th>n By-Standers. Pastor George described a by-stander as having apathy as an attitude, in other words an indifference or unconcerned. A By-Stander just watches things go by, not really encouraging or supporting anything or anyone. The scripture he referred to from John 21:15-17 reads the account of Jesus restoring Peter to his discipleship focus. Three times Jesus asked, “Peter do you love me”? To which Peter replied: “yes Lord you know that I love you”. Then Jesus replied with “Feed my lambs; Shepherd my sheep; Feed my sheep”. Be more than a By-Stander Peter! Invest yourself into the little one. Invest yourself into those who never heard of Me. Buildup, encourage, lead, teach, shepherd the people. Pour into all those who believe, the children of God, feed them what I fed you Peter. Give them what they need, the hope of Scripture. Do this now, don’t be a by-stander, do this before it’s too late and they go back to the old way, to what they knew. The video this week titled Never Too Late by Rob Rienow was a focus on the family. Today so many mid-teens to 30 something and beyond have checked out from the church they once were a part of. Why, how could this happen? Rob said that in a world of delegation training, (meaning delegating to something or someone else the parental duties in relation to their children’s learning and understanding and investment into their lives). In a world of delegation training, even in our faith, we’ve delegated that responsibility to another. There’s been a decline of family worship and talking about spiritual things. In the family, Rob says, spiritual training cannot be delegated to anyone else. Deuteronomy 6:7 says “…. Press them on you children, talk about these things when you sit at home”. You, parents, grandparents, family members, you have the keys to their hearts like no other. This series went on to explain that family is the most powerful small group. Discipleship, spiritual formation, family worship is needed to spread the gospel. To feed the lambs, to shepherd the sheep, to feed the sheep. We also studied in this series that It is Never too Late for God to use you – to set your heart and mind back to the goal of bringing others back to Christ. To be right with God, Loving God with all their heart, fully trusting Jesus for their present and their future, and arriving safely home (in heaven) together. God can use the influences of your life to bless others even for future generations to come. The power of righteousness is boundless. The devil wants to take our heart out of it all – God, Family, Church, World. He wants you to be a shell of a Christian – a hollow person. Where are our hearts now? What’s most important to us, Money? Stuff? Fun? Worldly things? In John 15: 19 Jesus says….”but I chose you out of the world”. There is only temporal satisfaction from worldly things. To find real satisfaction we claim hold of the love Jesus has for us. The hurting asks, who will love me? Jesus says, I will. When we claim hold of all that Jesus is and has done in our lives, it’s with that passion and eagerness that we go! No longer be by-standers, be a “ more than”. Because of the love we know, we must share what we know. Share the Good News! Take the risk! The power of sharing your faith with another is not in and of yourself, but it’s in the power of the Gospel!
The power of salvation to all who believe is worth the risk to share with others. Look for opportunities to have meaningful conversations with our adult children, with others that cross our life’s journey. Admit your fear to talking to them about spiritual things, talk openly. Invite them to be honest to talk with you about spiritual things. Thank them for talking with you openly. Seek to understand before seeking to be understood. Let them talk, you listen. Ask them, do you feel I understand you? They are sharing with you their heart. Each of us has a testimony to share, a reason for the hope we have within us. We have a story to tell, a story other people need to hear. Jesus is inviting us to feed his sheep. Find ways to bring Him up, letting others know the difference Jesus makes in our life. Be Jesus with skin on to somebody. We are to love all people, to help to take care of their need. Their need is not only physical. Just as important, even more so, it is their spiritual need they have to hear of, the personal relationship Jesus wants with them. How are they going to hear unless we are More Th>n By-standers? Larry & Darlene It’s Resurrection Sunday, Christ is Risen, Indeed! He conquered sin and death – Up from the grave He arose! HE LIVES! HAPPY EASTER! Easter, we’ve come to know Easter as Christ’s Resurrection, the third day from Good Friday where he suffered to the point of death. He conquered death. Believing in Jesus Christ we too conquer death. One day we will be absent from the body present with the Lord to eternally live forever with Him and with all believers in Christ, and we sing Hallelujah!! More Th>n Conquerors! Our work isn’t finished in just claiming what Christ did for us. It isn’t conquered in the sense that we have nothing else to accomplish. Our belief in Jesus, our faith walk is a journey happening now in this life as we live it out. We are the more, we are active, we are involved in this victory. We are conquerors, overcomers, because our sin is washed away in the blood of Jesus. We are conquerors, the victory is ours because of Christ’s love for us he conquered death’s sting. We’ve been studying in the book of James and have learned these past weeks that Easter People…. *Find Joy in the Midst of Trials – Joy is a good feeling in the soul produced by the Holy Spirit as Christ lives in us. *Focus on Building others up – we pour into another’s life as God pours into ours. *Have a Missional Identity in Jesus – we are His ambassadors, a people for God’s own possession. *Are Good Listeners – to what God is saying to us and listening more intentionally to others. *Are both Doers and Hearers – taking our head knowledge to heart, putting our faith into practice. *Don’t have to tell others they are Christians – they’ll know we are Christians by our love, for all God’s people. And now *Easter People are More Th>n Conquerors- we celebrate in the Risen Christ, the reason for our faith. Christ is alive, He lives in each one of us! This is the ultimate partnership. WE are on a mission with Christ so that the world may know him. And this we do ‘til our dying day. Easter Sunday’s sermon we heard about Living Hope! Our recent trials through this Covid-19 virus can lead us to anxiety-despair-denial-a feeling of being out of touch with reality. We want to assume the worst. Sometimes we make incorrect assumptions. We heard that we are to be aware of how we are responding to our fears. Sunday’s scripture reminds us in Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good”; Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us”? vs 35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulations, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword”? Pastor George said when we are feeling those anxious emotions, we should ask ourselves two questions during whatever trial we are going through. 1. What good is going to come out of this? 2. What good is God going to bring out? This week we’ve viewed the RNM video on “Overcoming Life’s Challenges” by Steve Baird. This series took us through the book of James also. We learned to Seek God First. Pursue Jesus, he is priority. We learned that trials will always be with us. We are to surrender ourselves to God’s Power, give our trials over to Him, but also to look at the trial from God’s perspective. Trials, Baird says, God uses to demonstrate the genuineness of our faith and to develop us into the maturity of Jesus Christ, Christlikeness. He says, and we know, to take our trials to God in prayer. We can trust Him; we can know that He loves us. Baird referred to Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved-and raised us with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Baird says to claim, to think on our position with Jesus our Savior, we sit with our Father. His love for us, the good that he wants for us, the work that he does in our hearts and minds and lives is all for our good. We only see part, but God sees the whole of our lives. He in us and we in Him...our task through these trials are to mature in our faith, to put His words into practice so that we become more Christ-like. More Th>n Conquerors. The last passage from Sunday’s message in Romans 8: 37-38 reads “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We can Overcome Life’s Challenges because we have more than we need to conquer them through the love of Jesus. Remember whose you are! Steve Baird spoke of the Crown of Life that is for those who love Christ. It’s for us who pass the test of trials, showing maturity of our faith. James 1:12 reads “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trials, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” In Revelation 2:10 Jesus said….”Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life”. We are more, we can deal with life challenges, we can be faithful unto death. We want to be awarded the Crown of Life when we come face-to-face with our Lord. Let’s live life through the promise of Easter and be More Th>n in faith. Larry & Darlene 4/5/2020 Easter People…Don’t Have to Tell Others They Are Christians James 2:1-13
This date marks Palm Sunday this year. Palm Sunday, Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. During Children’s Time we heard of “A Victor’s Parade”. The people lining the road into the city were shouting Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. That’s how Jesus would like the reception of his church, we the people who make up the church, to be announced. Blessed are you…you remind me of Jesus. Pastor George said that a vital key of a church is the love for others, it’s a sign of spiritual maturity. Verse 8 of today’s reading is where we read of the Royal Law “Love your neighbor as yourself”. We’ve been studying in the Book of James for the past several weeks. It’s a short book being able to read it through in about 20 minutes or so. Written by the oldest of Jesus’ younger brothers, James wrote to the church at large, to Jewish Christians, to God’s people scattered everywhere. Those who teach on it say it’s a short course on Christian’s world view, the Christian response to the world. How we as Christians should be conducting ourselves. A Christian isn’t as much known by what he/she says as by what he/she does, our lifestyle. RNM has a couple of series on the Book of James. First, we viewed The Book of James by Francis Chan regarding James 2: 1-13 . He referred to it as sin of favoritism. Chan went on to say, “don’t count partiality as a small sin”, “act everyday as if you are going to be judged” “evaluate your life as sinners, God loves you anyway”. Robert Emmett in his RNM series on The Book of James, refers to this scripture passage as Discrimination. He says it’s a pre-judged set of rules on somebody’s set of standards. It’s no difference if it’s judgement by evil motives, evil thoughts, or favoritism of one over another. In Sunday’s message we heard that we are to judge yes, but don’t judge with evil thoughts. Pastor George said God’s message is for ALL who trust in Him, we are to get beyond our partiality, to treat everyone with equal respect. The passage goes on to talk about Mercy. Robert Emmett stressed that a sin is a sin. The sin of adultery or the sin of murder isn’t any more of a sin than the sin of discrimination or favoritism. Each soul will have their day before God. You will be judged by the Law that sets you free, that face-to-face meeting with the Lord. Robert went on to say that when we have mercy towards others, we get mercy from others. God will be merciful when he judges us. Rewards in heaven are different. Like saying, you will reap what you show. No mercy receives no mercy; have mercy, get mercy. To have mercy is to live with kindness, forgiveness, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, isn’t that what we say through the prayer Jesus taught us to pray? Sunday’s sermon ended with encouraging us to pray to be the Easter People that Jesus empowers us to be. What He did to make us Easter People, Resurrection People, people of love. They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they will know we are Christians by our love! May God help us to love all people in a way that’s appropriate for their need. Maundy Thursday’s reading in the Book of John Chapter 17, vs 23, "The Prayer of Jesus", from the New Living Translation, reads in red print….”I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” Easter People, it’s your faith, live it out – that’s faith in action – that’s love in action. Make clear what you believe. Larry & Darlene Easter People….Are BOTH-AND People James 1:22-27
The scripture passage from Sunday’s message begins in James 1:22: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only”………... then verse 27 ends with …”and to keep oneself unstained from the world”. During the Children’s Time message Pastor George shared with the young people and us older people listening, that it’s not just enough to know what we need to do, it’s to do it – be a doer. To do what you know you need to do. How do we know? It’s an instinct, an inner prompting, a conviction of the mind telling us to, it’s hearing of a need, it’s seeing that need out there, and so many other just knowing promptings. To be a doer of the word, we must know what the word says. Quoting from D.L. Moody “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.” Anonymously someone said that “All the good maxims have been written; it remains to put them into practice”. Being hearers, we know what the word says, being a doer, we are then putting into practice what the word says. Taking it the 12 inches from our head knowledge to our heart knowledge. The scripture passage also ends with “to keep oneself unstained from the world”. Unstained is not stained or spotted, unsoiled, without moral blemish…. from the world. With the current news of today our emotion, our thoughts, our lives are very much in the world. These are anxious times. I’d go on to say that our minds are stained by the current happening in the world. This pandemic that has taken over has placed anxiety into the lives of everyone. As we heard Sunday, if you’re a human being and you’re not anxious – there’s something wrong with you. Anxiety is like sand in the gear of a perfectly working system. RC Sproul in his RNM series of “Dealing with Difficult Problems”, said anxiety refers to a spirit of worry or apprehension of something that lies in the future. Intense and paralyzing, anxiety can arise to the status of a phobia that paralyzes us in one way or another. RC went on to say, we may worry about the consequences of yesterday, but our focal point of anxiety is always about the future. Pastor George has given good counsel when he shared that when we feel anxious, don’t be, when it strikes, listen to it but don’t let it take residence, don’t live there, but turn to God. As mentioned, to do what you know you need to do. The greatest simple cure is that we need to immerse ourselves in the word of God. RC Sproul reminded us of God promises, God’s presence and his grace to sustain us in our most difficult times. God says trust me for your entire life, for the future. Sometimes our faith doesn’t get us past the anxiety of what will happen. We’re afraid God will not do what he promises. Listening to Sunday’s sermon we heard Pastor George say that Anxiety and Faith are incompatible. The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. Jesus comes from the outside into the situation when we ask him in. Finding that place of inner calm, that place of inner peace, from there you can lead during anxious times. Anxiety causes restlessness. Our hearts are restless, our lives are out-of-whack if we are estranged from God versus welcoming His presence, a calmness of spirit that comes when you are in relationship with God, receiving His peace. We are to listen to God like your life depends on it, because it does. We as Easter People should be living in His presence daily. How many times did Jesus said do not worry, do not be afraid, fear not. Reading the Book of James, we are reminded whose we are, we are adopted, we are loved, we are a new creation, we are secure, we are the Lord’s. To know this is a three phase process: 1. Hearing, getting into that deeper relationship with our creator and redeemer; 2. Receiving the Life, accepting the invitation into the family of God and all that it means for us; 3. Doing it, living by Faith, in Trust, being used by Him. RNM came out with a new series this week titled: Overcoming Anxiety during Covid-19 by Jonathan Pokluda. He addressed 4 key areas of anxiety we are facing right now. Anxiety About the Uncontrollable We cannot control our current situation. He posed the question What is the source of the majority of the content you are taking in? Fear and Faith, whatever you feed grows. Feast on God’s word and your faith will grow. God has always been in control and we can trust him. Anxiety About the Economy Is life only all about storing up wealth here on earth? He suggested that we take attention off ourselves, and trust in God who provides for us. Trust and Believe. We are to be rich towards God and his purposes, rich towards good deeds. Anxiety About Isolation As followers of Christ we can turn our worries into prayers. In Philippians 4: 6-7 it says “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests by made know to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. What this is saying is pray, pray, pray – the God of peace will be there with you. Anxiety When a Church Can’t Meet We are to encourage one another to BE the church now more than ever. Find ways to connect, to encourage, to bring the love of God to others. The enemy wants to move to a church that’s ineffective. As we read in Hebrews 10:25 …”encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”. We are the church, Christ in us, let his light and love shine through you. As Easter People…. We are doers and hearers, Amen! Larry & Darlene Easter People … are Good Listeners James 1:16-21
This week we’ve been going deeper into listening. Sunday’s message invited us to think on how well we listen to self, to others, and to God. To be intentional about listening. In James 1 verse 16 it says “…let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” Listening is hard work. In our study this week it was said that in order to listen well you need to shut up well. (lol) But isn’t that true. During the message Sunday we were asked to give thought to our listening minutes versus minutes you talk. We’d like to add listening versus mind wondering while someone is talking; or really listening versus already thinking on my immediate response to what is being said. This all takes discipline. Listening to self: Sunday’s message suggested that we ask ourselves, what do I need? If we keep going a mile a minute, never slowing down, do we even know what we need? Don’t fill every minute of the day with busyness and noise. Pastor George suggested that we slow down. In his example of a cup full to the brim with water, much like our lives can get, remove some, let your cup lower, allow room for yourself. We are called to love others as yourself. Loving yourself is taking care of you and your needs so that you can be there for others when needed. The scripture passage for Sunday, James 1: 21 tells us that we are to “…receive with meekness the implanted word,” Meekness means quietness, humbly, submissiveness, compliance, fearfulness, the implanted word, means the Word, the Bible. What’s happening in my soul? It’s in the quietness that we can get a handle on the F.O.G. of life acronym that Doug Fields tells us to use. The F is for feelings – what emotions are going on inside at the moment. It can be us or it can be another. O is for others – what are we hearing from others? As to our self, or them. What others tell us about ourselves could very well be what God is trying to tell us, but we’ve been too busy to listen. Or others can confirm what we are feeling, seeking guidance from someone possibly older and wiser, to what we feel that God might be calling us to do. The G is God – are we spending some time in silence? Reading scripture? Quiet, on our own alone. We need moments of silence to hear God. Listening to others: In our RNM video series this week we were given an opportunity to listen regarding listening. Active Listening by Bill Search means just that, active. Be there with eye contact. Don’t interrupt while the person is talking. Listen, seeking to understand. A great way show that we are listening is to ask follow-up questions to keep them talking, possibly to say it again in a different way. It will help us to understand a little bit better. Listening, by Henry Cloud, tells us to listen with humility, it’s not about me only. To care, it’s when the person talking understands that we understand. He says the first 5 minutes of your remarks will send the message of your listening. You may not have answers, for some it’s simply to know that other people know what’s on their mind. Also, we learn that it’s not always best to give a pet answer to everything. Quoting scripture, throwing out a bible verse that they need to study, pray over, as their cure-all. Winston Smith in his video of Becoming an Expert Listener, says we need to listen to understand their suffering. What are they saying? Where are they coming from? Get their suffering, show empathy, it’s a bridge from you to them to show that you understand. We need to discipline our listening. Paying attention to old behavior patterns of interrupting or minimizing what they are saying. We may want to get on the defense when we are feeling attacked. We need to manage our reactivity as to what someone is saying. If you don’t, the consequence is that you lose. You lose the person that was talking because they are not being heard. A lack of listening creates a division. Then there won’t be any results. We need to discipline ourselves to listen. Listen to understand, then find the right time to say something. Listening to God: It’s hearing from God. We heard during the Sunday message that it’s that voice on the inside of us. What is he saying to us? Then we need to act on what we hear. Don’t mute it, don’t turn it off, hear God’s nudges then respond, be a people who listens to the still small voice. God may be talking to us personally, or he may be talking to us to act in another person’s life. It’s our responsibility to personally submit to God’s authority. God also uses personal stories, personal struggles to minister to others. It’s our willingness to be open and honest. It’s our testament as to how God worked in our life. Listening to God, receive with meekness the implanted word, so that we can minister to others in their time of need. To Impart grace to the need of the moment, by our discipleship, our words, our actions we impart Christlikeness. Move towards people in mercy. Connecting people to the Savior Redeemer, we Easter People, show what we know. We are to live life vertically with others and horizontally with God, showing grace, with people, with God – called Reconciliation. We as Easter People are to be better at loving people well, and better at being good listeners. Larry & Darlene Missional: an important goal or purpose that is accomplished by strong conviction; a calling; the business with which such a group is charged.
Identity :character as to who a person is; the qualities, beliefs, etc., that distinguish or identify a person. This week RNM video series from Brody Jespersen titled “Gospel Identity” asked us the question: Who am I in relation to the Gospel Message? All people have the same response, we are all born into sin, needing to be rescued from our sin, because our sin separates us from God. Brody explained that Adam & Eve wanted their own control. We are all motivated by our own self-interests, those things that control us or that we want to control. He went on to say, in your pursuit of control you have welcomed a power struggle into your relationship; fighting and garnering control for ourselves, is our struggle with God, called Free Will. God’s desire is not to control us. True relationship with God is given freely, not forced. Because God loves us, he met us in our brokenness, offering a way back into relationship with him. We chose to be rescued. By accepting and believing in who Jesus is, our Savior, our Redeemer, the one who rescued us from our sin, we are no longer seen as broken or sinners. He is giving us a new identity. Todd Brooks spoke during his message Sunday of our Identity in Jesus and how we should lean into that identity. In the scripture reading 1 Peter 2:4-10, we read that Jesus is our Cornerstone, we are like living stones, to be holy priests. Verse 9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priest, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession”. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. We no longer are just people, we are God’s people, a new identity is given to us because we believe. We are a rescued people. Brody Jespersen stated, living in our brokenness is death not life. Now, we are a rescued and a redeemed people with a purpose, for something. 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21 in summary says, through Christ, God made peace between us and himself, and God gave us the work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him. So, we have been sent to speak for Christ. To be his Ambassadors, to be missional. As Todd Brooks said, to take this new life everywhere we go. To proclaim, to declare, to proclaim the excellence of Him who called you out of darkness. We are now the temple, the church, living stones in Him, our Cornerstone, Jesus. We as Easter People sometimes don’t realize the impact we make, accomplishing more than you can see or know. Matt Chandler, in his RNM video on Identity, Go therefore… be a Mission church, a Gospel centered church. It’s through his church, his people that His Glory shines to all people. Every maturing follower of Jesus Christ is a disciple of Christ. We are to be Gospel Centered in Worship; Gospel Centered in Community; Gospel Centered in Service; Gospel Centered in Multiplication. We are called to be Ambassadors for Christ, as if God is making his case through us. To study, to pray, to share the gospel with others, just as another has prayed for us and/or has shared the gospel with us. It’s what we do every day with the gospel on our minds. In worship, our growing relationship with Jesus. In community, the crew we are running with, edified in Jesus. In service, how are we serving? Generosity? Joyfully? In multiplication, interacting, praying for those whose life intersect with our own, especially those who don’t know Jesus, pouring into others. Our identity as Easter People in Jesus is something that God has given his church, the members of his church. Our Missional duty, corporately as a church is to stand between the lost and the Savior and mediate between God and people. We are to be a life lived in this identity every hour of every day. To be ready to give a reason for the hope and joy within us. To be a people being about God’s business and not our own self-interest. Sharing the gospel through our actions, words, our character. As people watch us, we don’t live to their standards, we live for an audience of one, God. We have our future inheritance, let’s be Ambassador’s for God, used by Him. Missional, with the love of God pouring out of us. Identifiable as a Christ follower, allowing God to use us to call others to be Easter People who too want to share the Gospel message. Especially through these difficult days that we are experiencing, Pastor Paula White, in an article titled ‘God Is Your Resting Place’ in This Age of Coronavirus, wrote: “God is your resting place. When there are things that feel so out of control in our life, we need each other, we need encouragement. And most of all, we need to call upon God.” “But I’ve always said that the church has never been a museum for saints. It’s always been a hospital for those that are hurting”. “We are praying for our first responders and our medical doctors, for CDC, for our president, for everyone. Not everyone has health centers, some do, and some have now become testing centers and are using the churches. We’re helping in all different ways”. (White is President Trump’s spiritual advisor and close friend.) May we too find a way to help. It’s part of being missional. God help us, God use us, God be good and gracious to us. In his name we pray, Amen Larry & Darlene 3/8/2020 EASTER PEOPLE - Focus on Building Others Up
Life Circumstances – Life Choices – Life’s Storms These all relate to our everyday lives. We sometimes attribute the circumstances that surround our life as the cause for troubles, or it may be a poor choice, sometimes it’s a combination of both. How are we to respond when difficulties arise for us, but even more so for our loved ones? We’re tempted to control the lives of our children to help them avoid making poor choices. To tell them the choice they should make. Or better yet, to demand them to make the choice that we choose for them. Is that building them up, helping them to learn. Chip Ingram, in his message on “Great in God’s Eyes – Empowering Great People” says we are to ‘train up’. Remember Proverb 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old, he will not depart from it”. To train up is to build up, to help them to learn. Sunday during worship we witnessed a baptism for little Madigan. Her parents want the gift for her, they are wanting to train her up. It’s waiting for her, the gift of what Jesus has in store for her, for our little ones, for all who want to receive it. We also sang the song, ‘Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling’, calling all sinners to him. This gift is for all who are young in the faith, regardless of age. It’s our duty as Easter People to teach, to train up, to build up those who have yet to open that gift. Phil Tuttle of Through the Bible, in his message of “Raise up a Child” used the story of the Prodigal Son to get his point across. That we need to be people of compassion. He says, Compassion focuses on the person – not the behavior. In the story the father had two sons each with their own set of problems and choices. He allowed the son to make his choice to leave. Phil says that sometimes you have to get lost before you can be found. In other words, they need to learn the hard way. The father worried for the son, looked on the horizon for him daily, was elated with joy to see him returning in the distance. Would the son have learned a valuable lesson if the father made the choice for the son? No. Chip Ingram also shared that we become Great in God’s eyes by helping others become greater than ourselves. Great Christians empower other people, they die to self and pass on what they’ve learned to another person. God is at work continually in us, and through us. As Pastor George shared, “You are the diamond God is forming, God wants to work in us and through us in the process.” In 2 Timothy 2:2 Good Soldier of Christ, Jesus says, “You then, my child, be strengthen by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also”. So then are we supposed to just let our kids, our loved ones, go? Make poor choices? All that will do is give us a lot of grief and worry. We’d say no, not exactly, but we need to loosen the rope that’s holding them, teach as we go along, allow them to make mistakes, it’s all part of the growing process. Not only in life in general, but also in their faith walk. Louie Giglio, in Eyes UP wants us to see the God of Heaven. To look up to the one who created all - God. He has an unbroken track record of faithfulness. He never sleeps, nor slumbers. Loud praise replaces loud fears, Louie says. He’s bigger than any storm that’s coming. Ask God what to do because the Father knows the things you need before you ask them. He’s going to do the best thing. He’s going to take care of you – through the storm. He’s going to meet us in that place, with his grace. Eyes UP is a very powerful instructional true worship video where we learned that we need to find our secret place, just ourselves and God; get on our knees with God, where the power is, with hands open. Once we bow, it’s easiest to open our hands. Open your hands and release the destiny into the hands of God. Focus, gazing up to worship, I’m here to trust you God. Pray: Whatever you want to do God is what I want to do – my hands are open, take out and put in what your will is God, I’m letting go. I trust and believe in you – all the way through Lord. Proverbs 95: 6-7 “Come, let’s worship him and bow down. Let’s kneel before the Lord who made us, because he is our God and we are the people he takes care of and the sheep that he tends.” The choices we make, the circumstances we find ourselves in. We heard during Sunday’s message do not be deceived, every good gift come from God, look for the good gift. Tested for our faith, by enduring we grow, in the end we’re stronger, honoring God to seek His best. God is not out to destroy us, but to give us good gifts. Easter People, Build up! Larry & Darlene EASTER PEOPLE
A doctrine idea by John Piper: of a thinking faculty that glorifies God by right thinking about him of an emotional faculty that glorifies God by feeling right about him
In the Midst of Trials
Watching God’s Strength in Trials we listened to a man born without arms and how he accepted his God given body. He tells us to embrace God’s plan whatever that may be. It’s God strength that we need, and God’s plan for us is to grow as a person and grow closer to Him. Trials are meant to draw us closer to God and find our strength in Him. Matt Chandler in Trials Build Deeper Trust in God knows first-hand through his brain tumor and cancer treatments of trusting God fully. Trust is a firm belief or faith in another. Trusting God for what’s to come. During Sunday’s sermon we heard that we need to have faith in our trials. To put your full weight, full trust in God. As we go through our trials, draw close to God, find your strength in Him. Don’t lose your Joy in who your God is. As James 1: 2 Testing of Your Faith says “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness”. We count it joy because we are Easter People! Larry & Darlene Together in partnership. That can be through a work relationship, a friendship, a marriage, a family, endless possibilities for partnering with another.
During Sunday’s sermon we heard that we’re stronger when partnering. Working together in such a way that the team wins. Putting aside our egos, thinking beyond ourselves. The beautiful partnership between people and relationships. Cheryl Bacelder in her video of The Design of a Leader, suggests that we are to make helping others our personal ambition. To view the workplace, or wherever we find ourselves a place to serve other people. It’s our opportunity to influence. First it begins at home. Pouring into those closest to us. Helping someone to grow in their values, find their strengths. To cast a vision for the people they could become. She has a definition of Our Design that reads, He designed you for a particular set of roles, with particular talents and skills, aimed at a particular goal. Each of us is unique We have people in our lives who help shape us into who we are and continue to offer guidance & encouragement, and we should do the same to others. So, if we are to pour into another, in remembering last week’s study, who is pouring into you? Who are you following? Who are listening to? Who are you partnering with? In this week’s message from John 3:1-17, is an account of Nicodemus coming to Jesus to ask questions of him. Nicodemus wants to partner with Jesus. Why would Nicodemus a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin Council, come to Jesus to find answers to his questions? We heard in the sermon that we are to be willing to learn from the unexpected, to be open, get curious. Perhaps that’s why Nicodemus approached Jesus. Who is Jesus? In the video The Real Jesus, four men shared on different aspects of Jesus, in who he is. First know that without him Christianity wouldn’t exist. Mike Andrus, shared on the attributes of God, in Jesus is God. He states that Colossians 2: 9 is the strongest claim “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form”. Jeff Louie spoke on the Trinity and worship. In Ephesians 3, Paul the Preacher to the Gentiles, writes of the Spirit of God, the wisdom of God, and the eternal purpose of Christ, that in him and through him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. It’s there that the three persons of God are mentioned, the Doctrine of the Trinity. Erwin Lutzer gave evidence of Jesus as the God Man. God became flesh, the Incarnation. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. Thabiti Anyabwide shared that what happened on the cross, to pay the penalty for sinners, to take our place and make reparations with God, was Jesus, the Son of Man. A spirit could not have been nailed to the cross, nor shed blood. You have to become like that of what you want to redeem. We are washed clean. We are free of sins hold on us. Jesus is Alive! Father God accepted Jesus’ death on the cross, God raised him from the dead , what Jesus did satisfied the Father. The triumph of Jesus over death, over our sin and one in which we get to participate, for someday our body will be like his. He gives us the right to be called children of God. In response to this week message on The Ultimate Partnership, we went deeper in Face to Face with Jesus by R.C. Sproul. There were twelve different experiences of real people with real experiences of coming Face to Face with Jesus. These are people who either were authority figures, people living life in the trenches, people who were confused with the things of life, people who wanted to do the right thing, who wanted healing, who wanted to know this Jesus deeper. Much like you and me. Wanting to meet this Jesus who ultimately will turn our lives upside down. So how can we today come face to face with Jesus, into The Ultimate Partnership? R.C. Sproul concluded his series Face to Face with Jesus by sharing that we do this: 1. By reading Scripture. Mouth to Word, verbal communication. Not to just read as an external Bible experience, reading its stories much like a good book. But to instead taking it internal, after all it is the Good Book. A cognitive understanding, the heart and soul awaken – but not without the aide of the illumination by the Holy Spirit. 2. A proper Worship and understanding of the Sacraments, coming face to face visibly. A close fellowship of intimacy. Christ promises to meet us in that experience through Communion, a Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The Divine nature of God, we are meeting Him in His whole nature. Where He bridges the gap of heaven and earth. Communion is a unique opportunity to have a taste of heaven. In Matthew 26:29 “I tell you; I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Everyone is going to have a Face to Face with Jesus. Just as it is appointed for man to die once, there upon we will stand before the judgement seat of Christ – to see Him as He is, the vision of Christ in His Glory. This is the Ultimate Partnership, one with the Triune God. The Father God who redeemed us to himself, the Jesus who became man, who reconciled us, the Spirit of God who illuminates our understanding. It’s this partnership that Nicodemus was searching for, asked questions of, and chose to follow. How about you? Larry & Darlene |
Categories
All
Join the
Discussion in our Facebook Group!
|