Sermon – 4 Keys to A Healthy Church
Acts 2:1-21 & vs. 42
Pentecost
Jim Whittaker
Opening Joke:
There was a boy riding on his bike outside a church.
The priest saw him and told him to come into the church and the boy said,"...But they'll steal my bike."
The priest explained how the Holy Spirit would take care of it, so they went inside.
The priest showed the boy how to make the sign of the cross and told the boy to repeat it..."In the name of the Father, The Son...Amen"
The priest said,"What about the Holy Spirit?"
The boy replied, "Its outside taking care of my bike!"
I was surprised on when you look up Holy Spirit in the variety of understandings of what the Holy Spirit does for us now. One of the more popular was being slain in the spirit. This is when the Holy Spirit gets a hold of you and you fall backwards down to the floor. I saw where one lady sued her church because she was slain in the Spirit and no one caught her, and she hit her head on the floor. She said the church was responsible for ensuring her safety. For insurance purposes, we will not be doing any “slain in the Spirit” experiences. According to Wikepedia, Methodist Camp Meetings often would have people that were “slain in the spirit.” It is not something we practice today as Methodists, but perhaps the pendulum as swung too far the other way for sometimes a church service seems lacking in spirit. As we celebrate Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit also known as the birthday of the church, let us look to the scriptures for instruction in how we too can be filled with the Spirit.
Background
Jesus shared with his disciples that he would not leave them alone but would send them an Advocate, which is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would set up residence in the believer in John 14. The Holy Spirit will remind us of Jesus’ words (Jn. 14:26) and teach us. The Holy Spirit will testify for us in John 15:26, and the Holy Spirit will prove wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). So in today’s passage, the promised Holy Spirit arrives and fills the believers, which means to fulfill or to make complete. We are a whole person as we live and commune with God’s Holy Spirit, which also fulfills Jesus’ statement that the Advocate was coming. The Holy Spirit is also given in words of being poured out. It reminds us of an abundance, and excess. The Spirit is given liberally.
If being filled with God’s presence or spirit should be the norm in the church, we should ask the question what was the early church doing in anticipation of being filled with God’s presence?
Acts 1:14 says they devoted themselves to prayer and fellowship. Acts 2:42 says they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, holy communion, and prayers. This does not mean the early church was perfect, but they obviously were doing something to create a mass movement of the Holy Spirit and an abundant growth of this early church.
Acts 2 really gives us the definition of church: it is the place where the word of God is preached and taught. Church attendance wasn’t mandatory, but it was crucial for spiritual health. Church was the place were the sacrament of holy communion was given, which is one of the ways we come into God’s presence, and last but not least, church was a place of prayer. If this was a health report card of the early church, then let us evaluate ourselves on the same scale?
What does it mean to be devoted to the “Apostle’s Teachings?”
1. A Key to a Healthy Christian Life is Devotion.
Rick Warren states, “A healthy church begins with a consuming passion for the Lord Jesus Christ, and a key sign of a healthy Christian is that he [or she] devotes himself to these four truths.” The Bible says, "...they were continually devoting themselves to the apostle's teachings." The word devoted means to persevere, stick to and persist (NIV Theological Dictionary of NT Words, 1100). Rick Warren continues, “The Christian surrendered to the Holy Spirit will not quit, back off from truth, fade away or slip back. The mark of a true church is not the size and beauty of her buildings. It is not the number who attend or how modern the sanctuary looks. The important issue is that her members are committed to the four truths.” (excerpted from Rick Warren: Healthy Church – see Sermon Central).
Gary Thomas in Discovering a Soul’s Path to God says this: Suppose two women were planting a vegetable garden. On the same day, they prepared the earth and planted their seeds. One then neglected her garden and waited for her vegetables to grow. The other woman worked in her garden regularly. She put cages around the young tomato plants, she drove in sticks beside those vegetable plants that were going to grow up high, and she put netting around plants that were particularly attractive to rabbits and other animals.
Several months later the two women went out for the harvest. One found tomatoes rotting on the ground. Beans whose vines had spread among the other plants, weeds that were choking most of the carrots – all of which had been raided by birds and squirrels. She pulled up a handful of food and figured that planting a garden wasn’t worth it – the food wasn’t as good, the harvest was small, and, well, grocery stores were so much more convenient.
Her neighbor, however, harvested basketful of good vegetables every other day, which had a better taste than those in the grocery store. She figured that, when everything was added up, she probably saved a good fifteen to twenty percent on her grocery bill during the summer months. Both women planted, but only one tended.
(Gary Thomas, Sacred Pathways: Discovering the Soul’s Path to God (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, 2000), 215-216, 220.)
We’ve all seen person’s grow in Christ. We’ve all seen people who have not grown in Christ though they gave themselves to Christ years ago. We all wrestle with giving time to God for these spiritual growth areas sometimes not successfully. I have found when I neglect the spiritual areas it impacts all areas of my life. We might even think we don’t have to give ourselves to God in these 4 areas given in the scriptures. In the words of Eddie Hammett, “How is that working for you?”
How is our love for God’s word? Is it necessary? Can you take it or leave it? Can you begin a day without it? Do you earnestly desire for Sunday and the giving of the word?
How is your desire for Christian fellowship? Are you a lone Christian on an island? Have we ignored the fact that we are Christ’s body and if one part is missing, our effectiveness as a church is hurt?
How is your love of communion? Is the service longer and you say why bother? Perhaps, you thought it was something you did instead of a gift from God? How long has it been since you had communion? Are you seeking God’s presence? Wesley taught that communion was a way to grow spiritually.
How are your prayers? Have you prayed today? Is praying a chore rather than a way to experience God? How long has it been since you prayed forgive me my sins O God?
2. Another Key of a Healthy Christian Life is to be “filled with the Spirit.”
Now the disciples practiced these 4 areas of discipleship. What was the result? Acts 2:4 says, all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit?
When I worked for Farm Bureau, one of my friends there would go to fishing tournaments all across the state. He told me that when they went to Edenton to fish on the Albemarle Sound that they went into a cove in the morning and the water was plenty deep. During the day, the wind direction switched and started blowing in the opposite direction. It is hard to imagine, but wind actually can push the water from one side of the sound to the other, and that is what happened. While in the morning the water was plenty deep by that afternoon, they barely were able to get their boat out of that cove for the water had dropped about 5 feet. Once that wind stopped, there is going to be no stopping the water filling the cove back, which brings us to one of the principles of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit, we have to empty ourselves.
D. L. Moody said, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts.
But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled.” (Sermon Central)
How do these 4 fundamentals of discipleship play themselves out in the filling of the Holy Spirit? They loved God’s word. They devoted themselves to God’s word the scriptures say. That means to persistently or to keep on keeping on after God’s word. We need to believe there is power in God’s word. It is there that we read, “we are to deny ourselves and pick up our cross.” When the Holy Spirit got a hold of this early church, what did they talk about? They talked about God’s power and his deeds. Where would have they learned about God’s power and deeds: The word of God and their own personal experience of God’s power. God’s word helps us discover that it is not all about us as it teaches us to love God and to love neighbor. We empty ourselves so God can move in.
Prayer is also a means to empty ourselves. When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we pray that God’s will be done not mine. We pray that God will forgive us as we forgive others.
In Holy Communion, it’s a recognition of what God has done. God created us. God redeems us, and God fills us with his Spirit. It is a recognition of God’s presence. We are humbled before an almighty God.
In fellowship, we find that our needs are not the only ones. We find others who are hurting, and we find ways that we can help by giving of ourselves and our resources. Acts 2:46 says the disciples had “glad and generous hearts.”
LIVING WITHOUT POWER (A story by George Dillahunty)
The story is told of an elderly woman named Norena, who lived in southern Florida. When a hurricane hit that area, her home was one of many that was severely damaged. Norena received an insurance settlement, and the repair work began. However, when the money ran out, so did the contractor, leaving an unfinished home with no electricity. Norena lived in her dark, unfinished home - without power - for fifteen (15) years.
You see, my brothers and sisters, the astonishing part of this story is that the hurricane was not Katrina but Andrew - a hurricane which struck in 1992. She had no heat in her home when the winter chills settled over southern Florida. She had no air conditioning when the mercury climbed into the 90’s and the humidity clung to 100 percent. She did not have one hot shower. Without money to finish the repairs, Norena just got by with a small lamp and a single burner.
Her neighbors did not seem to notice the absence of power in her home. Acting on a tip, one day, the mayor of the Miami-Dade area got involved. It only took a few hours of work by electrical contractor, Kent Crook, to return power to Norena’s house. CBS News reported that Norena planned to let the water get really hot, and then take her first "bubble bath" in a decade and a half. "It’s hard to describe having [the electricity]...to switch on," Norena told reporters, "It’s overwhelming."
Tell me, "How many Christian true believers have been living their entire lives without ever knowing what it is like to have the overwhelming Power of the Holy Spirit operating within them?" To be quite frank, I believe that some of us have had that Power turned off for so long, that we would not even recognize it if it came back to us!
(Source: from a sermon by George Dillahunty, "The Power Transfer!" 7/28/08, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=125062&Sermon The Power Transfer! by George Dillahunty)
b. To be filled with the Spirit also means we have to be receptive to God’s filling.
3. Another Key to a Health Christian life is a devoted Life to God that is filled with the Holy Spirit Speaks God’s Language.
Everyone heart a message from God on that day. The disciples spoke in ways that connected the old, the young, different ethnicities, New Yorkers and Southerners. What was the word spoken?
The time spoken of by the prophets had come. As Acts 2:21 says, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [Jesus] shall be saved.” Peter described it this way – death couldn’t hold him. David spoke prophetically of the “resurrection of the Messiah” (Acts 2:31). So he died and was resurrected, and then Peter says his flesh did not rot, which was a way of talking about the new body that he had. Everyone on that day understood the message of the Messiah, which means anointed or ambassador as he goes to heaven or God’s presence and testifies for our behalf and that forgiveness of sins is given in Jesus Christ with the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). So this is our proclamation: death is defeated, Jesus arose from grave, got a new body, went to God’s presence to testify on our behalf if we believe so that our sins can be forgiven. This is the gospel. What do we do in evidence of such Great works of God?
Repent – repent means to change your direction, change your ways, change your habits. Have you been fully devoted to these 4 fundamental aspects of a health church with the Word, Prayer, Communion, and fellowship?
Baptism – Baptism means to mark yourself with Christ.
Romans 6:4 tells us that baptism means to dye to self and to live for God.
II Cor. 1:22 says baptism into Christ is baptism into God’s kingdom.
Gal. 3:27-29 says baptism into Christ is also baptism into God’s church.
Romans 8:9-11 says baptism into Christ is baptism into Christ’s Spirit.
Being fully devoted to Christ.
Emptying oneself to be filled with God.
Christ testifying on our behalf and
The Holy Spirit moving us so that we can testify to God’s works or giving us the language to speak of the need to repent and be baptized into Christ.
Barren Garden versus abundant garden.
Living without out power versus living with power.
This is Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We celebrate what God has done for us on this day. In return, what have we given God as a sweet offering signifying our undying loyalty to the one who died for us?
Amen.
Sermon – Taking it to the Streets
Acts 6:1-7
Easter 7; May 16, 2010
Jim Whittaker
2 illustrations
Eddie Hammett
[i] tells two stories of his grandparents on opposites of his family. The first one is of his grandfather. He was a deacon of the Baptist Church that he went too. Eddie says he remembers as clear as a bell his grandfather raring back in his chair at the dinner table and pulling back on his suspenders, and proudly proclaiming, I wonder what I am going to get to vote no on tonight. It didn’t matter what it was. He was against it. This type of attitude permeated the church. The church became known as the “no” church. Eddie preached his grandfather’s funeral and also he presided over the closing ceremony of that Baptist Church. He told the congregation that he wasn’t proud of this, but he knew that his grandfather had helped this church to fail and to close. Something we should realize is that if we always say not, one of those voices has to God’s voice that we are also saying no too.
Now in contrast, his grandmother on the other side of his family at a Baptist Church again plays out a different outcome. This church was growing and older ladies class needed to move according to the Fire Marshall so that the nursery was close to an outside exit, and for another reason: the nursery was too small and the older ladies Sunday School room was bigger than they needed. Eddie Hammett was sent by his pastor to tell the ladies, they need to move their Sunday School class for the reasons already stated. The ladies refused to move. It was their room. They had pictures of all the deceased ladies on the wall. They even had ashes of one of the ladies in an urn in the room. They all had padded seats with their names on them. This was their room, and they weren’t moving. Eddie’s grandmother was one of those ladies. This caused quite a bit of rift in the family. Eddie was disinvited to Sunday dinners. His grandmother said that they would meet once a week to talk until they worked this thing out. 6 months later, the ladies had not moved their class, and Eddie was still on the outs with his grandmother. It was about then in one of those talks that Eddie’s grandmother realized a profound statement.
“My personal comfort is not as important as the church’s mission.”
Eddie’s grandmother went to the Sunday School class the next Sunday, and told the ladies they were moving their Sunday School class because having babies in church was part of the church’s mission. They all picked up their padded chair with their name on it, and marched down to their new Sunday School class. All the ladies did the same. Eddie also presided over this grandmother’s funeral. The church had built a new education wing. That movement began with his grandmother, and he shared that profound statement with the congregation: “my personal comfort is not as important as the church’s mission. She said “yes” to God’s mission.
Let’s define mission:
It is a special task or duty. Mission as defined in the Methodist Church is to move people from not following Christ to being fully engaged followers of Christ – we call that making disciples for the transformation of the world, which comes straight from the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20.
I also need to clarify a few things:
First, witness means to share the good news of Jesus victory over sin, over death, and for the promised resurrection of his believers. We are to proclaim that Jesus has done so that is by word of mouth.
Second, mission is things we do to help people along their journey. It is actions. We do that in two ways:
a. Come and see – from the book of John we see Jesus inviting potential disciples to come and see what Jesus is doing. We do that today by inviting people to church.
b. Go and do – God and do is when we leave the church building doing any task that helps us with our task of making fully engaged followers of Christ.
Ok so this is the possibilities for mission. The power of yes and no, and the possibility of go and do.
The problem in Acts:
The church was growing, and they were experiencing growth pains. Those who were engaged to preach the word were not able to fully given selves over to God’s word to be taught themselves to they could teach others because of the demands of parish life. Widows needed help. The poor needed help. The went before the church and said what we are doing is not working. We need help. Now the early church could have easily been killed with a no vote at the business meeting, but instead, they were interested more in God’s mission rather than their comfort so they by consensus decided that the laity needed to step out of their comfort zone to “go and do” God’s work. And, the church continued to grow. This is what every church needed to duplicate.
I want to be sure you hear this story. Listen to what they were saying:
Yes, we want to do mission.
Yes, we will step out of our comfort zone.
Yes, we will “go” (get out of the church doors and into our community) and do.
So what can we do to help us along our journey to be successful like the fledgling early church? Let’s look at 3 characteristics that I believe can help us. Attitude, Action, and Conviction.
1. We need to get our attitude right
Our culture shouts out to us many things: stand up for your rights, get what you deserve, and even in our religious talk – it’s me and Jesus. Me and Jesus got a good thing going. These all talk our individuality. We talk about personal salvation. If culture permeates us too deeply, we become a church of individuals rather than the body of Christ where each part is appreciated. And while I hold to a personal commitment to Christ, you cannot live out your faith personally. Our faith is based on the double love commandment where we are to love God and others. Rick Warren still hits this on the head. This is not about you.
In John 13, Jesus sets out to give us an example or a model for our behavior as he took on the role of a slave or a servant to do one of the “dirtiest jobs” of his day – washing stinking disciples feet. While I have often wondered why footwashing is not more common in the church, we should all emulate that Jesus was doing. That is in the being of a servant.
Mark 10:43 says, “if you want to be great in the kingdom of God, learn to be a servant to all.”
This is the attitude we should have – How can I help you?
This is the point where Eddie Hammett’s grandfather missed. He thought church was a destination or a place that you went; instead, church is a state of being. One of the key characteristics of this state of being is the attitude of a servant.
Peter’s first response to Jesus washing his feet was clear. No! You won’t wash my feet. Peter was completely missing the teaching moment. It’s hard to hear God’s voice when we are saying no. It’s hard to hear God’s voice when we refuse to listen. Its hard to hear God’s voice when we say somebody else will step up and be the servant.
We cannot be a servant if we are infatuated with ourselves.
Statistics bear out this truth: 80% of the work in the church is done by 20% of the people. We are short of people who are willing to say, “how can I help?” What is quite clear in our story in Acts that lay people out of the church stood up and said, “how can I help?”
We need to heed Jesus’ words – if you want to be great in the kingdom of God, learn to be the servant of all.
II. Attitude must be lived out in Action
The church in Acts grew so fast that it caused problems in the church so let’s go back a chapter to ch. 5 of Acts and see what were they doing that stirred people’s hearts. What we find is that they were helping people – wherever it was in the city, along the road, at church – everywhere they went, they were helping people. The scriptures describe it as miraculous what was going on. It didn’t say they helped one person, or one family – it says they did many signs and wonders. They were very involved in touching people in their community. They were so involved in helping in their community that they couldn’t name one major event because it was happening daily. Don’t forget that word – many signs and wonders.
One of the problems of the modern church is that our many is programs for those have come to Christ and our not any are programs designed to bring people into the church. Acts ch. 5:14 says “more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.”
Acts ch. 6:7 says, “so the word of God spread and the number of disciples increased in Jerusalem rapidly.” Why did this occur in Ch. 6? Because the early church took action with the problem of too much work on those preaching the word. The laity stepped up and said let us help with the load. They had a servant attitude and they said “yes” to the opportunity to serve. They practiced both a “come and see” attitude with a “go and do” action.
Now we might make the mistake of thinking that those early disciples had no problems at all in solving their problem. I can assure you that the first thing they did was have a prayer meeting. They prayed unto God, what can we do? When they asked the church to step up, everyone was expecting someone else to step up. People were busy and had to rearrange their schedules. God didn’t just poof and make this happen. People had to let God work in their hearts to they could willingly become the servants was asking them to do.
III. Conviction is needed that the world is actually lost without God.
Conviction of sin, death, and an eternity without God
There are a lot of ideas out in our culture that just don’t shake out with the Word of God. One is universalism, which means that we all are going to heaven, whatever that is, so we don’t have to worry about getting people to come to Christ. A.T. Wright, Anglican theologian and writer of the book “Surprised by Hope” warns us of this problem. Our culture’s theology is closer to Buddhism or Hinduism that Orthodox Christianity. This belief denies that sin, disobedience, missing God’s expectations scars us so that we are not acceptable to a pure, perfect, and holy God. God is willing to cover up our imperfections, shortcomings, and sin, but he wants us to believe in God, believe that God has created a way to heaven. Acts 4:12 says there is salvation in one name only – in the name of Jesus. Rev. 20:15 says, “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” We in America have come to the conclusion that everyone is all right just where they are. When we do, we are denying the good news possibility – the good news that Jesus gives victory over death, gives victory over oppressions, addictions, and sin. Peter preached the greatest sermon ever on Pentecost. What was his message? That Jesus is both Lord (that means master) and Christ (that means the anointed Messiah, the deliverer our rescuer). What was the people’s response? They didn’t know what to do. Peter told them to repent (which means change) and to believe (which means to put our faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ). 3,000 were saved on that day. We need conviction that we have good news for the world. This is exciting! People might say we are crazy to believe such things. On Pentecost, the disciples were accused of being drunk yet on that day, 3,000 people were saved.
We all need the conviction to “go and do.” We have made the mistake as a church that as long as me and Jesus are all right then our job is done. The truth is your job is just beginning. The disciples were constantly going and healing – that was their going and doing.
This fall we are going to do a series on healing in the family. We will have the opportunity to “go and do” in a similar fashion as the disciples. It is hard for us to get to the point in saying yes or to say how can I help, but let me tell you about our problem.
The problem is the modern church here in America is doing a poor job at best or lousy job at worst in touching other people for Christ. We have been Eddie Hammett’s grandfather for far too long. It is just too easy to say no. The problem for our local church is this, the problem is too big for your pastor. I can not carry the load and do justice to what God is calling us to do. We have got to come together as a church and prayerfully consider how can we help? Yes, things will have to be re-arranged. Schedules will have to change. I will have to move beyond the point that someone else is going to do it so I can quietly say no, not me. I am asking you to get Eddie Hammet’s grandmother who initially thought it was a bad idea to move the Sunday School class, but she got this vision I believe directly from God.
My personal comfort is not as important as the church’s mission.
She later said yes and the church grew. This is not a make or break the church movement that we are doing, but it could be a turning point. It could be the turning point when we began to daily touch lives for Jesus Christ as the book of Acts reports, but the greater challenge is the turning point in our life when we stop saying as Peter (Lord, don’t clean me up) and starting saying Yes, Lord cleanse me and make me whole.
How are you going to respond today? Do you see a yes in your possibilities? May God work in our attitude, our actions, and our convictions to make us true servants of God giving the gospel message that there is life in the name of Jesus. Death and sin have been defeated. Healing can take place. Healing needs to take place today. Healing needs to take place in our neighborhood. Healing needs to take place with you. Amen.
[i] Eddie Hammett is a writer and a consultant. I attended a seminar and read his book titled, “Reaching People Under 40 while Keeping People over 60.” These stories come from his telling them at the seminar.
Yes, You Can: Relationships are the Essence of Life
Psalm 127 Mothers Day
May 9th, 2010
Jim Whittaker
The Joys of Being Mom
MOTHERHOOD The mother of three notorious kids was asked, "If you had it to do all over again would you have children?"
"Sure," she said, "but not the same ones."
A teacher put this question to little John in the arithmetic class. "John, suppose your mother made a peach pie and there were 10 of you at the table... your mother and father and eight children... how much of the pie would you get?" "A ninth, Ma'am," was the prompt answer. "No John. Now pay attention," said the teacher. "There are 10 of you. Ten, remember. Don't you know your fractions?" "Yes Ma'am," was the swift replay of little John, "I know my fractions, but I know my mother, too. She'd say that she didn't want any pie." Mothers, you unselfishness makes an impression on the little ones.
Today as we celebrate Mother’s Day. We realize that motherhood is hard. Some mothers are truly godly and others are not. As I read one writer this week, he said, “why bother?” He answered himself, “it is God’s ideal.” Mom’s were God’s idea. How can we strengthen what God has given us?
As we turn to Psalm 127, it says when the Lord builds the house, families are strong. When we build the house we find that we are weak. Nothing can surpass the importance of living for God in families. Nothing will strengthen relationships more, which is the very purpose that we were created to give love sacrificially, to hold one another up, to encourage one another. Families that tear each down are not being faithful to the word given for us today. In fact we get this warning: if we try to build a house or family without the Lord, our labors are in vain.
We continue in the series, “Yes You Can Become a Fully Devoted Follower of Christ.” In honor of Mother’s Day, we talk about the importance of relationships.
When I was a child, I loved Cherry Kool-Aid and milk together– What a strange concoction, but I Ioved it. My mom let me make it eventhough that seems like a strange mix. Chocolate Oatmeal cookies – mom told me that I could make as much as I wanted as long as I made them. I did. We had chocolate oatmeal cookies all the time. My mom made me a polyester leisure suit. Man, I was cool. She made Dianna and I matching outfits including a hat. That was the stuff.
It’s in family where we learn to live. Families can create great pain and anxiety. That’s not according to God’s plan. Families can also create a place of acceptance, encouragement, and love. That is in line with what God would want from us. Listen to this:
It is in how we live as a family that we are truly worshipping God.
How are we worshipping? Let’s look at three characteristics of a family that keeps the Lord as their focus.
I. We find meaning in relationships
We learn life and faith through the experience of family and friends (Momentum, 69)
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it (NRSV) – Matthew 16:25.
We find ourselves by being in relationship with God. We find ourselves by being in relationship with family and friends. The Ritual of family – when I grew up, we took Sunday drives and picnics with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. I always got the legs. This is the place where family values are passed down to the next generation. I didn’t like going to see grandmother Belcher because her Pekinese and Chihuahua dogs barked at me and nipped at my legs. I couldn’t tell you the number of lectures I heard on the value of family. Life is a gift from God. We get only one life to spend. Spend it wisely. Houses and cars will rot and deteriorate. People matter for an eternity. The building blocks of my adult life were laid in the relationship of my family. Mom taught me to pick up my clothes – in other words, you have got to learn to take care of yourself. Dad taught me my philosophy of life also called the golden rule – treat others as you want them to treat you. We learn how to be the people God has called us to be as we live with each other. We learn to value each other for our strength as well as our differences.
Rule #1 – We find meaning in life through how we treat others and how they treat us.
What have you learned from your family? What are you learning from your family? What are you teaching others in your family?
II. Life is created in the Margins (make space)
“God is not nearly as interested in the little religious ceremonies we call worship services as in how we live our lives day to day,” Momentum, 72.
Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together (CEV) – Col. 3:14.
The giving of time shows to yourself and others what is important. Mike Slaughter talks about we all have tasks to do. If you would envision your life as a sheet of notebook paper, your work and tasks would be what fills the most of your time. This is your worship unto God. How you can perform these tasks is worship. These things fill your paper, but there are margins on the top, the bottom, and the sides. It is in the margins, that we have time to build relationships. I would call it making space, creating gaps, and blocking off time for family. I have to do it as a pastor. You have to do it for your family. Create space for the relationship of family and guard it. I don’t mean to be unbendable, but don’t let things fill up that space. If you are not careful, and the space is full for years and years, you wake up one day and ask, who am I living with?
Rule#2 - If I don’t prioritize how and with whom I spend my time, circumstances and other people will decide for me.
How we live in our relationships is honoring unto God and is part of our daily worship. We must create time for each other. Our schedule must not become so full that there is not enough time to sit down together in the swing on a summer’s day.
Pastor Jan from Pittsboro UMC shared with us pastors how one youth that rode with her to a confirmation retreat at Lake Junaluska remarked how he love the food at the retreat. She told him the food was good, but it wasn’t that remarkable. That is when he no you are missing the point. We all sat down to eat together and we had a relationship. We seldom eat together at home, and we are not building a relationship. I want that at home.
We miss out in life if are not making relationships a priority on any given day (momentum, 70).
III. We are all called to mentor to others.
People need to see Leaders who demonstrate the priorities of the kingdom in their primary relationships,(Mike Slaughter, Momentum).
A. We begin with the people in our heart:
Our children or those who are emotionally close to us.
Rule #3 – If I don’t pass the faith down to my children or to the next generation, who is? We must mentor the young.
Good people live right, and God blesses the children who follow their example (CEV) – Proverbs 20:7.
What is right living? It is to live for God. Psalm 127 is clear, we can build a life; we can build a house; we can build a family, but all is vain unless our family gives itself to God. The scripture actually says it is in vain that you work hard if the Lord is not in control of the house.
It was my mother who bought me a children’s Bible. It was my dad that taught me that we are to live in God’s ways not what we create ourselves. It was my church that bought me my 6th grade Bible, and my Sunday School teacher that taught me Biblical lessons. It was my grandmother that kept me in church when my family got lax in their attendance.
What are we passing down to the next generation?
B. Secondly, we mentor to those in our circle of influence. That means people that you have close ties too. You may seem them every day or you may not.
Bluntly, we all only have 24 hours in the day. We would like to have more time, but there isn’t any. We can all only give ourselves away to other people on a limited basis. We cannot physically be all things to all people. It is impossible to do. We must strategize, which relationships we are wanting to invest in and how do we invest in them. Our greatest witness for Christ is to those we know. No one can have more influence on us than a godly family member whether it be a godly mother, father, brother or sister.
IV. Challenges
What does your life say about your worship?
Maybe today, you realize that you need to make some new priorities. Give it to God right now.
Maybe today, you see where you need to live a more godly life and especially with family. Give it to God right now.
Maybe today, you see you need to go back and pick up something you dropped - a relationship with family or friend or even a relationship with God. If you need to make things right, start over, begin again. Today is the day of salvation.
Amen.
Sermon, “Can you Give a Witness?”
Acts 4:29-31
Series: Yes you Can. May 2, 2010
Jim Whittaker
[added in actual sermon this beginning – A church without evangelism is a contradiction in terms – then this sermon illustration – Phillie reporter reports on New Orleans summer end part for life guards where no one had drowned that year in pools. At the party there was 200 people and 100 lifeguards. During the party, one person fell into the pool and no one noticed until the end of the party. That person could not be revived. 100 life guards and a person drowns. What does that say to us as a church?]
I am going to begin with a question. If you were a sick man or woman, and needed prayer, who would you choose to pray for you? Prayer by definition in this case, would be requesting God almighty to intervene in this situation. I would ask the person who truly believed that God intervenes into human affairs. I don’t want someone praying for me that thinks this is just something you do. I want someone to pray who believes.
When we went down to the Bladen charge the other week-end, there was an African American who prayed with as much fervency as anyone I can think of. That’s the type person I want to pray for me somebody who believes that God can still make the lame to walk and to heal the sick. I would look for the type of prayer that if I closed my eyes for prayer, when I opened them, it was a different world. God somehow and in some way had given a healing.
I ask another question. If you were a man or woman who needed some spiritual guidance, who would you listen too. I would listen to somebody who truly believed that spirituality is a life and death situation and believed that the resurrection is real, and that God truly changes and transforms lives now! It’s not just a pie in the sky say yes to Jesus and get your “get out of hell card.” It is God intervening into our world today – right now!
I am going to give you some characteristics of the person who would come across to a lost and dying world that there is life in Jesus Christ.
1. Belief in a healing God. This comes out in two ways. Personal and social holiness.
a. First, personal holiness.
Personal holiness is the result of a life lived where we believe that God heals souls. It is the result of a life of gratification because Jesus reached down to save me even when I did not deserve it. It is not a life lived as “I am holier than thou.” Personal holiness is a life lived where who we say we are does not conflict with how we live our life. If we say that we worship a loving God, then we should be loving. If we say that we worship a saving God, then we should be in the saving business. If we say that we worship a God who forgives, then we should be a person of forgiveness. See how this works, our personal life should reflect the God we say we worship. What a powerful witness. We demonstrate then that God is a healing God, because God has healed my soul.
b. Second, social holiness
My life has to tell the world that there is more to life than what I see in this world. Accumulations of goods beyond our basic needs tells the world that we believe that this world is our savior. You want relief, hope, and help. Spend and buy – that is what our consumeristic society will tell you.
Ron Sider in his book “Evangelical Conscience” says that only 1 in 10 preachers even come close to talking about the poor as much as Jesus did (page 118). We can quickly think of parables that Jesus told that relates to the priority of our goods and possessions. There is the prodigal son, Lazarus and the rich man, the foolish farmer and the big barns, and the rich young ruler.
Ron Sider also shares this statistic - “Evangelical historians of revival movements point out that evangelism and concern for the poor have gone hand in hand in the great revivals of the past.” (Evangelical Conscience, 119). Why? Because God calls God’s people to participate in God’s healing and that can require us to live differently so that we can live into who God has called us to be. Social holiness calls us to action. We cannot just stand by when there are poor and hurting in our community. James 2:15-16 says this and I paraphrase – what good is a witness like that – go in peace, eat, and be full and to do nothing. Our life must demonstrate that God calls us to a healing of physical needs. If this wasn’t important, why was Jesus always around the dinner table and why did Jesus feed the 4,000 and the 5,000. We tend to be like the disciples and say the problem is too big. I want you to go home and look this scripture up that we used last Sunday night: II Kings 6:17. Elisha prayed that his servant’s eyes would be open so that he could see the Lord’s army.
2. The 2nd characteristic of a person who comes across to a lost and dying world that there is life in Christ is one who prays and is filled with the Holy Spirit. How important is prayer? How important is it for the church to gather in prayer? Is prayer more than just praying for the sick?
Let’s be honest. Sometimes we are too busy to pray, but it is in prayer that boldness for God is born. It is in communing with God that we get to know who God really is. It is through prayer that we can discern what God’s will is. It is in prayer that we learn what thing God is blessing.
You should pray for the pastor and his family daily. Pray that I would be filled with the Holy Spirit. Pray that I would go where God wants me to go and not where I want to go.
A church that does not pray is a church that is dying. I have given you a prayer to pray found on the back of the bulletin. If we want to be a church that is doing what God wants us to do, it begins in prayer.
3. The 3rd characteristic of a person who comes across to a lost and dying world that there is life in Christ is one who is bold for Christ.
Boldness doesn’t necessarily mean you get on the street corner and preach. Boldness means you are willing to do and try new things. Boldness means we are not satisfied with the status quo or business as usual. Until Christ comes and tells us to stop trying to get people in church and to help them on their walk with a saving God, then we need to be bringing people in. Don’t stop until the trumpet sounds.
I have challenged the congregation to do a new thing. We are planning on hosting small groups in the fall with an outreach campaign called “to Save a Family.” The idea is to grow us all in our family lives, but to also use it as a form of outreach. I am asking families to consider hosting. Yes, this calls you to be bold, because not only am I asking you to host for 6 weeks a study on a pre-progammed study guide, but also to invite co-workers, and friends from the ball team.
When the Bladen charge did this for the first time, they got 14 host families and their church attendance took a 15 to 20% jump. God is still working. We are at the beginning stages of real revival at this church. Don’t we have something to be excited about? We have something here worth sharing with other people.
This witness of God’s grace in my life, it all begins in prayer. What is your prayer?
1. Maybe we need to pray God come into my heart fully. I have just been playing around.
2. Maybe we need to pray God fill me with your Holy Spirit for I have become tired and I have been trying to live for you on my terms.
3. Maybe you need to pray God help me to be a witness and Lord help me to join this evangelistic campaign that we are doing in the fall.
Amen.
April 25th - Youth Sunday
Here is the Sunday Evening sermon:
Yes, Dare to Dream and Vision
Scripture: II Kings 6:15-17
Contemporary Service: April 25, 2010
Jim Whittaker
It is not always easy to see God’s preferred future. We find in our text today where the prophet Elisha demonstrates a truth that Israel and us as well have a hard time understanding.
A little is a lot when God is in it.
Elisha knew that God’s army was there fighting for God’s purpose. There was no obstacle too big that God could not tackle. We want to take that on and that is where we get into trouble. Elisha prayed that his servant could see the army of God that was fighting for us and to not be over come with what seemed like a hopeless situation. God would be glorified.
It is difficult for us to see that living in God’s will is the preferred place for our lives. It is far better than the world has to offer us. It is far better than Satan has to offer onto us. We will be tempted no doubt. Satan tempted Jesus. Certainly, Satan will tempt us. Satan tempted Jesus with what his body desired. Satan will use our own desires to lead us astray. Satan tempted Jesus with power. Nothing will bring down God’s work quicker than when God’s people get hungry for power. Lastly, Satan tempted Jesus an idol. He could be god of his place on this earth. All he asked him was to not allow God to be on the throne of his life. God has a preferred purpose for our lives. I ask us to vision what it is that God wants for us. I ask us to live into that vision. What a place that would be if we were fully living onto God. John Wesley got a glimpse of what that might be and he gave this advice for his preachers.
“Catch on fire for God and people will come and watch you burn,” John Wesley – (Evangelical Conscience, Ron Sider, 94).
What is our future?
When I was growing up, we had a party line. That was where you shared your phone with other people. That works all right as long as the other people don’t like to talk a lot. I can remember how relieved my dad was when we could get a private line. I remember my first cell phone. It was a bag phone. It was big and clumsy but worked well, but not all that convenient. When I got a handheld cell phone that was wonderful. All of a sudden, there were new possibilities for the phone. Then we got an ear piece for the phone so we could talk on the phone anywhere handsfree. I could call Dianna and ask her to tell me again what she wanted at Wal-mart while I was in the store. Now we have moved into the world of texting, e-mail, and internet on the phone – it’s now technically a phone, it has more power than most of the computers I have. Can we envision the future? Apple is betting it is on the ipad after the success of their iphone.
What is our future?
I pray the prayer of Elisha:
Open the eyes Lord of your servants so that we can see that there is a mountain full of horses and chariots around Meroney Church.
Let’s believe as Elisha that God has a bold preferred future for us. There will be osbstacles that only God can conquer. It will seem that we are outnumbered. It will seem there is no way a little church can accomplish such a feat. It will seem impossible at times. But, let us remember. The impossible is possible with God. We are going to look at 3 things that we can do to live into what Elisha was living.
I. Envision a destination
Mike Slaughter in the book Momentum describes vision as “a promising picture of God’s preferred future that gives energy to initiate and sustain the journey of ascent” (meaning the trip up the mountain to Jerusalem to worship). Momentum, 90.
So what would God’s destination look like?
Joel 2:28 says, God will pour out his Spirit so that sons and daughters will give the word, old men will dream, and young men will vision.
Could have Elisha’s servant ever envisioned what was going to happen? First, Elisha can see that God’s mighty presence is there. God will have the victory. We might would all agree that indeed is true, but vision this.
Elisha prayed that the enemy would be blind.
Do I need to tell us that prayer is vehicle in finding God’s preferred future? When we look back in history at the great revivals it was prayer that brought those revivals. Men and women prayed for hours. I remember a story with John Wesley that they were in a time of great prayer and when it got about midnight that was when the Holy Spirit came an anointed them. I am amazed at what the Bladen Charge has been able to do. I don’t think they are as big as we are. I don’t think they have as many children as we do. I don’t think they have as many Sunday School classes as we do, and I wonder how could they build a new Christian education wing and a new sanctuary when they are just country people just like us. I do believe their movement of mission to their community has begun in prayer. We had a time of prayer and a time for a healing service on Friday and Saturday nights and the praying was long, making the services long – maybe 2 hours I am not sure, but I couldn’t help but to think of Wesley and how the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Do we pray for victory over our enemies? We need to admit we are victims of our times. Anyone that is about my age was brought up in a time called the modern age. Science ruled – nothing wrong with science, but experience was out. It made us doubt prayer. So we have tried to prove it scientifically by doing studies at Duke, which did prove that those who were prayed for did better, but it has made us reluctant to pray such a prayer. The world has changed and we have now moved into a post modern era. Experience matters. We need to once again claim the power of prayer. I don’t need a scientific study to prove it. I know. I have experienced God in my heart. We need to reclaim victory over the enemies of evil and Satan. Whatever obstacles that we face in this life can be conquered through Christ. That is not saying that God is going to do everything we ask. It is saying as we align ourselves with God’s will we will have the victory.
II. Articulate an Attitude of Determined Faith
We need to change our attitudes. We need to confess that at times we are like the servant that couldn’t see God in action. We need to pray that the God will let us see how he will overcome the powers of darkness.
Michael Slaughter says this, “I take time every day to visualize God’s promised future” (Momentum, 93).
Let’s do that. What could God do here?
My first vision is that everyone is engaged in the ministry of the kingdom. There is no one on the sidelines. We are experiencing victory over the obstacles that would defeat us.
That means when we ask is it possible for God to use little ole us right here and right now, and the answer is yes. Yes, God can.
God can give us a ministry where we are proactively seeking out the least and lost weekly. We are busy in mission for Christ. We are busy in trying to bring others into God’s kingdom. We are busy strengthening each other and giving encouragement to each other.
I can see a weekly ministry of prayer, food and needs.
I can see a facility where we can bring in 200 people from the community and church for special events.
I can see discipleship groups and accountability groups.
I can see this church reaching out to those who are broken.
I can see a facility where we can better serve God in worship, in feeding, in helping, in praying, in studying.
This is not a vision about us. This is a vision where we are touching the lives of those in our community. It is a vision where when someone calls. We answer.
I can see an afterschool program.
I can see a backpack program.
I can see me in this vision. That is where we have to move too. To see us each one of us in the vision. We have to pray for God to enable us to see the victory that God wants to give us. God desires to be worshipped, and God will not fail us.
So I can see home groups inviting both church and unchurched to study what God’s word has for us.
I can see a people gathered at this church that live differently than the world. Let me give you an example:
Mike Slaughter gives us this challenge - “What if, every Christian spent on hunger and relief what they spend on Christmas” (Momentum, 97). We need to claim God’s preferred future in our lives.
III. Initiate Strategic Actions
That moves us from first seeing what God can do, and then envisioning how God would prefer our future to be lived out, and now we need to move to a critical stage. We need to act it out.
Elisha did not stop at prayer. He led the enemy right into Israel’s hands. In other words, the enemy was defeated by one lone prophet. Our human tendency is to say kill the enemy. Kick them when they are down, but that is not how God played this out. Yes the King of Israel wanted to kill them, but instead, God told them through the prophet to feed them for they had a long journey back home. God doesn’t kick us when we are down. We can be an enemy of God. God’s idea is to move us to a relationship with him. So the Israel king feed them with a great feast and sent them home. The end result, there was no war with Aram anymore. A good less for us to learn in our modern time. We must act upon the vision that God gives us.
Again Mike Slaughter says, “God gives vision to those who will faithfully execute it.” (Momentum, 100).
God gives big visions to those who are willing to give big actions (Momentum, 101).
The scripture tells us that when the people have no vision, they perish. So what is our plan. This is a strategic plan
Objective #1 – To be healthy in body and spirit. I Cor. 2:16: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”
We can’t be the people God wants us to be if we don’t take care of ourselves. Yes, we need to read the word and pray. That was the focus of last week. We also need a time of Sabbath and rest. Simply put, we are too busy leaving little time to focus on things of God. We need. This will require us to change priorities. We need to eat better both physically and spiritually. We will not be who God wants us to be if we are tired, worn out, out of shape, and have no spiritual reserves.
Objective #2 – Relationships - We need each other. Hebrews 10:24ff says, “let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds not neglecting to meet together..but encouraging one another.”
Our family is extremely important to our overall health, but we should not forget that Jesus said that our church family trumps our personal family. Those seem like tough words, but Jesus was telling us the importance of keeping the faith is in relationships. It is important in our family but it is important in the family of God. When a church fails to care for each other, they have died. When a church fails to care for others, they have begun the process of dying. It is in caring for one another we show Christ’s love for the world. Christ came for the broken hearted, the lost, the least, and he asks us to do the same.
Action Plan
Objective #3 – Our Work for the Kingdom of God. We need to not just read the scripture but we need to live it. Romans 12:1-2, “Present yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is Spiritual worship. May we not be conformed to the world, but transformed, by the renewing of our minds.”
We don’t read God’s word so we can check a box off and say I have done that. We read it looking for heart change. We are a broken people. It is in God that we find wholeness. We can find Christ as our savior, but if we don’t cooperate with the Spirit, we will still live a broken life. We need to see our work for God as living into God’s preferred future for us. It is bringing the kingdom of God down to earth. It is a sacrifice. Isn’t that what the scriptures said. Sacrifice yourself for God.
Objective #4 – Mission Work will Change Us. James 2:14b-15, “Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘God in peace; keep warm, and eat you fill,’ ….what good is that?”
If you have ever been on a mission work effort, you have experienced the feeling of helping someone else. We have put a roof on a house near the church, worked on a Habitat House, worked on a ladies house in Siler City, worked on the Women’s Shelter, put a roof on a house down east for a few things. We have given food for the hungry, paid light bills, and given clothes to families that needed it. What a wonderful feeling we have when we have helped someone.
We respond when someone asks. It is time that we actively seek out mission to do as the church on an ongoing basis. I would starve to death if I only ate once a quarter or once ever 6 months. We should have an active faith that James speaks of. What will it look like? Can you envision it?
We need to confess. We often cut ourselves out of opportunities like we are the servant that cannot see God’s army. We are counting on what we can do, and not counting on what God can do. Often our vision reflects that as well. We feel comfortable on what we can do. Today, we need to move from the servant to the prophet. The prophet Elisha could see what God could do that emboldened him to defeat a whole army not by his power but by the power of God.
Can we live to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ? Yes we can as we give ourselves to God and rely on his power. It is not about us. It is about what God can do. Lift up your eyes for I see God’s heavenly hosts around us. Amen.
I give thanks for the thoughts and direction given by Mike Slaughter in his book, Momentum. This sermon was greatly influenced by that reading.
April 18th - Melody Troncale preached
If I were a car, who would my driver be?
If you were a car, who would your driver be? An interesting thought – I suppose it would be whatever in life drives you or where your passion is.
Video: Mother Teresa – Hears the voice of God to go to the slums.
Mother Teresa heard God speak to her “go to the slums.” We might say, oh were it that easy. First, for me to hear God’s voice, and then second, for me to have the nerve to go where God says go. I suppose we are all wrestling God in some form or fashion. This sermon series is a call for us to “fully devote ourselves to God,” and I am saying as your pastor and brother in Christ, “yes, you can!”
God meets us where we are. God met Jacob in a brook in the form of a man and with a story that would match his culture – God appears like a river demon. You would have to get permission to pass the river by this demon. This really is a strange story, but this is more going on here. Jacob had told God I will serve you fully and devote myself fully to you when I return. This happened in ch. 28 after Jacob had a vision of angels going up and down from heaven to earth at Bethel. It would seem to me now that Jacob is wrestling with God. He is wrestling for control.
We can all relate to Jacob. I will fully devote myself to God when….fill in the blank. I get married, have kids, the kids get out of school, when the kids have kids, when I am in a retirement home. The list goes on. Today God comes to us and we wrestle with him for control. We have false gods in our own life, and we don’t want to let them go.
So what gods seek to influence our lives.
This really doesn’t sound all that different from Jacob. He bought his brother’s birthright with some red lentil soup, and he stole his brother’s blessing. It was all about Jacob.
We really are not that different than Jacob. Jacob comes back to the place where he told God get me back here and I will fully devote myself to you, but when he gets there, he wrestles God for control. Now the ancients believed, if you got a god’s name, then you got control over that god. What is Jacob trying to do, but to get God’s name so he could control God.
You probably have seen the license plate that says God is my co-pilot. My question is when did God get demoted to only taking over your life when you are in trouble. If you are a car, then how are you also a driver. All of us are cars. Something drives all of us. If we are honest with ourselves, it is hard for us to let God drive. We want a little bit of God or as C.S. Lewis says the devil wants to inoculate us with a little bit of Christianity. Just enough where we are not looking for God’s will, but not enough so that we are doing anything for God.
We want to give God a donation not a sacrifice. Romans 12:1 says, present your bodies as a living sacrifice. A sacrifice requires us to change our life. It is interesting to note that many Jews did not go up to the temple in Jerusalem for the 3 required festivals.
As well, many that did want to sacrifice would stop off along the way – short of the goal and go to the fertility god, or moon god, or sun god upon the hills and a shorter journey from home.
God destroyed Israel because they were not obedient. They took the easy way out. They wanted a little bit of God but not too much. We often frown on changes we might would make to our life if we were fully devoted to God. We might even say it is too hard.
I as your preacher today say, “yes, you can become fully devoted to God.” What we need to do is to put ourselves where we can hear God’s voice. Remember, mother Teresa, she heard God’s voice.
To become devoted to God, we must devote time for God. It must be planned. It cannot be a maybe. It must become a part of who you are. Jesus prayed early in the morning before the day began. We need to use Jesus’ example. We all can become more devoted to God. There aren’t any exceptions here. You don’t get to skip this if you read through the Bible last year or was a key volunteer at the church. We all need this, and there are steps we can take to be sure we are putting ourselves where we can hear God’s voice.
What we are saying is we are going to let God do the driving and we realize that we will have to position ourselves so we can hear God’s voice. We need to each day devote time for God’s voice.
a. Devotion begins in the morning. Mark 1:35 – Jesus took time to pray. We need to move toward praying more about God’s will being done in my life and the church’s life and less about our needs. When we study the Lord’s prayer, it is about living in God’s kingdom. I have given you today a prayer book mark to help you to remember to pray. Praying helps us hear God’s voice.
b. Devotion centers me. One of the best ways for us to hear God’s voice is to get into his word. You have to read some in the Bible each and every day – no excuses. Psalm 119:11, “I treasure your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” (NRSV). We will be using the S.O.N method. Read the scripture. Observe what jumps out at you, and name its impact on yourself.
c. Devotion reminds me of my mortality. James 4:13-25 – “What is your life?” Take the end times passage Matthew 24 and it says when Christ comes back, everybody will be just like in the days of Noah – plenty busy doing things and not paying any attention to God. Jesus said, he would could like a thief in the night. Reading God’s word redirects my passions – there is a time for everything, a time to live and a time to die. Help us O Lord to live like we are prepared to die.
d. Devotion renews my life. Listen to these words from Psalm 26. Test my heart. Wash my hands. Tell of your deeds. I love your dwelling place. Redeem me. Be gracious unto me.
e. Devotion moves me from the cult of the “self” to servanthood. Our prayers should move from “help me” to “may your will be done. It recenters us to God’s kingdom purpose. Proverbs 16 says, “those who are greedy for unjust gain make trouble for their households,” and “pride goes before destruction.”
Yes You Can! We all can. We all can be fully devoted to God. It begins with our own personal feeding habits. Sometimes life is like a desert. You had better feed and drink up before you go out into the hot sunny day.
If I go back to my car metaphor, what I am saying is: I am a vehicle to be used for God’s purpose. If I am wanting to let God do the driving, then I need to listen to his voice. Let God program your GPS. Your goals. Your priorities, and your Spare time. Be devoted unto God’s voice so you can live fully into God’s potential for your life.
Mother Teresa lived fully into God’s purpose. We can too. Amen.