What does mean that Jesus is the "Cornerstone"
The cornerstone of a building has to be level in several directions as well as sitting on a strong foundation itself. Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone of Christianity.
We all readily and quickly agree on this truth but might stumble a bit if asked, "how is He the Cornerstone of your life?"
Let's try to answer that in context of the old newspaper adage:
Who? John 14:6
What? John 3:16
When? 2 Cor 6:2, "...Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
Where? Dt 30:12-14, "It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it."
Why? "... no other name under heaven given among men by which
we must be saved."
and How? The "How" is easy to miss if you're not looking for it. It is found in verse 13, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."
"they had been with Jesus" means they had a relationship with Him that changed their lives.
Relationships don't work by formulas. I don't pull out a marriage book and pick out the appropriate phrases to speak to my wife each day.
In the same way an authentic relationship with Christ like these men had is dynamic, not static. It is a daily dose of Presence, Perceiving, Praying and Preeminence.
Presence
In order to be with my wife, I have to go where she is. Jesus Christ is found in the quiet place where the "still small voice" can be heard.
Perceiving
In order to hear what someone says, you have to listen to them Psalm 27:8 says, "... Your face, LORD, do I seek." You find the face of God in the Word of God.......
Praying
Ps 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." IOW, know the will of God, pray the will of God, see the will of God accomplished. Those types of prayers originate in the heart of God, come to us via the Holy Spirit. Then the prayers are are returned to heaven by the same Holy Spirit (Rom 8:26 says, "...the Spirit himself intercedes for us..." ) where they are presented to Jesus "who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us" (Rom 8:34) and His intercession returns those prayer to the heart of God! That kind of praying will change your life and will change our world!
Preeminence
Over time and with consistency, the practice of Presence, Perceiving, and Praying will give the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ greater and greater Preeminence in your life an you will become progressively transformed into a person of spiritual boldness about whom people are astonished and recognize that you have been with Jesus.
The Word of God and Christian history are full of men and women who resolved to walk in this way with the Lord Jesus Christ; to make Him their Chief Cornerstone. They were normal, average people who decided that nothing in their lives was more important than being with Jesus. Jesus uses people like that to change the world.
What about you?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
10 Questions every man of God should ask his wife every year
Ask them and listen carefully to her answers. DO NOT DEFEND yourself. Write her answers down. Later type/sign/give to her as a commitment to honor/cherish her.
1) Is there anything I can do to cause you to feel more loved?
2) Is there anything I can do give you confidence and the desires of your heart?
3) Is there anything I can do to cause you to feel more secure?
4) Is there anything I can do to cause you know that I hear/fully understand your heart?
5) Is there anything I can do to cause you to have confidence in our future direction?
6) Is there any characteristic I need to strengthen or change?
7) Is there anything I can do to any characteristic you want me to help you develop?
8) What achievement in my life would bring you greatest joy?
9) What can I do to be more like Christ?
10) What mutual goal(s) would you like us to reach together?
11) Have I missed anything you'd like to talk about?
1) Is there anything I can do to cause you to feel more loved?
2) Is there anything I can do give you confidence and the desires of your heart?
3) Is there anything I can do to cause you to feel more secure?
4) Is there anything I can do to cause you know that I hear/fully understand your heart?
5) Is there anything I can do to cause you to have confidence in our future direction?
6) Is there any characteristic I need to strengthen or change?
7) Is there anything I can do to any characteristic you want me to help you develop?
8) What achievement in my life would bring you greatest joy?
9) What can I do to be more like Christ?
10) What mutual goal(s) would you like us to reach together?
11) Have I missed anything you'd like to talk about?
Obey-Stay-Pray
Acts 1.1-14
I must confess to you that I deeply long for the day when the Lord Jesus Christ shall return in like manner. I'm not afraid to die but I do hope that Jesus' return happens in my lifetime. I love the words Horatio Spafford penned about that occasion:
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
We have heard it correctly preached that our Lord's last words are his marching orders for the Church (Acts 1:8), that we are to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.
You have heard it preached that we are witnesses whether we want to be or not; that our lives give testimony each day to the authenticity of our relationship with Christ whether intentionally or unintentionally; whether a helpful or unhelpful witness.
You have probably been inspired by great sermons on this subject and resolved with flint faced conviction to be that witness and charged out the back door of the Church at the end of the service to confront the world with your witness. You resolved with all your heart to try harder and do better----but you never lasted past Wednesday!.......
Our witness should be powerful but it often seems powerless and we're afraid to ask why?
Well let's stop being afraid and ask "why?" tonight.
The answer is because we usually bypass 3 critical imperatives from this text that PRECEDE our living as Christ honoring Witnesses.
Let's take an honest look at them tonight:
The First Imperative is found in verse 4 where it says, " he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem..."
Verse 12 says simply, "Then they returned to Jerusalem". The idea is that they did not take off to storm the world. They did not begin a canvassing campaign or evangelistic thrust. What they did was simply to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our takeaway is that obedience is the foundation of our Christian witness and the foundation of obedience is our own personal, authentic relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.......
________________________________________
The Second Imperative is found in verse 4 where it says, "...wait for the promise of the Father..."
Verses 14 says, "...with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers."
Our takeaway is that they waited for the promise of the Father and they waited in consistent, insistent, persistent prayer. 120 people prayed for 50 days before the Holy Spirit fell.......
________________________________________
The Third Imperative is found in verse 8 where it says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..."
The Power of the Holy Spirit comes after intentional waiting characterized by radical obedience and radical prayer.
Our takeaway is that there are no shortcuts to receiving the Power of the Holy Spirit. Time means nothing to Him but timing is everything. He can do more in a heartbeat than we could do in a lifetime.
________________________________________
Are you sick to death of accomplishing what you can accomplish for Christ. It's always too little too late and has about as much power as trying to boil water over the picture of a glow worm. Are you ready to see what Christ can accomplish through you in the Power of His Holy Spirit?
Then the answer is OBEY-STAY-PRAY!
I must confess to you that I deeply long for the day when the Lord Jesus Christ shall return in like manner. I'm not afraid to die but I do hope that Jesus' return happens in my lifetime. I love the words Horatio Spafford penned about that occasion:
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
We have heard it correctly preached that our Lord's last words are his marching orders for the Church (Acts 1:8), that we are to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.
You have heard it preached that we are witnesses whether we want to be or not; that our lives give testimony each day to the authenticity of our relationship with Christ whether intentionally or unintentionally; whether a helpful or unhelpful witness.
You have probably been inspired by great sermons on this subject and resolved with flint faced conviction to be that witness and charged out the back door of the Church at the end of the service to confront the world with your witness. You resolved with all your heart to try harder and do better----but you never lasted past Wednesday!.......
Our witness should be powerful but it often seems powerless and we're afraid to ask why?
Well let's stop being afraid and ask "why?" tonight.
The answer is because we usually bypass 3 critical imperatives from this text that PRECEDE our living as Christ honoring Witnesses.
Let's take an honest look at them tonight:
The First Imperative is found in verse 4 where it says, " he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem..."
Verse 12 says simply, "Then they returned to Jerusalem". The idea is that they did not take off to storm the world. They did not begin a canvassing campaign or evangelistic thrust. What they did was simply to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our takeaway is that obedience is the foundation of our Christian witness and the foundation of obedience is our own personal, authentic relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.......
________________________________________
The Second Imperative is found in verse 4 where it says, "...wait for the promise of the Father..."
Verses 14 says, "...with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers."
Our takeaway is that they waited for the promise of the Father and they waited in consistent, insistent, persistent prayer. 120 people prayed for 50 days before the Holy Spirit fell.......
________________________________________
The Third Imperative is found in verse 8 where it says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..."
The Power of the Holy Spirit comes after intentional waiting characterized by radical obedience and radical prayer.
Our takeaway is that there are no shortcuts to receiving the Power of the Holy Spirit. Time means nothing to Him but timing is everything. He can do more in a heartbeat than we could do in a lifetime.
________________________________________
Are you sick to death of accomplishing what you can accomplish for Christ. It's always too little too late and has about as much power as trying to boil water over the picture of a glow worm. Are you ready to see what Christ can accomplish through you in the Power of His Holy Spirit?
Then the answer is OBEY-STAY-PRAY!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Loving Discipline
John 21.1-22
One of the greatest expressions of Jesus' love in your life is His discipline. Heb 12:11 says, "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
Jesus is disciplining Peter by asking him repeatedly "do you love me?"
Notice 3 things about Jesus' discipline:
1. It is Personal
• Jesus said to Peter, "do YOU love me?"
• It's a pretty good question for you and me: do YOU love Jesus?
• Before you say "yes", let me remind you that love for Christ is expressed in obedience (c.f. 1 John 5:3, 2 John 6; John 14:15 and 1 John 2:3) and the level of your obedience to Christ is well known to those you know you well BECAUSE what you believe is how you behave!
________________________________________
2. It is Painful
• Jesus' questions hurt Peter but they did not harm him. Just like the Great Physician He is, God will hurt you to help you but he will never harm you. How many of you have had surgery?
________________________________________
3. It has Purpose
• Jesus' purpose in Peter's life was to get Peter's eyes of himself and others and onto to Jesus alone.
o Peter may have been wallowing in self pity b/c of the denial episode since he denied Christ 3 times and Christ asks him three times "do you love Me?". Self pity says, "it's all about me."
o Peter was probably worried about what the others thought because he asked, "what about him?" The heat of conviction makes us look for a way out by comparing ourselves to others.
o Jesus said to Peter, in effect, don't worry about yourself or others, YOU JUST FOLLOW ME!
And that statement is the main point of this "Visitation" and the main point of our message tonight; look with me again at verse 22.
So, how is that actually done? How do you "follow Jesus?"
Here are three practical takeaways from our text:
Settle the Issue v.15 Settle that issue by realigning your life to an unswerving, unchanging, undeniable, unapologetic Passion to KNOW CHRIST! (Phil 3:10)
Surrender the Future v. 19 Instead of praying for safety and security which are two things which seem to consume us; begin to pray like this, "Lord draw me closer to you---whatever it takes!"
Set Your Sights on the Savior Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame...Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted...
God's discipline in your life is an amazing expression of His love for you. Are you chafing against that discipline and complaining about that discipline or are you willing to willingly receive it that your heart may be forever changed.
Jesus says, "Do you love me more than these? If so, follow Me!"
One of the greatest expressions of Jesus' love in your life is His discipline. Heb 12:11 says, "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
Jesus is disciplining Peter by asking him repeatedly "do you love me?"
Notice 3 things about Jesus' discipline:
1. It is Personal
• Jesus said to Peter, "do YOU love me?"
• It's a pretty good question for you and me: do YOU love Jesus?
• Before you say "yes", let me remind you that love for Christ is expressed in obedience (c.f. 1 John 5:3, 2 John 6; John 14:15 and 1 John 2:3) and the level of your obedience to Christ is well known to those you know you well BECAUSE what you believe is how you behave!
________________________________________
2. It is Painful
• Jesus' questions hurt Peter but they did not harm him. Just like the Great Physician He is, God will hurt you to help you but he will never harm you. How many of you have had surgery?
________________________________________
3. It has Purpose
• Jesus' purpose in Peter's life was to get Peter's eyes of himself and others and onto to Jesus alone.
o Peter may have been wallowing in self pity b/c of the denial episode since he denied Christ 3 times and Christ asks him three times "do you love Me?". Self pity says, "it's all about me."
o Peter was probably worried about what the others thought because he asked, "what about him?" The heat of conviction makes us look for a way out by comparing ourselves to others.
o Jesus said to Peter, in effect, don't worry about yourself or others, YOU JUST FOLLOW ME!
And that statement is the main point of this "Visitation" and the main point of our message tonight; look with me again at verse 22.
So, how is that actually done? How do you "follow Jesus?"
Here are three practical takeaways from our text:
Settle the Issue v.15 Settle that issue by realigning your life to an unswerving, unchanging, undeniable, unapologetic Passion to KNOW CHRIST! (Phil 3:10)
Surrender the Future v. 19 Instead of praying for safety and security which are two things which seem to consume us; begin to pray like this, "Lord draw me closer to you---whatever it takes!"
Set Your Sights on the Savior Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame...Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted...
God's discipline in your life is an amazing expression of His love for you. Are you chafing against that discipline and complaining about that discipline or are you willing to willingly receive it that your heart may be forever changed.
Jesus says, "Do you love me more than these? If so, follow Me!"
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Words That Change the World
On August 12, 1978, I uttered two words that changed my world forever: “I do”…
On the first Easter over 2000 years ago an angel standing in a tomb outside Jerusalem, Israel uttered 8 words that forever changed the world…
"He is not here, for he has risen…"
Those words mean that the One who claimed to be the Son of God really was, is and always will be!
Those words mean that the One who claimed to be the Truth really is the Truth and all He said, says or will say is Truth!
Those words means that there is now a Gospel to share…….
Not only is there a Gospel to share, but God's plan is that you be the one to share it and that you RIGHT NOW are and have all you will ever need to do that!
Here's how I know that: When Jesus fed the 5000, three things happened:
1. He said, " You give them something to eat" That means, YOU are the delivery system of God's Grace and Mercy in your world!
2. He said, " How many loaves do you have? Go and see." Jesus did NOT say, "what do you lack?" He said, "what do you have." Therefore, don't define yourself by your deficiencies but instead by His sufficiency!
3. He had the people sit on the grass in groups and NO ONE ARGUED WITH HIM or was worried that what He was doing would make them look bad. Common sense gave way to faith and Jesus did a miracle.
Jesus is still in the miracle working business when we remember those three principles. Most of the miracles He works in our day and time involve the greatest miracle of all and that is when someone trusts Christ as Savior and Lord!
The basic elements of that Gospel remain unchanged from their origins:
ADMIT you are a sinner and turn away from sin.
BELIEVE Christ died for you and receive Him.
CONFESS Him as Savior and Lord.
Now the essence of the message tonight is this:
1. That Gospel saved you if you are a Believer
2. That Gospel will save all those to whom you present it and are willing to receive it under the superintending influence of the Holy Spirit AND
3. That Gospel is intended to be just as powerful in your life today as it was the day you received it!
Admit, Believe, Confess led you to the Cross but it is also intended to keep you at the Cross! Here's how it works:
ADMIT you are a sinner (daily repentance).
BELIEVE Trust what He did, who He was then AND who He is in your life at this very moment; i.e. know His plans by understanding His Word and live His plans by acting on His Word.
CONFESS Speak to Him and of Him
"He is not here, for he has risen…"
The Person of the Gospel is unchained and unbound from the grave.
The Power of the Gospel is unhindered and undimmed.
The Personal aspect of the Gospel is that is makes the difference WHEREVER is it presented, embraced, shared and lived!
The secret to the success of the Gospel in saving those in your world is their seeing it lived out in your life day by day.
On the first Easter over 2000 years ago an angel standing in a tomb outside Jerusalem, Israel uttered 8 words that forever changed the world…
"He is not here, for he has risen…"
Those words mean that the One who claimed to be the Son of God really was, is and always will be!
Those words mean that the One who claimed to be the Truth really is the Truth and all He said, says or will say is Truth!
Those words means that there is now a Gospel to share…….
Not only is there a Gospel to share, but God's plan is that you be the one to share it and that you RIGHT NOW are and have all you will ever need to do that!
Here's how I know that: When Jesus fed the 5000, three things happened:
1. He said, " You give them something to eat" That means, YOU are the delivery system of God's Grace and Mercy in your world!
2. He said, " How many loaves do you have? Go and see." Jesus did NOT say, "what do you lack?" He said, "what do you have." Therefore, don't define yourself by your deficiencies but instead by His sufficiency!
3. He had the people sit on the grass in groups and NO ONE ARGUED WITH HIM or was worried that what He was doing would make them look bad. Common sense gave way to faith and Jesus did a miracle.
Jesus is still in the miracle working business when we remember those three principles. Most of the miracles He works in our day and time involve the greatest miracle of all and that is when someone trusts Christ as Savior and Lord!
The basic elements of that Gospel remain unchanged from their origins:
ADMIT you are a sinner and turn away from sin.
BELIEVE Christ died for you and receive Him.
CONFESS Him as Savior and Lord.
Now the essence of the message tonight is this:
1. That Gospel saved you if you are a Believer
2. That Gospel will save all those to whom you present it and are willing to receive it under the superintending influence of the Holy Spirit AND
3. That Gospel is intended to be just as powerful in your life today as it was the day you received it!
Admit, Believe, Confess led you to the Cross but it is also intended to keep you at the Cross! Here's how it works:
ADMIT you are a sinner (daily repentance).
BELIEVE Trust what He did, who He was then AND who He is in your life at this very moment; i.e. know His plans by understanding His Word and live His plans by acting on His Word.
CONFESS Speak to Him and of Him
"He is not here, for he has risen…"
The Person of the Gospel is unchained and unbound from the grave.
The Power of the Gospel is unhindered and undimmed.
The Personal aspect of the Gospel is that is makes the difference WHEREVER is it presented, embraced, shared and lived!
The secret to the success of the Gospel in saving those in your world is their seeing it lived out in your life day by day.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Your Life Matters
I know two things about you that you don’t know I know:
1. Your life is turning out differently than you expected.
Your response to that probably falls into one of three categories:
• Determination (you're still trying to make it happen)
• Frustration
• Resignation
Here's what the God of the Universe has to say about all that:
”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you..." (Jer 1:5)
I knit you together in your Mother's womb. (paraphrase of Ps 139:13)
"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." (Prov 16:9)
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer 29:11)
Are you starting to see that your plans might not have been His plans? Are you willing to believe that His plan is better? Are you willing to trust Him in that plan, no matter what?
2. Deep inside you there’s something that says “my life must matter”.
You have probably lived long enough already to ask this question: what is my purpose, why am I here?
The plan for your significance is already in place. I know that b/c of John 15:16 which says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."
The key to it all is the Cross!
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
In the days of Noah, God destroyed the world by flood---and He was perfectly right and just to do so. By the time of Jesus, the world was worse than it had been in Noah's day. Because He is the just and righteous Judge of the Universe, God had to act and act He did. He declared mankind guilty of sin for we are all sinners by choice and have all sinned against God with a high hand. He decreed the just and deserved punishment for sin which is death and He carried out the death penalty----on His Own Son!!!
For your sake, God made His Own Son, who had never for eternity past known sin, to become sin so that in Him you might become the righteousness of God!
Yes, your life is turning out differently than you expected; its turning out just the way God planned it to. There are reasons for the joy, purposes for the pain and meaning in the tragedies.
Yes, God's plan is for your life to matter, to matter more than you ever imagined but to matter IN HIS WAY, ACCORDING TO HIS PLAN, IN HIS TIME AND FOR HIS GLORY!
The question is simply this: Will you win by surrendering to Him?
Jesus did. He said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38)
Your life can matter and you can win---but only by surrendering to Him!
1. Your life is turning out differently than you expected.
Your response to that probably falls into one of three categories:
• Determination (you're still trying to make it happen)
• Frustration
• Resignation
Here's what the God of the Universe has to say about all that:
”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you..." (Jer 1:5)
I knit you together in your Mother's womb. (paraphrase of Ps 139:13)
"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." (Prov 16:9)
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer 29:11)
Are you starting to see that your plans might not have been His plans? Are you willing to believe that His plan is better? Are you willing to trust Him in that plan, no matter what?
2. Deep inside you there’s something that says “my life must matter”.
You have probably lived long enough already to ask this question: what is my purpose, why am I here?
The plan for your significance is already in place. I know that b/c of John 15:16 which says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."
The key to it all is the Cross!
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
In the days of Noah, God destroyed the world by flood---and He was perfectly right and just to do so. By the time of Jesus, the world was worse than it had been in Noah's day. Because He is the just and righteous Judge of the Universe, God had to act and act He did. He declared mankind guilty of sin for we are all sinners by choice and have all sinned against God with a high hand. He decreed the just and deserved punishment for sin which is death and He carried out the death penalty----on His Own Son!!!
For your sake, God made His Own Son, who had never for eternity past known sin, to become sin so that in Him you might become the righteousness of God!
Yes, your life is turning out differently than you expected; its turning out just the way God planned it to. There are reasons for the joy, purposes for the pain and meaning in the tragedies.
Yes, God's plan is for your life to matter, to matter more than you ever imagined but to matter IN HIS WAY, ACCORDING TO HIS PLAN, IN HIS TIME AND FOR HIS GLORY!
The question is simply this: Will you win by surrendering to Him?
Jesus did. He said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38)
Your life can matter and you can win---but only by surrendering to Him!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Living as Strangers
Some years ago in the air over the Red River, I experienced a defining moment. I was returning from a mission trip and as I looked out the window of the plane and saw the Red River I remember thinking, “I’m home now”. As soon as I had that thought, the Holy Spirit spoke to me strong and clear in the language of the heart. He said, “This is not your home, your home is with Me.”
As much as I love Oklahoma, I’ve never seen her in quite the same way since. As Believers, we’re not residents of Oklahoma who travel from time to time, we’re residents of Heaven here on a terribly important, yet temporary assignment. That assignment to be ON MISSION with the MASTER to MAKE DISCIPLES!
• David knew it. That’s why he said in Ps 119:19, “I am a stranger on earth…”
• Paul knew it. That’s why he said in Phil 3:20, “…our citizenship is in heaven…”
• Peter knew it. That’s why he said in 1 Pet 1:17, “…live your lives as strangers here…”
Life is a Mission Trip. If you’ve ever been in another country, you know what it feels like to be an alien. If you’ve ever been anywhere you didn’t know anyone, you know what it feels like to be a stranger. Heb 11 instructs us to live our lives as Aliens and Strangers on Mission for the Master! We ARE here but not FROM here!
Paul says it this way in 1 Cor 7.29-31, “29What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.”
Author John Ortberg puts it this way, “Let’s say you spend a week at Motel 6. How likely would it be for you to take all your money and spend it decorating your motel room? How probable is it that you would clean out your bank account to purchase van Gogh’s or paintings of Elvis on velvet or whatever it is that your taste runs to? Not very. You wouldn’t even be tempted, because the motel room is not home. You’re only going to be there a little while. It would be foolish to waste the treasure of your one and only life on a temporary residence.”
As Believers, we have the inexpressible joy of being ON MISSION WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! We cannot do that if we love this world or love the things of this world. 1 John 2:16-17 says it this way, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away…but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” That will as stated here in Hebrews 11 is to live as Aliens and Strangers.
One preacher said it this way: "God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful disciples for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose."
So what does it mean, practically, to live as Aliens and Strangers? Let’s context it within three questions:
Question #1What Are You Seeking (v.14)
Why do you do what you do? What do you strive? Why do you get up every day and work? What are you after? Physical security? Doesn’t exist on this planet. Financial security? Gone in an instant in today’s economy. Emotional security? Relationships are messy; it’s a human thing.
God KNOWS you need all these things; He just doesn’t want you to waste your time trying to provide them for yourself! Matt 6:33. In a daily act of trust, you can FIRST SEEK FIRST! That means you start your day with the Lord Jesus. I hear people say all the time, “I just don’t have the time or discipline or ability”. You don’t have a time or discipline or ability problem, you have a LOVE PROBLEM. Do you LOVE Him who loved you while he was chained to the whipping post? Do you LOVE Him who was nailed to the Cross? Do you LOVE Him who because sin so that you might become the righteousness of God? The way you love the world less and love the Lord more is to spend meaningful, significant time with him EARLY over days and weeks and months and years!
Question #2Which way are you Looking? (v.15)
Do you spend all your time looking forward or looking back? Are you living today in the miry muck of yesterday’s faults, flubs and failures? Do you dwell in the hell of regret? I don’t use that word lightly b/c the Enemy, the one who is from there wants to keep you captive in the marshland of remorse and the quicksand of regret.
God KNOWS you are prone to give in to this type of stinking thinking. That’s why He says in Phil 3, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.” Pressing on means laying aside the past and forging ahead as God’s Alien and Stranger being about HIS business of disciplemaking on this short Mission Trip called life.
For What are you Hoping? (v.16)
[In the movie “Facing the Giants”, Steve Williams plays Larry Childers, a man confined to a wheelchair b/c of MS. At the end of the movie……”I’m standing for my son!”. I can’t think of many phrases more encouraging than “I’m proud of you son/daughter!”. That is EXACTLY what the God of the Universe is saying to the one who chooses to live their life as an Alien/Stranger on His Mission Trip (v. 16)
Conclusion: All the people we read about a few minutes ago were ordinary people who chose to trust and re-trust God every day and, as a result, lived their lives as Aliens and Strangers on Mission for the Master. They recognized you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You can’t get just little dose of God and try to work Him into your life most Sundays and whenever else is convenient or needful. You either are or aren’t on Mission with Him. You can’t be a little bit missional. It’s like being pregnant, you either are or you aren’t.
William Booth said, “Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters (and sons and daughters) not to come there. Then look Christ in the face -- whose mercy you have professed to obey -- and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.”
Aliens and Strangers!
Maybe you’re here today and you’re tired of trying to keep all the plates spinning, tired of trying to fix relationships that just keep getting broken again, tired of trying to have enough, make enough, be enough or do enough.
Maybe it’s time to say to the world, “I quit; I’m stepping out to go with God”. This world may be where I live but it’s not my home. I’m getting kind of homesick for a place I’ve never been and until I get there I will live my life here as an Alien and Stranger on Mission for the Master!”
Jesus lived that way when He was on earth. Now He asks today, “who will go with me?”
As much as I love Oklahoma, I’ve never seen her in quite the same way since. As Believers, we’re not residents of Oklahoma who travel from time to time, we’re residents of Heaven here on a terribly important, yet temporary assignment. That assignment to be ON MISSION with the MASTER to MAKE DISCIPLES!
• David knew it. That’s why he said in Ps 119:19, “I am a stranger on earth…”
• Paul knew it. That’s why he said in Phil 3:20, “…our citizenship is in heaven…”
• Peter knew it. That’s why he said in 1 Pet 1:17, “…live your lives as strangers here…”
Life is a Mission Trip. If you’ve ever been in another country, you know what it feels like to be an alien. If you’ve ever been anywhere you didn’t know anyone, you know what it feels like to be a stranger. Heb 11 instructs us to live our lives as Aliens and Strangers on Mission for the Master! We ARE here but not FROM here!
Paul says it this way in 1 Cor 7.29-31, “29What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.”
Author John Ortberg puts it this way, “Let’s say you spend a week at Motel 6. How likely would it be for you to take all your money and spend it decorating your motel room? How probable is it that you would clean out your bank account to purchase van Gogh’s or paintings of Elvis on velvet or whatever it is that your taste runs to? Not very. You wouldn’t even be tempted, because the motel room is not home. You’re only going to be there a little while. It would be foolish to waste the treasure of your one and only life on a temporary residence.”
As Believers, we have the inexpressible joy of being ON MISSION WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! We cannot do that if we love this world or love the things of this world. 1 John 2:16-17 says it this way, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away…but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” That will as stated here in Hebrews 11 is to live as Aliens and Strangers.
One preacher said it this way: "God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful disciples for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose."
So what does it mean, practically, to live as Aliens and Strangers? Let’s context it within three questions:
Question #1What Are You Seeking (v.14)
Why do you do what you do? What do you strive? Why do you get up every day and work? What are you after? Physical security? Doesn’t exist on this planet. Financial security? Gone in an instant in today’s economy. Emotional security? Relationships are messy; it’s a human thing.
God KNOWS you need all these things; He just doesn’t want you to waste your time trying to provide them for yourself! Matt 6:33. In a daily act of trust, you can FIRST SEEK FIRST! That means you start your day with the Lord Jesus. I hear people say all the time, “I just don’t have the time or discipline or ability”. You don’t have a time or discipline or ability problem, you have a LOVE PROBLEM. Do you LOVE Him who loved you while he was chained to the whipping post? Do you LOVE Him who was nailed to the Cross? Do you LOVE Him who because sin so that you might become the righteousness of God? The way you love the world less and love the Lord more is to spend meaningful, significant time with him EARLY over days and weeks and months and years!
Question #2Which way are you Looking? (v.15)
Do you spend all your time looking forward or looking back? Are you living today in the miry muck of yesterday’s faults, flubs and failures? Do you dwell in the hell of regret? I don’t use that word lightly b/c the Enemy, the one who is from there wants to keep you captive in the marshland of remorse and the quicksand of regret.
God KNOWS you are prone to give in to this type of stinking thinking. That’s why He says in Phil 3, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.” Pressing on means laying aside the past and forging ahead as God’s Alien and Stranger being about HIS business of disciplemaking on this short Mission Trip called life.
For What are you Hoping? (v.16)
[In the movie “Facing the Giants”, Steve Williams plays Larry Childers, a man confined to a wheelchair b/c of MS. At the end of the movie……”I’m standing for my son!”. I can’t think of many phrases more encouraging than “I’m proud of you son/daughter!”. That is EXACTLY what the God of the Universe is saying to the one who chooses to live their life as an Alien/Stranger on His Mission Trip (v. 16)
Conclusion: All the people we read about a few minutes ago were ordinary people who chose to trust and re-trust God every day and, as a result, lived their lives as Aliens and Strangers on Mission for the Master. They recognized you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You can’t get just little dose of God and try to work Him into your life most Sundays and whenever else is convenient or needful. You either are or aren’t on Mission with Him. You can’t be a little bit missional. It’s like being pregnant, you either are or you aren’t.
William Booth said, “Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters (and sons and daughters) not to come there. Then look Christ in the face -- whose mercy you have professed to obey -- and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.”
Aliens and Strangers!
Maybe you’re here today and you’re tired of trying to keep all the plates spinning, tired of trying to fix relationships that just keep getting broken again, tired of trying to have enough, make enough, be enough or do enough.
Maybe it’s time to say to the world, “I quit; I’m stepping out to go with God”. This world may be where I live but it’s not my home. I’m getting kind of homesick for a place I’ve never been and until I get there I will live my life here as an Alien and Stranger on Mission for the Master!”
Jesus lived that way when He was on earth. Now He asks today, “who will go with me?”
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Missional
Many years ago a young couple married and had a son. They named him “Odd”. Odd hated his name and as he grew old and approached death, he gave instructions that his name not be placed on his tombstone, only his birth and death days. To this day, people visit the cemetery where he’s buried, see his tombstone and say, “that’s odd”.
He couldn’t get away from who he was. You and I can’t get away from who we are either; and we don’t want to because we’re the missionaries that God has chosen to carry His Beautiful Gospel to this part of our world.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt 28:19-20, NIV)
That’s what Serve, Strengthen and Start really means. It is “The Commission” restated for our lives. We Serve the Kingdom through Evangelism, the first step in making a disciple. We Strengthen through making disciples, the very essence of the Commission and we Start through planting because if we’re doing the first two well, we can’t remodel our existing buildings fast enough to hold all the Believers!
It is “The Commission” restated for us as a family of Churches. It is “The Commission” restated for us as a Church. And, it is “The Commission” restated for us as individuals.
It is your and my first, best destiny!
It begins with Serving the Kingdom through evangelism.
I was taught to view evangelism as a presentation, but as I heard recently, in our time, evangelism is now a conversation.
• It is first a conversation we have with our Father when we pray, “Lord fill me with Your passion for souls and help me witness to all who cross my path.”
• It is second a conversation we have often with one another for accountability and encouragement.
• It is third a conversation we have with those we encounter as we unpack the Gospel for them day by day in the context of relationship.
It continues with Strengthening through discipleship.
I was saved at eight years of age but didn’t begin true spiritual discipleship transformation until I was in my late twenties. I spent all those intervening years in Sunday School and truly thank God for those dedicated teachers. Those teachers were doing just what they had been taught to do; they were disseminating information. When I was in my late twenties, our Pastor took myself and two other men and began to personally disciple us. We meet weekly and what happened during those times was not a dissemination of information but a facilitation of transformation. What’s the difference? In Sunday School, we simply learned about God; in personal discipleship, we encountered God.
True discipleship occurs when two or more persons are engaged in regular and earnest Bible Study and prayer (daily) and one is leading the other(s) to submit to the Holy Spirit’s conviction on their lives that they each become progressively and measurably more like Christ. It is parenting Believers into Christian maturity. A discipler must have been or be being discipled. You cannot lead where you have not been, or where you do not know the direction to go.
Here are three non-negotiables regarding discipleship:
1. It is intentional. Jesus taught many but only discipled a few and he did it intentionally.
2. Sunday School can be retooled to become discipleship
3. It is a life-long process.
We Serve through evangelism Strengthen through discipleship and finally, Start through Planting.
There was a time in the past when other Christian Churches existed in this area and yours did not. If there were already other Churches, why was yours started? The answer was to reach more people for Christ. Our most conservative demographics show at least 32,000 lost people in our two counties. Our strategy is to reach them all. We incorporate those new Believers into existing and new Churches. We can only seat about 5000 in all our existing Churches. Even if we all went to two services next Sunday, we’d still have 22,000 who couldn’t get in the door. It has been, is now, and always will be a “both/and” proposition.
Serve through Evangelism, Strengthen through Discipleship, Start through Planting.
The Great Commission restated for us as individuals, Churches and an association.
So, how does it become reality for us?
We know WHAT do to make disciples---serve, strengthen and start.
But do we know HOW to do it?
The seeds of revival for every soul in our world are not in the field of trying harder, working smarter, doing better or being more motivated.
The seeds of revival for EVERY soul in our world are in the field of PRAYER.
PRAYER is the place where Jesus Christ sowed seed every day of his life here on earth!
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. (Matt 14:23 NIV)
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with him… (Mark 14:32-33 NIV)
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: (Luke 6:12 NIV)
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. (Luke 9:28 NIV)
Prayer was the foundation of Christ’s life and ministry and he taught his disciples that it must be the foundation of His work in their lives. That’s why we read in Acts 1:14:
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1:14 NIV). They were praying for revival and God sent it in His time in the form of a great Pentecost!
Scripture and history reveal one inescapable truth: God never sends revival until Churches fully humbler themselves in fervent, corporate prayer. We cannot program, promote or strategize our way into revival.
The seeds of revival for every soul in our world are not in the field of trying harder, working smarter, doing better or being more motivated.
The seeds of revival for EVERY soul in our world are in the field of PRAYER.
If you want to begin to meet as a Church for a different kind of praying,
If you want to begin to embrace corporate repentance and deep personal cleansing,
If you want to begin calling on the God of the Universe to send revival right here, right now,
Then we will begin to hear from heaven, be forgiven of our sin and see the healing in our land.
Then we will begin to see people come to Christ in larger numbers.
Then we will begin to see as urgent the need to make disciples
Then we will begin to see the need for new Churches
Then we will experience the power of God!
And I hope you’ll invite me to join you because there’s NOTHING I love to do better in Church than to pray.
For years, I’ve prayed FOR you, now I’d like to begin to pray WITH you!
If you want to begin to pray:
• Father, fill us with a PASSION to know You and love You with all our hearts.
• Lord, teach us to view prayer as the heart of our relationship.
• God, please enable us to pray from Your perspective and not our own.
• Grant us the desire to be holy because YOU are HOLY.
• Teach us to die to ourselves and trust Christ to live through us.
• Baptize us in Your mighty power and fill us with your passion for souls.
• Lead us to embrace personal and corporate repentance and deep cleansing by the Holy Spirit.
• Lord, teach us to pray with clean hands, pure hearts, right minds and obedient spirits.
• Lord send revival in our world!
Then call each other and then call me and we’ll pray together, serve together, strengthen together and start together; for the Glory of God until Jesus comes!
He couldn’t get away from who he was. You and I can’t get away from who we are either; and we don’t want to because we’re the missionaries that God has chosen to carry His Beautiful Gospel to this part of our world.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt 28:19-20, NIV)
That’s what Serve, Strengthen and Start really means. It is “The Commission” restated for our lives. We Serve the Kingdom through Evangelism, the first step in making a disciple. We Strengthen through making disciples, the very essence of the Commission and we Start through planting because if we’re doing the first two well, we can’t remodel our existing buildings fast enough to hold all the Believers!
It is “The Commission” restated for us as a family of Churches. It is “The Commission” restated for us as a Church. And, it is “The Commission” restated for us as individuals.
It is your and my first, best destiny!
It begins with Serving the Kingdom through evangelism.
I was taught to view evangelism as a presentation, but as I heard recently, in our time, evangelism is now a conversation.
• It is first a conversation we have with our Father when we pray, “Lord fill me with Your passion for souls and help me witness to all who cross my path.”
• It is second a conversation we have often with one another for accountability and encouragement.
• It is third a conversation we have with those we encounter as we unpack the Gospel for them day by day in the context of relationship.
It continues with Strengthening through discipleship.
I was saved at eight years of age but didn’t begin true spiritual discipleship transformation until I was in my late twenties. I spent all those intervening years in Sunday School and truly thank God for those dedicated teachers. Those teachers were doing just what they had been taught to do; they were disseminating information. When I was in my late twenties, our Pastor took myself and two other men and began to personally disciple us. We meet weekly and what happened during those times was not a dissemination of information but a facilitation of transformation. What’s the difference? In Sunday School, we simply learned about God; in personal discipleship, we encountered God.
True discipleship occurs when two or more persons are engaged in regular and earnest Bible Study and prayer (daily) and one is leading the other(s) to submit to the Holy Spirit’s conviction on their lives that they each become progressively and measurably more like Christ. It is parenting Believers into Christian maturity. A discipler must have been or be being discipled. You cannot lead where you have not been, or where you do not know the direction to go.
Here are three non-negotiables regarding discipleship:
1. It is intentional. Jesus taught many but only discipled a few and he did it intentionally.
2. Sunday School can be retooled to become discipleship
3. It is a life-long process.
We Serve through evangelism Strengthen through discipleship and finally, Start through Planting.
There was a time in the past when other Christian Churches existed in this area and yours did not. If there were already other Churches, why was yours started? The answer was to reach more people for Christ. Our most conservative demographics show at least 32,000 lost people in our two counties. Our strategy is to reach them all. We incorporate those new Believers into existing and new Churches. We can only seat about 5000 in all our existing Churches. Even if we all went to two services next Sunday, we’d still have 22,000 who couldn’t get in the door. It has been, is now, and always will be a “both/and” proposition.
Serve through Evangelism, Strengthen through Discipleship, Start through Planting.
The Great Commission restated for us as individuals, Churches and an association.
So, how does it become reality for us?
We know WHAT do to make disciples---serve, strengthen and start.
But do we know HOW to do it?
The seeds of revival for every soul in our world are not in the field of trying harder, working smarter, doing better or being more motivated.
The seeds of revival for EVERY soul in our world are in the field of PRAYER.
PRAYER is the place where Jesus Christ sowed seed every day of his life here on earth!
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. (Matt 14:23 NIV)
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with him… (Mark 14:32-33 NIV)
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: (Luke 6:12 NIV)
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. (Luke 9:28 NIV)
Prayer was the foundation of Christ’s life and ministry and he taught his disciples that it must be the foundation of His work in their lives. That’s why we read in Acts 1:14:
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1:14 NIV). They were praying for revival and God sent it in His time in the form of a great Pentecost!
Scripture and history reveal one inescapable truth: God never sends revival until Churches fully humbler themselves in fervent, corporate prayer. We cannot program, promote or strategize our way into revival.
The seeds of revival for every soul in our world are not in the field of trying harder, working smarter, doing better or being more motivated.
The seeds of revival for EVERY soul in our world are in the field of PRAYER.
If you want to begin to meet as a Church for a different kind of praying,
If you want to begin to embrace corporate repentance and deep personal cleansing,
If you want to begin calling on the God of the Universe to send revival right here, right now,
Then we will begin to hear from heaven, be forgiven of our sin and see the healing in our land.
Then we will begin to see people come to Christ in larger numbers.
Then we will begin to see as urgent the need to make disciples
Then we will begin to see the need for new Churches
Then we will experience the power of God!
And I hope you’ll invite me to join you because there’s NOTHING I love to do better in Church than to pray.
For years, I’ve prayed FOR you, now I’d like to begin to pray WITH you!
If you want to begin to pray:
• Father, fill us with a PASSION to know You and love You with all our hearts.
• Lord, teach us to view prayer as the heart of our relationship.
• God, please enable us to pray from Your perspective and not our own.
• Grant us the desire to be holy because YOU are HOLY.
• Teach us to die to ourselves and trust Christ to live through us.
• Baptize us in Your mighty power and fill us with your passion for souls.
• Lead us to embrace personal and corporate repentance and deep cleansing by the Holy Spirit.
• Lord, teach us to pray with clean hands, pure hearts, right minds and obedient spirits.
• Lord send revival in our world!
Then call each other and then call me and we’ll pray together, serve together, strengthen together and start together; for the Glory of God until Jesus comes!
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