4/28/13  DESIGN FOR LIFE - Generosity

A Healthy Church - The Lord Loves A Cheerful Giver

    Questions to get us thinking:  Have you ever thought . . .?
If I just had enough money, my problems would be solved.
If I just had some more, I would be satisfied.
Those with a lot of money have it made.
Boxer Mike Tyson Squandered A Fortune
In August, 2003, boxer Mike Tyson filed for bankruptcy.  In the nine years before that time he earned at least: $300,000,000.
Harper’s Index (January 2004)
    A story is told of a preacher who asked a farmer, “If you had 200 dollars, would you give 100 dollars to the Lord?”
    “Sure would,” said the farmer.
    “If you had two cows, would you give one cow to the Lord?”
    “Yeah, I would.”
    “If you had two pigs, would you give one of them to the Lord?”
The farmer replied, “That’s not fair. You know I have two pigs.”
    Generosity, faithfulness to God in giving and using all our resources is not just a theoretical concept. It deals with reality and what we have, not with what we would do if we were rich.
    A very important question for us to ask in these financially uncertain days: how am I going to make it?  I probably should circle the wagons and gather as much as I can, keep and collect all I can.  No, that is the opposite of what God wants us to grasp.  We will make it as we seek to learn and follow God’s way, which are never inward and selfish.
    Just this past week, Carol Garlow, wife of Pastor Jim Garlow from California passed away after a long battle with cancer.  In announcing the funeral details, some amazing insights into their lives were revealed.  In the midst of their sorrow and loss, they were thinking about others.
    Carol’s passion was prayer. To honor her, a 36-hour non-stop prayer time was held at their church. This time of prayer focused on the needs of the church family and the community. In addition to people leading in prayer, Carol would want those with prayer needs to come and receive ministry.
    In lieu of flowers, the family requested gifts be given to two different ministries.
    I read this information and thought of how giving they were in their time of sorrow.  Their concern included others, not just themselves.
    Several Words:  Giving - outward - thinking of God’s plan - thinking of others - using our time, talents and resources for more than ourselves -- this is what God wants us to grasp.  He wants to bless us for our obedience.
God calls us to be faithful stewards of what He has invested in us.
    As we look at this theme today, I want to encourage you to THINK:  ETERNAL.
    SOME FOUNDATION FOR OUR STUDY:  God’s ways are higher, and they are always better.
Isaiah 55:8-11 NIV  8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”  declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
1.  God’s ways higher, better, more beneficial.  Life is better when done God’s way.
2.  God’s purpose will be accomplished.  A crop will come, results will come when we obey the Word of God.  God has a reason for all He does.
    So, let’s look at, and then follow God’s ways.     One of the great challenges of the Christian life comes when we see something in the Bible that we should do, and yet we wonder if we really can do it.
□    Will we make it if we obey?
□    Will we survive doing it God’s way?
□    Is God really going to take care of us if we obey?
    A Command:  God told Israel that every seven years they were to give the land a rest.  They were NOT to plant a crop.  This goes against all human logic, and the obvious question is: how are they going to survive?  They didn’t have all the modern sources of supply, long term storage, freezing, etc. that we have today.  Well, God said HE would take care of it.
Leviticus 25:18-22 NKJV
18 ‘So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety. 20 ‘And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” 21 Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. 22 And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.
    God said to Israel: if you obey Me I will take care of you.
    The miracles:  a bumper crop, no spoilage, they had food when they rested the land.
    Vital principal: when God says to do something, He will see that it works, trust HIM to make it work.
    With the foundation of God’s ways being higher and His expectation of obedience, let’s talk about STEWARDSHIP.
    Stewardship is the Christian way of life and managing resources.  This is not optional.
Colossians 3:23 NKJV
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
    Do EVERYTHING for the Lord - the Lord’s way.
    What is a steward?  – a trustee, manager, but not an owner.  Whatever the steward manages, he doesn’t own.  It is always for the benefit of someone else.
    From Biblical times:  A steward was in charge of a household and was accountable to the owner, who made final decisions. The steward was expected to be faithful in working and overseeing the household all that had been entrusted to him.
    A definition of stewardship: “The sum total of all my attitudes toward God”.
***Total:  add up all the parts of your life, your attitudes.
***My Attitudes: Attitude:  A bodily posture showing or meant to show a mental state, emotion, or mood.  A manner of acting, feeling, or thinking that shows one’s disposition, opinion, etc.
***Towards God:  He is the recipient of all these things.  God sees your heart.  Is it open, receptive, tender to Him?  or hard, rebellious?
    Stewardship is the Christian way of life, the law of living.  God has given us so much:  Talents, abilities, intelligence, capabilities, ability to create wealth and there is so much that we all can accomplish.  All the things we claim as assets, are really God’s investments in us.
    Regarding our abilities – People confuse assets and liabilities.  IE, put $100 in a bank saving account, it is a liability to the bank.  We expect a return with interest.  So, God’s investment in us is a liability for us towards God.  We expect a return from the bank, God expects a return from us.  WE must USE what He has given, develop our skills, productivity. -----WHAT GOD EXPECTS!!
I Corinthians 4:1-2 KJV  Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
    We are required to be faithful - And reliable and dependable.  If you are faithful to God, He is pleased.  He will never ask more than you are able to provide, but He will never ask less.  We will not necessarily be successful in man’s eyes, but that doesn’t matter. The steward is to be Faithful. This is vital, because if God can’t count on us, what good are we to Him?  Will we show up?  Be late?  Be prepared?  Are we trustworthy?  Don’t be a quitter.  We can’t all accomplish things that are great in human thinking, but we can  be faithful.  Use what He has given you to benefit His kingdom.
    One of the big investments God makes in us is giving us material resources.  Handle them well.
    Being a Godly steward of material wealth comes from a Godly perspective about money. Money is a servant to utilize, not a god to serve. Your motives in acquiring and using money are key factors.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 NIV
10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. 11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 NIV
18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
    God has amazing blessings and benefits for His children as they obey Him.
*****OWNERSHIP is a selfish game people play.  I own it, and the big issue is that you can’t use it.  The proper Christian attitude is that God owns everything I have.
    ****The selfish idea of property is that it belongs to us.  The name of the game is ownership, posses, control, dominate, exploit.  Not just that I can use it, but that you can’t.
*****The tithe and the Law of First Things.
    The tithe is the acknowledgment that all we have belongs to God.  He is God and He is in control.
    Define the tithe – 2 Identifying Marks:
1.  Always first.
2.  Always 10% (before deductions).
The tithe is a means by which ownership is established. Unrestricted use clouds ownership.
    Back when computers were a new thing, a friend lent me his computer.  It was in my office and I used it often.  I got lots of use out of it. It began to feel like mine.  The feeling ended the day that he called and said that he wanted it back.
Law of the First Things
***God always gets the first. Tithe paid first before other things.
Exodus 23:19 NIV
Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God.
Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
    The city of Jericho was the first conquered by Israel in the promised land, It belonged to God.
Joshua 6:17 NIV
The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.
    They were specifically warned not to take anything from the city, it belonged to God.  They got in trouble when one man disobeyed.
The Storehouse Principle of the Tithe
Malachi 3:8-12 NIV
8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
    This passage includes blessings as well as curses.
    Blessings - Provision in God’s house.  This is God’s divine way to provide for the local church.  The needs will be met and we won’t have to resort to guilt, pressure, gimmicks, manipulation, raffles, candy sales, etc. to provide for the local church.  God will make it enough.  Be assured that it will work because it is God’s way.  God promises blessings as well as rebuking the devourer.
    The storehouse: The local church – where you regularly attend.  Tithe where you are fed, have fellowship and receive ministry. This is where you turn to in times of trouble and blessing.  Tithe to your storehouse – undesignated, it belongs to God.
    Important fact about tithe:  while it is not primarily a money making project, it IS God’s revealed way to support the church.  When all of God’s people tithe, the church is relieved of all the gimmicks used to coax money in to the treasury.  Tithe, not gimmick, is God’s way.
    “Will a man rob God?”  Who of us would think of sticking a gun in God’s face and stealing from Him?  Yet, that’s what God says happens.
    There are many more things we could talk about on this subject, but we will stop here for the time.
SO, WHAT DO WE DO AT THIS POINT IN TIME?
    Question: Considering that the 90% left in your pocket belongs to God, what does that say about how you spend it?
    Question: How do you respond to the person who says, “I can’t afford to tithe”?
    For many of us, you are already living in the blessings of faithfully tithing.  We can REJOICE IN THE BLESSINGS that we are tithing.  We can live expecting God’s continual provision.  We can trust God to continue to provide for us as a church fellowship.
    How about the ones who don’t tithe?  This is not a money-making issue, but obedience to God.  It’s a matter of giving God the opportunity to open up the windows of heaven and pour out His blessings.

4/21/13  DESIGN FOR LIFE

HEALTHY CHURCH - A PLACE OF CHANGE

    Question for all: (I want to challenge your thinking from the beginning).  Name something that needs to be changed -- and why???  Response.
    Change is difficult, and gets more difficult as we get older. I heard a man say he was visiting his 91 year old mother in a nursing home.  They were talking about changes that were happening there. She said, I know they are making changes and I am against every one of them.
Atheist Unable to Meet Christian’s Challenge
    In the 19th century atheist Charles Bradlaugh challenged a Christian to debate the validity of the claims of Christianity. The Christian was Hugh Price Hughes, an active soul-winner who worked among the poor in the slums of London. Hughes told Bradlaugh he would agree to the debate on one condition.
    Hughes said, “I propose to you that we each bring some concrete evidences of the validity of our beliefs in the form of men and women who have been redeemed from the lives of sin and shame by the influence of our teaching. I will bring 100 such men and women, and I challenge you to do the same.”
    Hughes said that if he couldn’t bring 100, then he could bring 20. He finally got the number down to 1. All Bradlaugh had to do was to find one person whose life was improved by atheism, and Hughes—who would bring 100 people improved by Christ—would agree to debate him. Bradlaugh withdrew!
D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (Thomas Nelson, 1997), p. 189
    What is the evidence of the reality of Jesus and what He will do in a person’s life?  Possibly the most powerful evidence is the change that comes in a person’s life when they truly get saved.  The church, the called-out ones, called out for a purpose, - the church is here to facilitate changed lives through the power of the blood of Jesus.
One of the challenges is that many people don’t want to change.
“Most people prefer the certainty of misery to the misery of uncertainty.”
Virginia Satir, therapist
    When a man named Zacchaeus met Jesus, he was totally changed.  Jesus invited Himself to his house.  When they were through he was a totally different man.  Change happens when a person really hears Jesus.  The hearing and response result in application, and that results in change.
II Corinthians 5:14-21 NKJV
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
    16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
    Before we look at these verses and how we can apply them, let me share a story of change.
Man Transformed After Dealing with His Anger
    In his book It Came from Within, Andy Stanley tells of a man whose faith sprang back to life once he dealt with his anger.
    I met Joe at Starbucks. He was sitting in one of those overstuffed chairs with headphones on and a scowl that said, “Don’t anybody come near me.” Everything about his countenance and posture communicated anger. So when I saw him, I avoided eye contact and went on about my business.
    As I was waiting for my soy latte, Joe approached me and said, “Aren’t you Andy?” At that particular moment, I wasn’t sure if I should be Andy or not…. “Somebody gave me one of your CDs.  I’ve been listening to it. But I’ve got to tell you, I have a real problem with God, and the church, too, for that matter.”
    Joe had been through two difficult divorces. His wife was sexually abused as a child and was never able to face the issues involved. After 30 years of marriage, the memories of abuse surfaced and eroded their marriage, which ended in divorce. His ex-wife passed away suddenly two years later. Joe then remarried, but after three years, this too ended in a heartbreaking divorce. Joe was lonely, a recovering alcoholic. There was no evidence of the existence of God as far as he could see….
    I got Joe’s phone number and connected him with Pastor John Woodall. John called Joe, met him for coffee, and struck up a friendship. That was the last I saw of Joe, for a while.
    A while later, I was sitting in that same Starbucks, talking to a student pastor from another church, when in walked Joe. When he saw me, he headed straight for my table. The first thing I noticed was that he was smiling. The second thing I noticed was that he was carrying a Bible, a notebook, and a book on marriage.
    “I’m getting remarried next week!” he announced. I wasn’t sure what to think. “To who?” I asked. “To Susan!” he exclaimed. Susan was his ex-wife. “Susan and I are getting remarried. John is doing the wedding.”
    I could see in Joe’s eyes that something remarkable had happened. And it had. Over the course of several meetings with John, Joe found the courage to quit blaming and, instead, take a look at what was rattling around in his heart. He had been an angry man, with reason to be angry. But like so many people, Joe had no idea what to do about his anger. And his unresolved anger had eroded his faith to the point where it was almost nonexistent.
    John had helped…Joe’s faith come to life. With his renewed faith came the motivation he needed to address other issues in his life. The transformation was so remarkable that Susan noticed and began asking questions. Soon after, she put her faith in Christ. The week before Susan and Joe were remarried, John baptized her in one of our morning services.
Andy Stanley, It Came from Within (Multnomah, 2006), p. 58-60
    Let’s look at the thoughts from these verses we read.
The Ministry Of Reconciliation
    Christ’s love compels us, it motivates us to help people know what He will do for them.  He died for all that we would no longer live for ourselves.  He died that we would live for HIM.  We are talking about change, for the majority of people want to live for themselves.  They focus on the three most important people in the world: me, myself and I.
    Because of the sinful nature in people they generally insist on being in control of their lives.
“It is all mine.”
“Everything is mine and I own and control it.”
“Therefore, I will do whatever I want whenever I want and I expect your approval.”
    I have also known people who don’t want to change who say: “Well, that’s just the way I am”.  I want to respond to them, “Well, Jesus came to change the way you am”.
    We must no longer look at things, at life, from a worldly point of view.  From verse 16 -
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. NLT
Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a [purely] human point of view [in terms of natural standards of value]. Amp
    We look at life from a totally different perspective.  We recognize that God made everything, He made us, He bought us through His death on the cross and He owns us and all we possess.  We are here to manage everything for the Lord.  Our perspective becomes heavenly, eternal.
    In Christ we are a new creation.  Those who accept forgiveness and yield their lives to Jesus are born again and made completely new from the inside out. Through their personal relationship with Jesus, believers become new.  This is what a Christian is.  They are transformed in their thinking and actions.  They long to live a holy life that pleases God.  This is why God made people in the first place.
Reconciliation - A change from hostility to friendship. It is a mutual change, both parties agree.  A bringing together of two parties that are estranged or in dispute.  There is a change of relationship, replacing antagonism with goodwill.  Attitudes are transformed and hostility ends.
    For the saved:  God has reconciled us to himself.  We are in a right relationship with Him.  We then are no longer rebellious against God.
    We then become Christ’s ambassadors.  We represent Jesus to the world.  Paul was serving as an ambassador of Jesus and was speaking with His authority in his work to restore people to a right relationship with God. In the same way, we all are to be His ambassadors telling His story, and representing Jesus to those who don’t know Him yet.
    People need to know that Jesus took on our sin so we can take on His righteousness.  We are then in a right relationship with God and, with His help, we live according to God’s standard.
    The application of this theme is critical.
LIFE APPLICATION: The Next Step
DESIGN FOR LIFE
The need for change or keeping the status quo is based, at least in part, on the standards we use.  What is the standard you use?
What are the key points of change the world doesn’t understand?
What are the key points of change the church doesn’t understand?
How can we apply this message?

4/14/13  DESIGN FOR LIFE - A Healthy Church

WE MUST PLEASE & LOVE THE LORD

Song Titles Try to Define Love
    What is love? How do you define it? For generations, musicians have endeavored to give an answer. There are over 10,000 songs on file at the U.S. Copyright Office that begin with the words “Love Is …” Some are:
“Love Is Like a Dizziness” (1905)
“Love Is Like a Shoogy Shoo” (1912)
“Love Is a Sickness Full of Woes” (1912)
“Love Is a Babe” (1919)
“Love Is an I.O.U.” (1925)
“Love Is Like the Influenza” (1927)
“Love Is Good for Anything That Ails You” (1936)
“Love Is a Dimpling Doodle Bug” (1943)
“Love Is Doggone Mean” (1947)
“Love Is Your Prescription” (1947)
“Love Is Atomic” (1950)
“Love Is a Glass of Champagne” (1952)
“Love Is a Bore” (1964)
“Love Is Psychedelic” (1968)
“Love Is Groovy” (1969)
“Love Is a Funky Thing” (1976)
“Love Is Suicide” (1979)
“Love Is a Loaded Gun” (1988)
“Love Is for Suckers” (1988)
“Love Is Blindness” (1991)
Love Is, Harper’s Magazine (February 2003)
Some really weird titles, others were really crazy.  The world wants to know what love is, & generally misses it by a long shot.
    Last week we started talking about health as a church.  We want to be healthy and strong.  Anything that is living desires to be healthy.  None of us enjoy being sick.
    How does the church stay healthy and grow?  We need to be concerned about this thought.
    Remember the missionaries from northwest China and Tibet I mentioned last week?  Pastor Mung?
    He had not preached in 28 years.  He reopened the church at age 75.  On the first Sunday they had thirty old people.
    He had spent 9 years in prison.  He could not teach or baptize anyone under the age of 18 since it was illegal to indoctrinate the young.  The government forced him to give the names of anyone he baptized to the religious affairs bureau.
    So, how big did the church grow in five years?  “How many believers?” He said, “1,500 baptized believers.”
    In amazement visitors asked, “How did this happen?”  He smiled and answered. “Oh,” he said, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we pray a lot!” Then he went on to describe what the Lord had done. Pastor Mung died at the age of 96. By that time they had over 15,000 baptized believers.
    This week I was visiting with a pastor planting a church in Madison.  That is a desperate spiritual wasteland.  He said they needed more opportunity to pray and fast.  Then he said, “After all, that’s what Jesus did”.  When he said that, the statement from pastor Mung jumped in my mind.  Yes, they are both on the same wavelength.  Jesus is the same and prayer makes the difference.
    Remember:  The church is living.
    Jesus, speaking in Matthew 16 said, “I will build my church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
    One of the key ingredients - the church is the Lord’s, and not ours.  “I will build my church . . .”  All the powers of hell work against the church but will not conquer it.  They will attack.  They will cause problems & difficulties.  The will NOT conquer.
    Since the church belongs to the Lord, a healthy church does all it can to please God.
Galatians 1:8-10 NKJV
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
    We seek to please God by preaching the Gospel HE inspired and gave us in the scriptures.
    We will not preach a different gospel.  False teachers were trying to persuade the believers to accept a different gospel than Paul preached.  They were adding things God never intended.
    Any beliefs or teachings not coming from the Bible but coming from people, churches or tradition are not part of God’s message and are not to be taught as gospel of Jesus.  Those who  mix man-made teachings with the Bible are perverting God’s Word and teaching.
    A critical question for a healthy church.  We find it in verse 10 - Am I trying to please men?
Is the church trying to please people?
Is the church (whether a local body or large fellowship of churches) trying to make people happy by appeasing them and changing the message God inspired?
    The church can’t effectively scatter the Gospel or influence others to receive him if they are more concerned with what people think than what God wants.  These kind of folks are ashamed of Jesus and will compromise His truth.
    Are you a genuine believer in Jesus?  Make it your goal, your plan, to please God.  Seek His plan for your life.  Study the Bible and apply it.  If others don’t like it, let them deal with God about it.
    Peter and John were challenged with:
Acts 5:28-29 NKJV
28 saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” 29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
    They were obeying Christ’s commands by filling Jerusalem with their teachings.  Obeying God was the most important thing they could do.  Serving the Lord is not a matter of what is safe or expedient, but what is right before God.
    Another key point:
A healthy church is a place of real love.
    We help and build up and we don’t shoot our wounded.
John 13:34-35 NKJV
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
Commandment
    We are commanded to love one another.  The love of Jesus flowing though us to one another is not optional.  We don’t just put up with one another but we really care about what happens to them.
Sign of authenticity
    The real thing, a real Christian let’s God’s love impact and influence their daily life and interactions between each other.
    Proper application of love.  Love is God’s nature.
    The world talks a lot about love but doesn’t get it.
Love means:
Caring about the other person and not just yourself
Seeking good for another
Putting in some effort and sacrifice as needed
Impacting others in a positive way
And . . . so many more things
Love does not mean:
You allow someone to do whatever they want simply because you love them
Enabling someone to do wrong or destructive behaviors
Refusing to guide or restrict
Compromising truth or accommodating false teachings
    A genuine loving Christian will obey Jesus and be loyal to Him.  A loving believer will stand against sin, even when the sin is popular.
1 John 3:23 NKJV
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
    Another reminder of a commandment, one that should not be a burden to follow.
1 John 4:7-10 NKJV
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:10 NLT
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
NIV
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
What is propitiation?
The basic idea of appeasement, satisfaction especially towards God. A two-part act that involves appeasing the wrath of an offended and being reconciled to him.
    Remember, that as Christians we are called out.  We are the called out ones, called out of the world and the world system to serve the Lord.  While we live in the world, we are not to participate in the system, the sinful activities of the world.
Remember:  WE MUST PLEASE & LOVE THE LORD
    We spend a lot of time talking about application of these messages.  A verse I have appreciated for a long time is
Colossians 3:17 NKJV
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
NLT
17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Restaurant Treats Every Customer Like Royalty
    A story has been told about a man was having dinner with his parents at a stylish London restaurant. The food was superb, and the setting complete with chandeliers, crystal and silver was unbelievably elegant. Nonetheless, when his mother’s main course arrived, she felt the need for a little salt. Trying the three silver shakers that were on the table, she discovered each contained pepper. She called the waiter over only to be told that she must be mistaken. Each table always contained two dispensers of pepper and one of salt.
    A second attempt, however, showed that their table did, indeed, have three pepper shakers. Horrified, the waiter immediately brought her a saltshaker. When it was time for dessert, the maitre d’ appeared, insisting that because of the oversight they choose something “on the house”.
    The woman protested, “It’s not that important.”
    “But, Madame,” he replied in all seriousness, “what if you had been the Queen?”
Source: Sermonnotes.com. The story cannot be verified.
    Do everything as unto the Lord.
A West African Proverb on Double-mindedness
“The man who tries to walk two roads will split his pants.”
    Please God, not people.
LIFE APPLICATION: The Next Step
DESIGN FOR LIFE
What do we have to do to be healthy - a healthy church?
Do we actually have to DO these things?

4/7/13  DESIGN FOR LIFE - A Healthy Church

    Have you ever gotten up in the morning feeling sick and said, “I’m really glad I’m sick and I hope I feel worse and worse as the day goes on”?  I doubt it.  We want to be healthy and strong.  Anything that is living desires to be healthy.  None of us enjoy being sick.  We don’t enjoy dealing with doctors, medicine, needles, tests, treatments or surgeries.  We prefer health.  The church is not a religious organization.  It is not a building.  It is a living and breathing organism that must stay healthy, or it will die.
    How does the church stay healthy and grow?  What if the world, the culture, the government says that the church must shut down, or maybe shut up and be quiet?  What if all the signs and forces are against the church?  Does it just then have to give up and quit?  No, for it is alive.
    Let me read a true story.
    A family named Wood were pioneer missionaries in northwest China and Tibet. When they were forced to leave in 1949, there was a church of 200 people. Pastor Mung, then 41 years old preached on that last Sunday. He became the pastor of the church.
    Thirty five years later both the parents had passed away. They both died without knowing what happened to their labors. In 1988 their son and his cousin returned. They met Pastor Mung.  He was 80 years old and had reopened the church five years earlier.  On the first Sunday they had thirty people.  They were mostly old people.  Many were from the church when the missionaries were there.
    This 80-year-old pastor hadn’t preached in 28 years.  He spent 9 years in prison.  He could not teach or baptize anyone under the age of 18 since it was illegal to indoctrinate the young.  The government forced him to give the names of anyone he baptized to the religious affairs bureau.  They would then became subject to discrimination.  It seemed as if there was no hope for the church.
    So, how many people did they have in the church?  The pastor showed the visitors the baptism roster.  They started looking at page after page - five columns: name, age, gender, address, occupation.  Finally they asked Pastor Mung, “How many believers do you have now?” He said, “One thousand five hundred baptized believers.”
    In amazement they asked, “How did this happen?”  He smiled and answered. “Oh,” he said, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we pray a lot!” Then he went on to describe what the Lord had done. Pastor Mung died at the age of 96. By that time they had over 15,000 baptized believers.
    How did that happen?  They relied on the Holy Spirit to empower them. And He did!  Holy Spirit Empowerment.  Prayer.  Trusting God.  Seeking God.
    When we desperately seek the power of the Holy Spirit, we can reach the lost and fulfill the commission we’ve been given.
    This amazing and true story is an illustration of a healthy church.  We want to look at God’s design for His church and how we can be healthy.
The church is living.
Organism - definition, condensed & taken from a variety of sources.
A form of life composed of mutually interdependent parts that maintain various vital processes.
A form of life considered as an entity; an animal, plant,
Anything resembling a living creature in structure, behavior, etc
An individual form of life that is capable of growing, metabolizing nutrients, and usually reproducing.
    The church is living, alive.  It is not simply an organization created to do something.
    Jesus, speaking in Matthew 16 said, “I will build my church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”  In this dialogue Peter had confessed of Jesus:  “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The Church
    The church universal - all true believers in Jesus.
    The church local - a local group of believers who gather, work together to build up God’s work.
    One of the first thoughts - the church is the Lord’s, and not ours.  “I will build my church . . .”  All the powers of hell work against the church.  They will not conquer it.  They will attack.  They will cause problems and difficulties.  The will NOT conquer it.
    Another key thought - Jesus is the Rock, the solid and sure foundation of the church.
1 Corinthians 3:11 NKJV
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
    A good foundation keeps the structure strong.  When local churches keep the focus on Jesus and build on HIM, HIS word, they will be strong.
    The church was founded on a bold confession of Jesus’ authority - I will build my church.  It will continue to grow and progress through the strong proclamation of Jesus’ message and the display of his power.  We are not to compromise or soften the message.  We are to lift up Jesus and see Him do His awesome work.
    The powers of death, the powers of evil, all the forces opposed to Jesus and His church will not win the ultimate battle.  The church is to be on the offensive going against the strong spiritual walls of the evil kingdom.  The church is to reclaim the territory stolen by the evil forces.  We are to rescue people from the forces of death.  Jesus will accomplish His purpose and build His church.
    Jesus is life.  Satan is death.  When you see an emphasis on death, almost a love of death, you know it doesn’t come from God.  Jesus is life and the church He is building will not be destroyed.
The Greek word ekklësia (church) refers to a meeting or gathering of a people who are called out and brought together for a purpose. In the NT, this group is a congregation or community of God’s people—those who accept Christ’s message, entrust their lives to him and come together as citizens of God’s kingdom for the purpose of worshiping and honoring God. The word “church” can refer to a local congregation of Christ’s followers or the universal church—the worldwide community of Christ’s true followers.
Taken from the article on The Church, Fire Bible
    Called out.  We are called out of the world and the world system to serve the Lord.  While we live in the world, we are not to participate in the system, the sinful activities of the world.
    The called-out-ones will be healthy as they get as close to Jesus as they can and get as far from evil as they can.
As Jesus prayed
John 17:14-16 NKJV
14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 15:18-19 NKJV
18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
James 1:27 NKJV
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
    Care about those in need
    Christians must keep ourselves holy before God and reflect moral and spiritual purity.  We remain where we are not polluted by the world. Our love for others goes along with a love for God expressed in holiness.  For example:
moral purity
spiritual integrity
no compromise of the Bible
separation from evil
wholeness
dedication to God
    Again, remember, we are talking about being healthy.
1 John 2:15-17 NKJV
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Lust of the flesh - impure desires, sinful pleasures
Lust of the eyes - coveting, desiring things attractive to the eye but forbidden by God
Pride of life - arrogance, pride, self-sufficient independence
James 4:4 NKJV
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
    God’s plan, His desire is for a healthy church body working hard for Him.  He wants us growing in our relationship with Him.  We must be desiring more and more of HIM.
    Here is an amazing story:  Fijian Government Silences Singing at Conference
    In Fiji, singing hymns can get you in trouble. About one million Methodists live in the south Pacific island country, and each summer 20,000 to 50,000 of them gather for a conference. Before the conference begins, they have a massive choral contest. About 10,000 people participate. They sing hymns. That’s it. Hymns. But in July 2009, the government shut them down. “No choral contest this year,” the government said. There is a lot of turmoil in Fiji, and the government feared that the big crowd might get out of hand. According to news reports, “Church officials said the government fears the conference and singing contest will lead to further political instability.” Nothing like singing Methodists to make a government nervous!
    They are on to something there, though. Christians worshiping the Lord really are dangerous—although perhaps not as those officials feared. Worshiping God in Christ upsets world systems. It is revolutionary, subversive. It brings another kingdom into view.
Kim Cain, “Fiji Bans Massive Methodist Hymn-Sing,” Religion News Service (7-31-09)
    A strong and healthy church is a real benefit to the people around it.  It is also a threat to the world system.  This is why the message of the church is under attack today.
    When people live for Jesus there are fewer problems.  A praying and vibrant church overcomes the forces of evil.

LIFE APPLICATION: The Next Step
DESIGN FOR LIFE
What do we have to do to be healthy - a healthy church?

Do we actually have to DO these things?

3/31/13    DESIGN FOR LIFE

The Resurrection - DID IT REALLY HAPPEN?

    For another time, another year, we have talked about the whole story - from Christmas and the birth of Jesus - to His life and teachings - to His death, burial and resurrection.  While all of the details are important, I think it could be said that the resurrection is the most important, for, without that, the rest of the story loses its meaning.  Without the resurrection, all of the teachings and good that Jesus did are lost in the narrative.
    There is no doubt that the resurrection was a miracle.  Listen to the explanation of one doctor -- Doctor Explores the Medical Miracle of the Resurrection
    Thomas A. Miller, a surgeon and researcher, explores the miracle of Christ’s resurrection from a medical angle. Dr. Miller notes that the body contains trillions and maybe even 100 trillion cells. Each one of these cells carries out thousands of different chemical reactions. Thus a bodily resurrection would require “some phenomenal power to energize life into all these individual cells, but it would have to do so in such a way that specialized nerve cells could resume their unique function, heart cells perform theirs, blood cells and bone cells do theirs, and so on.”
Dr. Miller continues:
    Consider the heart as just one example. It beats on average 70 times a minute, 4,200 times an hour, 100,800 times a day … and 36,288,000 times a year …. And for that to happen, thousands of processes within each cell must act in a coordinated way to ensure that the blood entering the right side of the heart is effectively propelled into the lungs, where the red blood cells contained in it discharge carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen, following which it returns to the left side of the heart where it is propelled to the tissues of the rest of the body, so that they might receive precious oxygen they need to sustain their many functions. This all happens at least every second in such a smooth fashion that we are not even aware of it. And at the moment we die, all these processes came to a screeching halt.
    A bodily resurrection implies that thousands of processes in trillions of cells must be restarted with the unique intricacy and inter-coordination that existed before death. Dr. Miller notes that this would require not just incredible power but also unimaginable knowledge. He writes:
    Even the latest science has not unraveled the complete mystery of each of the cells of our bodies, and how they interact and “talk” with one another …. But for the resurrection of Jesus to occur, all of that information had to be known in its completeness and totality, and known some two thousand years ago.
Thomas A. Miller, MD, Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? (Crossway, 2013), pp. 133-136
    Yes, we are talking about a miracle.  Some great questions:
□    Is there any evidence that this miracle happened?
□    Do we simply have to take it by blind faith because some religious premise tells us to?
□    Are we forbidden to ask questions?
□    Is it like trying to jump across the Grand Canyon?
    I want to read a lengthy passage of scripture.  Note the strong defense of the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:1-19 NLT
1 Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. 2 It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.  (V. 2 NIV By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.)
    3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.
6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.
    9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. 10 But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. 11 So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.
    12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? 13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
    If Christ has not been raised.  Back then, as today, people were denying Christ’s literal, physical resurrection.  Paul’s reaction was to declare that if Jesus had not raised from the dead, then there is no deliverance and freedom from sin.  There is no chance for a transformed life.  It is obvious that all who deny the resurrection are denying the foundation of the faith.  They are denying what Christianity is all about and are false witnesses who speak against God and his Word. Their faith is worthless.
To Be Pitied, V. 19
The Greek word means “miserable, pitiable”.  If those who say that our resurrection is a false hope are right, then our whole Christian life is based on a fraud, and even if we felt happy, that would be a miserable sort of happiness. The same word is used in Revelation 3:17 of the church of Laodicea.  They let pride and satisfaction in material things rob them of spiritual hunger and a true, intimate knowledge of God.  They did not feel miserable, but they were to be pitied.
Fire Bible note
    The evidence of the witness of the disciples and their willingness to die for the testimony of the resurrection.
Acts 4, Peter’s testimony before the religious leaders.
Acts 4:7-11 NKJV
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?"
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.
    No one is willing to die for what they know is a lie.  Their boldness came, in part, because of the full assurance they had that Jesus had resurrected from the dead.
    Let’s look at the situation of those who were following Jesus when He died.  Generally, they were depressed and discouraged.  They ran and hid.  Anything that was being accomplished by Jesus and His followers was stopped in its tracks.
    Soon, they were completely different.  They came together again and committed themselves to spreading the word of the resurrection.  They were very clear about spreading the message of the resurrection.  They declared that Jesus had died, was buried and then rose from the grave, back to life.
    This became a lifetime commitment to these early followers of Jesus.  They didn’t get rich and famous because of it.  It was a hard life, often lacking in resources and risking life and limb.  Many went to prison or were killed for their faith.
    The early believers knew the resurrection was a fact.  They had personally seen Him, touched, talked with and ate lunch with Him.  Nobody dies for what they know is a lie.
    Trusting Jesus is not some blind faith in some ancient ritual.  It is built on a solid foundation.  The Bible has an amazing track record, validated by thousands of years of evidence.  The thousands of ancient manuscripts prove the message has not changed.  Millions of changed lives witness to the fact that Jesus is real and does what He says He will do.
    Receive Him.  He can handle the tough questions.  He made you and can help you see the awesomeness of God.  Note:
Romans 11:33 NIV
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
God’s Invitation.
Romans 10:9-10, 13 NIV
9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”