Sermons

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Turning A New LEAF

How often do you wish that things were different?  Guess what, so does God!  The difference often is that we want this or that circumstance to be different, or this or that person to be different — but God wants me (and you) to be different!

God has called us to himself and tells us, “What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?  What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?   What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?  For we are the temple of the living God.  As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.  Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.  I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.'” (2 Corinthians 6:15-18)

If different isn’t a label you would like to wear, some passages say that God has called us from among the nations to be a “peculiar” people! 🙂  God always expected that his chosen people, his royal priesthood, would stand out and be noticed for their qualities that reflect his nature.  If I am no different from the world — from those outside of a relationship with Christ — in the way I talk, live, work, interact with friends and enemies, and play then what do I really have that they are in need of and how will they know I have something they need?

Paul writes to the Ephesians in chapter 4 about the body of Christ and the unity it ought to have.  He describes that unity coming from the body completely functioning under the Head, that is, Christ!  This occurs when the body is equipped by those gifted for the equipping of the members so that each part does the work it was designed to do.  A huge stumbling block to this happening is our refusal to be different — to leave the ways of the world that we are comfortable with.  Paul puts it this way, “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.”  The first readers would have heard that sentence as a command to no longer live as pagans, as those outside of relationship with God!

So, if we’re to be different — a peculiar people — it is likely that most of us will be need to be “Turning a New LEAF” in some areas of our life.  As it turns out, I just preached a sermon this morning with that very title! 🙂

When we choose to be different from the world we need a new Language!  The language we use in our communication methods says a lot about what is inside of us.  Jesus says that it is out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks.  The same can be said of our written and other communication forms.  I have a good number of friends on Facebook and see a lot of posts in a week’s time.  It is rather alarming to see the language that many people use in this social media venue.  A good number of them, I am confident, would never dream of using the words or suggestive nature of their posts in face-to-face communication but they seem to have bought in to the idea that everyone “talks” that way on-line so it is okay.  As we consider the new language God desires for us to have, he says we should “not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is  helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  I think the same instruction applies to our other forms of communication as well.

We also need to have a new Eye as we seek to live differently from those outside of relationship with Christ.  Jesus says the eye is the light to our body — some translations would say it is the window to our soul.  Either way, the application is the same — if the eye is filled with evil, the whole body becomes filled with darkness.  While it may be nearly impossible to keep our eyes from seeing inappropriate things and images, we should have control over how long we gaze at such things.  If we watch the same shows, go to the same movies, view the same websites as the world and simply pass it off as “that’s just the way entertainment is now days”, what does that say about our desire to be holy as Christ is holy?  Not only do our “new eyes” need to not gaze on that which is inappropriate, they also need to cause us to look at people in a different way.  Paul writes to the Corinthians to remind them that since Christ died for all we should “regard no one from a worldly point of view.”  As we turn a new leaf, our eyes begin to see every person as Christ sees them — a valuable creation that he loves enough to die for!

Often times, one of the greatest hindrances to living with a new language and a new eye is our need for a new Attitude!  Paul writes to the Philippians and reminds them of all the encouragement, comfort, fellowship, tenderness, and compassion they have as a result of being united with Christ.  He goes on to tell them that because of all this they ought to have the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus!  This new attitude calls for us to look at all we would consider great — even equality with God in the case of Jesus — and consider it not worth holding on to if letting go would benefit others!  Our new attitude must consider the eternal good of others above our own wants and desires.  We change our language — not out of a legalistic requirement but out of love for people and a desire to reflect Christ more accurately.  We change both what we view and  how we view — not because we have to in order to meet God’s approval but because we want people to have a glimpse of the holiness of God lived out in our life.  This new attitude is a big-time game changer when we decide to humble ourself and consider the needs of others above our own.

If this all sounds easy to you, I can think of only a couple of options.  One, you need to teach the rest of us in this area of turning a new leaf and living a life worthy of the calling we have in Christ Jesus.  Or two, and more likely :), you need to join the rest of us in pursuing this final aspect of turning a new leaf — living a new Faith!  James makes it clear that having a vibrant, living faith is where the rubber meets the road.  One easy test to decide if this new faith is needed is to ask yourself a simple question, “What activity is my faith accomplishing?”.  James says that a faith that is not doing anything is dead and therefore not really a faith at all!  If your belief in God does not compel you to do the things he calls you do then I’m not too sure you really believe in the Almighty God of the Bible.  If you fail to act because you don’t belief it’s possible or that your sharing of Jesus will make any difference, then I suspect that you need a new faith — the faith that believes that God really can work together all things for good to those who love him and are called according to his purposes.  This living faith ties all three of the other “new leaf” components together as it determines if we really do anything about our language, our eyes, or our attitude!  The faith that God calls us to says that I will be different because I know that God can accomplish great things through my weaknesses.

So, do you really wish things were different?  Enough that you are willing to be different?  I pray that you and I would daily remind ourself that “God wants ME to be different!”  I pray that as we decide to turn a new LEAF that we would live with a new Language, a new Eye, a new Attitude, and a new Faith!

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Pure In Relationship

This is part of a series of writings I am working on to expand the post I published earlier, Pure In HEART.  This series will be taking a more detailed look at each point of that post.  Today I look at part four, Pure in Relationship.

Again, the seeds for this series came from God through a song that took up residence in my mind for the better part of a week.  🙂   I think the song may be titled, “Highway To Heaven”, but the line that stuck with me is, “it’s a highway to heaven . . . none can go up there . . . but the pure in heart . . . well, it’s a highway to heaven . . . walking on the King’s highway!”

The phrase that continually jumped out at me was the idea of “pure in heart“.  I believe God has given me another acrostic to provide the framework for a sermon He has been giving me — and thus a series of writings.  What does it mean to be pure in heart?  I want to look at five areas that should help lead us toward being pure in heart.  We’ve already looked at living Pure in Humor, Pure in Eyes, and Pure in Attitude and now we come to Pure in Relationship.

” Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”  1 Timothy 5:1-2 (NIV)

Somewhere along the line it seems that respect in relationship has slid out of practice in a society that values the individual rights above all else and lives by an “everything is about me” attitude.  Living pure in relationship will require a foundation of purity in attitude.  As our attitude grows into being more Christ-like, we more consistently consider the needs of others above those of our own.

Paul writes to the young evangelist, Timothy, with some great instructions on what a pure relationship would look like in a variety of age and gender contexts.  We treat older men as if they were our father — even, and especially, when the situation appears to call for correction.  We treat younger men as brothers — siblings who may not always agree but always are looking out for and protect against attacks from outside the family.  We treat older women as we would a loving and sacrificial mother — with great love, tenderness and compassion.  We treat younger women as a sister — with absolute purity and no allowance for thoughts by us, or by anyone else, that would place them in a compromising position.  Unfortunately, much of the meaning gets lost when we fail to understand how Timothy would have heard and taken the comparisons that Paul makes.

The ultimate purity in relationship ought to be found in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ!  This is a relationship that we simply must get right.  As the song that planted the seeds for this series says, “none can go up there, but the pure in heart”.  In our relationship with God, do we tend to “cheat” on Him with other lovers?  Do we talk back and show complete contempt for who He is?  Do we ignore His will and commands with a disrespect that leads us down a very dark path?  Do we have no regard for His name and the reputation we give it to those who are watching us?  In our relationship with Him, and with others, God calls us to be holy as He is holy.  While that is impossible to do on our own, we can experience a cleansing of our attitude and an empowering of His Spirit to enable us to live a life that is holy and acceptable unto God.

So, how are your relationships?  Are you allowing your relationships to grow in depth and purity as you center them around the core of a vibrant relationship with God?  Do you live submissively in relationship with people in a way that shows you value them and their needs above yourself and your desires?  I pray that you and I would pursue God faithfully and be found “pure in HEART” because we have paid attention to purity in our Humor, Eyes, Attitude, Relationships, and Teaching!

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Giving THANKS — Give SELF!

This is the sixth and final part of  the “Giving THANKS” sermon series that I am preaching on Sunday evenings at the Deer Run Church of Christ. So far we have looked at messages of “Give TIME”,  “Give HONOR”, “Give ACTS”, “Give NOW!”, and “Give What You KNOW”.  The final sermon of the series was, “Give SELF!”.

God gave me the framework for this sermon series on the drive to work a few weeks ago and now He is giving me the opportunity to preach it!  Paul writes in second Thessalonians 4:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  We are never told to be thankful for all circumstances, but we are told to be thankful in all circumstances.  As we approach a season of Thanksgiving followed by the Christmas holiday, many people turn to thoughts of thankfulness and giving.  This series will give you some great tips on being thankful and some great gift ideas as you give thanks not only to God, but also to the people in your life!

As we wrap up this series on giving thanks, we finish with the very core of our ability to give true thanks, giving self!  When we give Time, Honor, Acts, Notice, and what we Know, we do so with integrity when we give them as a part of our self.

We give thanks when we give Sacrificially!  David understood this important concept when he stated he would not offer to God that which cost him nothing.  How much we are willing to sacrifice for something, or someone, is a pretty good indication of the value we place on the item or that relationship.  True thanks are given when we are willing to set aside, or give, something of value or importance to us for the benefit of the recipient of our thanks.

We give thanks when we give Extra!  While at first it may seem like the same thing, giving extra does not necessarily mean we need to sacrifice anything.  When I think of giving extra, I think of giving more than is requested or needed.  Peter and John did this as they were passing by a lame man.  The man requested help — the only help he could imagine was money to get him through another day so this is what he was seeking.  Yet Peter and John gave extra — they gave the man the gift of healing through the name of Jesus Christ!  We give thanks when we live with a “and then some” attitude — going above and beyond to not only give what is requested but to look for the real need and give the extra.

We give thanks when we give Last!  Are you a person who always has to have the last word?  Can you imagine how things could change if everyone lived with that same drive to be the last to give?  So often we give to people in ways that help maintain the status quo, keeping us even.  Jesus says that if we give to people based on their ability to give back, we are no better than those of the world that are not in relationship with Him.  When we seek to give last, we seek to give in ways that cannot be repaid.

We give thanks when we give First!  While this sounds like a contradiction to the previous point, we must also give first!  The ultimate example of this is the fact that we know what love is because God first loved us!  We also learn that in the matter of giving self, the Macedonians exceeded Paul’s expectations as they gave themselves first fully to God.  When we start out by giving ourself fully to God then the rest of our giving catapults to a new level.  The Macedonians could give generously out of their extreme poverty and hardship because everything they were giving was not their’s, but God’s.  When we first give ourself fully to God, we are able to give thanks to others using all of God’s resources that He has allowed us to be stewards of because it is then that we recognize that we can give only because He first gave to us.

I pray that you and I are living lives that give SELF to God and then to others!  I pray that our thanks is expressed as we give self through giving  of Sacrificially, Extra, Last, and First!

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Pure In Attitude

This is part of a series of writings I am working on to expand the post I published earlier, Pure In HEART.  This series will be taking a more detailed look at each point of that post.  Today I look at part three, Pure in Attitude.

Again, the seeds for this series came from God through a song that took up residence in my mind for the better part of a week.  🙂   I think the song may be titled, “Highway To Heaven”, but the line that stuck with me is, “it’s a highway to heaven . . . none can go up there . . . but the pure in heart . . . well, it’s a highway to heaven . . . walking on the King’s highway!”

The phrase that continually jumped out at me was the idea of “pure in heart“.  I believe God has given me another acrostic to provide the framework for a sermon He has been giving me — and thus a series of writings.  What does it mean to be pure in heart?  I want to look at five areas that should help lead us toward being pure in heart and I begin with this post focused on the attitude we live with and view life through.

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”  Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)

We’ve all probably said it at some time or at least heard it said, “Boy, do they have an attitude!”.  How many times have you heard a parent, or someone else, say, “Drop the attitude now or you’re going to find yourself in big trouble!”?  Typically when we think about attitude or talk about attitude, more often than not it is going to involve a bad attitude.  Is that because they are more common, more noticeable, more in need of correction, some other reason, or some combination of several reasons?  The reason for a bad attitude isn’t all that important — the important part is what will I do to replace it!

God says that when we become His child, part of getting rid of the old self is to take on a new attitude in our mind — to become pure in attitude!  How do we do that?  Our new attitude comes when we commit to a diligent pursuit of “out with the old, in with the new”.  We escape being conformed to the attitude of this world when we are transformed by a renewing of our mind.  As we consider what we have through a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, we should be compelled to examine the attitude we live life with and the attitude we view others through.

Paul writes to the Philippians that because of all that we have through being united with Christ we should not only look to our own interest, but be concerned with the interest of others as well.  He says to do this our attitude needs to be the same as that of Christ Jesus.  We must allow the renewing of our mind to replace our worldly, selfish attitude with a Christ-like, serving attitude.  We grow in purity of attitude when we willingly humble ourself and take on the role of a servant to those around us.  Being a servant is not that unusual — most of us are in that role at least at times in our life.  The big question for this discussion is what attitude do we carry into that role?  God calls us to be pure in attitude and serve others with a willing and humble heart.  It is this type of pure attitude that portrays the nature of Jesus to a world that is in desperate need of a true relationship with God that can only be found through Him.

So, how’s your attitude?  Are you allowing your attitude to be transformed by a renewing of your mind by God’s Spirit?  Do you willingly humble yourself and serve others with a pure attitude?  I pray that you and I would pursue God faithfully and be found “pure in HEART” because we have paid attention to purity in our Humor, Eyes, Attitude, Relationships, and Teaching!

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Giving THANKS — Give What You KNOW!

This is part five of  the “Giving THANKS” sermon series that I am preaching on Sunday evenings at the Deer Run Church of Christ. So far we have looked at messages of “Give TIME”,  “Give HONOR”, “Give ACTS”, and “Give NOW!”.  The fifth message was, “Give What You KNOW”.

God gave me the framework for this sermon series on the drive to work a few weeks ago and now He is giving me the opportunity to preach it!  Paul writes in second Thessalonians 4:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  We are never told to be thankful for all circumstances, but we are told to be thankful in all circumstances.  As we approach a season of Thanksgiving followed by the Christmas holiday, many people turn to thoughts of thankfulness and giving.  This series will give you some great tips on being thankful and some great gift ideas as you give thanks not only to God, but also to the people in your life!

When it comes to giving thanks, it is always appropriate to share what you have.  One area of sharing that can be difficult for a variety of reasons is to give what you know!  Sometimes others just don’t want to hear it.  Perhaps it is hard to give what you know without coming across as being very arrogant.  Other times it doesn’t get done because we’ve never stopped to think about it — we don’t really know what we know.  🙂  In this article, I want to look at a passage of scripture and examine four components of what you should know and how to give what you KNOW to others!

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” 
Philippians 2:1-5 (NIV)

Paul writes to the Philippians, and to us, and essentially says since you know what you know, then do something positive about it!  I will look at them in a different order so it fits my outline word, but here is what Paul says you KNOW as a child of God — and some ways to give what you KNOW!

You give what you KNOW when you give Kindness!  Is there any greater kindness than knowing the comfort of Christ’s love?  Where would you be without the kindness of God’s mercy and grace?  Sometimes it is easy to forget just how great a kindness God has bestowed upon us in extending the comfort of His love.  For some reason, many of us reach a point where we begin to think we deserve God’s love and He is lucky to have us on His side.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  We receive comfort from God’s love when we recognize we don’t deserve any of it, yet we accept it as offered.  When we know that kindness, then it is imperative that we give that type of kindness to others.  We take on the same attitude as Christ Jesus when we extend kindness to people who we think don’t deserve it.

You give what you KNOW when you give Nurturing!  In our relationship with Jesus, God has sought us out with a great tenderness and compassion (as well as the necessary discipline) that is the ultimate example of nurturing.  God loves us so much that He’s not content to allow us to remain infants our entire Christian life.  When we spend time with God, He purposes to nurture us into growing and productive Christians.  When we begin or walk with Christ, He provides the tenderness and compassion that is necessary for us to grow from our infancy in Christ to a mature disciple.  No “three strikes and your out” with God!  When we know the nurturing of our relationship with Christ, then He calls us to be involved as His servants in nurturing others.  We take on the same attitude as Christ Jesus when we nurture the infant Christians around us with the same tenderness, compassion, and patience that Christ nurtures us with.

You give what you KNOW when you give Oneness!  To walk in step with the will of God through our being united with Christ brings us into a oneness with Him that should be the greatest encouragement ever.  The age-old question of how do I know the will of God is best answered by the all-consuming response, “Know God!”.  The more we pursue an intimate relationship with God, the more we walk in a fully surrendered unity, or oneness, with Him.  The prayer of Jesus is that all believers would be one in Him just as He and the Father are one.  This oneness only comes when we de-value our opinions and center our words and actions in God’s Word and the truth that is Jesus Christ.  We take on the same attitude as Christ Jesus when we empty ourself in order to live and share a oneness with God that extends a call to the same oneness with others.

You give what you KNOW when you give Wonder!  I don’t believe that anyone could ever experience a greater wonder than God living in them!  We experience this wonder fully when we continually walk by, and have fellowship with, the Spirit.  I don’t know if you’ve thought about it lately, but when I think about God moving in — about Him taking up residence through His Spirit in me — I just say, “Wow!”.  You know yourself and I know myself which makes the thought of God willingly and deliberately living in me one of the greatest wonders of all time!  I don’t know how He does it, but I know the wonder of a God who has chosen to take up residence in me through His Spirit.  We give what we know when we give the wonder of God’s Spirit living in us to all people.  If He can find a way to live in me, He can find a way to live in anyone who would choose to have Him.  We take on the same attitude as Christ Jesus when we open our eyes to the people around us and give the wonder of living in fellowship with God’s Spirit.

I pray that you and I are living lives that give what we KNOW to God and to others!  I pray that our thanks is expressed as we give what we know through our giving  of Kindness, Nurturing, Oneness, and Wonder!

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Giving THANKS — Give NOW!

This is part four of  the “Giving THANKS” sermon series that I am preaching on Sunday evenings at the Deer Run Church of Christ. So far we have looked at messages of “Give TIME”,  “Give HONOR” and “Give ACTS”.  The fourth message was, “Give NOW!”.

God gave me the framework for this sermon series on the drive to work a few weeks ago and now He is giving me the opportunity to preach it!  Paul writes in second Thessalonians 4:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  We are never told to be thankful for all circumstances, but we are told to be thankful in all circumstances.  As we approach a season of Thanksgiving followed by the Christmas holiday, many people turn to thoughts of thankfulness and giving.  This series will give you some great tips on being thankful and some great gift ideas as you give thanks not only to God, but also to the people in your life!

It has been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  I read this week of a rewording of that which said hell itself is paved with good intentions!  When it comes to thankfulness, good intentions are often a major enemy to thanks actually being expressed.  That is why it is so important when it comes to giving thanks to Give NOW!  Solomon instructs us in Proverbs 3:27-28, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.  Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow’ — when you now have it with you.”

We begin our approach to give NOW by giving Necessities!  James says, “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”  God says that if you see a brother or sister in need of the basic necessities of life and you have the means to help, then you need to give now.  How often do we make excuses for our lack of action by arguing about the definition of need and necessity?  Our logic, while not often stated as such, often goes, “If I want it, it is a need.  If “they” want it, “they” are just being selfish.”  While we debate and argue and rationalize, real needs of real people go unmet while God continues to call us to give necessities and give now!

Before we get to wrapped up trying to figure out the legal definition of necessities, our next step to give NOW is to give what we “ought to”!  James also says, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”  Ouch!  How long is your list of “ought to”s?  Are there people of whom you’ve said, “I ought to call them.”, “I ought to visit.”, “I ought to thank.”, “I ought to help.”, or “I ought to . . . “?  Again, we often go to great lengths to try to explain to ourself why we haven’t, but how often is God’s Spirit prompting you to just give now what you ought to?

So, how do we approach decisions regarding giving necessities and giving what we ought to?  We look to God and we give Wisdom NOW!  James asks the question, “Who is wise and understanding among you?”.  The answer is given not by naming names but by giving a description of what the actions of a wise and understanding person would look like.  God says that a wise and understanding person is one who acts as such — one who gives wisdom through his deeds.  In contrast to “earthly wisdom”, God describes the wisdom we ought to be seeking, and giving, as “pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”  He says when we give that kind of wisdom, we sow in preparation for a harvest of righteousness.  If you are a child of God, His Spirit lives within you and gives you this wisdom that comes from above!  Are you sowing seeds of righteousness as you give wisdom now?

I pray that you and I are living lives that give NOW to God and to others!  I pray that our thanks is expressed as we give now through our giving  of Necessities, Ought tos, and Wisdom!

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Just PRAY?

I was privileged to preach this morning at the Deer Run Church of Christ as part of the launching of the “A November To Remember” church-wide prayer initiative!  The challenge point of the message came from the conclusion of Paul’s teaching to the Ephesians about the complete armor of God.  Because of the spiritual battle that we are engaged in that fights for our very soul, Paul concludes the teaching of the necessity of the armor of God with this command, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  (Ephesians 6:18 NIV)

How are you doing in the “keep on praying for all the saints” department?  Do you take seriously this command to pray for one another?  How important is it to you and to those you should be praying for?  When life hits us at 60 miles per hour and we’re not real sure which direction is up and because we often view prayer as a very passive activity, we fail to be encouraged by the statement, “Just Pray!”.  Instead, because of our doubts and uncertainty, many view it through the lens of skeptical questioning, “Just Pray?”.  We’re not always sure it does that much good and instead of taking our cue from the disciples who ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, we simply give up.

So, how do we go from “Just Pray?” to “Just PRAY!”?  I believe the answer lies in living and practicing a better understanding of prayer.  We begin that move when we include a foundational element of “Just Pursue!”  Our wholehearted pursuit of God is critical to our finding Him.  God tells Solomon that when He brings judgment or discipline upon the people and they suffer uncertainty and hardship that it is then that if His people “will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways” that He will hear their cries.  Throughout scripture it has always been that way.  Prior to the giving of the ten commandments to the Israelites, God tells them that there will come a time they will be scattered and that from wherever they are if they will seek Him they will find Him when they seek Him with all their heart and with all their soul.  As you “Just PRAY!”, just pursue God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength!

A huge stumbling block to adopting a “Just PRAY!” mindset is this next element of “Just Repent!”.  A wholehearted pursuit of God will most likely reveal sin that God calls us to just repent of.  Many times it is “out of sight, out of mind” and hinders our prayers unbeknownst to us.  More often though, it is not so deeply hidden and we hold back in our prayer life thinking we can avoid God pointing it out and calling us to repent of it.  We let society convince us that if I am sorry about it that is enough — no reason to actually get rid of it, I’m sorry and that attitude of remorse ought to suffice.  God would say nothing could be further from the truth.  The Bible teaches that true sorrow, Godly sorrow, leads to repentance.  God doesn’t simply want us to be sorry for our sin, He wants us to repent of it and no longer walk in that manner.  When Peter and John are called into account for healing a lame man, Peter addresses the crowd and calls them to repent and turn to God so their sins would be wiped out and “that times of refreshing would come from the Lord”.  I don’t know about you, but the promise of times of refreshing from God should make it easier to give in and “Just Repent!”.

While “Just Repent” can be a stumbling block in our prayer life, we often enter into great confusion when “Just PRAY” calls us to “Just Act!”.  This is the result of living with a very passive view of prayer — a view that sees it as us giving God our list of things He ought to do and act upon and us waiting for Him to accomplish it through miraculous means.  The idea that we would be the instruments and means through which He works to accomplish His will and purpose often seems beyond our comprehension.  Paul prays for the Thessalonians that by God’s power He would fulfill every good purpose of theirs as well as every act prompted by faith.  It is a prayer connected with faith that prompts us to “Just Act” when God seeks to involve us in His work.  He says that we are His workmanship, created by Him to do good works which He created in advance for us to do.  When our pursuit of God and repentance of sin prompts us to act, we need to be ready to work.  It is always fascinating to me that when Jesus teaches about the harvest being plentiful but the workers few and asks His followers to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers that the very next action recorded is the “pray-ers” being sent out as the workers!

Finally, all of the change of attitude from “Just Pray?” to “Just PRAY!” is wrapped together in the mindset of “Just Yield“.  Jesus teaches us that our prayer should be surrendered to God’s will — “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.  Many times our prayers “fail” us because they are prayed with expectations that it is our will that should be done.  We become upset and disillusioned with prayer when God doesn’t answer according to our expectations and timing.  As a repentant pursuer of God who desires to act according to His purposes, we must yield fully to His will and lordship.  The call to discipleship is a call to give up everything and follow Jesus.  We pray the effective prayers of the righteous when we just yield.

So, where are you in the journey from “Just Pray?” to “Just PRAY!”?  I pray that you are well on your way in pursuing God wholeheartedly, that you fully and freely repent as God’s Spirit convicts you of sin, that you are not only called to action through your times of prayer but that you actually do it as you yield fully to God.

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Giving THANKS — Give ACTS

This is part three of  the “Giving THANKS” sermon series that I am preaching on Sunday evenings at the Deer Run Church of Christ. So far we have looked at messages of “Give TIME” and “Give HONOR”.  The third message was, “Give ACTS”.

God gave me the framework for this sermon series on the drive to work a few weeks ago and now He is giving me the opportunity to preach it!  Paul writes in second Thessalonians 4:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  We are never told to be thankful for all circumstances, but we are told to be thankful in all circumstances.  As we approach a season of Thanksgiving followed by the Christmas holiday, many people turn to thoughts of thankfulness and giving.  This series will give you some great tips on being thankful and some great gift ideas as you give thanks not only to God, but also to the people in your life!

Jesus gave us what we often call the Golden Rule, “do unto others what you would have them do unto you”.  At the heart of this command is the little word “do”!  Good intentions are of little good when it comes to giving thanks — we show our thanks when we give of ourself in the acts we do.  When we consider how to give thanks, we can begin by looking at the acts we would like to receive from others.

We give thanks to God and to the people around us when we give acts of Acceptance!  Think about it . . . you want and long for people to accept you, right?  Do unto others . . . ?  But how do we do that when we don’t necessarily agree with the actions, attitudes, or opinions of others?  The basic question still applies, “Do I want accepted even when people don’t agree with me?”.  Paul explains the criteria for this, particularly for within the church body, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”  So,  how has Christ accepted me . . . and you?  He knows how to accept us as valuable and desirable all while refusing to accept the sin in us as normal or acceptable.  Loving the sinner but not the sin can sound like a trite statement, but it is exactly the manner in which Christ accepts us!

We also give thanks when we give acts of Comfort.  We all face times of hurt, tragedy, and sadness and look for something or someone to comfort us.  Do unto others . . . ?  Have you ever received comfort?  Do you know someone going through something who needs to be comforted?  Paul tells us, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”  Our comfort in time of need is not just for our benefit.  It is given so that we would know how to comfort others in their time of need.

As we grow in Christ, we continually learn how to live in relationship with God.  We can give thanks when we give acts of Teaching.  When our teaching is founded in the lessons we have learned from God through His Word and His Spirit, we have much to offer.  I think of the great gift that was given by Priscilla and Aquila when they took Apollos aside and taught him the way of Christ more accurately.  Sometimes we think we have nothing to teach or no ability to teach and fail to give thanks in this way.  However Paul says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom”.  While there are special giftings of the Spirit in the area of teaching, we all have the ability, and the obligation, to teach with our life in both words and actions.

Foundational to giving thanks is the giving of acts of Service!  When we place ourself in the position of serving others, we are able to give thanks through our actions to them.  The hard part is that we are so enamored with our rights and freedoms that we begin to think everything is all about me and what I want.  Yes, Christ has set me free but what has He set me free for?  Paul says, “do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”  My thankfulness to God, and to others, shows when I set aside my wants, desires, and freedom to serve someone else.  John tells us that Jesus knew where he had come from and knew where he was going yet he took off his outer garment and took up the basin and towel and washed the feet of his disciples.  His reason?  To set for us an example that we too ought to serve one another.

So, what ACTS are God calling you to do in giving thanks to Him and to the people in your life?  Are there people in your life that he is calling you to accept just as he has accepted you?  Has he put people in your life that need the comfort that he has comforted you with?  Have you learned lessons at the feet of Jesus that he is calling you to teach to others?  Who specifically is he calling you to serve?

I pray that you and I are living lives that give of our actions to God and to others!  I pray that our thanks is expressed as we give acts through our giving  of Acceptance, Comfort, Teaching, and Service!