Life on the edge

Peninsula Community Church

The Pathway to Forgiveness

January 8, 2012

Mat 6:12 …. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Defining Forgiveness – In the writings of David Augsburger, he suggests that forgiveness requires a process of letting go. The root meaning of forgiveness in biblical terms refers to “releasing” or “letting go.” The literal meaning of forgive is “to send away” or “dismiss.”

Before we begin this study there must be an understanding that forgiveness is not dependent on the other person. In fact, I can forgive and walk in forgiveness regardless of what the other person does. Therefore, we must not confuse forgiveness with reconciliation. And yet, forgiveness does not mean that we forget or ignore the pain that the wound has caused, it simply means that we forgive so that we can deal with the issues that brought unforgiveness in a positive and genuine way.

The first step in this pathway to forgiveness is for us to realize that we all have opportunity to forgive and be forgiven and that we are all affected by both unforgiveness and forgiveness.

Theme of Forgiveness runs throughout Scripture – In this discussion we must understand that forgiveness is one of the many themes that run throughout Scripture. From cover to cover the Bible shows the way of forgiveness and it gives its readers multiple illustrations of what effective forgiveness means and how it is to be transacted in one’s life. It also shows us ultimate forgiveness as seen in the death of Christ on the Cross. You see forgiveness and the redemption of mankind has always been the goal and at the heart of Christ.

We have all experienced a need to negotiate forgiveness. Everyone one of us have been in that place where we have either wounded or hurt someone else or we have been wounded or hurt. There are no exceptions. The degree of to which you have been wounded may differ but there has been woundedness in all of us and it is that wound that requires us to forgive.

Antidotal stories – We have all been impacted by the need to forgive or be forgiven. We could share a whole list of antidotal scenarios to understand this. You may remember the story of the Amish in Nickel Mines, PA. It was in this tiny community that a man stormed into a one-room schoolhouse and shot 10 young girls, killing five of them. Since the tragedy, people around the world have been amazed and inspired by the way the Amish have expressed forgiveness toward the killer and his family. Charles Roberts was not Amish. He was the milk truck driver but the Amish collected money for the family even in the midst of their own tragedy. Donald Kraybill, is a sociologist at nearby Elizabethtown College and co-author of Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy. “I think the most powerful demonstration of the depth of Amish forgiveness was when members of the Amish community went to the killer’s burial service at the cemetery,” Kraybill says. “Several families, Amish families who had buried their own daughters just the day before were in attendance and they hugged the widow, and hugged other members of the killer’s family.”

We can also include other such times where forgiveness may have been needed in our lives:

1. The mom who was murdered by intruders.
2. The brother who stole money from the family.
3. The sister’s drug problem and her abandonment of her family and children.
4. The cutting and biting remarks of a parent.
5. The rejection of divorce or the shame of abuse.
6. The betrayal of a friend in whom you have confided.
7. The wrongs and sins committed against others.

We all stand in the need to give and receive forgiveness. The reason for this is multifaceted for the following reasons.

• We have a carnal nature. We have a propensity to sin and to hurt others. Even in the best of us there something that brings out hurt and wounds. We do not intend to. For most us we do not wake up in the morning and say “what a great day to make someone mad at me.”
  
• We interact with other people who are different from us. The fact is just because we are created differently we are candidates to hurt and wound those around us and to be hurt or wounded by those we encounter.
  
  • We have different personalities that form and shape used determine how we respond to the issues of life.
    
  • We have different temperaments that cause us to react to various stimuli in totally different ways.
    
  • We also have a difference in the experiences that have shaped us. How we saw others respond to issues of conflict will most likely be the way we respond.
    
• We live with ourselves. Too often we have not learned to forgive ourselves much less forgive others for the wrongs we have committed. James 4:1-3 says it best –What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. The problem that exists too often is that we love to use our wounds and hurts to our advantage because we feel justified in our anger toward others.
• We cannot forget that we have an enemy who loves to bring division, hurt and pain into our lives and our relationships. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour
  

   

When we walk in unforgiveness we allow others to dictate how we live.

• We avoid others. We will change our seat in the sanctuary to avoid sitting next to the person that has hurt us. We will leave a church because of an offense.
  
• We falsely transfer our hurt to others. Instead of dealing with unforgiveness we often transfer that hurt to others and in the process we end up hurting others. The fact is that hurt people hurt people.
  
• We spend an inordinate
  amount of time thinking about the person and in considering ways to get even. Our focus becomes “how do we get even?” or we focus on the pain to the point that we cannot get anything else done.
  

But what release comes when we walk in forgiveness and release others and ourselves from the pain. Where do you hold unforgiveness today? Who controls you today because you have not released them from their failures? Remember that forgiveness is for the one forgiving and not you.

Peninsula Community Church

Making Resolutions that Count

January 1, 2012

Philippians 3:13-15 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

It is always interesting to me as to how many people make New Year’s resolutions and then never keep them. Most resolutions made are broken by February. Of course, I have been just as guilty as anyone else. I make a positive and genuine gesture to make a change that will benefit me either physically, emotionally or spiritually. For example for a number of years I would make a resolution to read through the Bible in that year. If I read three chapters during the week and five on Sunday I could accomplish the task. Everything would start well but on day three or four I would end up missing a chapter. On the following day instead of reading four chapters, I would only read two chapters. Now I am behind two chapters. But on over the weekend I will catch up but something happens and I only read three chapters over the whole weekend. Now I am behind eight chapters and as the week goes on this gets worse so eventually I give up.

The same thing happens to us whether it is losing weight or trying to stop smoking or drinking less. We do well but then we have a failure of some sort and soon we give up. It is not by chance that advertisers increase their advertising dollars for weight loss programs, and other such programs at the beginning of each year because they know that people will inevitably make a weight loss resolution.

A few years ago I spoke to the director of the YMCA at Smith Mountain Lake and she said that every year in January that there is a huge increase in the numbers of people who join the YMCA because they have made a resolution to lose weight. But, by the end of February their numbers are down and people end up paying for a service they never use. The first few weeks of the New Year are extremely busy but by mid February the numbers of people coming into the center are down.

A survey has shown that there are some common resolutions made every year. A number of these show up on every list:

• Lose weight
• Become better parents
• Work less
• Enjoy life more
• Take up a hobby
• Become debt free
  

 But here are some resolutions that I am sure that you will never hear:

• Spend more time watching TV / movies.
• Chat more over phone / Internet.
• Read less.
• I want to gain weight. Put on at least 30 pounds.
• Stop exercising.
• Waste time doing nothing.
• Procrastinate more.
• Spend more time at work.
• Stop bringing lunch from home: I should eat out more.
• I am going to be a bigger pain in the neck.
• Go deeper in debt.
  

The idea of being circumspect and reviewing our life is critical to our growth as believers. But we do this evaluation with an understanding that we cannot change the past but we can certainly impact and make a difference in the future. As we look back, we can learn both positive and negative lessons that will benefit us for the future. As we look back, we also walk forward to a new day with a sense of forgiveness for wrongs committed by us or to us and an inner gratefulness for all that God has done for us and in us. This does not mean that we forget about the past or what has happened to us or what events have transpired but we allow these things to shape us and make is into the person who has greater strength, wisdom, patience and understanding of life.

Paul uses an Olympian symbol here. In the days of the Greek games the winners of the games would be brought forward and have a prize placed around their neck. It is similar to our Olympic games today where the name of the athlete is named, his country an d the event he won is announced. The prize that he was looking to was the recognition of a greater understanding of who Christ is and a deepening relationship with Christ.

Paul in Philippians 3:13-15 understood this process. Paul understood that the greatest resolution that could be made is to press forward in our understanding of Christ. He had a goal that was in front of him and he was pressing toward that goal. Paul says here that we forget that which is behind us and we press on to the prize of God. This is not an implication that there is a lack of forgiveness but a realization that nothing can be changed about the past.

Lessons we should learn:

1. We must not allow our past to dictate our future. We have all made mistakes and have failures.
   
2. We must never become stagnate in our growth in Christ. This is why Paul states that we should forget the past for the past will usher in guilt and despair as we look at the failures and mistakes made.
   
3. We must never stand on past laurels and victories or successes. We must never consider ourselves to have arrived at some spiritual place that exempts us form any further growth.
   
4. We must keep our focus on getting to know Christ in a greater way. the prize and not on those who are running the race or on the competition.
   

But what is the prize that Paul is looking to receive. To understand this we must go to the previous verses for it was Paul’s desire that whatever else he had attained would be counted as rubbish when compared to his every growing understanding of Christ. Paul in the previous verses open the door for us to understand that his greatest desire was to know Christ more. This was not just knowledge of Christ but that deep understanding of who Christ is and an understanding of his character. The problem is that too often we look for his hand and not his character.

So what is the greatest resolution we can make. It is this that in 2012 we would make it priority to know and understand Christ and His ways even more than we have in 2011 or any year prior to this one.

As we consider our resolutions for this year let us consider a couple of things. Resolutions we can make:.

1. Commit to pray for one another and for the church
   
2. Consider sharing
   Christ with someone at least once a WEEEK.
   
3. Consider inviting one or more families to join you at church.
   
4. Look to do something for someone in the name of Jesus.
   
5. Develop a regular Bible reading and study habit in order to understand his character. Look for ways in the scriptures that God’s character is revealed.
   
6. Begin a journal where you record the ways you see God’s character in action in your life and the revelation of who He is.
   
7. Learn something new this year. Pray for God to show you what that might me.
   

    

As we close the service today we are going to gather around the Lord’s Table. Because there is no greater place to accomplish this and to come to an understanding of God’s character than around the Lord’s Table where we can repent of past wrongs and begin a new year filled with hope and the idea that I do not have to repeat the failures of the past.

 Pause for a moment of meditation. What would you change about your life? What regrets do you have from 2011? Are there areas of guilt or shame that overtake you? Are their people in your life that you need to forgive or need to seek their forgiveness?

 Let’s pray.

Peninsula Community Church

The Miracle of Christmas – the Manger!

December 26, 2011

 John 1:1-4, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not an thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The birth and life of Jesus came with some amazing claims and promises. What does Jesus claim to be? Let me list just a couple of these for you.

• One of the first things He and scripture claim is that He is the Son of God. On two occasions God Himself proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God.
  
  • The first occasion was at his baptism in Matthew 3:77 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
    
  • The second occasion was at his transfiguration in Matthew 17:5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
    
• Secondly he claims to be the Savior of the world. In John 3:16 John proclaimed that God so loved the world that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but will have eternal life.
  
• Thirdly, He is the only way to heaven. I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. John 14.
  
• Fourthly, He has the authority to forgive sins – Matthew 9:6; Mark 2:10; Luke 5:24.
  
• Fifth, He is the only path to eternal life – John 3:15
  

What do you do with these claims? There are some who would ignore them. There are others who are respectful to Jesus but don’t take His astonishing claims that serious. The religion of Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet and teacher. The Hindu believes that Jesus is just one of many ways of finding God. Many people admire Jesus from a distance, but when it comes right down to it, He’s just a nice man who has some nice stories written about.

It interesting that these claims have been made by someone who:

• Never led an army
  
• Never wrote a book
  
• Never ran a corporate enterprise
  
• Never held political office
  

For some people these are extravagant claims. The reason this seems so is that for many today the problem is that we have been desensitized to believing and trusting anyone’s claims. We have all been given promises and had claims made about certain products and people only to find these products are less than their marketing make them out to be.

• Scientifically – The earth is flat, the sun rotated around the earth and if one had an infection they would bleed them out.
  
• Medically – Don’t drink coffee, eat butter not margarine; eat butter not margarine.
  
• Politically – Don’t worry social security is safe, your taxes will never go up, I promise to keep you mind when I vote in Congress.
  
• Relationally – I promise to love you.
  
• Commercially – This car was driven by a little old lady from Pasadena.
  

You get the idea, promises made only to be broken. The problem is that we have become suspect of anyone that makes claims that seem impossible.

But what if His claims are true? What does that mean for us? How would we be changed if we truly believed?

You see that what we decide about Jesus has both eternal and earthly implications. What we decide will determine our eternal destiny and our earthly direction.
 

C.S. Lewis explained that Jesus did not leave us the option of just respecting Him as a good, noble teacher. His claims leave no room for that position, even though it is very popular. We really only have three options concerning what to make of these claims. He is who He claims to be, the Lord of All. Or, He made these claims knowing that they were false and therefore He is a liar. Or third, He made these claims because He believed them to be true but in reality they were not, which makes Him deceived or a lunatic.

But we know his claims are true and what he said can be trusted.
 

The question here today is what if his claims were true. What would that mean for us? It would mean that we can trust his words and believe that all he has said and done is true and that he has us in mind in all that he does.

• It means that we can trust him with our lives.
  
• It means we can trust him with our family.
  
• It means that if we trust Him with our lives that we have the promise of eternal life in heaven with him.
  

Do you believe?
One of the Christmas classic movies is “Miracle on 34^th Street.” An old man claims to be Santa Claus but no one believes in him. They end up going to court to prove that he exists and they present the court with bag after bag of letters addressed to Santa Clause. It is at this moment that everyone begins to believe that he is indeed the one he claims to be.

It is not enough just to believe but you must step out in faith to receive and live out all that he has given and promised. In believing in Him, He will wipe away the pain of the past and remove the burden of guilt and regret. He alone can give us a reason for living and can fill us with the fullness of His love, His life and His grace.

The Miracle of Christmas

The Message

Hebrews 1:1-2 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

God has spoken in the past. As we see in this passage God has spoken to His people in many different ways. “Long ago” He would speak to a prophet or key leader and then that leader would speak to the people. As we read through the Old Testament we see many different ways and people that God used to speak.

• Moses – the burning bush (Exodus 3)
  
• Elijah – the still small voice
  
• Elisha – It was a whirlwind (2 Kings 2)
  
• Isaiah – through a vision (Isaiah 6)
  
• Joseph – through a dream (Genesis 37)
  
• Hosea – through his family circumstances (Hosea 1)
  
• Jeremiah – the potter’s clay (Jeremiah 18)
  
• Balaam – through a donkey (Numbers 22)
  
• Abraham and Sarah – It was a visitor at night (Genesis 18)
  
• Jacob – it was wrestling with an angel (Genesis 32)
  

What we learn through this is that there is no lack of variety and means by which God will speak to us. He speaks in different ways and at different times in order to get his audience to hear Him. God will use whatever means is necessary to get our attention, to wake us up and to stir us into action.

It is interesting to note that for 400 years after the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, God had been silent. There were no significant books written. There was no evidence that God had spoken in any significant way. There was only silence.

God spoke directly to us through His Son. Things changed in the New Testament because God decided that it was time to speak directly to man through His son. God chose to use His Son to speak to us in ways no one before that time could. In John 1:1-14 John details the coming of Christ as the Word of God. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Word, Jesus came to dwell with us so that He could communicate directly to us. In the right moment of time God sent His son so that He could interact with us. He came to express Himself and reveal Himself in ways we could understand and comprehend. He came as a man, to live as a man so that we could know how to live as a child of God.

Not only did Jesus, the Son, come to speak to us but He also came to reveal the Father to us. When we want to know what God looks like we look to Jesus as He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs (Hebrews 1:3-4). His word is truth and it is powerful for it is His very words that uphold the universe and controls destiny itself.

God continues to speak in order to bring transformation. When He speaks He doesn’t just speak for the sake of hearing his own voice but His words have purpose and meaning. Have you ever known someone who loved the sound of their own voice? He didn’t come to say what we wanted to hear but what we needed to hear. Jesus came to so that we could draw near and as we draw near to Him we are changed and transformed. He came to reveal the Father to us and to connect us to the father. His goal has always been to transform lives and not just be a great orator.

God speaks but too often we are not listening. God speaks to us today in a number of ways. He uses His Word. The Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts and guides our lives. God has given us pastors and teachers to speak into our lives. He uses the circumstances and events of our lives. He uses the people around us:our family and friends. He uses nature itself.

• Turning a deaf ear – Sometimes we do not hear him because we have turned a deaf ear. We ignore the words we hear and believe that we can do better than what God has commanded. Sometimes we have selective hearing. We listen when God communicates positive words but when it is a corrective word or a word that we think keeps us from doing what we want to do we reject those words.
  
• Too busy to hear – We can fill our calendars full with activity so that there is little time to hear what God is saying to us. Too much TV or newspapers or other media that keeps us from hearing God when He speaks to us.
  
• Too distracted – Too often there are distractions that keep us from hearing God’s word to us. We want to hear but we find it hard because there are so many other voices that are pulling against us. There are so many ideas and ways of living that are presented and there is confusion about which one is right.
  

We all receive messages that impact our lives but this is the moment that Christ’s words come alive.

We all hear messages that impact us negatively. The fact is we have an enemy that likes to distort and discourage us and he will take advantage of the events, circumstances and words spoken into our lives. Some of us, today, have heard some of the following and the words echo loudly in everything that we do and in every way we act.

• “You’ve got cancer or you have MS.” The enemy says be fearful and discouraged. There is no hope.
  
• “I don’t love you anymore and I want a divorce.” The enemy says that you are rejected and not worthy of anyone else’s love. You are unlovable.
  
• A teenage daughter who announces that they are pregnant. The enemy will say as a parent that you are a failure and it is your fault. He will remind you of all the things you should have done.
  
• “You’re fired or you’re laid off.” I am not worthy. I am not needed. I have no value. Once again fear and concern fill our hearts.
  
• “Mom/dad or sis I am gay.” Confusion, doubt and fear resonate upon this news.
  
• The enemy loves to convince us that we’re no good. We are a failure. We will not make it.
  

But it is in the midst of these messages God comes and speaks life and hope.

• There is nothing that will separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:36-38)
  
• Trust in me and I will direct your path (Proverbs 3:5-6)
  
• Forgive those that mistreat you or have done you wrong (Matt. 6:14-15; Mark 11:25-26; Luke 17:3-4; 2 Cor. 2:10-11)
  
• Rejoice and be glad for His has come (Matt 5:11-12; Luke 6:22-23; John 16:22; Rom 5:2; Rom 12:12-15; Phil 4:4; 1 Thess 5:16; 1 Peter 1:6-8).
  
• I have a plan for your life (Jeremiah 17)
  

Are you listening today? Do you hear His voice? Do you hear His message?

The Miracle of Christmas

The Miracle of the Moment

Galatians 4:3-5 – In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 

There is much to be said about time. Think about it for a moment. Think of everything that transpires in just a minute. (Allow 60 seconds to run off the clock without saying or doing anything). 1 minute seems like a long time when you are just sitting still. And yet at other times 1 minute seems to fly by.

Jesus came at the right moment. In the verse we read this morning, the Greek word for time is the word “Chronos” which denotes a specific period of time or a specific opportunity. In the time of this writing the Greeks believed that time was virtually a power which inescapably determined one’s life. In other words the use of time and what transpires in the moment of time forms and shapes who one is. The word “fullness” denotes completeness or the right time.

What is meant here, in this passage, is that when the time was right, that is in the right moment of time God sent His son into the world to be the Savior of the world. This plan had been formulated from the beginning of created time. Now God said its perfect time and He sent the Holy Spirit to impregnate Mary (Matthew 1:18) so that she would give birth to the Savior. This was all accomplished according to God’s time table which is always at the right moment in time.

Why was this the right time? Historians and theologians have given a number of reasons why this was the right time for Christ to come:

1. The Roman Empire was united. Barriers that had existed before had now been destroyed. The world was now melded together as one community.
   
2. The Romans had built roads that would link the known world of that time together. Rome had built these roads to carry Caesar’s armies but they were also to be used to carry the feet of those missionaries that would take the gospel to the world.
   
3. The world was at peace under Roman rule. There were no wars being fought. Prior to this, Christ’s message would have been blocked by self-sufficient and antagonistic nations who did not like each other.
   
4. There was a common language in the world. Latin and Greek were known throughout the world so communication was much easier.
   
5. But more than all of the things that are listed above There was a longing and a search for answers. While everything on the outside looked good there were problems and these problems made it the right time for Christ’s birth.
   
• Economically – Times were hard. In the midst of this grand empire was poverty and unrest. The aftermath of war, the extravagance of Herod the Great, the burden of taxation and the tremendous rise in population all negatively impacted the society. The world was filled with worry and concern.
  
• Religiously – Old philosophies were dying and were found to be powerless to change lives. Strange new mystery religions were invading the empire. Religious bankruptcy and spiritual hunger was everywhere. People were dissatisfied with their lives. They wanted something more and they were turning to all kinds of things to fill the void in their lives.
  
• Morally – The world of the day had sunk to moral hopelessness.
  

Our society today is a mirror image of the Roman Empire. Economically we are being challenged. All it would take is for one major country to fall into bankruptcy and totally collapse for there to be worldwide panic. Morally, we are at a low like we have never seen before. Just recently, I heard a story about a 4 year old that was beaten to death by the mom’s boyfriend because he was crying and the boyfriend could not hear his TV program.

But, it has been God’s plan throughout history to show up at the right moment. He knows when and how to show up at just the right moment and at just the right time. He is never late. He is always on time and it is always at just the right time.

Jesus provides all that we need at the right moment.

If we are not careful we will navigate through the Christmas season and never experience a moment that God shows up and does only what God can do. There are some in this season that need nothing short of a miracle. Perhaps there are issues that are impacting your life in negative ways. I know for some here at PCC they have needed God to show up as we have witnessed some of the PCC families being impacted by the issues of life. Dawn, Doug and Ashley have experienced the death of a loved one. Paul received word that his sister Helen has been diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes that has spread to her other organs. The Brooks had someone scam their checking account of several 1000 dollars. Nancy has been rushed to the hospital as a result if another bleed on her brain.

While these are difficult issues, it is a time for Christ to show up and show Himself strong and provide the right answer and provide at the right moment. So don’t be discouraged for when we are in need it is the right time for Christ to come. But no matter the need, God’s word promises us that He will show up at the right time. But we must always remember that it is His time table that he works from and not our own. Sometimes He strengthens us to endure through the problem and at other times He delivers us from the issue that brings us such pain and difficulty. Either way God is at work.

Psalm 145:14-15 –The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.

Psalm 104:27-28 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

Deuteronomy 11:13-15 “And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.

Please that food in these passages represents the provision God has for us. In that day the provision of food was one of the greatest needs they had.

In Romans 5:16 we are reminded that at the right time while we were weak and powerless and while we were in need Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:1-6 – Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Jesus says that now is the right moment.

It seems that we are always looking for the right moment for God to do something. For some we are waiting for the right moment to commit our lives to Christ and the right moment for to begin to serve Him. But now is the time.

• Mark 1:15 – And saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
  
• 2 Corinthians 6:2 – For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
  

This repentance is more than just a repentance for salvation but repentance for failing to accomplish all that God has called us to. It is to repent of not seeing God show up when He has been all around us. The sad commentary of Christ’s birth is that He had come and no one knew it. They continued with their business as usual.

Has God shown up in your life this year? Has He shown up this week? What about today? Do not miss Him.

Peninsula Community Church

November 27, 2011

Do you have a Grateful Heart?

Colossians 4:2-6
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison– that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Churchill Illustration – Winston Churchill told the story about a little boy who was playing on a pier. All of a sudden he fell off the pier into the water. He did not know how to swim and was in serious danger of drowning. A very kind-hearted young soldier saw this, and he immediately jumped off the pier and swam towards the little boy. He put the boy on his shoulders and brought him back up to the pier quite safely. This young man saved the boy’s life. The boy had been playing with other little boys, but his parents were nowhere to be found. The soldier drove the child to his parents’ home and left the boy there. The young man did not even think of receiving any reward. He was a very kind-hearted person, and he was extremely happy that he was able to save the life of this little boy. A few days later, the boy’s parents came to look for the soldier. Everybody was helping them look for him, because they thought that the parents had come to give him a reward for saving their child. Finally they found the soldier working at the pier. The parents approached the young man, and the father said, “Where is our son’s hat?” The young man was shocked. He said, “I tried to save your son’s life and I did save his life. Now you are asking me for his hat?” “Yes,” replied the parents. They demanded, “What did you do with our son’s hat? What is wrong with you? We want to know where the hat is!”

The Scriptures are replete with encouragements to be thankful and grateful.

• Psalms 100:1-5 (A Psalm for giving thanks.) Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
• Psalm 107:22- And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
  
• Psalm 147:7
  Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!
  
• Philippians 4:6
  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
  
• It is important to note that the last five chapters of Psalms all begin with the admonishment to praise the Lord!
  

 So what are the signs of a grateful heart? Let us look at a couple of things together.

1. The first sign of a grateful heart is a humble heart. A humble person is generally thought to be unpretentious and modest. A humble person is someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. A humble person will also manifest a healthy limit of their talents, their ability, and their authority. They do not reach for that which is beyond one’s grasp. When one is walking in humility they do not have to profess their humility. They do not have to let anyone know because those around them will know that one is humble because they will present an attitude that exemplifies their humility. They live out the admonition “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips” (Prov. 27:2). When one is prideful they will present a different attitude. 
 

A government official who came into President Lincoln’s office was startled to find the chief executive shining his own shoes. “Sir,” he gasped, “surely you do not polish your own shoes!” “Of course,” replied the humble President. “Whose do you polish?”

All of this is illustrated in the life of Jesus. “Jesus did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). If we truly follow Christ’s example, then humility will be a way of life, a habit of submitting to God’s will and a lifelong commitment of devoting ourselves to God’s calling. When one is truly humble there are no private agendas, you know where the other person stands without reservation.

The highest title God ever allows in His church is that of “servant.” Are you willing to serve people as Jesus did? We cannot die for people to save them as Jesus did, but we can “die to self” to enable us to tell people that Jesus died for their sins, and thus serve them in the greatest way possible. Therefore, a grateful person is a humble person and is willing to serve others.

2. A second sign of a grateful heart is a God-centered and others-conscious heart. I suspect that for many of us, our Christian experience is too often influenced by our circumstances. When we are “up,” God is great. When we are “down,” God is distant. If things go our way, we have much for which to praise God. If times come that would test our patience, we are tempted to give up. To be God-centered is to realize that God is at the heart of life. It is God that influences and invades all of reality. Why does this matter? How will this enable me to be a grateful person? Because, our happiness is not dependent on personal experience, but on God’s grace and love for me. Again we hear the Psalmist call out in Psalms 100:1-5 “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Grateful people are free to be giving and caring because they are centered on God, and they are centered on others, not on themselves. Grateful people who are God-centered and others centered are loving people who want to bless others. A grateful person is humble and they are God-centered and others-conscious.

3. A third sign of grateful heart is a full heart. No matter how little one may actually have compared to others, a grateful person feels like he is full because he is grateful and full of thanks. A grateful heart brings contentment. One of the problems that exist in our culture is that people are not content with their possessions so they buy things they can’t afford in hopes that it will bring a sense of contentment. So much of advertisement plays on this concept of discontentment. If you buy this car, drink this soda, have McDonalds for breakfast or wear a certain style of clothes and you will be content and happy. Let me make it clear that that this does not mean that we do not desire better things or that we are not to seek improving our current status. It simply means that we must be aware of desiring the things that we can not have or afford. Discontentment is the enemy of a grateful heart. Once again we refer to the words of the Psalmist – Psalm 100:4-5 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. The grateful person has an unlimited capacity to enjoy God’s blessings, no matter how few or how many they may be. Let me tell you this; we all have many, many, many blessings from God. The grateful person, even in the midst of heartache and loss, is going to feel full. It is interesting to note that while Paul was in prison he wrote the Church of Philippi that he has all he needed.

Philippians 4:18-19 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. How could he think of himself as full in that situation? Paul had a grateful heart. Even when he was missing some blessings that people would consider pretty important, he felt full because a thankful person always has a sense of fullness. Paul believed that God’s goodness and God’s blessings were so abounding that he goes on in the next verse to reassure the Philippians that there was enough for them as well. Not only is there enough for me sitting here in my prison, but there is enough for you as well. How is your fullness meter? Do you have a sense of fullness or emptiness as you look at your life these days? Could you say with Paul, “I have everything that I need. God’s grace is abounded to me. I am full?” You see, Paul didn’t have “all” in terms of creature comforts. But I’ll tell you what he did have—he had Christ. You may have lost a mate. You may have lost a job. You may have lost a friend. You may have lost the dearest possessions in the world to you. There may be things on your wish list for this year but don’t let your wish drive your success or your feeling of fullness.

Where does God find you with these characteristics? Do you have a grateful heart or an ungrateful heart? Is your heart proud, or is it humble? Is it God-centered and others-centered, or is it self-centered? Is your heart full, or is it empty? The answer to those questions may be seen in whether or not you have an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Peninsula Community Church

Will the Real Church Please Stand Up

Are You Dating the Church?

November 20, 2011

 Ephesians 5:21-32 – ….submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

One of the profound illustrations of the church is found in the marriage relationship. On a number of occasions the New Testament speaks of the symbolism of the marriage relationship in relationship to the church (Eph. 5:21; Rev. 19:7). In the passage we read this morning, we see that Paul is comparing the marriage relationship to the relationship that Christ has with the church.

A number of years of a go in preparation for a membership orientation that I was facilitating I came across a book entitled “Stop Dating the Church: Fall in love with the Family of God” by Joshua Harris. It is an excellent little book that discussed the power of church membership and the value that can be added to one’s life when one joins and fully connects to a local church. I must admit that much of the outline I will share with this morning comes from that book as he expresses these thoughts much better than I can.

Do you remember what it was like when you where dating? Each of us probably experienced dating in different ways. Some of you married your childhood sweetheart and never was in love with anyone else. For some, you may have been very active in your dating career. For me, I remember as a teen, that in the church I attended, there were several of us guys and girls that would hang out together. Many of us were boyfriend and girlfriend but the interesting thing was that at some point we had all dated each other or at least what we called dating. The fact is at that point of our lives we dated but had no commitment for a long range relationship. As soon as there was any significant problem, we would move onto the next girl rather than try and work things out. The problem that exists is when we attempt to move that kind of understanding of life into our other relationships.

Let me preface my statements with these thoughts this morning. First of all I recognize that I am probably speaking to the choir but maybe what is shared will stir something in you to make a greater commitment to PCC and the life of this body. Secondly, let me say that I recognize that the church is not the Savior and that there have been some that have overly promoted the church to the point of idolizing the structure and the form of the church. That is not what we are talking about this morning. Thirdly, the church as an organization is not a perfect institution because it contains imperfect people who have attitudes, preferences and personalities that will not always agree and which often cause conflict. Fourthly, the church has created many of its own problems as it has failed to preach the word and be faithful to Christ’s calling. It has failed to live authentically in a culture that is seeking truth and is seeking answers for their problems because it has majored on the minors and minored on the majors.

With that in mind let us look at some thoughts about dating the church vs. committing to the church. Now I realize this subject matter have connotations that can exhibit all kinds of thoughts but bear with me and hear me out.

You might be a church dater if you are exhibiting any of the following symptoms:

1. Your attitude toward the church is one that is me-centered. When we exhibit a me-centered attitude we go to church for what we can get out of the social interaction, programs or activities. The driving question here is “what can I get out of church or what can the church do for me?” And, if the church cannot meet my needs I will find one that can. One of the social issues developed by teens today is what has been called “friends with benefits.” Friends get the benefits of sex and love without the responsibilities that go along with such privileges. They are out to get have their emotional and physical needs met without any desire for long-term commitment.
   
2. As second attitude exhibited by church-daters is one of independency. We go to church because that is what we are suppose to do but we avoid getting involved too much, giving too much or getting involved with people too much.
   
3. A third attitude that is often exhibited is one of criticalness. Too often we are short on allegiance but quick to find fault with the church. We treat the church with a consumer mentality – looking for the best product for the price of our Sunday Morning.
   

But when you simply date the church and you resist passion and commitment to have a relationship with the church everyone gets cheated out of God’s best:

1. You cheat yourself,
   
2. You cheat a church community,
   
3. And you cheat your world.
   

To understand the value of the local church we must realize that it is in community that we learn to love God and we are strengthened and transformed by the truth of the word. The church is God’s design to help us start over, to grow and to change for the glory of God. It is in the church that we irritate each other so we are forced to live in a spirit of forgiveness. But in that we grow and prosper.

When you stop dating and become an effective member of the church you will:

1. Join the church – not just in attendance but with your heart. When you join with your heart your will be committed to see relationships grow and become so much more than an acquaintance. Here at PCC we ask our Covenant Members to sign a Covenant Agreement because we are asking you to covenant together to see the work of the ministry go forward.
   
2. You make the local church a priority. Now this does not mean that you sell yourself to the institution but we understand that the church and those in relationship to it must make it a priority. If we see something that needs to be done we do it.
   
3. You try and make your pastor’s job a joy. I like this one.
   
4. You find ways to serve. You see when I married Michelle I began to look for ways to serve her and to make her life easier and filled with joy.
   
5. You give. When we tithe we are acknowledging that we trust God and acknowledge that everything belongs to Him. When we give to the local church we are saying that I trust God to direct the leadership to spend and allocate the funds in a way that honors God and puts Him first. As a covenant member we commit to give our tithe and our resources to see this body prosper.
   
6. You connect with people. The church is not a building it is about relationship. We find ways to connect with those within the church. I said it a couple of weeks ago if you are not being invited out then you do the inviting. Too often we are waiting for others to take action but if God has that on your heart take action and build relationships.
   
7. You share your passion. When I find a great restaurant or I see a movie that is awesome, I can’t wait to share that with others. I want them to experience what I am experiencing. When I am passionate about something it shows through everything else I do.
   

So in closing, are you dating the church? Are you ready to take the next step and fully unite your heart and make a commitment to stand behind this church and see the future unfold in ways that we can only imagine. Now is the time. If you want to join this church I invite you to join me on January 14 for a Membership Orientation. Maybe you are already a Covenant Member but you need to reestaablish your commitment to this local body do so as we close. Do this between you and God so that He will be your accountability.

Peninsula Community Church

Will the Real Church Please Stand Up?

What is the Church Suppose to be Doing?

November 13, 2011

Act 2:41 & Acts 9:31 – So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

We are continuing to look at what actions we are to take in order to be a real church:

So far we have looked at four of these actions and today we will look at two more:

• Exalt God through Worship.
• Encounter God through prayer.
• Encourage others through fellowship.
• Edify others through ministry and service.

The fifth action to be taken by the church is to expand the Kingdom and grow the church through the proclamation of the Gospel and mission.

The key purpose of the church is to expand the Kingdom of God by way of preaching and teaching the word. We expand the kingdom in the following ways:
 

Colossians 1:28-29 – Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Corinthians 1:17 – For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

We must come to the realization that every believer is a missionary: In the New Testament we do not see a Biblical distinction between evangelism and missions. In fact, the word “mission” or “missions” is never used. We are called to share the message of hope to all we encounter that are open to hear the message. For two long the church has waited for the professionals to do the job but every one of us are called to be missionaries.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 – I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Colossians 4:6 – Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

The fact is you will have a sphere of influence over with other people that I will never have.

We need to build relationships because in building relationships with others people will be more open to hear the message of Christ’s love. So spend some time getting to know others so that trust will grow. Think about how you came to know Christ. Was it not from a personal encounter with someone who loved you enough to share Christ with you? The scripture tells us to “go into all of the world.” It has been said that “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

We need to love exceptionally because our actions speak louder than our words. Maybe you have become aware of some hardship or simply a project your neighbor or co-worker is facing. Is there some way that you and your family may help in these things? Jesus knew our actions would speak as loud as our message, so he taught us to “let our light shine before other men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

We need to proclaim courageously as this kind of evangelism is different than proclamation evangelism. You may not share the gospel the first time you meet, but be sensitive to the Spirit’s work and when He opens the door of opportunity, don’t wait too long before you lead the conversation to spiritual things and to the good news about Jesus Christ.

The sixth and final action the church must take is that we are to equip through teaching and discipleship.

Ephesians 4:11-14 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Hebrews 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

What we teach must be founded on a Biblical construct that is focused and centered on the person of Christ. Colossians 1:28 – Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

• Too often we teach dogma and the law but they fall short of their purpose if we do not recognize that Christ is the only one that can bring lasting change into our lives. Dogma is what you believe, whether you believe it or not. And law is what you must do, whether it is good for you or not.
  
• The problem with the law is that it points to sin but it is powerless to do anything about the sin. But Christ came not to destroy the law but in order to empower people to live spiritual lives dedicated to passionately follow Him.
  

We teach for transformation and not simply knowledge. Verse 9 – He is the light that has come to enlighten us to understand truth and grace.

• Romans 12:2 –Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
  
• Dallas Willard in his book Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ said this about the need to be transformed; the greatest need of collective humanity is renovation of the heart. That spiritual place within us from which outlook, choices, and actions come has been formed by a world away from God.
  
• This transformation is one that changes people from the inside through ongoing personal relationship to God in Christ and to one another. It is one that changes their ideas, beliefs, feelings and habits of choice, as well as bodily tendencies and social relations.
  
• Notice that Jesus did not send his disciples out to start governments or even churches as we know them today but they were to establish beachheads of his person, word and power in the midst of a failing and futile humanity. They were to bring the presence of the kingdom and its King into every corner of human life simply by fully living in the Kingdom with Him.
  

We teach a living Gospel – V. 14 – He dwelt among us. Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. This living Gospel has the power to transform our lives.

• The Gospel of Christ is living because it is Christ.
  
• In John 1:4 john noted that life was in Him, life that made sense of human existence.
  
• To be the light of life, and to deliver God’s life to women and men where they are and as they are is the secret of the enduring relevance of Jesus.
  

We teach a liberating Gospel – “Grace and truth” John 8:32 – If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. The amazing truth of the Old Testament is that its role is to show us the futility of trying to obey the law and fulfill all of its demands. It is impossible. But Christ came not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law and to give mankind power to live out this Christian life.

• Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
  
• One of the difficulties of modern Christianity is that the church today is that Christianity has not been imparting effectual answers to the vital questions of human existence. What has occurred is that many pseudo-spiritual movements have been created to fill this void. But the Gospel of Christ is what is needed to reach the crying, unmet need of the human soul.
  

 We teach not to get people to act right but to be transformed in their inner being so that who one is in their thoughts, feelings, dispositions and choices is changed.

Peninsula Community Church

Will the Real Church Please Stand Up?

What is the Church Suppose to be Doing?

October 30, 2011

Act 2:41 & Acts 9:31 – So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

It is easy for us to discuss all that the church should be doing but there is a point where we must put our words in action. It is more about what the church is than what it does because we can fill the calendar with all kinds of activities (not that activities in themselves are bad or wrong) and still not accomplish much for the kingdom of God. But if we become what God wants you and I to be, then we will instinctively do the things we ought to do.

For example, as a pastor there are many things in my role that I instinctively do. For example if someone calls me to say they are in the hospital, instinctively I begin to plan on how I will get there to see you. You see I am a pastor as much as I do the work of the pastorate. While my role is a pastor, I am also called to be a pastor so all I do is with that mindset. I feel I never stop being a pastor.

The following six actions are not something the church should be doing as much it is to be a part of who we are.

• Exalt God through Worship.
• Encounter God through prayer.
• Encourage others through fellowship.
• Edify others through ministry and service.
• Expand the Kingdom and grow the church through the proclamation of the Gospel and mission.
• Equip through teaching and discipleship.

 Let’s take a look at these in more detail:

Exalt God through Worship. To be an active and powerful church we must be exalting God with our worship. This worship is not just what we do on a Sunday morning but it must be the essence of our lives. The question to be asked here is “How do we represent Christ to those we encounter in our daily lives?” Have they been enriched by the encounter or do they leave our presence with a sour taste about who Christ and Christianity is.

Romans 12: 1-2 tells us that our lives our lives are to be a living sacrifice to God which is a testimony to the world of who Christ is and what He claims to be. Paul stated “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

2 Corinthians 2:14- 17 –But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

A pastor friend of mine related two stories in a message he recently delivered to his church on Long Island. Pastor Gary said that they asked their waitress if they could pray for her which is a common thing they do when they go out for dinner. She refused their prayers because she did not want to have anything to do with Christianity as a result of the way she had been treated as a waitress by Christians she waited on and worked with. She saw those who professed Christianity say things and do things that hurt others. She saw them walk hypocritical lives. She saw them be lazy on the job. Because of this, her view of Christ made up of the belief that Christ pompous, self-centered, rude, demanding and unloving. Thus, she refused to have anything to do with Christianity.

He also related a second story about a young man that was a waiter and was a passionate follower of Christ. He approached Pastor Gary because he felt he had blown his testimony by the way he had acted on the job. He had blown up over a situation that did not warrant that kind of expression. Pastor Gary spoke to him and suggested that he return to work and to ask his co-workers who saw and heard his outburst to forgive him and that he needed to admit that he was wrong. When the young man did this one of the people at that worked with him made the statement that he does not believe in Christianity but if he were to this would be the kind he could believe in.

Why are these two stories important? They are important because to worship God we must exalt Him with our voices, our words, and our lives.

As a church, we desire to worship God. We want to do things with excellence so that God is honored and praised in all we do. Excellence does not mean perfection, it means that all we do we do to the best of our ability so that we might honor and please God. When we come into the church to worship, do we come with the aroma of Christ upon us? When we leave the building do we leave with His aroma upon us? How is the environment effected when we are around?

Encounter God through prayer. Prayer, as we have discussed before, is an encounter with God. This means we must pray. Prayer is our chance to speak to God. The goal is that we are to be consistent and focused in our praying. 

The problem that exists is that too often we only pray when we are in distress and or have a deep need but we must pray without ceasing so that we live a lifestyle of prayer. Can you imagine if the soldiers that are in Afghanistan never trained or prepared for the battle? What if they just showed up on the frontlines and the captain said “go for it, let’s fight.” They would not be very effective would they? And yet we treat prayer the same way. We don’t pray regularly and then we shoot a message to God when everything falls apart and we wonder why our prayers are ineffective. Perhaps if we prayed regularly God would have directed our steps differently and we may have avoided the trial we are in. 

How do we do this? We should begin your day in prayer. At the beginning of your day, invite God to be present with you. Invite Him to guide your heart and your steps. Invite Him to give you divine appointments so that you will be about His business.

How many times have we gone through our day without talking with Him about our day? As a church, we must people of prayer. Let me ask you do you pray for the church, the leadership and the ministries of the church or do you pray about the church, its leadership and ministries. There is a difference. Each of us must have a heart for prayer and each of us must be given to prayer. Let me ask you, do you pray for the lost in your community? Do you pray for the lost you encounter on your job?

Can you imagine what would happen if every member of this body began to pray earnestly for this church and for the lost in this community? What can you pray for? Let me give you a couple of things:

• Pray that God would pour out His Spirit upon this place so that when people enter these doors they will encounter a real authentic expression of God’s love.
• Pray that God would provide for every financial need we have here at the church.
• Pray for the church’s growth spiritually for if we grow spiritually we will grow numerically and financially.
• Pray that I as the pastor and the leadership team will be in tune with what God is doing here at PCC and in the surrounding community.
• Pray that God will position you with people who do not know Him so that you have the opportunity to reach them with the Gospel.

To Be Continue