Sunday, January 28, 2007 - The Power of Invisibility

Heroes - ordinary people living extraordinary lives began today - a sermon series showing how regular people can use their strengths and abilities to serve God in great ways. Today I preached on Unleashing the Power of Invisibility, a look at the first deacons in Acts 6 who contributed to the spread of the gospel through their service in the early church. It was a great start to this series, as many understood that being behind the scenes doesn't mean being unimportant.

On top of the great response by the church, the end of each service saw one person raising their hand for salvation, which is a wonderful thing - one was Ken and the other was Michaela. I pray that God uses this church to grow these two young people.

From start to finish, this was a great day. The music was good, the message was good, the attendance was good (152). We had 7 visitors with us, including a young family I hope to see back with us again who live in the area.

Thank you Lord for an excellent start to Heroes and a great day to be in Your place.

Further notes from Lee's Message

From vss.1-5: I outlined these verses in the margin of my Bible this way:

• Sacrifice – The Macedonian believers gave sacrificially
• Sharing – They understood the “Koinonia” principal God desires for His church
• Surrender – They gave themselves first to God
• Submission – They understood Biblical authority and submitted themselves to it.

They were not a bunch of “Maverick” Christians. I think the

application for us is the local church, i.e. The Journey. Each one of

us needs to submit to and commit to The Journey and its leadership

and to the vision God gives them. God is into the local church!

From vss. 6-9: We, the church of America…and yes, The Journey… excel in so many ways. We are very gifted! Let us “excel also in this gracious ministry of giving.” Let us, as individuals be very “koinonikos” (free in giving). Let us, as a church be “koinonikos”.

We talk about loving each other, and other believers, and those who are yet lost; and of course, we talk of loving the Lord. Talk proves nothing. If our love is real, it must be manifest by what do…how we give. We have as an example the Lord Jesus Christ. He didn’t just talk of loving us. He proved it by impoverishing Himself for our sakes. Will we prove our love by impoverishing ourselves for the Lord…for His church…for the Journey and the vision of reaching our culture?

From vss. 10-15: Here’s my fear…for myself and for our church. I am afraid that we would be moved by this message, that we would begin to talk about altering our lifestyles in order to have our share in this gift of generosity, and that we might even begin to do something about it; but that in the process of time, the excitement, the enthusiasm, and the zeal might fade; and that we might end up not following through until we can truly say “Mission accomplished!”…until we have reached our culture and God’s Kingdom is established. What can we do to ensure that this fear does not come to fruition?

“If you are really eager to give, it isn’t important how much you give.” Don’t let this be an excuse for not giving liberally and sacrificially. A good cross reference to get a good perspective is Mark 12:41-44. Would you be willing to give “the widow’s mite” (all you have)?

The “body” principal is brought out here. If one part of the body is lacking, the whole body suffers. Remember “koinonia”? I can’t emphasize this enough! God built the koinonia principal into His creation; and it is His design for the church!

It’s interesting that Paul would quote from Exodus 16:18 here. Go back and look at this verse in its context; then think about this: If we are greedy and hoard our wealth and possessions for ourselves, could it be that it will rot away and become a stench. For me, this puts a different perspective on my finances, my possessions, my time, my talents and abilities, etc.

From vss.8:16-9:4: I won’t comment too much on these verses except to say that they have to do with good stewardship and accountability with the money brought into the church. We, the church, need to be “up front” with every penny we receive. This is very important. This is just one reason that I think we should give primarily to and through our local church. “We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to know we are honorable.” (8:21)

From vss.9:5-10: Why do many of us struggle with this idea of generous giving? Why do we so often get our hackles up when someone speaks on this topic, or when someone makes us aware of a need with the intention that we should respond by giving? Well, perhaps it is because of a misunderstanding or unbelief as to what giving is all about and/or the “koinonia” principal. Some of us, I think, view giving as sort of “paying our dues”. When the topic comes up, it comes across to us like “God has done so much for you. The least you can do is give back to Him a portion of what you have received.” While that may be true, that is not what this rich gift of generosity is about at all. God doesn’t need us or our money. And what He has given us is a gift. Don’t insult God by trying to pay for it. The rich gift of generosity is a gift He has offered to us. Its part of our inheritance! So don’t ever feel pressured to give. Understand that God has offered you the wonderful privilege of partnering with Him and His church…the universal church and The Journey…in what He is doing. And here’s the thing: The more you give, the greater you receive! No, I’m not talking about “give to get” because Paul wasn’t talking about that. A farmer who doesn’t sow all of his seed or does not fill all of his fields with seed, for fear of adverse weather conditions or for whatever reason, will have a limited harvest. We not only reap what we sow, we reap according to how much we sow. I want everything God has for me, don’t you? So I’m planting all of my seed. First I give myself to God…all of me…everything I am, and everything I have. (Remember 8:5) Then I give myself to our church and its leadership…all of me…everything I am and everything I have. If this Kingdom stuff is fallacy…if I’m wrong about this idea of partnering with God in what He is doing to restore His creation…or if God should fail in this (as if He could), I am bankrupt…belly up! For me, its Christ or bust! I’m throwing everything in! How about you? Are you in?

Each one of us needs to make up our own mind as to how much we give. “Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.”

How could the Macedonian believers (and how can we) give more than they (or we) could afford? They understood the source of everything they had. God is the “Fount of every blessing”. I encourage you to give generously and sacrificially because “God will generously provide everything you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share…For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat.”

From vss. 9:11-14: Maybe this is the best part of all! If we do this…if we choose to partner with God and give generously and sacrificially, two things are going to happen. Needs are going to be met and God is going to receive glory! Friends…Partners, that is why we were created; and that is why God chose us to be His partners; and that is why He has blessed us…to be a blessing to others and to glorify Him! We do our part and thanksgiving and praise to God will break out because people will understand that God is everything He claims to be. That, for me, is worth living for? Are you in?

From 9:15: I don’t think Paul is speaking of Jesus here, although Jesus is indeed a gift too wonderful for words. The NLT says “Thank God for His Son…” Other versions speak only of an “inexpressible gift”. I believe the gift Paul is talking about is this rich gift of generosity…this opportunity to partner with God. Imagine that! Koinonia with God! Are you in?

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Sorry for the delay in posting these things - I was out of town until today and didn't have the chance...

Today was a good day here at The Journey. The music was good, although I realized after we began that it was a little too mundane - not enough variety, which might have impacted the response. I will try to do better in perceiving that beforehand, creating a music set that invites more participation and variety. You can take that for whatever it's worth - it's just a worship leader's note. :)

We did intro a new song, Meet With Me, which was received ok - the verdict is out, but I pray that people will receive the invitational spirit behind it and make it a beginning prayer for each service - I'm here to meet with You - come and meet with me. I'm here to find You - reveal Yourself to me. Lord, as we get together, may the Journey be a place that You continually inhabit!

Lee preached today, talking about the importance of our fellowship together, and giving ourselves to the mission of the church. The head microphone was out during the first service, which made it a little difficult to hear, but it was working during the second. I thank God for the message Lee brought, and I thank God for the men of this church who fill the pulpit while I'm gone.

I will post Lee's further comments below so that you can see some of the things he had to skip - take some time and review them for your own personal study. Today was a good day - we had 154 in attendance, and God continues to bless this body.

Sunday, December 31, 2006

If I could title this past Sunday's services, it would be The Tale of Two Services. Allow me to explain...

The first service was a good crowd and the music was good, but there seemed to be a holding back from engaging, as the congregation seemed largely unresponsive. I don't know why this was, but I recognized that as I would ask questions that there wasn't much response and that the words I was saying seemed to just fall flat. I know this might sound judgmental, and it is certainly not meant to be, and I know that there were several people who were with me. But overall, I felt myself getting frustrated that the receptiveness didn't seem to be there.

As a matter of fact, I said something at the end of the service that I would like to correct, as I am sure it did not come across like I wanted it to. I talked about the fact that there are people who don't attend church with us on Sundays and yet will call me during the week to get counsel. I said that rather than call me, they should come to church, where so many answers can be found in the spoken word. And that's all fine, but I almost made it sound like, "If you don't come to church, don't call me." That's not what I meant. I just meant to say that so much counseling can be done from the pulpit, and furthermore, there is such healing in relationships with others...

And then there was the 2nd service, in which we had wonderful worship and there was a flow to the word. I don't know what the exact difference was, except that there was a spirit of receptiveness and openness to what was happening, and God really worked in the word and in the worship.

Regardless of which service you were in, I invite you every week to just be ready for and be looking to encounter God at The Journey - prepare yourself before you come, and just seek out God with all your heart every time you are here. God wants to be sought, and He has made Himself accessible. May we experience GOD and the power of His Spirit every week without fail in 2007!

I spoke today from Ephesians 4:1-13 on "A Community Effort in the New Year," and focusing on our unity as a congregation. We had 117...