Archive for August, 2009

Sermon: 8.30.09

August 30, 2009 · Filed under Rehoboth UMC, Sermon helps, Sermons · Tagged ,

Title: Cross-eyed

Text: Eccles. 1:1-2;1:12-18;2:1-11

Topic: Our lives, even our successes, can sometimes pull us away from Christ.

Introduction

Floods and rivers

In 1994, the entire city of Albany, Georgia flooded.  We had an enormous amount of rain that year and when rain mixes with a river, it will flood.  Many lives were damaged because of the flood. Countless homes were destroyed.  Lives were lost.  The local university was badly damaged.  The Flint River caused a lot of damage to the small town of Albany.

What’s interesting is that usually the Flint River is a great resource for the people of Albany.  It’s used for recreational use and fishing.  I’ve personally spent much time on the Flint with family and friends.  What usually a source of life quickly became deadly in the summer of 1994.  What’s the difference?  Focus.

Rivers are very resourceful and helpful while floods are destructive.  The difference between the two is simply focus.  In a river the water is focused and stays within its boundaries and in a flood the water goes all over the place. 

Our lives are like a flood

It’s easy for our lives to be like floods.  We have very busy schedules and can find ourselves all over the place.  We have work, then we to pick up the kids from school.  Then we have to cook dinner.  Then we have to take the children to soccer practice. Then, on top of that, we have to go to church meetings.  Busy, busy,busy. Very easily, in our busyness, we can become numb to what we are doing.  We have so much on our plate that we are no longer focused. Very easily, we can become like a flood.

Solomon’s life is meaningless

Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon.  In the book, Solomon is toward the end of his life.  Remember, King Solomon was considered to be the wisest man/wealthiest in the bible.  But towards the end of his life, he begins to realize that his wisdom and pleasures aren’t enough.  He understands that they have there limits.  So, let’s take a look at what Solomon discovered about life. 

One thing he discovered is that wisdom is meaningless.

Wisdom is meaningless

Ecclesiastes 1:17,18 says “I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, the more knowledge, the more grief.”

What did you do about them?

There was an owner of a company who was interested in expanding her business overseas.  So she planned a trip and left her assistant manager in charge of the company.  While overseas, the owner wrote letters to the company, giving them certain instructions to follow while she’s gone.  Months went by.  Then she returned.  As she walked up to the front door, she noticed that there were weeds in the flower beds and the grass hadn’t been cut in a while.  A few of the windows had been broken.  As she walked to the receptionist’s desk, she found her doing her nails, chewing gun, and playing games on the computer.  The trash cans were overflowing, the carpet looked like it hadn’t been vacuumed in weeks, and no one seemed concerned that she had returned home.  Finally, she found the person she left in charge playing cards in the break room.  She asked him to step into her office.  “What in the world is going on here?”  “What do you mean?”  “Well, look at this place!  Didn’t you get any of my letters? Didn’t you get my instructions?”  “Oh yeah, sure we did.  As a matter of fact, we had a letter study every Friday since you left, spending time reading the letters and talking about them.  We even formed small groups to discuss the letters outside of work.  And you’ll be pleased to know that some of us even committed to memory some of your sentences and paragraphs.  One or two of us even memorized an entire letter!  Great stuff in those letters!”  She responded, “Ok, you got my letters, you read them, studied them, and even memorized them, BUT WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT THEM?”  “Do?  We didn’t do anything about them.”

The point of wisdom

Wisdom is good. But wisdom isn’t the end but only a means to an end.  Reading and studying the letters that the owner sent was good, but that’s not the point.  The point is how it affects your life and prompts you to action.  We don’t read scripture and memorize it just to say that we did.  We read it to hear from God and to see how he wants us to respond. Wisdom is meaningless if the focus is on the knowledge and not how it affects us to live.

John 8:32 Jesus says “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

wisdom is a means to freedom

Wisdom is also our way to freedom.  Wisdom is like a lamp in the dark.  It’s a great guide for you, but it does no good if you don’t walk.  In the same way, wisdom is meaningless unless we use it to get to God.  It’s useless unless we allow it to keep our eyes on the cross.

Solomon concludes that wisdom is meaningless.  He also learns in life that pleasures are meaningless.

Pleasures are meaningless

In Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 Solomon says “I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,” I said, “is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly-my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.”

Solomon concludes that even pleasures prove to be meaningless.

Children on Christmas morning

My favorite holiday is Christmas.  One of my favorite things about Christmas is watching the children opening their presents.  They get in the floor in sheer excitement to see what Santa Claus has brought.  Then when they finish opening their presents, they are occupied for the next few minutes.  However, it doesn’t take long for the newness to wear off.  Even though they have all of these new toys, not long afterwards they begin looking around at the other children’s toys, wishing that they had them.  The children are at first pleasured to have their new gifts, but for their pleasures to continue to be satisfied, new gifts have to come.

Adults are no different

The truth is, adults are really no different.  Whenever our friend gets a new vehicle, we feel like we need one.  Whenever a woman gets made at her husband, what does she usually do?  She goes shopping, usually with her husband’s credit card.  But overtime we realize that Solomon was right.  Material pleasures can’t buy happiness.  We eventually realize that pleasures are meaningless.

Occupations

A study was done a couple of years ago about jobs.  They were trying to find out what the most fulfilling and satisfying jobs were.  Here’s the top ten: 1. Clergy 2.Firefighter 3.Physical Therapists 4.Authors 5.Special Ed Teachers 6.Teachers 7.Educational Administrators 8.Painters and Sculptors 9.Psychologists 10.Security and Financial Services Salespeople.

You can see a common theme is these careers: They all seek to help others. Most of them aren’t the highest paying jobs, but the people are satisfied.

I believe this shows that joy isn’t found in the pleasures of possessions, but in living the life of Christ. Joy in life comes whenever we take up our crosses and follow Christ.  Even the world catches a glimpse of this whenever it finds fulfillment in helping people. 

Michael Jackson

Over the last ten years or so we have followed the tragic story of the life of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson was probably the greatest musician of my generation.  He had almost everything. He had money, fame, but there was one thing that he didn’t have: happiness.  Many people within his circle have said that Michael lived a pretty miserable life.  I’m sure that he would agree with Solomon, pleasures are meaningless. 

Pleasures and material possessions don’t offer life.  We find life only in Christ. Pleasures can be a good thing as long as you don’t try to find fulfillment and life in them, as long as they don’t take your eyes off of Christ.

In Solomon’s life, he has discovered that wisdom is meaningless, pleasures are meaningless, and work is meaningless.

Work is meaningless

In Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 Solomon says “I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well-the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

Solomon was considered the wisest man in the bible.  He was also considered the richest.  However, at the end of his life, he concluded that it was pointless. He concluded that all that he had gained was meaningless.

Story of Martha and Mary

One of my favorite stories in the bible is the story of Jesus coming the Mary and Martha’s house.  Jesus is invited to come in to dine with them.  Now imagine if you had a guest like Jesus in your home.  I’m sure that you would want everything to be perfect.  You would make sure the floor was vacuum, the candles were lit, the food was prepared.  Well, whenever Jesus was visiting, Martha was busy in the kitchen, making sure that everything was prepared.  Meanwhile, her sister Mary was spending time with Jesus.  Martha eventually came in and asked Jesus, “Will you tell my sister to help me?”  Jesus responded, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. “  Those are probably not the words that Martha wanted to hear. 

I think what Jesus was saying to her was, “There is a time to work, but while you are in the kitchen, you are missing your chance to spend time with me.”

Who are you like?

Do you think you are more like Martha or Mary?  Does your work ever get in the way of you spending time with God?

Your achievements

 

Solomon lived a very successful life.  But at the end, he realized that all was meaningless. 

Conclusion

In chapter 5, Solomon let’s us know what we should be focusing on. In conclusion of him discussing what is meaningless, he says what one should be focused on doing. Chapter 5:7 says to “stand in awe of God”.

Floods and Rivers

Like the flood in Albany, our lives have no aim. We can be so busy trying to become wiser and learn more, trying to become wealthier, and trying to work harder.  Unfortunately, what eventually happens is that we can lose sight of what we should be focused on.  When this happens, we become like a flood and prepared to cause damage. Solomon doesn’t think that wisdom, pleasures, and work are bad in and of themselves.  We know that it’s good to be wise.  It’s also good to find pleasure in life.  What Solomon is trying to tell us is to be careful not to let these pleasures take the place of God.  In New Testament terms, don’t let them take our eyes off the cross!

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Sermon: 8.23.09

August 23, 2009 · Filed under Rehoboth UMC, Sermons · Tagged , , , ,

Title: Weapons of the Spirit

Text: Ephesians 6:10-20

Topic: We are equipped with spiritual weapons to overcome evil.

Introduction

Recap

Sadly, we are in our final week of our study through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. As you have probably already discovered, Ephesians is a very deep book in which we haven’t even scratched the surface.  If you are interested in doing a basic study of the Christian faith in depth, Ephesians is a good place to start. 

Ephesians has shown us how God has chosen us.  Then we looked at how He united us together with the church.  Once we accept Christ, we are united into the family of God.  Then we saw how, since we are the body of Christ in the world, we are to imitate Christ (Eph. 5:1).  Since we are Christ’s representatives, we must strive to be like Him.  We are to live sacramental lives.  In the same way that the sacrament of Holy Communion represents the body of Christ to us, we represent Christ to the world.  God chose us, united us, and seeks to live through us.

Not the end of the story

If only the story ended there.  If it did, life in the Christian colony would be easy.  If the story ended here, Paul wouldn’t be writing this letter from prison.  It sounds like a very happy story.  We are chosen, sort of like Cinderella, we are united, and also like Cinderella, we are changed. But unfortunately, like all stories, we have an enemy.  Evil and darkness spends its time trying to knock us off track.

Christian persecution

As the Christians would soon find out, living lives counter-cultural to the world brings on enemies.  Christianity became illegal which resulted in them being tortured and many killed.  Whenever the Christians were the minorities, they were persecuted for their faith.  Even today, Christians are being persecuted for what they believe.  We are at war.  We have an enemy.

At war with the forces of darkness

Ephesians 6 makes it clear to us who our enemy is.  It’s not with the people in the world.  It’s not with the people persecuting Christians. It’s not with the person who cut you off at the red light.  It’s not even with that family member who you can’t get along with.  It’s against the powers of darkness.  It’s against evil and wickedness in the spiritual world.  Sometimes this evil can be represented in others, but we are at war with the evil within them, not the person.

Christian Violence

Unfortunately, our darkest times in Christian history comes from our understanding of this text.  Some in the church, usually when the Christians were the majority, went to battle with the people rather than the evil.  This resulted in an embarrassing history.  Orthodox Christians brutally punished heretics to “purify” the church.  Christians also persecuted Turks, Jews, other Christian heretics, and witches, all in the name of God.  While Christ called us to leave peaceful lives, to love our enemies and to pray for our persecutors, we have turned to violence and hatred.  It’s important to know that we are at battle, but it’s imperative that we know whom the battle is with. I hesitate to use “battle” language because it brings us disturbing images.  But the truth is, we are in a very real spiritual battle and it’s important for us to know where our help comes from.

Spiritual Weapons

We are at war.  We have a battle to fight.  And like any battle, you need weapons.  As Christians, we don’t take up arms.  We have spiritual weapons. The question is, where do our weapons come from?  Where does our power come from?  God has given us weapons to use as we face darkness.  Those weapons are Christian Truth, Prayer, and the Holy Spirit. 

Christian Truth

One weapon that we have in the church is Christian Truth.

Ephesians 6:11 says to “stand firm”.  Ephesians 6:13 says to “stand firm”. Ephesians 6:14 says to “stand firm”. 

Christian Truth

In order to stand firm, we must have a solid foundation to stand on.  This solid foundation is Christian truth. 

Historical Christians standing up for their principles

Our history is filled with people standing up for their principles against adversity.  Martin Luther King Jr., whenever he had hate crimes against him, continued his peaceful movement without violence.  Non-violence was one of his main principles, and even when his principle was challenged the most, he and his followers remained strong.  During the holocaust, many Christians opposed Hitler’s treatment of Jews.  They were standing firm on their principles. In order for us to remain strong, we must have a solid foundation of principles to live by. We must seek Christian truth.

Re-evaluating your foundation

Christian truth is what we are seeking as Christians.  However, in order to seek truth, sometimes we have to question our presuppositions.  If our goal is indeed truth, we should be open to listening to others to try to find truth.  Sometimes we find ourselves defending what we believe to be truth. 

Going to extremes

The dean of Duke Divinity School, Greg Jones, gave a lecture to us this past week about diversity.  He mentioned a book entitled “Going to Extremes” written by Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein.  In the book, Sunstein discusses how whenever we are around like-minded individuals who share a common belief, it’s likely that the group will go to extremes about the issue.  For example, if someone holds the view that the war in Iraq is a just war and they spend all of their time around people who believe that same thing, chances are that they (and the group) will go to extremes about the belief.  If you are pro-choice and spend all of your time with pro-choice people, odds are that you will go to the extreme. 

In the church, we need to be willing to discuss issues with people who hold differing beliefs from our own.  This is how we grow in our faith.  This is how we build a solid foundation for our faith.

Asking questions

Asking questions about what you believe and questioning your presuppositions doesn’t mean that you are giving up on your faith.  It actually means that you highly value truth and are willing to listen to others to find it. 

Standing on truth

In order for us to overcome evil and darkness, we must be grounded in truth.  Above all, Jesus Christ is the truth.  Let us seek to be grounded in His truth.

One of our spiritual weapons is Christian truth. Another spiritual weapon that we have is prayer.

Prayer

Ephesians 6:18 says “with all prayer and petition pray at all times….v19. and pray on my behalf…”

Staying connected to God

Prayer is a way for us to communicate with God and for Him to communicate with us.

24

One of my favorite tv shows is 24.  24 is a show about a unit whose main job is to fight terrorism in the US.  The main character in the show is Jack Bauer played by Keifer Sutherland.  Bauer is the best of the best.  But he has one problem; He thinks he’s always right.  On many occasions during a very crucial point of a mission, Bauer will ignore instructions from his superiors and do the mission himself.  While he’s usually right, he always stays in trouble because of this. 

Ignoring God during difficult times

In the same way, whenever things get difficult, we can sometimes find ourselves trying to do everything ourselves.  Whenever we feel sickness sometimes we look for a doctor before we look for the great physician.  Whenever we are stressed we seek a psychologist before God.  Now I’m not suggesting that you not get medical help, but I am suggesting that your care comes from God a lot more than from physicians. This disconnects us from God. Prayer allows us to stay connected to God.  The most important time for a soldier to have good communication with his commander is in the warzone.  When things get difficult for us, that’s when our communication with God needs to be strong. 

Point of reference

Prayer keeps us connected to God while we are at battle.  Prayer reminds us who we are, even when we can get disoriented.  Sometimes we have to be reminded who we are.  Prayer reminds us by giving us a point of reference.

Swimming

I’m not the best swimmer in the world.  I have always been a little cautious of the water.  Unfortunately, I watched the movie Jaws at a young age and that has scarred me for life.  I was probably about 8 years old before I learned how to swim.  Even today, I’m still not very comfortable in the water.

We’ll this past May, while on vacation, I decided that it would be a good idea to learn how to scuba dive.  So a friend and I signed up to get certified in three days on vacation.  We’ll, the first day we did our pool dives and everything went fine.  I was confident.  I was able to swim around with my equipment.  I did all the drills well.  I was even able to clear my mask.  I was a little nervous, but I was doing fairly well for a non-swimmer like myself.  Then the next day was the real challenge; The ocean.  We swam out about 40 feet to a place known as the Jetties.  The Jetties are some rocks stacked about 60 ft deep in the water to separate the swimming area from the diving area.  So we got out there and I was at the point of panic.  Then our instructor said, “Deflate. Clear your ears.  See you at the bottom.”  And he was gone!  And then my diving buddy was gone.  And then I panicked.  I tried to get my composure together and began to descend.  Fortunately, I had the rock wall beside me to give me a point of reference the entire time.  I got down to about 30 feet and felt a bit panicked.  So I can up.  Then I tried again and couldn’t do it.  I gave a valiant effort, but I wasn’t ready for the ocean.

Despite how nervous I got, I always had a point of reference.  I wouldn’t have made it down 5 feet without the wall of rocks beside me.  The rocks let me know that, even though I was in water, the land was close by.  The rocks reminded me of the land. In the same way, prayer reminds us that God is with us, even in difficult times.  No matter where we are, we can pray and know that God is with us and we are His children.

Praying for enemies

Probably the most difficult text for me in the bible is Matthew 5:44 “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” One person was asked whether he prayed for his enemies.  He said that he does pray for his enemies often.  He prays that they would die!

Prayer is a spiritual weapon that we have, but it’s a peaceful weapon.  Praying for our enemies reminds us that it’s not the person who is our enemy but the evil that is in them.  Sometimes, when praying for our enemies, we become aware that the evil is within us.

Prayer reminds us of who we are and keeps us connected to God.

The weapons of the spirit are Christian truth, prayer, and the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit

Ephesians 6:17  “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:18  “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the spirit…”

God is here

Some say that our battle is difficult because Jesus isn’t here.  But Jesus is here through the Holy Spirit.  We must never forget that the Holy Spirit is with us, guiding us as we journey the Christian life.  The Holy Spirit gives us strength to make it where we ordinarily couldn’t.

Where our power come from/The spirit-filled disciples

Think about the disciples.  They are famous now, but most of them were pretty useless in the gospels.  Peter is popular for denying Jesus three times.  He sank in the water as Jesus called him. Many of them couldn’t perform the miracles that Jesus wanted them to perform.  Even after Jesus explained parables to them, they still didn’t understand.  Whenever Jesus was giving them final instructions, their questions to Him proved that they still were clueless about their mission. Overall, they failed Jesus quite often.

However, the book of Acts records that these are the men and women who spread the message of Jesus to the “ends of the earth”.  They overcame countless obstacles to complete their mission.  The same men who were constant failures in the gospels became heroes of the faith.  You and I are here this morning because of their mission.  What changed?  How did these failures become successful?  The Holy Spirit.

Relying on the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is God with us.  We can have confidence because we know that the Holy Spirit is with us.  The Holy Spirit is our teacher and comforter.  It is our guide.

Our weapons of the spirit are Christian Truth, Prayer, and the Holy Spirit. 

Conclusion

Our battle is God’s battle

These weapons are grounded in God. The truth is, this battle that we are facing in really God’s battle.  Ephesians 6:10 says “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”  Christian truth, prayer, and the Holy Spirit reminds us that God is where our strength comes from.  This is God’s battle and not ours.  While we find ourselves in the middle sometimes, this is God’s battle.  And the truth is, the battle has already been won through the sacrifice of Christ.  In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Sermon: 8.16.09

August 16, 2009 · Filed under Rehoboth UMC, Sermon helps, Sermons · Tagged , , , ,

Title: Walking Wisely

Text: Ephesians 5:15-20

Topic: As Christians, we are to walk different than others, using God given wisdom.

 

Introduction

Recap Ephesians

We are now in our sixth week looking at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.  We began by looking at what God has done for us.  We talked about how God has chosen us, Christ has redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit has sealed us.  This is what God has done for humanity.  This is what God has done for us!

Now we are looking at how we are to respond to God for what he has done.  Since God has called us out to be his church, we are called to live differently.  We are called to be changed.  We are called to walk differently than the world.  This is what God wants from us.  He hasn’t chosen us to stay entangled in darkness. He has called us into his marvelous light. 

Our passage this morning gives us another challenge:  Be careful how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.

Wisdom/Associates in Business

Whenever I was a sophomore in college I knew that I was called into the ministry.  However, I wasn’t sure where I would be called to.  Growing up, I had heard horror stories from pastors just starting out in the ministry.  Some talked about how they didn’t get paid any salary.  Some talked about how they lived off of rice and water.  Some shared how they had to rely on the church to provide them with food, sometimes causing them to call parishioners to ask for food.  I loved God and I loved His people, but this wasn’t something that I wanted to sign up for.  So I set up a meeting with my biblical studies professor (I was a Christian Ministries major) and I talked to him about the possibility of getting an Associates degree in Business while I do my main degree in theology.  I told him about the horror stories that I had heard and how I thought that it was good “common sense” to have a little security.  He thought about it for a minute, then he asked me:  “Do you feel like God is leading you to do this?”  I responded, “No, but like I said, this seems like good common sense!  I think that it will be foolish for me to try to provide for my family without some type of backup plan.”  Then he said something to me that I will never forget:  He said, quoting 1 Corinthians 1:18, “the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  He then told me, “There is nothing “common sense” about following Jesus”.    

The church and common sense

As followers of Christ, common sense choices aren’t always the correct ones.  What seems like common sense to the world may not be common sense to the church.  Ephesians 5:15 says that we should be careful how we walk, not as unwise men but as wise.”  As Christians, we make our decisions not through worldly common sense but through God given wisdom. 

So, as followers of Christ, how are we to walk wisely?  One way to walk wisely is by making the most of our time.

By making the most of our time.

Ephesians 5:15,16 says “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of our time, because the days are evil.”

“Jesus is coming soon!”

If I had a dollar for everytime I have heard the phrase “Jesus is coming soon!”, I would be a rich man.  I’ve heard it from my parents, grandparents, preachers, teachers, tele-evangelists; I’ve probably even said it myself a few times.  I think it’s a good way of looking at this life.  We have an expectation of our savior Jesus Christ coming back for us.  Even 2000 years after his ascension, His people still wait with anticipation.

Early Christians awaiting the parousia

The early church also lived their lives in anticipation.  They believe that they had very limited time here on earth.  Because of this, Paul found some to detach themselves from the world.  They thought, “If Jesus is coming back soon, why should I do anything?” 

However, Paul combated this line of thought by saying, “make the most of your time!”  “Be urgent, for the days are evil!”

Walmart on Black Friday

I don’t hunt very often, but I usually go with my dad every year on the day after thanksgiving.  We have hunting land that’s about 1 1/2 hours from our hometown so we have to leave really early, like around five.  On our way we have to drive through Albany and we pass by Wal-mart.  I don’t know how it is in Henderson NC the day after Thanksgiving, but in Albany GA, it is a madhouse.  We ride by Wal-mart at 5:30 a.m. and the parking lot is already packed.  People get up very early and wait in line for hours to get some great deals on Christmas presents.  They want to get there early because they know that the best items will sell out fast.

They understand that they need to make the most of their time.

Urgency

Paul challenges us to make the most of our time.  Time is all that we have, and as we know, it is limited.  As the shoppers on Black Friday are urgent to get into Wal-mart, we should live our lives with urgency, spending our time trying to see God’s kingdom in the world. As people of God, God gives us wisdom to see what we need to do and how we should live. 

Calendar and Checkbook

I have always heard that you can tell what’s important to someone if you look at their calendar and their checkbook.  Stop sometime and look at your schedule and ask yourself, “Am I making the most of my time?”  “Like the shoppers who rise bright and early to go shopping on Black Friday, am I showing urgency as I live as a Christian in the world?”  “Am I spending my time doing things that are important?”

Don’t be drunk with wine

v. 18 says “do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.

Now I’m not anti-alcohol.  I rarely drink it, but I think it’s ok for followers of Christ to enjoy wine on occasion.  However, Paul does challenge the Ephesians to not be drunk with wine.  What does he mean?  We’ll, I do think that this text could be taken literally; “Don’t drink too much!”  and that would be good advice.  Many problems in our world are caused by the abuse of alcohol.  However, I also think that this could also refer to a state of being.  We can be “drunk” in the church whenever we are wasting our time.  Whenever we are out of touch with God, we move through life intoxicated and useless. What an alcoholic does more than anything is waste time.  May the church not suffer from “spiritual drunkenous” and become useless.  May we use our time wisely.

One way of walking wisely is by making the most of our time.  Another way is by seeking God’s will in every situation.

By seeking God’s will in every situation

Ephesians 5:17, “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Making Christ Lord

Whenever we decide to follow Christ, we decide to make Him Lord of our life.  What we are basically saying is, “Jesus, you are now in charge.  You make the decisions and I’ll follow.

Political views (health care)

There’s a big debate going on now about health care, specifically universal health care.  Unlike some, I do believe that Christians should be very involved and active in politics.  Afterall, Jesus was very political.  However, whenever we make Jesus Lord, we seek His will in every situation. 

Finding God’s will?

Whenever we are challenged to seek God’s will, an obvious question is asked?  What is God’s will?  How do we find it?  What’s the formula?  Unfortunately there is no formula for finding out what God’s will is.  I wish I could tell you that if you prayer about an issue at 7pm for 27 minutes, then God will reveal it.  Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. 

Discerning my call to ministry

However, I have found that we can discern God’s will best as a community.  Whenever I felt a call into ministry, my first reaction was to doubt it. However, the people in my congregation talked to me about it and gave affirming words.  I spend countless hours with my pastor as he helped me discern my calling. God wants to reveal His will, but it’s important to understand that His will for your life isn’t just for you, it’s for the church.  As we seek to walk wisely, we are at our wisest in community.

We walk wisely by making the most of our time, by seeking God’s will in every situation, and by having an attitude of praise.

By having an attitude of praise.

Ephesians 5:19,20 says “speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;”

Wasting time with God

While Paul challenges us earlier in this text to make the most of our time, he also challenges us to waste time worshipping God.  There’s something unique about worshipping together with other believers.  It forms us.  It reminds us of who we are. 

Alma

In our bible study last week, we were discussing ways in which God speaks to us. I believe that Mrs. Alma gave one of the best answers when she said that she feels God through songs and music.  I think that she is onto something. 

the arts and overpaid artists

There is something about music, something about the arts, that speaks to us.  Think about it;  Whenever you think about doing something enjoyable, it usually involves the arts in someway.  Whether it be going to a movie, reading a book, going to a concert, etc.  What we do in leisure tells us a lot about ourselves and it is very clear that we are people who love the arts.  We love music, books, stories, movies.  These are what speaks to our hearts.  Have you even wondered why Jesus told so many stories?  It’s because stories speak to our hearts.  Have you even wondered why, when going through trails, David wrote songs?  It’s because it was songs that gave him encouragement. 

We love the arts.  I’ve heard it said on many occasions, “Why do musicians and actors get paid so much?”  They should give that move to people more important like doctors.  While I can understand the argument (indeed, some folks get paid entirely too much), I certainly don’t believe that doctors are more important that artists.  Just look at your spare time.  While doctors save us physically, the arts save us spiritually and emotionally.  Imagine a world with no music.  Imagine a world where we can’t express our love to God through songs or words? 

 

Being formed as God’s people during worship

Whenever we sing together, we are formed into disciples.  We are reminded that, even though the world may tell us differently, God is at work in this world. Above all, we are reminded that we are God’s children. 

We walk wisely by making the most of our time, by seeking God’s will in every situation, and by having an attitude of praise.

Conclusion

Wisdom from community

Our challenge is to walk wisely.  However, you may ask the same question that I have, “But God, I’m probably the least wisest person in the world.”  You and I may feel like that, but as followers of Christ, we are given God-given wisdom.  Our calling is to discern it, and then seek to live it.  However, there’s good news, we don’t have to discern it alone.  We have the Holy Spirit to guide us.  We also have the people sitting next to us to guide us.  The wisdom that you need for a certain situation may be known by the person sitting behind you.  We just need the courage to ask. Lord, give us eyes to see your wisdom and the courage to walk that past.  In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Health Care Debate

August 15, 2009 · Filed under politics · Tagged , , ,

Bishop Harry Jackson vs. Rev. Adam Hamilton

 

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What if we rethink church?

August 13, 2009 · Filed under Rethink church, United Methodist Church · Tagged , ,

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UMC itineracy

August 4, 2009 · Filed under United Methodist Church, theology · Tagged ,

See full size image

 

 

 

http://www.gbhem.org/site/c.lsKSL3POLvF/b.3852855/k.2207/Itineracy_in_the_United_Methodist_Church.htm

http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=3301

I consider myself a convinced United Methodist. We have our flaws, but I’m very comfortable with how we interpret our faith and how we live it out. I’m not sure that I would fit theologically with another denomination like I do with the UMC. It’s a perfect fit.

That said, I’ve spent a lot of time considering leaving the denomination and going through the ordination process in another denomination. Why? It’s simple. itineracy.

I’m not, and never will be convinced that the UMC itineracy is an effective way to deploy pastors. UMC pastors are known as “circuit riders” because of their short stay at churches. The average length of a pastorate in the UMC is around 5 years. Of course, that’s about the average for other denominations, but at least in other denominations that’s not considered the ideal.

I look at the Church of the Resurrection, Saddleback, Mars Hill, and wonder, why are these churches growing and effective? While they all have gifted leaders, I’m convinced that having consistency in the pastoral office is a big factor.

Some arguments are made in the first article about the benefits of itineracy which I consider weak. Long pastorates aren’t effective because it’s hard to replace a pastor after serving a church for a while? Ummm? So we do away with all of the effective ministry for a long term pastor and settle, only because they are hard to replace. That’s like saying that, even though Coach K is winning championships, we should not renew his contract because it will make it that much harder to replace him.

Now I understand that there are some benefits from short-term pastorates, but they are very minimal compared to lengthy pastorates.

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Sermon for 8.2.09

August 3, 2009 · Filed under Rehoboth UMC, Sermons · Tagged , , ,

Title: Ways to Walk

Text: Ephesians 4:1-16

Topic: We, as children of God, are called to walk worthy of our calling.

 

Introduction

Whenever Jade and I first got here, we were entertained by a group of birds.  Right outside of the side door, under the carport, was a nest full of baby birds.  It was very interesting, watching these birds.  We watched as the mother would bring back food for her babies.  We watched as she fed them, their mouths wide open, waiting for Mama to feed them.  When we went outside, we walked cautiously to avoid being attached by the protective mother. 

Sadly, the birds are now gone.  They were fun to watch, but eventually, they fly away.  They rely on their mother to provide for them and protect them, but eventually they know that they must get out on their own.

Eventually, we must learn to walk.  Of course, we don’t walk on our own anymore than a bird must fly on her own.  A bird flies with others.  However, the bird must learn to take the risk, spread her wings, and fly the nest.

God chose us.  Christ redeemed us. The Holy Spirit sealed us.  Now we must walk.  However, we aren’t to just walk any way we want.  We are to walk as children of God. Paul tells the Ephesians that they are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling that they have received.  Again, they were chosen, redeemed, sealed, and united.  Now they must walk accordingly.  Now we must walk like God’s people.

One way that we are to walk is by maintaining unity within the church.

By maintaining unity within the church.

Ephesians 4:3-6 says “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

One.  One.  One.

Coach K and the Olympics

In 2004, something happened that had not happened since 1988. The US men’s basketball team didn’t win the gold medal.  They were unquestionably the most talented team in the Olympics.  They had players like Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, and LeBron James.  As talented as the team was, they left with only the Bronze medal.  They were incredibly talented, maybe the most talented team in history, but they didn’t work together as a team.

So, in 2008 they had a challenge:  They had to find a coach who could make them work as a team.  Eventually, they ended up with Mike  Krzyzewski.  Coach K had a challenge.  He had to make these great athletes somehow play together and somehow try to avoid the spotlight so that they could work as a team.  Well, under Coach K’s leadership, they won the gold medal again.  They learned how to unite and play together.  Even though they played on different teams in the NBA, even though some didn’t like each other, they understood what was at stake. Because of his great leadership, they have signed him again to lead the 2012 Olympic team.

Principle part: Unity

The principle part of the body of Christ is unity.  We can be terrific at everything, but if we aren’t united, we cannot accomplish our mission.  As talented as the 2004 men’s team was, it didn’t get the gold because they didn’t become one.

How are we to stay united?

So the question become, how are Christians, especially a group of very different people, to stay united?

One way Paul describes is through humility and gentleness.  You would be surprised at how you can avoid unnecessary conflict through humility.  By being humble, you are telling someone that you are willing to listen to them, even if you may disagree.

Adam Hamilton and the Muslim

Adam Hamilton, pastor of Church of the Resurrection in Kansas, tells of a time that he had a relationship with a Muslim.  He was really good friends with the Muslim, and one day the Muslim asked him, “Adam, I know why you are my friend.  You are my friend because you want to convert me to your religion.  However, I don’t feel like you have an agenda when you talk to me.”   Whenever Adam talked about faith with the Muslim, he wasn’t pushy or arrogant.  He allowed the Muslim to share about her faith and was open-minded.

If we want to keep unity, we must be willing to listen to others.  And not just listen, but we must also consider others.  Adam Hamilton understood that if he wanted the Muslim to consider his faith, he must first consider hers.   

Imagine the Jews and Gentiles.  Whenever they came together, they had a lot to consider.  They had a lot of differences. They needed to be humble because that’s the only way that they could have kept the unity. 

Patience and tolerance

Other ways for Christian community is through patience and tolerance.  Did you know that whenever non-Christians talk about their views of the church, they usually use words like intolerant.  They usually say things like, “If you disagree with them, they don’t want anything to do with you.  They won’t listen to you.  It’s either their way or no way.”  You might say, “Well, we are right.  Why should we listen to others?”  What do you have to lose?  I think that sometimes we are scared to be open about our faith and question it because we are scared of what we may find out. If Christ is true, and I believe that he is, we should be willing to discuss questions that arise.

Be diligent to preserve unity

Be humble, gentle, patient, tolerant, and also be diligent to preserve the unity.  Be diligent!  This means, “Do whatever is necessary to keep the peace.”

The Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church is currently in a flux.  They are really having a hard time agreeing on certain issues, especially the homosexual one.  Many predict that it’s only a matter of time before The Episcopal Church splits.  Now I believe that certain issues need to be talked about and discussed, but at what cost?  Is this issue important enough to split one of our largest denominations over?  Paul told the Ephesians, “Do whatever is necessary to keep the peace.” 

Christ’s way towards unity is different from the ways in history.  If you disagreed with certain dictators in history, you were usually tortured if not killed. Christ has called us to be gentle, striving above all to keep peace and unity. 

We are to walk by maintaining unity in the church.  We are also to walk by recognizing and celebrating diversity.

By recognizing and celebrating diversity.

Ephesians 4:7,11-12 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift….He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;”

Like most kids, when I was a child, my favorite time of the year was Christmas.  My grandmother passed away in 2001, but before then my entire family would go to her house for Christmas.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  We would eat together, laugh, and then eventually get around to the most important part: opening presents! My cousin Darin and I would sit side by side and open gifts.  Every year we would usually get the same thing from each person.  Our Aunt Cynthia would get us a game.  Uncle Jack would give us $20.   Grandmother would get us a shirt and money.  Every year was memorable, but one year stands out.  One year, Darin received one present more than I did. I noticed that Darin had this cool toy that I didn’t have and I was curious where mine was. So I went over to the tree and looked thinking, “There has to be one more under there for me.”  Well, there wasn’t.  Even though I had about fifteen toys in front of me to play with, I wasn’t in the mood.  I had been left out.  Well, my aunt eventually realized what she did and took me to Wal-mart to pick out something. I wasn’t happy with my  gift.

God’s gift to us

Do you even feel like God shorted you?  Do you even look into the mirror and then look at others more talented than you and wonder, “God, did you make a mistake with me?”

Baseball and I

I don’t know if you know this or not, but I was supposed to be a pro baseball player.  Before I reached middle school I had already promised to by my mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and friends all a new house.  Why? Because I was going to be in the MLB making millions.  I had the drive.  I had the desire.  The only problem was I didn’t have the ability or the size.  Some people do, but I didn’t.

God gave us all gifts

God gave us all gifts.  We are all gifted in some way whether you believe it or not.  Ephesians 4:11 says that he gifted some as apostles, some prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers.  This is just a small list.  Read Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12 and see other gifts listed like wisdom, faith, healing, etc.  God gives us all a gift, but some gifts we don’t have.

God doesn’t give us these gifts to please us as if he is Santa Claus.  God gives us these gifts for the building up of the church and for equipping the saints.  You might act like I did and say, “I didn’t get the gift I want!”  God will respond, “the gift that I gave you wasn’t for you.”  It was for the church.

However, eventually, you will have a passion for your gift.  Whenever I first felt some type of calling into ministry, I didn’t like it at all. Sometimes I still wonder, “What on earth am I doing?”  However, maybe the best news of all is that God gives you a passion for it.  If I had to choose between pro baseball and pastoral ministry, I would choose pastoral ministry everytime.

Diversity in the church

God created a very diverse church.  Our church is full of many different people.  Now imagine if everyone was the same.  Imagine if everyone wanted to be a singer.  Church service would never end! God called us and gave us specific tasks.

We are to walk by maintaining unity, celebrating diversity, and by continuing in the process of spiritual maturity.

 

 

By continuing in the process of spiritual maturity

Ephesians 4:14,15 “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ…”

Dallas Willard

Dallas Willard, a Christian philosophy professor once said, “the greatest need you and I have-the greatest need of collective humanity-is renovation of our heart.  Indeed, the only hope of humanity lies in the fact that, as our spiritual dimension has been formed, so it also can be transformed.”

Other religions agree

I don’t think there’s any disagreement on that fact that we need to change.  We may disagree with people of other faith traditions, but we all hold one things in common: we need to change.

Christ, our measuring stick

As Christians, our measuring stick is pretty high.  It is Christ. 

The church

I have spoken with people who have said to me, “I’m a Christian, but I don’t go to church.  Why do I need church?”  That’s a fair question.  The truth is, you can watch church on tv 24/7. Why do you need to go?  Above all, we go to be a part of a colony of believers.  We go to grow.  How else are we to grow?  We grow by being with other believers who set examples for us.

Walking Ellie

If you drive by the parsonage, you may see something that you have never seen:  People walking a cat.  You see, Ellie has never been an outside cat, so we can’t let her walk around outside by herself.  Like Ellie needs a guide, we need a guide, for walking, the church.

Ordination

One day, I’ll go before my bishop for ordination.  He will ask me a series of questions in which I am to respond, “I will.”  Then he will ask two very difficult questions.  He will ask:

“Are you going on to perfection?” and “Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?”

Of course, I won’t even be perfect in this life, but the call is to strive to be.  That’ the calling for all who profess Christ as Lord.

We are to walk, maintaining unity, celebrating diversity, and continuing in the process of spiritual maturity.

Conclusion

Baby Steps

Paul challenges us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling.  However, it takes time to get it just right.  It can be scary, walking for the first time.  Just like a baby learns to walk, we will fall.  But just know that we are called to be a part of a grace filled community.  We are surrounded by people who are here for us, helping us as we learn to stay on our feet.  We just have to be willing to get up when we fall. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen

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Adam Hamilton: Three essential characteristics of a good sermon.

August 1, 2009 · Filed under Sermon helps, Sermons · Tagged , , , ,

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