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Our Children Are Watching

April 30, 2012 in role models, sacrifice, self-discipline, sermon notes with 2 Comments

This morning, at the Heart of Mesa, we prayed over a mom and her baby boy. A brand-new believer, this mom desperately wants to bring up her son God’s way.

Tears streamed down her face as we prayed. I hope she understands that she’s not alone. Her church family is there to stand beside her, to hold her up, and to love her.

It’s not just her responsibility to point her boy to Jesus. It’s ours, too.

And that’s just what Pastor Gary preached about today.

Our children are watching us. New Believers are watching us. Non-Believers are watching us.  We are all leaders. What kind will you be?

These days, there’s a lot of compromise in the church. In the name of being “progressive”, churches are pretending that black and white issues are gray.

But God’s Word is clear. God expects Christians to be like Christ.

Hold on to what is good,  reject every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace,sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, souland body be kept blamelessat the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.The one who callsyou is faithful,and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:21-24 NIV

Blameless.

Wow…that seems a little excessive, doesn’t it? I mean, we’re only human. Is it even possible to live a life worthy of such an adjective?

It is, and it’s what God expects from us. But we aren’t the ones to do it. “The One who calls [us to be blameless] is faithful, and He will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

“Join together in following my example,brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.” (Philippians 3:17 NIV)

Follow my example. 

Eek! I don’t think I’ve ever said that to anyone. What about you?  That’s a lot of pressure, right? Am I really prepared to live my life, 24/7, God’s way? Am I willing to do the right thing even when I don’t really want to?

Well, it’s what God expects of me and of every mature Believer.

In Titus 2, both men and women are challenged to be self-controlled and pure, doing everything that’s good. (Titus 2:5, 7)

Jesus gets pretty blunt about it in the Gospel of Matthew. “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6 NIV)

We will be held accountable for the way we influence others.

We have spiritual babes in our midst who need spiritual heroes. They need believers who really live out their faith. They need to know what’s true and what’s a lie. They need His light, for they are all too familiar with the darkness. They need to see that having Christ actually makes a difference in our lives.

For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears,many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach,and their glory is in their shame.Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:17-20 NIV

Why is it that many…maybe even most…Christians are not living blameless, godly lives?  Lives that younger believers can emulate?

Our god is our appetite. We want to do what we want to do when we want to do it.  But when we choose to live according to our personal preferences, we are “enemies of the cross of Christ.”

Their glory is their shame. In the world of today, things that were once shameful and done in secret are now flaunted and even celebrated.

We are all sinners, but Christians have been set free from sin. We are free to live for Christ, the One who paid our ransom. (Romans 6:18,22)  We are free to be holy because He is holy. (1 Peter 1:16)

We are no longer free to do what we want to do when we want to do it.

Every morning, when our eyes open to the light of a new day, our prayer should be, “Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—then guide me on the road to eternal life.” (Psalm 139:22-24 MSG)

If He reveals sin, we must forsake it, even if we don’t want to.

The young ones are watching. What kind of leader will you be?

Lord, please forgive me for the times I’ve put my own selfish desires over being obedient to You. Oh, Lord, I’m sorry. Help me to let You be the boss of me. Show me how to live so that I can please You and be a godly example to my sons and every other young one You place in my life.

In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN

A Scrapbook of Faces

March 26, 2012 in prayergifts, sermon notes with 2 Comments

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.”    ―Oswald Chambers

Today, at the Heart of Mesa, we spent time performing that greater work on behalf of our sister and friend, Anita Cassey.

To know her is to love her

 

Anita has cancer. The news was sudden. What she thought was a painful pinched nerve turned out to be pancreatic cancer. Tomorrow, she will have a biopsy to see if the cancer is also in her liver.

We’re all shocked over this, but God isn’t. He has a purpose for this painful circumstance. While we don’t understand it now, we will one day.

In the meantime, we pray.

And pray is what we did this morning. The whole congregation grasped hands creating a living, breathing chain of unity.

We prayed thanks for the blessing of Anita…a woman who loves everyone with Christ’s love.

We prayed strength for Anita and her family as they walk this painful road.

We prayed wisdom for the doctors as they come up with a plan of action.

We prayed God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Would you be willing to join us in prayer for our dear sister friend? If so, leave a comment on this post. If you’re on Face Book, you can join the special group for the purpose of encouragement and prayer for Anita. We are all part of the Body of Christ, right! I think Anita is part of His heart.

After pouring out prayers for Anita, Pastor Gary preached on the benefits of praying for…of all things….strangers.

For a few years, our church has had business cards available we could hand out to folks we encounter throughout the day: cashiers, restaurant staff, folks we meet in line, etc.

Front

 

Back

 

Pastor Gary gives these cards away daily, and he records the names of the people he gives them to in his prayer journal.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV)

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)

Prayer is one of the best ways to demonstrate love to others.

John Calvin said, “Our prayer must not be self-centered. It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden we must lay upon God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own. To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which  we can express our love for them. ”

Now, I can imagine the concept of feeling the need of our friends and loved ones as acutely as my own, but is it possible to feel that way toward strangers?

Pastor Gary says it is, and so does a woman named River Jordan. (Don’t you just love that name?)

A few years ago, River Jordan found herself the mom of two deployed sons. The worry threatened to crush her until she heard God’s voice whisper careful instructions. Daily, I will point out a stranger for whom I want you to pray. After you pray, go to that stranger and let him or her know you prayed. See what happens.

River Jordan recorded her experience in her book, Praying for Strangers: An Adventure of the Human Spirit.

As the Lord opened her eyes to the people around her, her anxiety and worry settled down. She became able to love her precious boys without obsessing over them.

To me, the idea of praying for strangers is a way to fulfill the Lord’s instruction to “pray continually.”

It opens our eyes to see that fast food cashier as more than the girl who took our $6.23. She’s someone who needs to know how much Christ loves her.

That waiter at Chili’s is more than the guy who keeps our tea glasses full. He’s a man who needs to see his worth through God’s eyes.

That woman in line behind us in the grocery store is more than just the mother of a squawking infant. She’s a mother who needs the wisdom our Heavenly Father can give.

Pastor Gary shared stories of the strangers he encountered over the last two weeks. Faces now etched in the scrapbook of his heart. Names he lifts up to God daily.

Most of them, he learned their names and recorded them in his prayer journal. All people long to be known. All people long to matter. All people long to be remembered.

What if Gary’s the only person praying for that restaurant server? For that Subway sandwich artist? For that single mom he met in line at Wal-Mart?

When we pray for strangers, we turn simple encounters into eternal connections.

Are you willing to open up your heart to the idea of eternal connections?

Lord, open my eyes to see the folks I often ignore. Point out the ones for whom You want me to pray and to love. Etch those faces into my heart’s scrapbook so I can care for their needs as much as my own. All for Your pleasure and Your glory, AMEN

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