I have always been interested in seeing God heal people because I have heard the stories, but have only seen a few, including one guy with a broken leg be completely healed to the point where he took of his cast and jumped up and down on it for 10 minutes without any pain. Why don’t I see them more often? Should the sight of healing be normal every-day life? When I pray for healing, how come I don’t always see it happen?
Last night, Dan Lance (a pastor from a local church) was speaking about Jesus’ every day life of seeing people healed and commanding demons to come out of people and announcing the coming of the Kingdom of God (Luke 4). This is amazing, because in Luke 9 and 10, Jesus sends out disciples with power and authority to heal the sick, to drive out demons, and to proclaim the Kingdom. This means us. You. Me. We have the power and authority to do these things.
Dan talked about how Jesus is the spokesperson for heaven who is here on earth that is seeing things that do not belong in God’s Kingdom (sickness, pain, suffering, demons, etc.) and rebukes them to leave. God has given us the Holy Spirit and the power and authority to do the same things. Jesus himself said those who have faith in Him would do the same things as He, but also that we would see greater things happen (John 14:12). However, in order to see these greater things, I need to be praying for the sick. Laying my hands on them. Being faithful in small things the Holy Spirit prompts me to do. Stepping out in faith. Walking in power and authority. Then I will see people healed.
It is God’s heart for all people to be healed, restored, regenerated, renewed. This is where the impossible comes in. During the response and worship time, Nate called out those who were desiring the see the impossible happen. Those who wanted to ask God for faith to believe Him for the impossible. That’s me. I am going to be working with kids who have PTSD, ADHD, mental retardation, anger, depression, anxiety, among many other things. I am believing God for the impossible for these kids. These kids are not the only place I want to see the impossible happen. I want to see it happen in myself, my roommates, my family, my friends, my apartment complex, my city, my state, my nation, and this world.
I feel God is giving me a new passion for His Kingdom.
Lord, may Your Kingdom come here upon the earth as in Heaven. May You give me faith to believe You for the impossible. May I be faithful in the small things so that I may be trusted with more. You are so loving and gracious. I can’t believe I get to be a part of this! Amen.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Stand Up
So I had been struggling lately. Most people probably wouldn't know it because I don't seem any different. I have been searching for some sort of joy lately. Something had been missing. I was comparing myself to others who are always so joyful. My mom told me a few months ago, "James, you sure don't smile as much as you used to." Maybe that was because I was ruined by the shame and sin in my life and I hated who I was.
As many people know, I recently got a job with Victor Youth Services as a Residential Counselor in a group home. I had a job-shadow shift last Wednesday and I was sick, tired, and joyless. I couldn't muster much of a smile on my face. I met with the house's supervisor, and I think that through him, God woke me up. Phil, the supervisor, confronted me about how the day went, saying that I needed to look at myself and find some way to improve. He noticed that I couldn't smile, that I was having a hard time. It was tough to sit through, and it intimidated me. I now realize that God was speaking to me through him. Begging me to run to Him for help.
Over and over lately, I've been hearing this message that God loves me. His Love is here. His Love is now. It took me till yesterday to press into God about this situation and how ruined I had felt for a while. I had been trying to be faithful in my relationship with God, but I wasn't listening to what God wanted for me. So yesterday, as I was sitting there in fear of my next job-shadow later that day at the same house, I was crying out to God. I was asking him for help. Asking Him to release joy on my life. His perfect love casts out all fears. I ended up laying down, my face buried in the carpet of my apartment living room, with my palms upwards as if to receive something. My heart was positioned toward Him. "Stand Up!" I questioned this word in my heart, and then did just that as I realized God was telling me to stand up. As I stood up, I waited for God to tell me something else. But that was all I needed to hear apparently as I stood there awkwardly in the middle of the room silent. God loves me. As I was laying there in desperation, embarrassed and ashamed, God took pride in his child and told me to stand up. He gave me dignity and showed me He was listening with those simple words.
A few minutes later, as I was thinking about the word Joy, God directed me to John 15. His Word is alive and new each day. Jesus loves me as much as the Father loves Him. He loves me. He told me this so that His JOY would be in me, and so that it would be COMPLETE! Suddenly, the realization was now more focused on God's love for me. Boy does he love me. That brings joy to my heart. Fear is gone. My face lit up. I know this isn't going to be a short process, but God loves me and is continually shaping me into the man I am to be. He is calling me to stand up and accept His love and joy. His joy is my strength. He is my light. I am standing up as His Child, as His son, as His beloved. His joy is in me, and is being made complete.
As many people know, I recently got a job with Victor Youth Services as a Residential Counselor in a group home. I had a job-shadow shift last Wednesday and I was sick, tired, and joyless. I couldn't muster much of a smile on my face. I met with the house's supervisor, and I think that through him, God woke me up. Phil, the supervisor, confronted me about how the day went, saying that I needed to look at myself and find some way to improve. He noticed that I couldn't smile, that I was having a hard time. It was tough to sit through, and it intimidated me. I now realize that God was speaking to me through him. Begging me to run to Him for help.
Over and over lately, I've been hearing this message that God loves me. His Love is here. His Love is now. It took me till yesterday to press into God about this situation and how ruined I had felt for a while. I had been trying to be faithful in my relationship with God, but I wasn't listening to what God wanted for me. So yesterday, as I was sitting there in fear of my next job-shadow later that day at the same house, I was crying out to God. I was asking him for help. Asking Him to release joy on my life. His perfect love casts out all fears. I ended up laying down, my face buried in the carpet of my apartment living room, with my palms upwards as if to receive something. My heart was positioned toward Him. "Stand Up!" I questioned this word in my heart, and then did just that as I realized God was telling me to stand up. As I stood up, I waited for God to tell me something else. But that was all I needed to hear apparently as I stood there awkwardly in the middle of the room silent. God loves me. As I was laying there in desperation, embarrassed and ashamed, God took pride in his child and told me to stand up. He gave me dignity and showed me He was listening with those simple words.
A few minutes later, as I was thinking about the word Joy, God directed me to John 15. His Word is alive and new each day. Jesus loves me as much as the Father loves Him. He loves me. He told me this so that His JOY would be in me, and so that it would be COMPLETE! Suddenly, the realization was now more focused on God's love for me. Boy does he love me. That brings joy to my heart. Fear is gone. My face lit up. I know this isn't going to be a short process, but God loves me and is continually shaping me into the man I am to be. He is calling me to stand up and accept His love and joy. His joy is my strength. He is my light. I am standing up as His Child, as His son, as His beloved. His joy is in me, and is being made complete.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Graduated Life... One of Many to Come.
It has been so encouraging and reassuring to see God’s provision for myself and my roommates so far. We have been living on our own, after graduating college for nearly 3 weeks now, and I have seen God providing for us almost daily. Matthew has been blessed with two jobs at Sears and Pac Sun, Blong has been growing a ton as he has been preparing to send out the missions teams, John has been blessed with an amazing job working with mentally handicapped adults, we have been given tons of free stuff to make living more comfortable (couches, mattresses, dishes, utensils, food, etc.), and I have been blessed with an opportunity to work with abused and potentially assaultive teens in a group home setting as a counselor. I basically have the job, I just have to pass a few things, which I’m not to worried about, and then I start training. With all of these kinds of things happening, it is hard to look at our lives without noticing how God has had his hand over our lives the past 3 weeks. For instance, we found an apartment complex with one two-bedroom apartment open, and we applied for it and made a down payment and moved in, all within one week. That is INSANE!
I also had the chance to lead worship at The Well this week, playing worship music with a bunch of people I almost never play with. It is just amazing to me how God has made people so talented that we can gather together, some of us having never met, and glorify God together so creatively and passionately. It is hard to say that there is no God when we can come together like that and lead people in worship of their Creator with so little effort.
It was also great to hear the message from David Nishizaki today. I grew up looking up to David as he was a leader in our youth ministry, but not really knowing him. Now that he and I are both up in Redding, I have had the privilege to lead worship with him a few times. He did a great job of preaching today as he brought some new insight into the story of the Prodigal/Lost Son. He was basically saying that we have mis-named the character in the story that was really Prodigal. Prodigal means to be wreckless, extravagant, even wasteful. He did agree that the younger son was exactly that, but even more, the Father was more Prodigal than his son. He said that the Father’s actions seemed almost inappropriate because of the way his son had treated him. The son basically told the Father that he wished he were dead when he asked for his share of the inheritance, yet the Father gave it to him anyways. The Father then runs towards his son (when a rich or highly esteemed Jewish man was running, he was losing his dignity) awkwardly (he’s running in sandals and a robe) and throws himself upon his son and forgives him, and then lavishes gifts upon him and celebrates his return. This son did not deserve this and wished only to work as a servant. The Father even goes so far as to offer the same party to the older brother who is jealous and spites his younger brother’s return. David said that these actions seem inappropriate to him, and they do to me as well. What Father in their right mind would forgive their son of wishing death upon him, taking his money and spoiling it on evil things, by lavishing gifts upon him and celebrating his return? It seems totally inappropriate. However, the only reason why it seems inappropriate is because we have experienced imperfect love from imperfect examples of a father. To us, the Father’s actions seem inappropriate, but they are driven, in fact, by true love. It is only the perfect and true love that drives the Father to do these prodigal acts. Instead of spending his money, he spends himself and his dignity to love his sons.
Our Father in heaven is exactly like this. When we fall into sin and come back to him, he forgives us and lavishly pours out his love on us. He offers us gifts of love and of grace and of righteousness, even when we spit in his face. This is such a great love that is almost inexplainable and hard to understand. We can turn our backs on God a million times, and he will still be there, waiting for us to run back into his arms. It is hard to grapple with how much grace and forgiveness God has for us, or even why he loves us so much. The thing is, most of the time, we try to earn this love from him. Our reaction is like the lost son. We want to serve him and DO things to try to earn this love, but God doesn’t care about those things. He would love us even if we didn’t do those things. This is the grace that He has for us. That we can accept His free gift of love, and love Him back. We do not love in order to be loved, but because He has already loved us, and given His life for us. It is through this abiding in love that the life of Christ flows and fruit is abundant. Life is fully lived the way that it was supposed to: free from the power of sin and enslavement, and in the power of love and grace, glorifying God.
This is the life that I desire. I desire that the love that I have received from God would flow out of me and I would be able to see fruit. That I would walk in love and power. That I would walk not under the law, but under grace, free from the power of sin. That through me, many people would experience the life that Christ has called them to and that they would experience it abundantly. That I would be an example of Christ to all that I encounter. That Christ’s love would flow through me. Sometimes, this life seems so far off, but I know that God has me in His hands and that He is still shaping me and molding me into the man He wants me to be.
Isn’t it great to know that you are a beloved son/daughter of the King, and He has you and your whole world in His hands?
I also had the chance to lead worship at The Well this week, playing worship music with a bunch of people I almost never play with. It is just amazing to me how God has made people so talented that we can gather together, some of us having never met, and glorify God together so creatively and passionately. It is hard to say that there is no God when we can come together like that and lead people in worship of their Creator with so little effort.
It was also great to hear the message from David Nishizaki today. I grew up looking up to David as he was a leader in our youth ministry, but not really knowing him. Now that he and I are both up in Redding, I have had the privilege to lead worship with him a few times. He did a great job of preaching today as he brought some new insight into the story of the Prodigal/Lost Son. He was basically saying that we have mis-named the character in the story that was really Prodigal. Prodigal means to be wreckless, extravagant, even wasteful. He did agree that the younger son was exactly that, but even more, the Father was more Prodigal than his son. He said that the Father’s actions seemed almost inappropriate because of the way his son had treated him. The son basically told the Father that he wished he were dead when he asked for his share of the inheritance, yet the Father gave it to him anyways. The Father then runs towards his son (when a rich or highly esteemed Jewish man was running, he was losing his dignity) awkwardly (he’s running in sandals and a robe) and throws himself upon his son and forgives him, and then lavishes gifts upon him and celebrates his return. This son did not deserve this and wished only to work as a servant. The Father even goes so far as to offer the same party to the older brother who is jealous and spites his younger brother’s return. David said that these actions seem inappropriate to him, and they do to me as well. What Father in their right mind would forgive their son of wishing death upon him, taking his money and spoiling it on evil things, by lavishing gifts upon him and celebrating his return? It seems totally inappropriate. However, the only reason why it seems inappropriate is because we have experienced imperfect love from imperfect examples of a father. To us, the Father’s actions seem inappropriate, but they are driven, in fact, by true love. It is only the perfect and true love that drives the Father to do these prodigal acts. Instead of spending his money, he spends himself and his dignity to love his sons.
Our Father in heaven is exactly like this. When we fall into sin and come back to him, he forgives us and lavishly pours out his love on us. He offers us gifts of love and of grace and of righteousness, even when we spit in his face. This is such a great love that is almost inexplainable and hard to understand. We can turn our backs on God a million times, and he will still be there, waiting for us to run back into his arms. It is hard to grapple with how much grace and forgiveness God has for us, or even why he loves us so much. The thing is, most of the time, we try to earn this love from him. Our reaction is like the lost son. We want to serve him and DO things to try to earn this love, but God doesn’t care about those things. He would love us even if we didn’t do those things. This is the grace that He has for us. That we can accept His free gift of love, and love Him back. We do not love in order to be loved, but because He has already loved us, and given His life for us. It is through this abiding in love that the life of Christ flows and fruit is abundant. Life is fully lived the way that it was supposed to: free from the power of sin and enslavement, and in the power of love and grace, glorifying God.
This is the life that I desire. I desire that the love that I have received from God would flow out of me and I would be able to see fruit. That I would walk in love and power. That I would walk not under the law, but under grace, free from the power of sin. That through me, many people would experience the life that Christ has called them to and that they would experience it abundantly. That I would be an example of Christ to all that I encounter. That Christ’s love would flow through me. Sometimes, this life seems so far off, but I know that God has me in His hands and that He is still shaping me and molding me into the man He wants me to be.
Isn’t it great to know that you are a beloved son/daughter of the King, and He has you and your whole world in His hands?
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Taming the Terrible Tongue Part 1 of 4
Lately when I’ve been reading the Bible, some things have been jumping out at me about the way I am so quick to talk sometimes. This will be a short little series about taming the tongue walking through James 3:1-12 one step at a time, and then looking at parts of Ephesians 4 and 5. The first passage is James 3:1-2 which says, “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment; for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.”
This letter was written by the Apostle James to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion to encourage them and instruct them. I find it interesting that James starts instructing everyone about controlling their tongue by telling them that only few should become teachers and that they will receive a stricter judgment than everyone else, even though we all stumble in many ways. This is so crucial because when someone has the ability to teach, whatever they say, people will end up believing. The temptation for teachers is to teach things that they have made up or something contrary to Scripture and create their own following, as well as to slander others or speak badly of them.
James then writes about stumbling by using our tongue. He writes that if someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who can control his whole body. I feel that inherently, if someone stumbles by using their tongue, then the whole body is un-able to be controlled, and thus, causes the whole body to stumble (we will see this idea again in the next blog).
I find it funny that God has given us a tongue to use in teaching, yet it is something that can be so evil and affect the ability to control our whole body. Therefore we must control our tongue in order to control our whole body. In James’ day, just about anyone could decide to become a teacher, thus, James warns them that only a few should teach because of the measuring stick that they will be judged by. Since teaching is such a crucial role in the church, those who teach must tame their tongue so that their whole body will be controlled in order to pass judgment.
With that, I know that I will some day (probably sooner than I think) be in a position where I am teaching often and will be teaching God’s truth to youth. With this position will come much responsibility in using Scripture and modeling a sanctified life to students that I will be shaping. I know that right now I often stumble in what I say and things that I joke about. This begins my quest in Taming the Terrible Tongue, of which I hope you can maybe glean something from for your own life.
Lord, I pray that as I move closer to what You have for me that I would take more seriously the responsibility You have placed upon me. I pray that by Your Spirit I would be able to control my tongue so that I do not stumble and fall short. I pray that as this happens, I would continue to grow closer to You and what You have for me. I love You so much and thank You for Your sacrifice for me. I pray this in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.
This letter was written by the Apostle James to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion to encourage them and instruct them. I find it interesting that James starts instructing everyone about controlling their tongue by telling them that only few should become teachers and that they will receive a stricter judgment than everyone else, even though we all stumble in many ways. This is so crucial because when someone has the ability to teach, whatever they say, people will end up believing. The temptation for teachers is to teach things that they have made up or something contrary to Scripture and create their own following, as well as to slander others or speak badly of them.
James then writes about stumbling by using our tongue. He writes that if someone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who can control his whole body. I feel that inherently, if someone stumbles by using their tongue, then the whole body is un-able to be controlled, and thus, causes the whole body to stumble (we will see this idea again in the next blog).
I find it funny that God has given us a tongue to use in teaching, yet it is something that can be so evil and affect the ability to control our whole body. Therefore we must control our tongue in order to control our whole body. In James’ day, just about anyone could decide to become a teacher, thus, James warns them that only a few should teach because of the measuring stick that they will be judged by. Since teaching is such a crucial role in the church, those who teach must tame their tongue so that their whole body will be controlled in order to pass judgment.
With that, I know that I will some day (probably sooner than I think) be in a position where I am teaching often and will be teaching God’s truth to youth. With this position will come much responsibility in using Scripture and modeling a sanctified life to students that I will be shaping. I know that right now I often stumble in what I say and things that I joke about. This begins my quest in Taming the Terrible Tongue, of which I hope you can maybe glean something from for your own life.
Lord, I pray that as I move closer to what You have for me that I would take more seriously the responsibility You have placed upon me. I pray that by Your Spirit I would be able to control my tongue so that I do not stumble and fall short. I pray that as this happens, I would continue to grow closer to You and what You have for me. I love You so much and thank You for Your sacrifice for me. I pray this in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.
Friday, August 28, 2009
My Constant Encouragers this Summer
"I just wanted to thank you one last time for all that you've done this summer for me. It's been awesome and you've done great... and I know that you'll be great wherever you are."
So as many of you know, I've been interning at my church at home this summer. It's been really awesome. I had some ups where I loved coming in every morning to my internship, and I had some downs where I did not want to be there, thought I wouldn't show it, and I wasn't sure if anyone could pick up on that fact. A couple of things throughout were constant encouragements to me.
The first thing, was a growing relationship with Christ. Before my internship, I would not say that I was in a daily devotion to the One that I wanted to serve with the rest of my life. On the first day of my internship, Dewbe challenged and encouraged me to start off with that; to make sure my day started off reading scripture and praying. I took it to heart, and it has never been more satisfying. God spoke to me many times through these times where I was meditating on His word and conversing with Him. God kept revealing Himself to me in many ways, and I had the chance to communicate some of these things to students a few times. These times encouraged me, gave me peace, refreshed me just when I needed it.
The second constant was the praise and encouragement I received from my friend and mentor, Dewbe. I don't think he realizes the impact the words he has spoken to me this summer has impacted me, and changed me. Constant words of encouragement and praises to others about me filled his speech, even to people I barely know. Dewbe probably doesn't know it, but each time he said something, it lifted me, it encouraged me, it blessed me. He constantly told me that he believes that I am going to be a great youth pastor, and that I am pretty much ready. I remember each one as if it had just came off of his lips so nonchallantly. These words were so impactful because I tend to get discouraged easily and believe lies that creep into my head that tell me I'm not meant to be a youth pastor. I experienced how much God loves me and how he made me exactly for this through Dewbe this summer. The confirmation in my mind has been overwhelming from him. Don't get me wrong, I know I will fail at some things, and succeed at others, but it is all part of the learning and growing process.
In conclusion, I've had two constant encouragers in my time here in Brentwood this summer, one who was doing his best to become more like the other. These constant encouragers were Christ, and Dewbe. I love both of them dearly. Because of them, I now know the importance of encouragement in the life of the believer.
Lord, I thank you for constantly lifting me up this summer and blessing me. I thank you so much for Dewbe and his constant encouragement. I pray that you continue to bless him and the ministry he partakes in here in Brentwood. I pray that you would continue to give him a heart to encourage others and see them succeed. I pray that you would continue to pour out your Spirit on Dewbe and his family so that they may continue to love You by loving others. Protect them and bless them. I pray these things in the name of your Son: Jesus Christ. Amen.
So as many of you know, I've been interning at my church at home this summer. It's been really awesome. I had some ups where I loved coming in every morning to my internship, and I had some downs where I did not want to be there, thought I wouldn't show it, and I wasn't sure if anyone could pick up on that fact. A couple of things throughout were constant encouragements to me.
The first thing, was a growing relationship with Christ. Before my internship, I would not say that I was in a daily devotion to the One that I wanted to serve with the rest of my life. On the first day of my internship, Dewbe challenged and encouraged me to start off with that; to make sure my day started off reading scripture and praying. I took it to heart, and it has never been more satisfying. God spoke to me many times through these times where I was meditating on His word and conversing with Him. God kept revealing Himself to me in many ways, and I had the chance to communicate some of these things to students a few times. These times encouraged me, gave me peace, refreshed me just when I needed it.
The second constant was the praise and encouragement I received from my friend and mentor, Dewbe. I don't think he realizes the impact the words he has spoken to me this summer has impacted me, and changed me. Constant words of encouragement and praises to others about me filled his speech, even to people I barely know. Dewbe probably doesn't know it, but each time he said something, it lifted me, it encouraged me, it blessed me. He constantly told me that he believes that I am going to be a great youth pastor, and that I am pretty much ready. I remember each one as if it had just came off of his lips so nonchallantly. These words were so impactful because I tend to get discouraged easily and believe lies that creep into my head that tell me I'm not meant to be a youth pastor. I experienced how much God loves me and how he made me exactly for this through Dewbe this summer. The confirmation in my mind has been overwhelming from him. Don't get me wrong, I know I will fail at some things, and succeed at others, but it is all part of the learning and growing process.
In conclusion, I've had two constant encouragers in my time here in Brentwood this summer, one who was doing his best to become more like the other. These constant encouragers were Christ, and Dewbe. I love both of them dearly. Because of them, I now know the importance of encouragement in the life of the believer.
Lord, I thank you for constantly lifting me up this summer and blessing me. I thank you so much for Dewbe and his constant encouragement. I pray that you continue to bless him and the ministry he partakes in here in Brentwood. I pray that you would continue to give him a heart to encourage others and see them succeed. I pray that you would continue to pour out your Spirit on Dewbe and his family so that they may continue to love You by loving others. Protect them and bless them. I pray these things in the name of your Son: Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Livin' Out Our Faith Aint Easy
So guys, in the spirit of me writing big long sermons on here... this is my latest sermon that I preached this past sunday and wednesdays at youth groups. This is basically what I typed up, but I didn't follow it to the T... but had all the same basic concepts and everything. Lemme know what you think.
Livin’ By Faith A’int Easy: 1 Peter 4:12-19
These past few weeks, Dewbe has been talking to you guys about faith. The first week Dewbe spoke about putting our faith into action—paying it forward to somebody. Last week, he spoke a little bit about what real faith is. This week, I want to talk to you about how our faith can be hard to live. Lets bow our heads and pray. Pray. So when I was a little kid my older brothers and I used to play games. We frequently acted out Bible stories to impress our parents because they thought we were kinda stupid. My older brothers were pretty mischievous, and so whenever we played together, I had to live in faith that they would not hurt me. So do you guys remember the story when James and John are on a boat with Jesus and Jesus tells them to cast the fish nets on the other side and they will have a great catch? They end up doing it and they catch so much fish that they can barely pull in the nets? Well, my brothers and I acted that story out, except… I was not James or John, but a big fish. They way we would act this out is: my brothers would climb up onto the top bunk of their bed and throw a big blanket over the side pretending it was a fish net and that Jesus had just told them to throw it out. I, being the stellar actor that I am, would pretend to be a fish, and I would “swim” into the blanket, but really I would just climb into it. My brothers would then continue the scene by pulling me up on the bed. I always had a lot of fun doing this, though it was a little bit scary. My older brothers, who are twins I must add, got a little bored of this, and so they schemed against me, like all twins would do, to drop me when they almost had me to the top. They tried a few times, but I would be sitting in the blanket and I would kinda just catch myself. They really wanted to hurt me so they convinced me to lay down and close my eyes. I made them promise that they wouldn’t drop me, and when they did I believed them… I never should’ve. So anyways, I get in the blanket, lay down and close my eyes and they start to lift me up. I get almost to the top, and they “accidentally” let go of the blanket, and I drop about 7 feet flat on my back and I hit my head really hard. I think I lost a few brain cells that day, so if I ever seem kinda slow, that’s probably why. The point is, from that day on, I lived in fear that my brothers would hurt me when we played games because I had lived in faith that they wouldn’t. For some of us, living by our faith in God can seem scary. When we actually live out our faith, it should move us to action, to do something, to “pay it forward” to someone, like Dewbe talked to us about. We start living our lives like Jesus and we start loving people by serving them because Matthew 20:28 says, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” and this can be scary to us because we don’t know what other people will do to us when they see us doing this kind of stuff. We are too afraid to sit with the loser at lunch because people will make fun of us and our “cool” reputation will be lost. We are too afraid to pray for someone because we don’t want to be called a “Jesus Freak.” You see what I’m getting at? When our faith calls us to do something, it isn’t always easy to do.
A guy named Peter wrote 2 books in the New Testament. The first book he wrote—1 Peter, go figure—was written to a group of Christians who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. In chapter 4 starting at verse 12, he writes:
12Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you. 13Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. 14If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15None of you, however, should suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a meddler. 16But if [anyone suffers] as a Christian, he should not be ashamed, but should glorify God with that name. 17For the time has come for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? 18And if the righteous is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? 19So those who suffer according to God's will should, in doing good, entrust themselves to a faithful Creator.
These Christians that Peter is writing to were discouraged and ashamed to live their faith because of the persecutions, floggings, and insults that were coming their way because they believed in Jesus Christ. Now, I know we don’t face death like some of these people did, but I have lived through Jr. High and High School and I know how mean and hurtful people can be with their words and actions. This can be very discouraging to us if we are trying to live out our faith, and we ask God why it is happening.
There are a few things that I want to point out to you tonight. The first is that living out our faith isn’t easy because we are afraid to suffer. Just like the Christians that Peter wrote to, we are afraid to live out our faith because of the things that might happen to us. The Christians that Peter wrote to faced death, torture, insults, and other forms of persecution. We don’t face anything nearly as intense as what they did, guys. We, however, are too afraid of what our friends and others will do to us. Our pride and reputation as being cool or popular is too important to us, to humble ourselves and live our life for God and love people, study our Bibles, and even pray because they aren’t the popular or cool thing to do. We are too afraid to suffer.
The funny thing is, when we live out our faith, we will suffer! I’m not saying this to scare you guys or anything, but Peter points that out in this passage. And this is the second thing that I want to point out: that suffering should be expected. Verses 12 and 13 say, “Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory.” Peter is pointing out that when we experience “fiery ordeals” we should not act as if they were never supposed to happen—we should expect them. You may be thinking… Okay James, I’m getting most of what you are saying, but what are the fiery ordeals that this passage is talking about? Well, you need only look to the next verse where it says that as we “share in the sufferings of the Messiah” we are to rejoice. If you didn’t know, Christ suffered a lot. Before he was nailed to the cross, he was stripped and beaten; mocked and spit upon; insulted and ridiculed. These are the things that we are joining into with Christ when we come to believe in Him. Isn’t that kinda scary? We should expect that we might go through these things to have our faith tested? And we are supposed to rejoice when they happen?!?! That seems kinda crazy if you asked me! This leads me to the last thing I want to point out!
When we suffer for our faith in Christ, we are blessed! This seems crazy too!!! How can we be blessed when people are hurling insults at us, humiliating us, and degrading us to the bottom of the food chain at school? The next verse says, “If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” Be encouraged guys!!! I wish someone would have told me this sooner, or I would have taken my faith seriously sooner and had come upon this verse earlier in my faith! For so long, guys, I wondered if the Spirit of God was in me because I didn’t do anything and I didn’t love other people; I was afraid to live out my faith because I didn’t want to get made fun of or be labeled as a stuck up, judgmental Christian. Guys, don’t be afraid to live your faith out at school in front of your peers! Be bold and know that even if you are insulted, ridiculed, mocked, or looked down upon because of your faith in Jesus Christ, that the Spirit of God is inside of you and people recognize it in you. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power and love…” You guys have the power inside of you to do great things for God through your faith because the Spirit of God is inside of you if you believe in Him and aren’t afraid to live your faith and love people.
I want to tell you guys a story of a girl who was not afraid to live her faith and believe in God, even at the threat of death. Some of you may have heard about this girl before. About 10 years ago, in 1999, two teenage male students walked into Columbine High School’s library with semi-automatic weapons and opened fire on students, killing 12 and injuring many others, before they shot and killed themselves. Before they had killed themselves, they found one girl, Cassie Bernall underneath a table. One of the gunmen pointed a gun at her head and asked her a question. He asked Cassie, “Do you believe in God?” Her answer was, “Yes.” Before she could say anything else, the gunman immediately shot her and killed her. You see, it took Cassie a lot of faith to answer yes to that question in the face of death. Out of fear for her life, she could have answered “No,” and possibly lived. Instead, with the power she had through the Spirit of God, she answered “Yes,” because she understood that she was blessed in that moment, and that she was going to go to heaven to be with God himself if she was killed.
You guys, I’m not trying to scare you guys with all of this. I want you guys to realize what God has given you in the Holy Spirit. I want you guys to realize that you do not have to be afraid of being insulted or mocked or ridiculed because you choose to love people and serve them. Livin’ out our faith aint easy guys. I’ll be honest with you right there. It aint easy. That doesn’t mean we have to live in fear. You see, we are God’s children. We belong to Him. He wants us to live out our faith in power. We are blessed when get insulted, mocked, or ridiculed because we are living our faith in power. Don’t be afraid guys.
So what does this mean for you guys???
Maybe you love God, yet faith seems easy for you to live. You read your Bible every morning and pray, yet at school you do nothing to show the love that God has for people. Or maybe you just hang out with your other Christian friends, and so living your faith in these ways seems easy. I want you to encourage you guys to step out in your faith and love someone that doesn’t know God. But realize this, you may get discouraged by your peers around you who don’t know God and don’t understand what you’re doing. Don’t be afraid of that happening. Know that it might happen. But be encouraged when it does happen that you are blessed and God’s Spirit lives inside of you. Maybe you’ve stepped out and “paid it forward” to someone and you didn’t suffer anything for it. That’s cool, but don’t stop there. Keep stepping out, and don’t be surprised when the mockery and insults come. Know that you are blessed because the Spirit of God is inside of you. Maybe you have tried to live out your faith, and you did get mocked or insulted because of it. Don’t let that stop you from continuing to live your faith out. Know that it was supposed to happen. Know that you are blessed. Know that the Spirit of God lives inside of you and gives you the power to continue to love God by loving other people. You guys, the last verse in this passage says, “So those who suffer according to God's will should entrust themselves to a faithful Creator and continue to do good.” Entrust yourselves to God and know that He has everything in control, and continue to love people in the face of hardship. Let’s pray!
Livin’ By Faith A’int Easy: 1 Peter 4:12-19
These past few weeks, Dewbe has been talking to you guys about faith. The first week Dewbe spoke about putting our faith into action—paying it forward to somebody. Last week, he spoke a little bit about what real faith is. This week, I want to talk to you about how our faith can be hard to live. Lets bow our heads and pray. Pray. So when I was a little kid my older brothers and I used to play games. We frequently acted out Bible stories to impress our parents because they thought we were kinda stupid. My older brothers were pretty mischievous, and so whenever we played together, I had to live in faith that they would not hurt me. So do you guys remember the story when James and John are on a boat with Jesus and Jesus tells them to cast the fish nets on the other side and they will have a great catch? They end up doing it and they catch so much fish that they can barely pull in the nets? Well, my brothers and I acted that story out, except… I was not James or John, but a big fish. They way we would act this out is: my brothers would climb up onto the top bunk of their bed and throw a big blanket over the side pretending it was a fish net and that Jesus had just told them to throw it out. I, being the stellar actor that I am, would pretend to be a fish, and I would “swim” into the blanket, but really I would just climb into it. My brothers would then continue the scene by pulling me up on the bed. I always had a lot of fun doing this, though it was a little bit scary. My older brothers, who are twins I must add, got a little bored of this, and so they schemed against me, like all twins would do, to drop me when they almost had me to the top. They tried a few times, but I would be sitting in the blanket and I would kinda just catch myself. They really wanted to hurt me so they convinced me to lay down and close my eyes. I made them promise that they wouldn’t drop me, and when they did I believed them… I never should’ve. So anyways, I get in the blanket, lay down and close my eyes and they start to lift me up. I get almost to the top, and they “accidentally” let go of the blanket, and I drop about 7 feet flat on my back and I hit my head really hard. I think I lost a few brain cells that day, so if I ever seem kinda slow, that’s probably why. The point is, from that day on, I lived in fear that my brothers would hurt me when we played games because I had lived in faith that they wouldn’t. For some of us, living by our faith in God can seem scary. When we actually live out our faith, it should move us to action, to do something, to “pay it forward” to someone, like Dewbe talked to us about. We start living our lives like Jesus and we start loving people by serving them because Matthew 20:28 says, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” and this can be scary to us because we don’t know what other people will do to us when they see us doing this kind of stuff. We are too afraid to sit with the loser at lunch because people will make fun of us and our “cool” reputation will be lost. We are too afraid to pray for someone because we don’t want to be called a “Jesus Freak.” You see what I’m getting at? When our faith calls us to do something, it isn’t always easy to do.
A guy named Peter wrote 2 books in the New Testament. The first book he wrote—1 Peter, go figure—was written to a group of Christians who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. In chapter 4 starting at verse 12, he writes:
12Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you. 13Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. 14If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15None of you, however, should suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a meddler. 16But if [anyone suffers] as a Christian, he should not be ashamed, but should glorify God with that name. 17For the time has come for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? 18And if the righteous is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? 19So those who suffer according to God's will should, in doing good, entrust themselves to a faithful Creator.
These Christians that Peter is writing to were discouraged and ashamed to live their faith because of the persecutions, floggings, and insults that were coming their way because they believed in Jesus Christ. Now, I know we don’t face death like some of these people did, but I have lived through Jr. High and High School and I know how mean and hurtful people can be with their words and actions. This can be very discouraging to us if we are trying to live out our faith, and we ask God why it is happening.
There are a few things that I want to point out to you tonight. The first is that living out our faith isn’t easy because we are afraid to suffer. Just like the Christians that Peter wrote to, we are afraid to live out our faith because of the things that might happen to us. The Christians that Peter wrote to faced death, torture, insults, and other forms of persecution. We don’t face anything nearly as intense as what they did, guys. We, however, are too afraid of what our friends and others will do to us. Our pride and reputation as being cool or popular is too important to us, to humble ourselves and live our life for God and love people, study our Bibles, and even pray because they aren’t the popular or cool thing to do. We are too afraid to suffer.
The funny thing is, when we live out our faith, we will suffer! I’m not saying this to scare you guys or anything, but Peter points that out in this passage. And this is the second thing that I want to point out: that suffering should be expected. Verses 12 and 13 say, “Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory.” Peter is pointing out that when we experience “fiery ordeals” we should not act as if they were never supposed to happen—we should expect them. You may be thinking… Okay James, I’m getting most of what you are saying, but what are the fiery ordeals that this passage is talking about? Well, you need only look to the next verse where it says that as we “share in the sufferings of the Messiah” we are to rejoice. If you didn’t know, Christ suffered a lot. Before he was nailed to the cross, he was stripped and beaten; mocked and spit upon; insulted and ridiculed. These are the things that we are joining into with Christ when we come to believe in Him. Isn’t that kinda scary? We should expect that we might go through these things to have our faith tested? And we are supposed to rejoice when they happen?!?! That seems kinda crazy if you asked me! This leads me to the last thing I want to point out!
When we suffer for our faith in Christ, we are blessed! This seems crazy too!!! How can we be blessed when people are hurling insults at us, humiliating us, and degrading us to the bottom of the food chain at school? The next verse says, “If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” Be encouraged guys!!! I wish someone would have told me this sooner, or I would have taken my faith seriously sooner and had come upon this verse earlier in my faith! For so long, guys, I wondered if the Spirit of God was in me because I didn’t do anything and I didn’t love other people; I was afraid to live out my faith because I didn’t want to get made fun of or be labeled as a stuck up, judgmental Christian. Guys, don’t be afraid to live your faith out at school in front of your peers! Be bold and know that even if you are insulted, ridiculed, mocked, or looked down upon because of your faith in Jesus Christ, that the Spirit of God is inside of you and people recognize it in you. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power and love…” You guys have the power inside of you to do great things for God through your faith because the Spirit of God is inside of you if you believe in Him and aren’t afraid to live your faith and love people.
I want to tell you guys a story of a girl who was not afraid to live her faith and believe in God, even at the threat of death. Some of you may have heard about this girl before. About 10 years ago, in 1999, two teenage male students walked into Columbine High School’s library with semi-automatic weapons and opened fire on students, killing 12 and injuring many others, before they shot and killed themselves. Before they had killed themselves, they found one girl, Cassie Bernall underneath a table. One of the gunmen pointed a gun at her head and asked her a question. He asked Cassie, “Do you believe in God?” Her answer was, “Yes.” Before she could say anything else, the gunman immediately shot her and killed her. You see, it took Cassie a lot of faith to answer yes to that question in the face of death. Out of fear for her life, she could have answered “No,” and possibly lived. Instead, with the power she had through the Spirit of God, she answered “Yes,” because she understood that she was blessed in that moment, and that she was going to go to heaven to be with God himself if she was killed.
You guys, I’m not trying to scare you guys with all of this. I want you guys to realize what God has given you in the Holy Spirit. I want you guys to realize that you do not have to be afraid of being insulted or mocked or ridiculed because you choose to love people and serve them. Livin’ out our faith aint easy guys. I’ll be honest with you right there. It aint easy. That doesn’t mean we have to live in fear. You see, we are God’s children. We belong to Him. He wants us to live out our faith in power. We are blessed when get insulted, mocked, or ridiculed because we are living our faith in power. Don’t be afraid guys.
So what does this mean for you guys???
Maybe you love God, yet faith seems easy for you to live. You read your Bible every morning and pray, yet at school you do nothing to show the love that God has for people. Or maybe you just hang out with your other Christian friends, and so living your faith in these ways seems easy. I want you to encourage you guys to step out in your faith and love someone that doesn’t know God. But realize this, you may get discouraged by your peers around you who don’t know God and don’t understand what you’re doing. Don’t be afraid of that happening. Know that it might happen. But be encouraged when it does happen that you are blessed and God’s Spirit lives inside of you. Maybe you’ve stepped out and “paid it forward” to someone and you didn’t suffer anything for it. That’s cool, but don’t stop there. Keep stepping out, and don’t be surprised when the mockery and insults come. Know that you are blessed because the Spirit of God is inside of you. Maybe you have tried to live out your faith, and you did get mocked or insulted because of it. Don’t let that stop you from continuing to live your faith out. Know that it was supposed to happen. Know that you are blessed. Know that the Spirit of God lives inside of you and gives you the power to continue to love God by loving other people. You guys, the last verse in this passage says, “So those who suffer according to God's will should entrust themselves to a faithful Creator and continue to do good.” Entrust yourselves to God and know that He has everything in control, and continue to love people in the face of hardship. Let’s pray!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Seeing Things Clearly
So something that I've been thinking about recently is worship. For my internship, I had to evaluate the youth ministry and figure out which areas needed to be rennovated and changed. Something I thought could be improved upon was worship during youth nights. It has been kinda shoved to the side and had not been given a chance to develop in the past three to four years. Watching from the sidelines a few times, I've noticed that almost nobody worships. Haing lead about four years ago, almost nobody worshipped. Nothing has seemed to change. The worship time has become a few people worshiping in song, and 30 people watching. It has become a watching type of thing, instead of a doing type of thing. So my job and goal over the next few weeks before I leave is to try and develop an environment and culture of worship.
This goal has led me to desire to do some sort of sermon series on worship at youth group. So one of the passages that sticks in my head all the time is Romans 12:1-2 because it talks about worship. Among all the passages in the Old Testament that talk about worship as sacrificing animals and stuff, this passages sticks out to me more than the rest. So I did some thinking about it.
"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
-Romans 12:1-2 [HCSB]
I've heard this passage many times before, but never took the time to consider its meaning for me. It says that our spiritual act of worship is offering our bodies as living, breathing, sacrifices to God, which is holy and pleasing to Him. It also says to not be conformed to the age (or the world) and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can know the will of God. But what does it all mean, and what does it mean for you and I?
What does it mean?
It means that worship is sacrificing ourselves. We all, by nature, desire things of the flesh. We desire our addictions, sex, money, power, and many other things... the things of this age... the things of the world. When we desire these things, we do not desire the things of the Spirit or things that are of God. Thus, it is important that we offer up our fleshly desires to make room for God to transform us by replacing our fleshly desires with desires that are of the Spirit, and this is the renewing of our mind. This renewal needs to be constant. This renewal transforms our minds and hearts to that of Gods. This act is holy and pleasing to God.
What does it mean for you and I?
There are soo many things in this world that can consume us if we do not constantly sacrifice those things of the flesh to God. In our flesh, we desire the things of the world and not the things of God. The cool thing is, by the power of God, we can offer those desires to God and our minds will be renewed or refocused and transformed so that we can continue to see God's will for us. God's will is made clearer when we do this. We are made holy and pleasing to God when we do this because we are constantly becoming more like our Creator. This is an act of worship, which is to be continually done so that we can continue to see God's will for us.
When we sacrifice ourselves, our spiritual blinders start to come off so that we can see God's will. It continues to get evermore clear as we continue to sacrifice these desires, and let God renew our minds and transform us to be more like Him. It is like a man with very poor vision who needs prescription glasses or contacts to see well. When he gets a prescription, he puts his glasses on and can see clearly. But, eventually, if the prescription is not renewed, it is to weak and he has to get a new prescription so that he can see more clearly. This must be continually done for the rest of life. In the same way, when we fall into our fleshly desires it causes God's will for us to be blurred because we are not focused on God. If we do not continually sacrifice our fleshly desires and renew or refocus our mind and life on God, His will for us will continually be blurred, and not refined. When we do continually renew our mind by sacrificng our flesh, God's will for us continues to be more clear day by day.
I will be the first to say that I am not continually renewing my mind and sacrificing my flesh to make room for God. I now desire that. I want to get rid of all the junk I've wanted to for a while so that I can continue to focus on God and His will for me. I don't want to run away from these things anymore. I want to see clearly the will of God.
I think that in context of trying to create an environment and culture of worship, this plays out in a specific way. When we are in our flesh, we will not desire to worship God, because the world does not tell us to worship God, but other things. To create that environment and culture of worship, we must be transformed by renewing our minds and sacrificing our flesh so that we desire things of God. When we desire things of God because we have sacrificed our fleshly desires as worship, that is when that environment and culture of worship will be developed.
Worship requires an element of sacrifice. Worship through song in my mind is simply singing praises back to God about how great He is. It may not seem like a sacrifice, but it still requires us to sacrifice our fleshly desire to be our own God. We sacrifice this want and we are letting Him become our God. Worship is not something we watch other people do and is not solely done through music and singing. It can be done in our day to day lives, not just on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights.
Worship must be done continuously.
Worship requires sacrifice.
Worship causes us to see God's will more clearly.
Worship causes us to desire Him.
So, will we constantly sacrifice our fleshly desires and humbly be transformed so that we can know God's will and be used by Him for His Kingdom? Or will we sit back and watch as others seek the things of God and become tools for His Kingdom?
Lord God,
I pray that as I embark on my journey to create an environment and culture of worship, that you would be with me. I pray that you would do a mighty work in the lives of the students and call them to sacrifice themselves in worship. I pray that their lives would change from desiring their flesh, to desiring you and your will for their lives. I pray that worship would not continue to be a spectator's sport in the youth, but something that they would desire to DO and not just watch. I pray that you would reveal yourself to the students in powerful ways as we seek to worship you and become more like you. I love you so much God and thank you for all that you have blessed me with. I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen
This goal has led me to desire to do some sort of sermon series on worship at youth group. So one of the passages that sticks in my head all the time is Romans 12:1-2 because it talks about worship. Among all the passages in the Old Testament that talk about worship as sacrificing animals and stuff, this passages sticks out to me more than the rest. So I did some thinking about it.
"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
-Romans 12:1-2 [HCSB]
I've heard this passage many times before, but never took the time to consider its meaning for me. It says that our spiritual act of worship is offering our bodies as living, breathing, sacrifices to God, which is holy and pleasing to Him. It also says to not be conformed to the age (or the world) and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can know the will of God. But what does it all mean, and what does it mean for you and I?
What does it mean?
It means that worship is sacrificing ourselves. We all, by nature, desire things of the flesh. We desire our addictions, sex, money, power, and many other things... the things of this age... the things of the world. When we desire these things, we do not desire the things of the Spirit or things that are of God. Thus, it is important that we offer up our fleshly desires to make room for God to transform us by replacing our fleshly desires with desires that are of the Spirit, and this is the renewing of our mind. This renewal needs to be constant. This renewal transforms our minds and hearts to that of Gods. This act is holy and pleasing to God.
What does it mean for you and I?
There are soo many things in this world that can consume us if we do not constantly sacrifice those things of the flesh to God. In our flesh, we desire the things of the world and not the things of God. The cool thing is, by the power of God, we can offer those desires to God and our minds will be renewed or refocused and transformed so that we can continue to see God's will for us. God's will is made clearer when we do this. We are made holy and pleasing to God when we do this because we are constantly becoming more like our Creator. This is an act of worship, which is to be continually done so that we can continue to see God's will for us.
When we sacrifice ourselves, our spiritual blinders start to come off so that we can see God's will. It continues to get evermore clear as we continue to sacrifice these desires, and let God renew our minds and transform us to be more like Him. It is like a man with very poor vision who needs prescription glasses or contacts to see well. When he gets a prescription, he puts his glasses on and can see clearly. But, eventually, if the prescription is not renewed, it is to weak and he has to get a new prescription so that he can see more clearly. This must be continually done for the rest of life. In the same way, when we fall into our fleshly desires it causes God's will for us to be blurred because we are not focused on God. If we do not continually sacrifice our fleshly desires and renew or refocus our mind and life on God, His will for us will continually be blurred, and not refined. When we do continually renew our mind by sacrificng our flesh, God's will for us continues to be more clear day by day.
I will be the first to say that I am not continually renewing my mind and sacrificing my flesh to make room for God. I now desire that. I want to get rid of all the junk I've wanted to for a while so that I can continue to focus on God and His will for me. I don't want to run away from these things anymore. I want to see clearly the will of God.
I think that in context of trying to create an environment and culture of worship, this plays out in a specific way. When we are in our flesh, we will not desire to worship God, because the world does not tell us to worship God, but other things. To create that environment and culture of worship, we must be transformed by renewing our minds and sacrificing our flesh so that we desire things of God. When we desire things of God because we have sacrificed our fleshly desires as worship, that is when that environment and culture of worship will be developed.
Worship requires an element of sacrifice. Worship through song in my mind is simply singing praises back to God about how great He is. It may not seem like a sacrifice, but it still requires us to sacrifice our fleshly desire to be our own God. We sacrifice this want and we are letting Him become our God. Worship is not something we watch other people do and is not solely done through music and singing. It can be done in our day to day lives, not just on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights.
Worship must be done continuously.
Worship requires sacrifice.
Worship causes us to see God's will more clearly.
Worship causes us to desire Him.
So, will we constantly sacrifice our fleshly desires and humbly be transformed so that we can know God's will and be used by Him for His Kingdom? Or will we sit back and watch as others seek the things of God and become tools for His Kingdom?
Lord God,
I pray that as I embark on my journey to create an environment and culture of worship, that you would be with me. I pray that you would do a mighty work in the lives of the students and call them to sacrifice themselves in worship. I pray that their lives would change from desiring their flesh, to desiring you and your will for their lives. I pray that worship would not continue to be a spectator's sport in the youth, but something that they would desire to DO and not just watch. I pray that you would reveal yourself to the students in powerful ways as we seek to worship you and become more like you. I love you so much God and thank you for all that you have blessed me with. I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen
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