Where Is God Leading Us?

Greetings, Happy New Year, Welcome

Giving: Today is the last day to get your tithes and offerings in for the year.

Praise: Teresa’s request

We are having insurance issues with new insurance company. They want additional test before the approve transplant. Please pray this gets resolved in the next 12 hours.

We just heard, the most insurance company acquiesced. I will be admitted today at noon! Thank you for praying! God moved the decisions of men. ❤️ I will start the chemo regimen before transplant tomorrow. Transplant scheduled for the 4th.

Instructions

Today is a different service than normal regarding how its laid out.

We are going to open with a song in a minute

followed by our Business meeting which includes three people up for vote.

After that we will shift gears into a time of instruction and prayer.

Hopefully you received a cue card, its for writing on don’t spit your gum.

Business Meeting

I want to open this meeting by first thanking you for your faithfulness.

2023 was great in so many ways.

Kalahari

Super Bowl

corn hole tournament

helped the seventh day church with repairs

OSU parties

Boo off Broadway

helped several local families with food, financial needs, and services throughout the year

discipleship and outreach materials

ministry supplies

What does 2024 hold?

1. An increase in budget from 100k to 112K for rent, expenses, and generosity. (We brought in 109k so we were 9k over budget!)

Todd’s suggestion

A) everyone who gives could give $63 more a month

B) Those who do not give could trust God this year and start

C) We could grow

2. Help from a great church.

3. We need to help Todd and Teresa (Over and Above budget) 40k

a. 20k from other churches 20 from us.

b. Fundraisers in March and May.

Vote:

Motion to do verbal ballots, Second, all in favor

John Suhayda

Jordan Stechschulte

Alana Stechschulte

Close meeting with Prayer

Song

“How great tho art”

Sermon

Our vision is not what I want to pursue this year.

All around the world churches use this Sunday or the Sundays in January to cast vision, to persuade the people to aim for the targets their leaders have chosen for them.

Casting vision, and good leadership is necessary in church, its biblical!

I am not looking to loosen the responsibilities of the elders role in caring for the spiritual matters of the church and instead, lead this body by impulsive measures.

But I do feel that those practices of vision, leadership and organization have become the foundation of what most consider “church” today.

What was the key in the early church?

The were pursuing God’s wisdom and responding to His leading.

James 1:5 (HCSB)

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

Wisdom has two meanings an upper wisdom, and lower wisdom. It also has two applications earthly a spiritual.

I don’t want to be a church that relies on our “lower wisdom” as confirmed by our own understanding of the Word, or

or the conformation of the church based upon our own wisdom which can certainly reflect earthly counsel.

I want for us as a church to hear from God’s “upper wisdom,” which leads to spiritual maturity, confidence and assurance rather than us managing our own lives for Him.

Illustration:

Education: Proverbs 4:7

“Wisdom is supreme—so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding.”

The Pharisees were destroyed by formal academic training.

How should one consider this choice for themselves?

Divorce

In those cases the word and the church could be managed by lower wisdom and a solution reached, but I think in those situations God should be given his place to speak and we should be ready to act on it regardless of His answer.

How should one consider this choice for themselves?

Acts 2:1–4 HCSB

When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. And tongues, like flames of fire that were divided, appeared to them and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them ability for speech.

These were languages of all those who traveled in for the festival. Why? so they could communicate the Gospel of salvation to all who would believe.

Peter responds to the crowd claiming they're all drunk.

Acts 2:17–20 HCSB

And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. I will even pour out My Spirit on My male and female slaves in those days, and they will prophesy. I will display wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and remarkable Day of the Lord comes.

Why do all that?

Acts 2:21 HCSB

Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Acts 2:22–24 (HCSB)

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know.

Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, [upper wisdom] you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him [lower wisdom].

God raised Him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.

Acts 2:28 HCSB

You have revealed the paths of life to me; You will fill me with gladness in Your presence.

Acts 2:36–39 HCSB

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!” When they heard this, they came under deep conviction and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what must we do?” “Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Acts 2:41 HCSB

So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them.

How did this happen?

1. Because they believed Jesus was the Lord and appointed one to die for their sins. Sins they knew they committed.

2. They repented and sought to obey God by being baptized.

3. God chose to pour out His Spirit (His presences) on them

Acts 2:42–47 (HCSB)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.

Then awe came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.

Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.

They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.

Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude,

praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.

Have you trusted Jesus as your Lord and savior?

Have you committed to following him in obedience (like baptism)?

Are you filled with the Spirit of God?

Does your life look like theirs?

In Acts we find people who were not being fed

1. Discipleship products,

2. Processes for how to give,

3. Compassion classes,

4. Prayer electives,

5. “friendly tips to reach your neighbor,”

They were in pursuit after God.

The Holy Spirit filling them was enough to walk away from a former life and they chose to read their Bibles, pray, fellowship together, and share what they had and share- very hard truths- with unbelieving people.

And daily, God added to them those who were being saved.

That is people seeking the higher wisdom for spiritual understanding.

not excluding the word, or the church, or evangelism but allowing God to lead them through his understanding of those things.

Blackaby points out in his series Experience God that God never asks His people to form a plan so that He can bless it.

Rather, He says I want the church to fulfill my plans.

Once God’s plan is understood, we can put vision, leadership and organization in action.

Instructions

1. I want you to pray and ask God to speak to you this morning.

a) This is not a prayer session where one prays and everyone listens.

b) This is where we ready our hearts and ask God a question and then

we listen.

2. We write down what is being impressed upon our hearts. and we share those ideas

a) When service is over we will collect them so that the elders can see what God is saying most so that we can develop a strategy.

Based on Acts 2,

Growth is an indicator of God pouring out his favor on those seeking to do His will.

God, what are you calling our church to do this year that is bigger than our wisdom and abilities?

"God, what should be my response to see your will through?"