Vision for Upwards Group

mid 2000’s and seal team bruiser, who were stationed in Iraq, was given orders that all missions from that point onward were to be done with Iraqi soldiers. This made no sense at first thought.

Here’s why - seal teams were well trained, recognize silhouettes int he darkness. trained for thousands of hours, with thousands of rounds. They were in peak physical condition. had the best gear in the world. kevlar vests and helmets, night vision goggles, laser equipped rifles.

Iraqi soldiers, worst troops in the world, untrained, uneducated, undernourished, and unmotivated. Most joined for a paycheck, and when the going got tough, they often deserted. Their training was little to none. It was unorganized, and filled with corruption. Most iraqi soldiers couldn’t do more than a few push-ups. Many were loyal to Iran. There were many reports where Iraqi soldiers would turn their guns on their marine advisors or American soldiers. How could trust be built like that. Their weapons and gear were subpar. Many rifles were taken from insurgents and were cheap copycats of the AK-47. Some rifles were sorusted, that the sights couldn’t be adjusted. They didn’t have radios, night vision goggles, and many didn’t even have a basic flashlight.

These orders came to task unit bruiser who was stationed in the middle of ramadi. The epicenter of insurgency. While most American bases would train the Iraqi soldiers in the safety of their own base, Ramadi, didn’t have that luxury. They were always under attack and always going out to fight insurgency. So the order was given to train the Iraqi soldiers on the job.

When the rest of the seal team recieved these orders they were livid to say the least. They couldn’t imagine going into insurgency territory with ill-prepared, ill-trained, and disloyal iraqi soldiers. It seemed stupid, and almost suicidal. When the commander of task unit bruiser recieved these order, he knew he needed to figure out the why of these orders. Why do these missions this way, why add more danger to the already dangerous missions? Why were the governing forces ok with these orders?

It’s good for us to understand the “why” behind this group and really going to church in the first place. Why are we here today, why have we been doing this for so long, some of us, most of our lives. Why does church, get such a prominent part of our lives. Would it not be easier to grab a cup of coffee, open our Bible and hear from God Himself? If you’re hear for the preaching, would it not be easier and more convenient to sit on the couch and turn on the livestream? Hear the same thing without the hassle of packing the kids in the car, and the stress of getting out the door at an early hour? So why, why, go through all the trouble to be here today? I want to look at three reasons why we are here today, and hopefully, reinforce what we all know in our heart to be true.

Connection

Hebrews 10:24–25 KJV 1900

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Consider means to look to understand. We are to seek to understand one another. Not turn our eyes upon ourselves, but seek to understand one another so we can provoke others to love and good works. Provoke means to stir up.

Harmony provoking her sister to anger

The Scripture goes further in the next verse to say we should be exhorting one another.

The greek word for exhort means to comfort and to urge. God wants us to come together and comfort and urge one another to keep doing what is right. Especially when it seems like the whole world is falling apart.

So what does all this mean? We werent made to be by ourselves. We need people in our lives.

We don’t do ourselves a favor when we alienate ourselves from other Christians.

God’s first institution was that of connection. In His divine wisdom he decided that Adam was better off with someone else in His life. Everything was perfect, literally. No sin in the world, He walked with God in the cool of the morning. He had the perfect relationship with the perfect God. Yet God still saw that it was better for Him to have Eve. We were made for connection.

I think alot of times we can relate to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:14

1 Kings 19:14 KJV 1900

And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

It’s easy to feel this way when we look around at what’s happening in our world today. But coming to church and connecting with people reminds us that we aren’t alone. There are other people who are in the trenches with us.

Make a diliberate decision to talk to someone you haven’t talked to in a while when you’re here at church.

Proverbs 18:24 KJV 1900

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

I used to think this verse was for people who wanted friends. If you want friends, you have to be friendly. But it’s not saying that. It’s showing us that the responsibility of having friends, which we all have, is to be a friend. It then the scripture gives us a reminder of the friend that we all have and the example He left us.

My deisre is for this group to be a group that connects with one another. We need like-minded friends who will be the right kind of friends to us. Who will spur us on in the things of Christ. Who will comfort us in our troubles, who will stir up in us a desire to love others, and a desire to do what is right.

Let this be a challenge to all of us, to deliberately seek someone out each time we are here and do what the Scripture has plainly told us to do, consider one another, provoke and exhort one another. Be a friend to one another.

Service

Galatians 5:13 KJV 1900

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

God in his sovereignty has given us liberty. He broke the grip that sin had on our life. We are no longer slaves to our sin. But God didn’t free us from sin so that we could live our live in the idle position.

Motorcycle in reverse, idle, and moving forward.

There’s a different purpose in our life now. We have been renewed in our mind.

Ephesians 4:23–24 KJV 1900

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

God is in the process of changing the way we think. When he saves us, He renews our mind. He changes the way we think. The old way of thinking is gone. The old man, the one that served himself has been changed so that we start to serve others.

Galatians 6:10 KJV 1900

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Service is not about avoiding the responsibilities God has already given us.

I think alot of times it’s not that we don’t want to serve others. I think there’s other reasons why we may find ourselves devoid of service to others. But being part of this Life Group allows us an opportunity to regularly serve one another. To make service a weekly part of our lives. Service wasn’t intending to take away from the responsibilities God has already gives us to do. God doesn’t expect us to life our lives serving others, but neglecting our own spiritual growth, or neglecting our families. My goal is for us as a group to join together to run this class. Malerie and I don’t want to run this class by ourselves. We want everyone here to be able to serve in both large and small capacities.

Service is about finding the right fit for the gift God has given us.

God has given us all spiritual gifts that can be used to serve one another. When we exercise our spiritual gift, we find joy and contentment, knowing we are using the spiritual gift, unique to us, that God has given us. But it’s also about knowing where we fit best. I can’t remember who said it, but they said, I have a great dry cleaner and a great chef, but I don’t want my dry cleaners cooking my meals and my chef pressing my clothes.

There’s people in here who enjoy having fun, you would be great to run our games for us.

There’s people who have the gift of organizing, you’d be great running our monthly activity.

There’s people who have the gift of mercy, and you’re constantly praying for others. I’d love for you to head up our prayer time.

There’s people who have the gift of giving, and you’d be great at running our coffee bar.

There’s other’s who are creative, and you may have an idea that would benefit this class. I want to hear from you.

I believe that this one hour time slot in our busy weeks can be something we all look forward to and will hate to miss. I think it’s a time that can refresh us, and a time that we can laugh and enjoy each other’s company.

Spiritual Growth

Connection and Service are not the end goal,

Hebrews 10:19–23 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

Paul gives us these faith filled statements about our access to Jesus, and not needing a high priest anymore, and how we can have full assurance of faith absent from an evil conscience. He tells us we can hold fast our profession of faith without wavering. It’s at this point that he takes all these statements and connects them to this famous verse about not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. When you stop and think about this, there’s an obvious connection between confidence and being in a group of people who are like-minded.

Solomon Asch 1951 vision test.

If you were the only person who believed in Christ, would you have the same confidence as if you were in a group of a thousand who believed the same way as you? No, the more people there are standing with you, the more confident you can be in what you believe in.

Surround yourself with people who are like minded. Who care for the things of Christ. Who exhort and provoke you to good works. Have a genuine care for one another and it will be easier to live for God than if you were by yourself.

Service takes our eyes off ourselves and turns them to others. The less we think of ourselves, the more we identify with Christ.