Re__ Re-member, Re-turn, Re-embrace - Why do I or do I?

GREET EVERYONE-

If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.

Our Vision:

We Desire see every follower of Jesus well equipped and fully deployed on the mission of Jesus.

What mission? - This questions leads us to articulate His mission for His church in a simple way.

Our Mission:

Is to engage people into a multiplying relationship with Jesus!

WELCOME-

If this is your first time to come to a worship gathering of the church, or your first time in a long time - becasue you somehow feel out of place because you think we are all good people and you are not so good…

Please please please don’t let these pretty faces fool you. You happen to be surrounded by people who have out sinned you 10 to one.

And you could not have picked a better Sunday to come to a worship gathering… we are all really glad you are here.

LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND

Open it to 1 Corinthians Chapter 12 as we will begin there in verse 4 as today as we come to the conclusion of our current Series called:

Re-

As we begin to Re-Member, Re:turn, and Re-embrace the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER FOR THE SERIES

What I pray happens to all of us is that we will

Re-member The Holy Spirit and his working in our life.

Re-turn to the Holy Spirit in our knowledge and activity as the God that has taken up residency in our bodies.

Re-embrace the Holy Spirit and the person of God that is actually with us and the one we have recieved in God saving us.

And not only begin to Spend time with Him, but also let Him have more control over our life where we will see more of the power of God in our life, our life would be more abundant in Gods glory and we would be more and more of the people that God has called us to be.

That only happens through and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

TRUTH -

ENGAGEMENT –

I was thinking about kids the other day and a question came to my mind -

on average when does the question “Why?” come into play.

I’m not sure we have all been there but ya know sometime in the 6-10 year old range there is the question “why?” that comes into conversation what seems to be about Everything?

Why is the Sky blue?

Why is water clear?

Why is thunder so loud?

What did god do this our that?

Why do you kiss mommy?

Ya know important questions like that.

and what a child is doing is attempting to discover “reasons and purpose”

Why does things work the way they do and Why do they exist?

Here is what is funny -

After the important stuff is reasoned out and purpose for all that is discovered then at about 12- oh maybe 25 or so - They begin to ask another “why” question.

and that question can be one sided “why not”

Or in what seems to be the rare case they can start to ask

“Why should I?” AND?OR “Why shouldn’t I?”

And what they are trying to do is find deep with in them selves is either the permission, the motivation, or the prevention of any particular choice that includes why.

and you know we promulgate this on our kids.

Especially if they have siblings.

The 12 year old come to you and says “I want this or I want that!

We ask the question: Why do you want this or want that?

What we are trying to do as parents is discover the motivations behind the request.

Why happens at home - Why happens in the work place and why happens in the market place of but commerce, industry, trade and in the market place of Ideas.

WHY is SUCH an important question!

TENSION

Last week we spoke of the many ways we can get to know about someone.

Social Media - A Bio and finally the resume.

and in the resume to understand the parts of the resume - The Bio - The work experience and the Skill sets.

and in that we looked at some of the passages of Scripture that are woven into this divine collection of literature, to discover some of Who the Holy Spirit is and What the Holy Spirit does.

We looked at part of the Resume of the Holy Spirit.

But you know reading a resume about someone is really not getting to know them - You get to know about them but you don't get to truly know them until you spend time with them and experience what they do and how they do it.

In that framework of Spending time with the Holy Spirit and letting the Holy Spirit have His way with us and work in and through our lives.

I think we are left with two overarching questions:

Why Do I want the Holy Spirits working in my life? and Why do I not want to let the holy spirit work completely in and through my life?

And in those two questions we will discover not only our motivations but we will also may discover how much we desire to be in relationship with God.

In in both answering the question Why? we may also discover some of the deep seeded why nots that are hidden in the recesses of our minds and hearts.

UNWRAP THIS

I think it is very possible that there are some of us that when we think about the activity of the Holy Spirit and letting him work in us and through us some of us in the room might be the ones that are wanting to see and experience the miraculous .

We want to see a miracle!

We wanna see the blind see and the lame walk and the the deaf hear and withered hands grown back and the sick made well.

Here is the funny thing -

I think most of not all of us would freak completely out if we were ever at a funeral and suddenly the casket opened up and here came grand-pa.

I think in the framework of the miraculous we are in one of two camps.

Either we are focused on the miraculous and we really desire to see God do them.

Or we really think that God is kids done doing them . Maybe he does them every once in a while but not so much.

one one side of that coin we might be pursuing God who what He can do for us and on the other side of that coin we might have lowered our expectations of God to do anything.

In either case what we might find our selves doing is not pursuing God for the mere fact He is who He is and we just want Him!

There is another split of camps that can occur to us when we think about the Holy Spirit of God having his way and us following the lead of the Spirit and not the other way around.

And that is Attention Seeking Pride.

There are some people in western Christianity that are so focused on the Gifts of the Spirit rather than on the glory of the giver that they seem to want to draw attention to them selves.

All that does is bring confusion and attention to man.

And again - Wanting God for what he can do and not wanting God because of who He is.

We are so easily wooed away form Jesus.

You see God calls us to pursue Him - not to pursue what he might do for us or among us.

We really are not called to life for us or for ourselves but to live for Him.

Here is a sure sign the Holy Spirit is working - Christ is magnified not people.

SO WHY?

Why should we desire Spiritual Gifts?

Why Should we desire the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, spending time with Him, asking Him to move and work and have his way with our life and agenda and calendar and behaviors?

To understand this form the Scriptures we have to go back to the Corinthian Church.

No many times you have hears me say that the Corinthian Church was a train wreck of A church.

Not many time have you heard me say why?

I'm not going to list all of the reasons. But I want to list the reasons that have to deal with the Holy Spirit.

They were a divided Church - Against the Spirit

There were a prideful church - Against the Spirit

There were an attention seeking church - Against the Spirit

and they were a Miracle hunting Church - Against the Spirit

This was the cause of Paul's first letter to them.

and becasue of all of that they were a church in mass confusion.

But here is what Paul Tells them about the WHY?

Here is the WHY!

1 Corinthians 12:4–7 ESV

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

There are three Really big things that we must immediately grab on to in this passages of Text.

1st thing we we must notice the change in language.

VS4 - Gifts

VS5 - Service

VS6 - Activities

VS6 - God empowers them ALL in EVERYONE

SO Here is what Paul has Just said -

God Empowers in Everyone to receive a Gift - A way to serve and Activities in other words Things to DO.

2nd thing in the word Manifestation.

The word Manifestation in the original language means “to cause something to be fully known by revealing it clearly in detail - TO make it known, plain, bring it to light and disclose it”

SO - The scripture Just described that the Holy Spirit, the God that exist in our Physical will reveal and cause to be fully known, our Gift that He has given us, to be used in serving, and the Activities or what we should be doing in the service where the gift works.

3rd thing is to WHY - WHY? - For the COMMON GOOD!

The Common Good in the language of the New testament means “to bring together so that all can be better off “

What is interesting in this passages and in the language there is no definitive of common.

IT means to Bringing people together for the benefit or profit of all.

This then leaves the question -

To what END?

To What Final Result?

Scripture answers that in:

1 Corinthians 14:12 ESV

12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

Paul says by the power of the Holy Spirit in this text:

Since you are eager - eager means - “Being Deeply committed to”

Since you are so deeply commited to the gifts, areas of service and Activities of the Holy Spirit being made known to you.

Than do this with them.

Strive to Excel in Building up the Church!

So the Reveling of Gifts, areas of service and Activities - all tied together - Revealed to us by the Holy Spirit ate to be used for the common Good so we can Strive to Excel in Building up the Church.

3 words in this Passage to unpack/

Strive - means to Seek - like Jesus to seek the lost

Like a Shepherd seeks for a lost sheep or a woman seeks a lost coin

Excel - to abound in abundance considerably more than what is expected - Large quantity with left overs.

Building-up - To increase the potential, To strengthen - To make more able. WE do that by adding too!

and the Object by which we use these Gifts, activities and service to where we seek to do so in abundance.

THE CHURCH!

This is one of the reasons we we are significant in trouble if we think to our selves - I'm saved now I get to live any way I want to.

No loved ones we are saved for a purpose - the Spirit distributed gifts for specific services and activities all to build up the church - Adding to us in people and abilities and potential.

This is what Paul says to the Ephesian church

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

You are GOD’s workmanship - Created in Christ - New creatures - Able to receive from the Holy the revealing by the Spirit, Gifts, areas of Service and Activities, to be desired and all used for us to be seeking in abundance the strengthening, adding to to increase potential and making more able the Assembly of the called out ones The church.

This is the purpose of our Salvation - This is the meaning of our live -

This is where we find purpose Value and meaning.

This is how we glorify God and worship Him with how we live.

This is why this is so important -

Jesus gave us commands - The Holy Spirit give us Gifts and Services and Activities and empowers us to follow whose commands.

So when the spirit is working we are abiding with Christ and we produce fruit.

Here is what Paul said to the churches in the Galatian region.

Galatians 5:16–17 ESV

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

You see we can have it both ways -

We either walk by the spirit of God in us and we serve Him in everything we do or we serve ourselves.

The desire of the flesh - serve the 4 idols of our culture.

Comfort - Convenience- Safety and Security

Now that does not mean that we should reject comfort - We should do only things that are inconvenient

That we must be in constant danger and reject anything that provides security.

but here is what happens to us - IF we walk by the spirit - Those things will fade in importance.

We will do that which is out of our comfort. Sharing our faith is certainly not comfortable for many

There will be things that we will do that are not convenient - striving to build up the Church takes time, it takes effort, it takes sacrifice - It takes changing our schedule.

Persecution of the church does not lend itself to safety and the Spirit may call you to take the good news where your safety is at risk.

and when you live by the spirit your security is not in anything in this world but rather your security is eternal.

Paul closes this Section of the letter to the Galatian churches with this encouragement and really lays down the gauntlet -

Galatians 5:24–25 ESV

24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

This is a great examination point - Paul lands the plane like this -

If we are truly saved and belong to Christ then we have killed the desires of the flesh to serve the 4 idols and the passions that come with that.

Those passions are listed in the verses between vs 17 and 21

He Leaves them with an encouraging word.

IF we Live by the Spirit then lets keep in step with the Spirit.

This is what he is meaning - If we live by the Spirit that is in us - Then lets let the Spirit have control.

Lets let the Spirit reveal the gifting that he distributes and allocates - Let us hear the spirit when He calls us in to service. and to understand the activities he has for us.

Let us desire the things of the Spirit and seance His empowerment to Seek after as a woman seeks for a lost coin, the overflowing abundance in adding to, increasing the potential and strengthening the Church.

Ya know in order to do all of that we must love -

We must love people

We must love each other -

We must love the lost and the weary and the frustrated and the wondering.

We must love well.

STICKY POINT - AS WE COME TO THE TABLE OF JESUS

ANNOUNCE NEW MEMBERS

AS the team comes to lead us back into musical worship. I want us to be willing and able to ask our selves some really hard questions about how we our relationship with the Holy Spirit is - Are we keeping in step as Paul would say.

I want to begin this by asking this question:

How many times as you are working and shopping and entertaining in this culture are you engaged in a gospel conversation with anyone?

When is the last time that ANYONE has come up to you ans asked about the eternal condition of your soul with the desire to share the Gospel with you?

Its very possible for most of us NEVER - or maybe the time you came to faith.

Hmmm lets ask ourselves some deeper questions.

and listen loves one - I’m not asking these to convince you to do anything - These are simply becasue I want all of us to look at 1 cor 12 and 14 and take them seriously.

That we would know and believe and trust that we have been given a manifestation of the Spirit and in that understanding that Stonewater, the global church and the world all suffer without your jumping in to the purposes of God.

I am asking this becasue I love you and want the Abundant Spirit filled life for you that Jesus came to give you that is so very counter to our culture.

I want you to think through these and come to know that you are more than just a consumer but that you are truly meant to be the salt and light that Jesus called you to be - World Changers for Christ!

Francis Chan in His book forgotten God poses questions similar to these.

Do you believe that The Church needs you like a body needs a hand or a foot?

Do you believe that you are a vital member of the body of Christ on the Mission of Jesus?

Do you believe that you are here on this planet and in this culture for your own pleasure or to help people know the love of Jesus and come fully alive in Him?

IF not then Let me encourage you - Jump in the water is deep - Jesus has a beautiful and abundant life for you.

If so then ask these harder questions?

What would Stonewater look like if everyone was as committed as I was, if Everyone prayed and gave and served exactly like me?

What would the church look like in generations to come if everyone shared my faith like I do, and as fervently as I do?

Would the church be growing, and healthy and empowered or would it be weakening and listless?

loved ones no matter how you answer these questions.

Jesus is calling - The Holy Spirit in you has gifts, and service and activities or you - to live the abundant life that He came to give you.

A life of eternal significance and importance. Especially to those who are right now at this very moment lost - Headed to a christless eternity.

For you may very well be that only Gospel they will ever hear and experience.

Come to Jesus - Let the holy Spirit lead and guide and receive all that HE has for us all - So that He can do more than we imagine, ask for or even think that He may get all the Glory in the Church and in every generation.

Amen -

Lets stand and worship.

COMMUNION LITURGY

Assurance of our forgiveness through the table.

After our time of repentance through prayer, we come to the table of Jesus together. At the table of Jesus, we are reminded of the assurance of our forgiveness because we openly and actively declare the Gospel as we participate in communion together.

Because we are openly and actively declaring the gospel of Jesus and the assurance of our forgiveness, communion is open to everyone who is a follower of Jesus saved by grace through faith.

If this is NOT you, we would simply ask you to allow those who are participating to walk past but after worship reach out to someone with a lanyard and ask what it is to be a follower of Jesus.

Unity of the Table

When we come together as a family of faith, Brothers and Sisters in Jesus. We are spiritually united together as the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 10:17 that Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. So we are spiritually united together we and we are also united with Jesus in his death and resurrection at His table.

Remembrance at the Table

BREAD: On the night He was betrayed, He gathered His disciples for a Passover meal. While they were eating Jesus took some bread; after He blessed it and gave thanks to the Father: He broke it, gave it to His disciples and said: “Take this all of you and eat of it, for This is My body, which is for you; when you do this, do this in remembrance of Me.”

CUP: After the meal, in the same way He took the cup, again gave thanks to the Father. He took the Cup and gave it to His disciples saying, “Take this all of you and drink of this cup. This cup is the cup of my blood. The blood of the New and Everlasting covenant. My blood which will be poured out for the forgiveness of sins for many; when you do this, as often as you drink it, do this in remembrance of Me.”

Invite: Come to the table of Jesus

PRAYER TEAM

ANNOUNCE MEW MEMBERS