Build His Kingdom 1
BUILD HIS KINGDOM • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Announcements
Announcements
SPRING RETREAT MOMENT!
Commendation for GOAL being met for SUMMER CAMPS!
Over $7000!
SUMMER SEMESTER
- Consolidated schedule
- Wednesday morning and evening Bible Study - 10 and 6:30
- Thursday - KNOWING JESUS 101
JUNE PROJECTS:
Party with the Pastors NEXT WEEK!
Festival next week - volunteers to serve; also awareness for parking; and street food after service
Veterans of Action - June 10 thru 14; needed labor support and food support
Father’s Day - June 16th
SUMMER CAMPS
June 24-28
July 1-5
GOD IS LOOKING FOR KINGDOM BUILDERS
GOD IS LOOKING FOR KINGDOM BUILDERS
God is looking for Creatives.
God is looking for worshippers through design, building, constructing, orchestrating, finishing.
We talk about social media creatives and influencers
God is the ultimate Creative!
God’s genius, strategy, beauty, design is all evident and we see it throughout the Universe - in all of creation - in you and me and your neighbor next to you.
God is Creator God
He creates from within Himself for all to see His Glory
The LORD our God is ONE GOD
God the Father who creates with Will
God the Son who creates with Word
God the Holy Spirit who creates with Wonder and POWER
He is ONE God and drives creation from the beginning until He says it is Finished.
Jesus is the centerpiece of all Creation, He was made in Himself of the divine and born into flesh.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
To this day, Creation is creating new, recreating, and multiplying. Just as He commanded to do.
He said let there be Light - and there was Light, and there continues to be Light.
He flung the stars into the Heavens, counts them and knows them by name. Still now, new stars are forming, galaxies colliding, new flowers adorned with its own individual beauty, dressed in their own individual splendor.
And we, as the apple of God’s eye, God’s Creative wonder - God-molded, and God-breathed, continue to create newness of life and multiply.
And it’s in this capacity, God has called us to be more intentional about what matters most - the eternal.
Our souls are the only eternal things born of this earth that will remain for eternity. Everything else will be burnt up, consumed.
And so God, with His genius and glory, and having invited us to the table - to bring that part of ourselves He has invested in us from Himself; to partner with Him.
In the beginning, He planted mankind in the garden to steward His creation.
Now, we have new beginnings and He has planted us, the born again, in gardens of people, to steward those True Riches.
And that’s what we’re here to do today.
That’s why we’re here in Aviano - outside Aviano Air Base, just outside Pordenone. Here in Northern Italy.
We have been planted here to build, to strategize, to plan, to implement and - not just be hearers of the Word of God, but DOERS of the Word of God.
CHARACTER INVOLVEMENT
CHARACTER INVOLVEMENT
God spoke to us this past conference - and specifically on Sunday with Sister Jamie Massey’s sermon entitled
“UNLOCKED and UNBLOCKED”
God’s message is that the things that we have been prevented in doing.
The things that we’ve known to do for His Kingdom.
The fulfillment of our Kingdom purpose.
Whatever held those up can’t hold them up any longer.
We are Kingdom builders.
We are Jesus preachers.
We are Gospel carriers.
We are divinely inspired through the Word and God’s Spirit to take a LIVING HOPE to the masses.
We are given God’s Spirit to be on Fire for Jesus.
21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him—
And it goes on to say
23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.
This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, __RYAN___, have become a servant of it.
That’s it. We are servants of the Gospel. We were made for THIS.
All of who you and I are have been purposed through this - a servant of the Gospel. To be His Witnesses.
We have all been gifts for the assignment.
Say “Gifted for the assignment.”
We all have a role and responsibility in the House of God - just like every family does in their own houses.
1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4; 1 Corinthians 14; Romans 12; 2 Tim 1
All indicate types of spiritual gifts given and employed in the Body of Christ.
1 Pet 4 says in verse 10 that EVERYone has received at least ONE spiritual gift for service in the body.
10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.
But where does utilizing the gifts start?
Does God just let everyone loose to do their own thing?
Does God just let us wing it and hope for the best?
No, it starts with the 5-fold ministry:
11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.
God invested from Himself into individuals to lead His Church. The head of every church is Christ.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. And we are the flock of His pastures.
We all like sheep have gone astray.
Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.
Jesus said in John 10:17
17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Because of Christ’s authority - because no one can command Him, He is the owner and gateway of the sheep pen.
He is the owner of the flock, He is the doorway to the sheep pen, He is the good shepherd who lays His life down for His sheep, He is the refuge the sheep run into for safety and the place where sheep have life and life more abundantly!
7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
He is the good shepherd, whom also made Himself the sacrificial lamb for the atonement of our sins.
Because of His sacrifice on the cross, He took our sins away from us, forgiving us, nailing our sins to the Cross that we can be FREE.
He succumbed to our spiritual death sentence so that He can give us His life and life more abundantly!
You might be asking, “Pastor Ryan why are you going on about this sheep stuff and shepherding stuff?”
TWO POINTS:
1 - In this series we will be looking at Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s experience with Israel’s exodus from captivity in Babylon - and their return to the Temple and Jerusalem. We’ll be looking at how the rebuild of Jerusalem was prophetically speaking of Christ and His Church.
2 - the second is for helping us understand that we have a role in God’s Kingdom. That God has given us an invitation, and that we are a vital part of building God’s Kingdom.
God has always had a people - He’s always had a person to start with. He’s always had a man or woman that has been the start of every story.
That person has always had a high level of accountability with God, and that person has always become an intercessor for God’s plan and purpose in the lives around that person.
When God called the new nation of Israel out of Egypt, He had Moses. While in the desert, God created the position of priest - reflected in Himself as Jesus has always been the High Priest interceding for us all.
God would create the order of the priesthood - and create a whole tribe of people dedicated to the work of ministry for the Hebrew nation - the tribe of Levi.
They were accountable to God, responsible for maintaining the Word of God in their life, and remaining obedient to maintaining the presence of the Lord in every temple.
Fast forward to Jesus accomplishing His mission with his death, burial, and resurrection; and Him commissioning His followers to expand His Kingdom.
He baptized the 120 on Pentecost Sunday and the Holy Spirit amplified spiritual gifts among the believers.
PASTORAL CALLING
PASTORAL CALLING
God has a people, and it started with the 12 disciples, given apostolic spiritual anointing to lead and organize the churches throughout the world.
It started with someone Spirit-filled to lead ministry and facilitate the environment for people to receive the Word of God.
It started with Spirit-filled people gifted to evangelize and preach the Gospel message of Christ.
It started with Spirit-filled people gifted for pastoring and teaching, for caring for the flock and discipling people in the life of Jesus.
11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,
Understanding God’s organization of the Church is pivotal to understanding the process of maturing the body and caring for the Body of Christ.
The work and purpose of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher - these are HIGH CALLINGS.
High callings with High accountability!
What God establishes, God honors.
And when it comes to building His Kingdom - when it comes to the work of the ministry - in the spiritual and in the physical - there is always a person He starts with.
In the modern Church of today, we call that person the Pastor.
And scripture plainly describes the role of the Pastor in your life.
I have a Pastor - I have an Overseer. I have a person I am responsible to as well.
We need the role of Pastor in our lives. And when God assigns the position of a Pastor in your life, its your responsibility to honor and maintain that position.
2 Timothy
The New King James Version Chapter 5
17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
We’re not just talking about likable people - or people that seem to have a good influence in your life. We’re ESPECIALLY talking about those who labor - work - in the Word AND Doctrine.
3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.
This is the importance of pursuing SOUND DOCTRINE. We have an over abundance of so-called ministers influencing us - in Social Media, in entertainment.
We have to be careful to guard our hearts - to hear and listen to sound teaching and sound doctrine. This is the importance of coming to Church! Of having a pastor dedicated to searching and learning the Word - for ascribing to sound doctrine based on Scripture.
This is the importance of submitting to Spiritual Authority -
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
The New King James Version Chapter 13
17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
The role of a pastor is someone is watches over your soul. We talked several months ago about the Soul being our total-self - mind, emotions, desires, body, and social environment.
Sometimes you might feel like your pastor is all up in your business like “Why’s he gotta be all up in my business?”
First of all, if you really think I want to know all your “business”, and there’s 100 to 150 of y’alls “business” goin on, please think again.
Your “business” can be so exhausting sometimes! (smile)
But here’s the thing about this Calling - this is what God has burdened me with. I choose to be a pastor - willingly, and God has given me this heart of a pastor and so I genuinely do care for your souls!
I want you to WIN! Not just for a moment in life, not in just a churchy way of life. I want you to WIN the race God has put before you - to WIN the race of EVERLASTING LIFE!
And even moreso - I am accountable to that!
I am accountable to God for being your “soul-watcher”.
We just read that but here’s another scripture to this point:
28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.
So Jesus is the CHIEF SHEPHERD, and your pastors are your Under-Shepherds.
Jesus’s own blood purchased the role and opportunity to be part of His flock, and He has assigned me and Angie this time and space at Refuge Aviano to be his under-shepherd.
And we are passionate about this!
We take this seriously - understanding that while I have Pastor and Director Andrew Provazek over me, and Pastor and Director Robert Moore over me - we are still accountable directly to GOD for what we’re doing here:
for the ministry we are directing here
for the souls we are watching over here
for the teaching and doctrine that is at work here
IF Jesus gave up His very life for you as the flock, He spilled all of His blood for you as His flock - how much responsibility and accountability comes with assigning an under-shepherd to continue His Kingdom work?
Pastoring is a high calling - demanding and burdensome at times - but oh what a JOY we have in leading people to Jesus!
I mean sheep are MESSY! Sometimes stink a little!
But y’all are beautiful. Y’all are some real studs in this house. And I’m grateful that God has called ALL of us here to be part of His KINGDOM. To be part of something that’s so special and NOT normal!
This isn’t a normal denominational church you might find back home.
Even if you go to a “non-denominational” church back home, it’s not like this.
There’s multiple church backgrounds here:
Church of Christ, Methodist, Nazarene, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Church of God, Apostolic, Assembly of God, Church of God in Christ, Mormon, Catholic AND some with absolutely no church background at all!
So with that comes a smorgasbord (a huge and wide variety) of ideas about Church, what Church does with structure and leadership.
We have a new generation of believers with a very weak theology!
Sometimes this leads to weak doctrine or no doctrine at all!
But these are challenges I, Angie, Manfred and Yvonne are willing to embrace because we absolutely love the Lord, and you! I absolutely love the work of the ministry.
I love this opportunity to BUILD - both spiritually, and physically.
I love this opportunity to lead, to teach, to preach, the Word of God.
I love chasing Vision and Mission.
I love seeing people awaken to God’s LIGHT in their darkness.
I love seeing people awaken to God’s Calling and purpose in their Life.
I love seeing people alive and thriving with Jesus as their center and purpose for living.
I love speaking into people’s lives revelation and, at times, a prophetic word of direction and healing.
I love leading people to an understanding of Calling and purpose!
And we’ve got to be ready to receive these things from the pastor.
And at the same time, I grieve when people willingly allow sin to overtake their life.
I grieve when spiritually weak decisions derail faithfulness.
I grieve when bitterness and heartache curtail someone from fulfilling their purpose and Calling in God’s Kingdom.
I grieve when someone comes to Christ and is basically still-born because they couldn’t let go of the World and heartaches.
And I grieve when someone rejects sound, Biblical counsel from their pastor and choose to continue a slow spiritual death.
Many people won’t deal with these things. But the pastor does.
The pastor is here at 4AM praying over your soul’s reception of His word.
The pastor is here in the early mornings praying over your influences in the your workplaces.
The pastor is here interceding for God to give the Word and message for the new and next season.
The pastor is here concerned about the facilities and maintaining the opportunities for someone to know Jesus - maybe new or a return.
The pastor is here weeping over those who decide to ghost and follow after itching ears.
The pastor here rejoicing over someone embracing the revelation of needing and desiring to share the Gospel.
The pastor is here primarily to show you the Way, the Truth, and the Life that is only found in Jesus, and hopes we can be partners and friends in the process.
Ezra and Nehemiah had to deal with these things as well - and BUILD the temple and city. We’re going to see this play out and how it applies to our time and space here at Refuge Aviano.
The pastor is here and accountable to God for what’s going on.
When in the book of Revelation, King Jesus is addressing the Churches of Asia.
He doesn’t address the worship leaders. He’s not addressing the leadership team, or the team leads. He’s not addressing the treasurer or the finance committee. He’s not addressing the pastor’s counsel.
No, he’s addressing the MESSENGER of each Church - the pastor and director of each Church.
It is a high calling to be your pastor. It is a responsibility that comes with heaviness and also great joy.
I want you all to WIN - what is it to win? Ultimately, to hear the words after your last breath Matthew 25:21
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’
You winning is Kingdom Building! You winning is spiritually, mentally, emotionally Strong! You winning Strong in the Word and Doctrine. You winning is leading your marriages spiritually healthy. You winning is leading your children spiritually healthy. You winning is birthing new sheep! You winning is inviting people into Jesus’s pasture. You winning is finishing here well and going to your next mission with joy and expectation.
You winning - is walking with Jesus!
We as a leadership team adopted a new phrase at our leaders’ retreat back in November.
We’ve been saying at our Launchpad rallies on Sunday mornings.
We say WARWIN!
WAR - WIN!
We are ready!
Worship God
Inspire others
Never quit.
We as a Church have a mission to accomplish while we are here at Aviano -
Connect, Equip, Empower, Send
But this how I see us accomplishing that mission - with the attitude of WARWIN.
Always ready - to Worship God, Inspire Others, and Never Quit.
I as your pastor want you to WIN. I want to see you WIN. And I will do all that I can to connect you to people and resources, to equip you with knowledge and capability, to empower you with opportunities to serve in your gifts, and - when it’s time - to send you to your next mission.
While we are here - we’ve got work to do!
Spiritual building and physical building!
We’ve got to bring spiritual shelter to people
And we’ve to a physical shelter to shape up.
God is looking for Kingdom Builders! Your pastoral team is All In! And we know that we are all BETTER TOGETHER.
