Community

Prayer

In this series through Hebrews, I was intending on preaching a message today starting off in chapter 4 talking about Sabbath rest but in light of what’s taken place this week in our community, the Lord had me go back just a few verses… To spend a little more time on what he said through the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 3:13

Hebrews 3:13 NIV

13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Encourage each other daily…

Build eachother up…daily

And that is my job description…to equip you so that you may build each other up.

Ephesians 4:11–15 NIV

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

To equip you to do the works of the ministry…so that the body of Christ may be built up…

When news like this week hits. When things outside of our control effect us, where do we turn?

Do we turn to fear? Do we turn to worry? Do we turn to dissociation? Do we turn to anger and try to control something?

We need to remind ourselves who our God is…

Jesus taught us in his Sermon on the Mount…

Matthew 6:25–34 NIV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We are to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness and to not worry. Because he is our Heavenly Father and he will take care of His Children because he is the best Father there ever was, ever is, and ever to be.

We can encourage one another when we share stories of God’s faithfulness through past trials.

Jesus also taught us what we are to do in response to how much God loves us and the promises of God to take care of us.

In other words…this is how we seek first his kingdom and righteousness…

Matthew 22:34–40 NIV

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Love God… Love Him with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind.

And secondly…love your neighbor as yourself.

Who is my neighbor?

Luke 10:25–37 NIV

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

We love God…we encourage each other by testifying of God’s love, provision and fellowship to one another. We share with each other what God has been up to in our lives and then we love our neighbors by caring for them in their time of need.

Even if they are people you may not like.

Even if they are people you may not normally associate with…

Even if they are people who have a bad repuation…

We love them and help them in their time of needs.

Let’s bring this into perspective for us today…

Over the past year and a half it has become very apparent to me that THERE IS A SPIRITUAL MOUNT EVEREST that exists between our church and downtown Karthaus.

I have yet to share this from this pulpit but today is the day..

And you can respond in one of two ways. One is the flesh and one is the spirit.

It wasn’t until the other night when I was invited down to a meeting of different community leaders here in Karthaus to figure out how we could respond to the news of the closure where a comment was made by someone that rocked me to the core and verified the existance of that spiritual mount everest.

The flesh would have you respond in anger, defensiveness or dismissiveness…

Thats not true…how dare they think that…

But the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

The Spirit would say…listen to your neighbors…listen to their stories and how they have felt less than…How they have felt looked down upon…how they have felt unwelcomed or unwanted…

Listen to them.

We are not going to do it yet, but there will be a time in the very near future where we will do a teaching series called BLESS. And it stands for an acroynm and a lifestyle on how we can truly love our neighbors by blessing them.

B-Begin with Prayer…pray for your neighbors…we will be doing this tonight. Tonight is a perfect opportunity

L- Listen…Ask Good questions…listen to their stories, their dreams…their fears…

E- Eat- Share a meal with them…at their house, at your house…at the Q

S.- Serve— Once you get to know them and have been praying for them, once you listent o their stories and are sharing meals with them, you will learn and often God will ordain an opporutniyt for you to serve them.

Share- You share your life with them. You share Jesus with them.

Well church, our community is in a time of need. Our community is hurting because of what could happen. And we have been put here at this time, in this space to be a light on the hill.

Going back to Jesus sermon on the mount…

Matthew 5:13–16 NIV

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Not a light on a hill that SAYS LOOK AT ME AND HOW AMAZING WE ARE.

But rather one who’s shining brightly because we have the light of the world using us to be a light in the darkness.

Matthew 6:1–4 NIV

1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

And we can be that light to our community in the midst of their trials…to love them because they are our neighbors and we are commanded to help care for them in their time of need. Not because we are better than them. Not because we deserve it more, but simply because we know the Goodness of our God and he will take care of us.