2029.05.31 Christian To The Core: Introduction

Habakkuk 1:1–5 NLT

1 This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision. 2 How long, Yahweh, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. 3 Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. 4 The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted. 5 Yahweh replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.

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Christian To The Core: Introduction

I saw a video on YouTube a few months ago. A guy took various types of tomatoes and planted them in the ground to see what would grow. He planted a cherry tomato from a restaurant salad; a tomato cut in half from the grocery; but the most interesting one to me was the slice. He bought a Whopper at Burger King and pulled out the tomato slice and smeared off all the condiments. He took this little hard-as-a-rock hothouse “tomato chip” and planted it. That sucker grew a slew of plants … that all produced tomatoes!

It totally makes sense, but it’s still surprising, and particularly the number of plants it produced was really surprising to me. I think I know things, and then I’m still surprised by basic stuff. A philospher once said: “Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the apples in a seed.”

Those seeds that grow in the core of a fruit are amazing. The tomato seeds produced healthy plants. The seeds in an apple can produce an entire TREE!

Mark 4:26–29 NLT

26 Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. 28 The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”

Only God knows how things grow. But the growth begins with a seed, and the seed is found at the core of a fruit.

As believers in Christ … we want to see growth, right? We want to see growth in our own faith life. We want to see growth in our families. We want to see numerical growth in the number of souls committed to Jesus. We want to see growth in the impact the church has on those numbers. We certainly want to see growth!

But what are we growing? What is the seed we’re planting in the ground?

God can find all sorts of people who are ‘sorta’ his. There are plenty of people who are marginal believers … you may have even thought of someone when I said that.

Is that what God wants? No.

God wants people whose seed is his … truly his … at their core!

In the scripture read for us, God seems to be calling out to Israel’s vision. He’s saying, “Hey! Pay attention! I’m doing something you don’t understand. I’m doing work you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it!”

God is on the move in the world today, folks! Some of the stories I read and hear about in other areas of the world are incredible … literally … I find it incredible … hard to believe …

that God is rescuing people in the numbers I see reported

that he is making lame people walk, and blind people see, and dead people alive

Maybe I don’t pay enough attention. Maybe I just dismiss the reports I hear. Maybe … maybe I don’t believe even when someone tells me about it. But … I want it. I saw a bit of it in Kenya. My friends see it in Cuba. I’ve heard reports of it even here. But I’m too busy with my important position.

I want to say something that will be hard to hear at first. I want to ask you to let me get to the second part before you shut me off. This is a leadership principle, but it flows right down to our core as Christian believers.

Part 1:

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Western churches often make decisions based on a fear of their church closing.

It hurts to say that, but it’s been true for decades. We love our church, and we want it to continue. We want it to thrive, so we do what we can to make it thrive! Right?! And our purpose becomes perpetuating the local church instead of making disciples.

Stay with me. Here’s the really scary part: If we’re making decisions based on keeping our institution open, why would God care about whether we close?

You see, God’s given us a purpose. We are HIS CHURCH, and He’s called us to be on mission … HIS mission. And our desires - even the desire to keep our doors open - only water down his purpose … and I’m chief among sinners.

Now, I asked you to hang with me … so where’s the hope? It’s in Part 2:

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If we start making decisions based on God’s mission, we give him every reason to help us thrive!

If we’re focused on God’s mission, we plant different seeds than if we’re focused on fear of an institution closing. The Church of Jesus Christ will not fail and will prevail over the gates of hell! If we boldly walk into our calling, we each get to be part of that victory, and so does Bartlett Chapel! So … what’s at our core?

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Christian To The Core: Introduction

Welcome to our Summer series: Christian to the Core.

I met a pastor at General Conference in Costa Rica. We met and talked briefly. When we saw each other we smiled and waved, although she likely wouldn’t remember me after almost 2 years. I didn’t know it then, but Joy and her husband, Wes, started International Leadership Institute, and they’ve been training Christian leaders for over 20 years all over the world. In the beginning, they spent 2 years studying effective Christian leaders and writing curriculum to help multiply those leaders.

They discovered 8 core values that were consistent in these high capacity, Holy Spirit-empowered leaders, and they wrote Christian to the Core — a curriculum around those values. This sermon series will be focused on those core values. For today, I just want to give you a brief overview of each of those values so you can see a map of where we’re going.

Even though these principles are based on Christian leaders … they are core values for every Christian!

Each value includes a statement of what God is looking for with that value.

The first one is:

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Intimacy with God “God looks for consecrated men and women who live life from an intimate relationship with Him.”

In Exodus 33, Moses walks into the tent and Yahweh came down and spoke with Moses face to face. True intimacy with God happens with intentional effort over a long period of time, and a deep relationship is developed.

►►►SLIDE [Passion for the Harvest]

Passion for the Harvest “God looks for men and women who share a passion for those without Christ.”

Two-thirds of the world has not yet responded to God’s love. It’s easy to dismiss that global stat we’re so far away it’s easy to think we couldn’t make a difference … in Hendricks County, the figure is 49%. [The American Beliefs Study 2021]

HALF! How ‘bout that? If every-other person is statistically a believer, that means your next door neighbors are BOTH lost! God looks for men and women who care enough to tell others about Jesus.

►►►SLIDE [Culturally Relevant Evangelism]

Culturally Relevant Evangelism "God looks for men and women who live and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with cultural relevance, sensitivity, and power so that the eternal truth of the Gospel will be understood and receive in every culture of the world.” … even in Hendricks County!

This sounds a lot like the last value, and they’re certainly connected, but they aren’t the same thing. In value 2, God is looking for people who care about the lost! In this value, He is looking for people who are willing to do something about it.

The Apostle Paul said he became “all things for all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” 1 Cor 9:22b

►►►SLIDE [Multiplication of Disciples]

Multiplication of Disciples “God looks for men and women who disciple, coach, and mentor others, who in turn become effective disciple-makers.”

Paul wrote to Timothy: 2 Timothy 2:2 “ You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”

We think about adding numbers. God doesn’t. He thinks about multiplying numbers.

When we go fishing, what do we use? We use a rod and reel. And how many fish do we catch at one time? one.

The disciples didn’t use a pole to fish. They used a net. So when Jesus told them he would make them fishers of men, he wasn’t envisioning a model that grew slowly. He was desperate for the salvation of every soul, so his vision is a model that casts a wide net and grows others to cast their nets.

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Family Priority “God looks for men and women who are convinced that the family is God’s building block for society and make their family a priority in their lives.”

God ordained the family and provides guidelines for developing healthy, strong families. This doesn’t seem so foreign in the U.S., but we often let other things sneak onto our priority list. I tend toward workaholism, and I know I’m not alone. At times, work threatens my family, and that’s just one example.

►►►SLIDE [Faithful Stewardship]

Faithful Stewardship “God looks for men and women who are faithful stewards of finances, time, and spiritual gifts.”

If we really believe all we have is a gift from God … what would he think about how we spend it? Every Christian is responsible for using God’s gifts to achieve maximum impact for God’s Kingdom.

In Matthew 25, Jesus told a parable about a master sharing resources with servants, and the end of the story the master says “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.”

►►►SLIDE [Integrity]

Integrity “God looks for men and women of integrity who live holy lives that are accountable to God and to the Body of Christ.”

Paul wrote to Timothy that his life was slipping away. He celebrated in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”

Remaining faithful means we are concerned about how well we begin, and how well we continue. But ultimately, we care about finishing well! Integrity leaves no regrets. It provides moral authority to speak boldly, and it helps a Christian finish well!

►►►SLIDE [The Power of Vision]

The Power of Vision “God looks for men and women who discover God’s vision for their lives, set goals, mobilize people, and overcome obstacles in order to see His purposes achieved.”

Habakkuk 2:2 NASB 2020

2 Then Yahweh answered me and said, “Write down the vision And inscribe it clearly on tablets, So that one who reads it may run.

The purpose of vision isn’t to have a plaque you can hang on a wall. It’s to give direction to the running.

Where Mission is a person’s “Why?”, Vision is the hoped-for future. “If I’m successful in my faith, what will it look like?”

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Christian To The Core: Introduction

We’ll conclude the series talking about application. How do we LIVE Christian to the Core?

I’m going to encourage you to do something I rarely say out loud.

Circle every Sunday throughout this Summer. Make being in worship a high priority every Sunday this Summer! Of course, the stream will be available, but please make it a priority to be here whenever possible. This series could have high impact on the direction of this church, and the direction of your life!

Let’s join together to be Christian to the Core.

Let’s pray.