The Avoided Question

I am so glad that you are here. We are starting a brand new series and let me tell you, whether you make it here every Sunday or not, I hope you follow along online.

Killing Kryptonite is not a series about Superman. But the parallels between his story and our life of faith are striking.

Superman isn’t from this world; a child of God is not of this world.

He possesses supernatural powers that normal human beings don’t possess; we are supernaturally empowered in ways those of this world are not.

He fights evil; we fight evil.

He protects and liberates those oppressed by villains; we guard the weak and set captives free.

My favorite similarity… He draws his strength from the sun; we draw our strength from the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

THE ONE THING

Only one thing can stop Superman; Kryptonite—a fictional radioactive substance originally from his planet. And likewise, there is a “kryptonite” that originated on our home planet that can neutralize, paralyze, a child of God.

Kryptonite not only neutralized Superman’s supernatural abilities, but it also made him weaker than a mere human being. Our kryptonite does the same.

What is our kryptonite?

Before we uncover what kryptonite is, we need to set up the story.

Kryptonite’s huge advantage over Superman is that it isn’t easily recognizable, so he could come under its effect prior to identifying it.

The believer’s kryptonite is weakening both individuals and the body of Christ, and to many it is still not recognizable.

In this series we want to identify and uncover how to eliminate it and its effects on us as individuals and as a community.

What is our greatest desire?

I say ours because deep inside we all share the same desire.

We want to be successful, to be the best in our field, to be popular, to be happily married, to enjoy great friendships, to be a part of a vibrant community, to enjoy good health, or to have enough resources to do anything we want.

All of these are extremely attractive desires, and some are even necessary. But do they identify our greatest desire?

Don’t we know people who have all of these things and still feel empty?

You have heard it in Hollywood, the sports world, businesses, government, and really any place where someone has reached the maximum level of success in life, and yet still find themselves lacking something.

In their emptiness, some turn to drugs, alcohol, affairs, religion, new age spirituality, or occultism, hoping to fill the void that they feel deep inside their soul.

The true satisfaction every man and woman longs for, whether they realize it or not, can only be found in an intimate relationship with our creator. No matter what you think about God, HE IS YOUR DEEPEST YEARNING.

God planted eternity in our hearts.

Eccl

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Unless we have been deceived to think that there is other than God himself that can satisfy our soul, we all by instinct long in our hearts for “King of Eternity”.

1 Timothy 1:17 NIV

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Romans 1:19–20 NIV

19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

God isn’t unknown to any human heart.

Anyone who has come into a relationship with Him know his presence, power, splendor, and majesty are impossible to comprehend in totality and that He is beyond comparison.

God is so mighty that some of the most powerful beings in the universe, called seraphim, continually stand in awe in heaven crying out to each other about His awesome greatness. These massive beings do this with such passion and strength that their voices shake the doorposts of an enormous arena in heaven that likely holds more than a billion beings.

For centuries, humanity has searched and studied the secrets of God’s creation and never fully comprehended its complexity and wonder.

WE CAN’T COMPREHEND EVERYTHING ABOUT GOD.

And yet this God reached down to us to save us, to rescue us, to redeem us, and to give us an eternal promise.

God became flesh. He could not get us back any other way. This is the wisdom of Jesus being born of a virgin. HE became 100% man but since His Father was the Spirit of God, He was free from the enslaved nature humankind had fallen into.

He knew He would suffer in order to rescue us. He loved us so deeply and completely that He freely chose to pay the price for our freedom.

This freedom is the answer to our greatest desire. We long for such freedom, for such love, we need God.

THE AVOIDED QUESTION

Since we are the children of God, simple logic would conclude that we should experience an extraordinary life; in fact, that’s exactly what scripture says. Here are some of the promises from God to those who follow him:

His divine nature.

unselfish character

unconditional love and forgiveness

joy and peace beyond description

supernatural power

well-being

vitality

health

safety and stability

I am obviously not mentioning ALL the things that we are promised… here are a few more:

divine wisdom

knowledge

understanding

ingenuity

keen insight and creativity.

All of these are intended to produce fruitfulness and success in our lives.

Let’s just say that we are promised the attributes found in heaven.

Jesus emphatically declared that His kingdom is within us; therefore HIS will should be done on earth as it is in heaven.

THE AVOIDED QUESTION

But if we are honest, we don’t see these qualities manifested, at least in our context, at the level that Scripture tells us they should be manifested.

Do we really see a significant difference between the people of God and the people of the world?

Do we followers of Jesus STAND OUT?

Do we shine the light of Jesus in the midst of a dark generation?

Consider the issues happening in the world and

If we are honest and look closely, do we suffer from envy, jealousy, gossip, divisions?

Do we see character, integrity, and morality that are dramatically different from the corruption of our nation?

Is there a distinction between believers and unbelievers in our health and well-being?

Are we able to meet the needs of others and proclaim His gospel to every person?

May be this sounds like too much. But I read, and re-read scripture, and there is no place where it says that we are to look like the world, but rather to shine the light of Jesus in a dark world.

The church should not beg for the world’s help to carry on.

And I am not talking about

Jesus promises that if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, everything we need will be given to us. Not once did a lack of resources keep Jesus from doing what He needed to do.

It is unfortunate that there have been extreme teachings in the church about wealth and prosperity. These unbalanced teachings have caused people to believe that abundance is a bad thing. But what are we to give if we have nothing?

When we let the pursuit of God’s kingdom posses us, He entrusts us with the necessary possessions to advance His will on earth.

He will equip us in all areas to carry on with His will on earth as it is in heaven.

But He doesn’t want possessions to possess us. It is not money but the “love of money” that is the root of all kinds of evil.

In the OT there were many generations that flourished in an incredible way—economically, socially, and militarily. They had an abundance of resources, food, and wealth.

And Jesus came, the mediator of a better covenant, which is established on better promises.

Hebrews 8:6 NIV

6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

Jesus changed communities wherever He went. He never lacked what was necessary to meet any need to carry out the Father’s will.

If any attacks came against His team, no permanent damage was made, and very often bad situations turned into amazing success.

The members of the early church were referred to as,

Acts 17:6 NKJV

6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.

They had no lack...

Acts

Acts 4:33–34 NIV

33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales

They were so unique that they often had to convince military officers or community leaders that they were not gods and should not be worshipped.

Citizens of this world viewed them as the supermen and superwomen of their generation.

They eliminated sickness and disease from those who suffered.

They shone as bright lights in the midst of a dark generation.

So here is the avoided question again:

Do we really see a significant difference between the people of God and the people of the world?

I have myself made up excuses to explain why my life is not reflecting what I read in the book of Acts. Have you done the same, have we as a Church made up excuses and altered our theology to explain why these things happened only during that time?

The NT writers give answers, but we avoid answering these difficult questions.

What if we really listened to what what Scripture tells us?

Luke 17

Luke 17:21 NKJV

21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Luke 17:20–21 NKJV

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

The Kingdom of God is within the body of Christ.

Are we living in our generation as Jesus did in His?

1 John 2:6 NIV

6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Are we as effective as the early church was in reaching their world?

Acts 19:10 NIV

10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

Look at us? Over 50 years of this Church’s existence, there’s gotta be more!

And they didn’t have internet, facebook, internet, an app, a website, or even radio. Yet every person—no just in a city or nation, but an entire region—heard the gospel.

We have avoided this question for too long by saying: “God doesn’t move like this any longer” Or we simply put the en result if the church’s success in the leadership, the pastor, or the programs.

We also push away the teaching of God’s provision for the mission in order to avoid the responsibility that comes when much is given.

We protect ourselves from having to answer some hard questions and give ourselves an excuse for not impacting our world with the gospel.

Could it be that we hesitate because asking the question may uncover issues we aren’t willing to deal with?

But if we don’t ask and act on the answers, we will remain far below the level of life we’re promised and called to live.

In the following weeks we will search for answers. And it may be painful, similar to what occurs when a skilled surgeon performs a complex procedure.

But let me remind you that the Holy Spirit cares more deeply for us than any surgeon, both on an individual and corporate level as a church.

I believe He wants to do far more through you and through us as The Gathering.

My prayer is that by the end of this series we will be stronger, healthier, full of life, love, and equipped in a supernatural way to carry out God’s will for us.

James 1:22 NIV

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

We deceive ourselves when we know something but don’t act on it.

How does your life stand out from the world? Would people say you live like Jesus?

How would your life be different if you lived like Jesus?

What habits would you break?

How would you change the way you interact with people who are regularly around you?

What would be different about the way you live with your family?

Yo may not have all the answers today, but the response God is looking for today is our willingness to recognize that there is more.

If today you say, God I want to live the life you have planned out for me, would you stand up?