Striving For Simplicity and Purity
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Tonight were going to talk about growing deeper with God. were going to talk about one of the six disciplines needed to have a spiritual life that is progressively growing deeper, and not merely habit.
Growing more intimate with Jesus is not automatic, it isn’t immediate, and it aint easy. But the process of becoming intimately aquainted with Christ is in fact that a process and it takes all of the things in life that build towards that goal.
Paul writes to Timothy in about pursuing the disciplines of godliness. I think thats our goal, I would even say we should strive to have godliness that is authentic not fake, godliness that is balanced not fanatical.
A godliness that is practical.
So the spiritual discipline I wanna talk about tonight is simplicity.
“One ship drives east and the other drives west, with the same winds that blow,
It is the set of sails, and not the gails, that determines the way that we go.
If you have ever sailed you will have experienced that, I have only been sailing once in my life in Key west but I’ll never forget it. One boat can move in this direction and one can move in that one, and everything depends on the setting of the sail.
It is pretty awesome to see how someone who sails regularly can set the sails and know when to shift them and how to manuvere them in order to set the course for the boat.
In the Christian life we are to set our sails toward Godliness. It should be a intentional pursuit.
When Godliness is your goal you are in a dangerous place. I was so encouraged, when I found out that this week, people who stood up during the invitation were reaching out and sharing the gospel with those the Lord had laid on their hearts.
they are setting out to be obedient, to be Godly, and there is no more dangerous place to be. We say this all the time, but it is because it is the truth from God’s word when you stand in obedience Satan stands in defiance.
You are more and more an enemy.
Satan hates everything you love, and he loves the things you hate. So you are moving in different directions and so he will make those winds strong, he will try to convince you, you need to quit. Some Christians start but many never finish.
There have been times over and over again that I have wanted to quit. Frustration sets in, you wonder if your making an impact, you work as hard as you can but you never feel like your getting everything done your wanting to.
thats the way the Christian life is, sometimes Satan uses discouragement to frustrate you, and knock your sails in the wrong direction. But you can’t quit until your work is done!
Don’t ever let opposition be your reason for quitting ever.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians because he was concerned they were falling into the grips of a false Christ, or false teacher.
For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, because I have promised you in marriage to one husband—to present a pure virgin to Christ.
2
Accept us. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, defrauded no one.
2 Corinthians 11
2 Corinthians
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
I’m not in his league but that is my fear for you. I think about this all the time with you guys because you can easily be decieved in the world we live in.
It’ll be in your mind that you’ll be decieved, notice what he says.
The serpent decieved Eve by His craftiness, he is clever, and sneaky. He has known you all your life, he knows every chink in your armor. He knows your weaknesses He knows the subtlety of your sinfulness, he knows the secrets of your life. He knows you, He makes a study of you.
He wants to bring you down, to weaken you, and to create in your life defeat, discouragement, loss. Hopefully to the point where you ruin your own life, or take it.
He rejoices over every suicide, its his ultimate goal to finish us off, never forget that, no matter how successful you are or how well put together your life is you better not ever forget that.
YOU ARE THE TARGET OF THE ENEMY
So he says I fear for you I am afraid for you, why?
Let’s get real in our world today the churches in our church culture and the world that surrounds us, are so close that you cannot really tell who is teaching sound doctrine and who is not.
That is why Sunday night was so good because everyone there was in one accord.
Satan ia deceiving many churches in our day.
But notice what He says he is afraid that by the cleverness and craftiness of the serpent. That your minds would be lead astray from the simplicity and pure devotion to Christ.
KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID, KEEP IT PURE!
This is what I have to remind myself of, we have to continually go back to the gospel that saved us, we have to continually not try to over complicate the simple.
We can very easily get away from the simplicity and pure devotion to Jesus. One of the prayers of my life is that I just stay in love with Jesus, I just stay in love with Christ that He can still break my heart at times, that I can read about Him and still find that excitement on the inside or that I just wanna fall on my face before Him.
I adore Him, even though I have failed and will fail Him. It will never be because of lack of trying to show Him I love Him. I think of Him during the day and I often pray about Him in the night time.
Paul wants that for the church in Corinth and I want that for this church. Remember the church in Ephesus in the book of Revelation, Jesus had one negative thing to say about them, they left their first love.
or if we wanna put that in our language Jesus said to them: YOU DONT LOVE ME LIKE YOU USED TO.
Like a wife will say sometimes to a preoccupied husband, you dont hold my hand like you used to, you dont bring me flowers anymore…
Paul warns us here about the danger of making your relationship with Jesus complicated and polluting the simple. Anybody can complicate things, but it takes the very wise to keep it simple.
Keep your walk simple, and pure.
I wrote down a few things that characterize a life that gets too complicated:
- Saying yes to too many things
As we get older we have to choose where we can serve the best and simply plug in there, if the time comes to do something else then fine, but doing one thing at your best is better than doing 50 things halfway.
I am learning that
Your saying yes to too many things, your challenge is choosing between the good the better or the best thing to do with your time. Balancing that with right priorities.
Saying yes to too many things will trip you up
You have to learn when to say no, you have to be honest about where you are at. So that you can be your best where you need to be your best and not waste opporunities when you have them because your worn out.
By not planning your schedule so that you have quality time for your family.
In our world today there are so many ways we can be used by the Lord, but the greatest way is by loving our families. I heard one pastor say this, the greatest controbution you ever make to the kingdom of God may not be something you did, but someone you raised.
I think we forget this alot, our mission feild begins at home, the light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home. I have told and will tell everyone God insitituted the family before He instituted the church, and for the ones that I have worked with who will be going off into ministry, NEVER SACRIFICE YOUR FAMILY ON THE ALTER OF MINISTRY.
That is not what the Lord wants.
No matter how pious it may sound, never do that.
We have to plan time to relax without guilt.
Most of us have too much on our plates, than we could ever handle, so we need to put less there. We are bright people but bright people can do really dumb things, and sometimes we think that by doing more we will accomplish more, it doesnt work like that.
Most of America is too much in debt.
So we work harder to earn more to pay for the things we didn’t have money to buy in the first place.
There is simplicity in following Jesus
The simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ, I dont want you to be lead astray from that.
Never compare yourself to other people
This will cut into your passion and love for Jesus, it will cut into your simplicity and devotion to Jesus. You will forever be around people who are smarter than you are, have more gifts and abilities than you have, DONT TRY TO BE THEM
Be yourself, I know you want to do your best but dont base it on what some other person is able to do or be, because that is envy.
if your stomach is not in pain from hunger, if your eyes can still see, if both legs can still move, if your brain still functions then who should you envy?
There are going to be things that you will be distracted by and you have to learn to repent and move forward.
Never use churches as a stepping stone.
This is good for someone going into ministry and someone who is serving in ministry at a local church.
I had someone tell me that the reason for their leaving was because they felt they weren’t growing anymore. Well, whose fault is that? Is is the deacons fault? Is it the pastors fault? Is it the church members fault?
No that is one of the poorest excuses to leave, upon further investigation, this person wanted to move up positionally in the church. Listen to me your position in a church has nothing to do with Spiritual maturity. Nothing at all.
If your not growing spiritually it is because your are getting out what you put in, this is for the church member of course but when your going in to minister somewhere, so many times college students plunge in having no intention of staying there because the church is too small.
They use smaller churches as spring boards, I urge you to understand this do not go anywhere unless God sends you and do not stay anywhere unless God moves you.
(big churches, massive ministries)
I know some people get turned off when I say things like this, butt he only reason I say it is to reassure people here, that I didn’t volunteer to come here, I was called here, and since I didnt volunteer to come here, I cannot volunteer to go anywhere else.
Always remember the grass aint always greener on the other side.
Strive to love the people as your own family
This is the hardest to balance, especially once you have children.
Because once again there are some things you cant be involved in, but I can honestly say that I love the people here in the same way as my family if you dont think so, go ask my wife or my mother they can explain it for ya lol.
This is hard because when they pass its like this massive extended family that hurts deeper when you love them that way, but that is the way God calls us to love.
For the church member I want you to know this is the same way God has called you to love others as well. to love and forgive others as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Be compassionate,
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Colossians
My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
This is something simple we can do to show our devotion to Jesus instead of being quick to speak, shut your mouth and listen, be compassionate, there is always something you can learn from people.
It is ok when everyone doesn’t agree with you, that is many times a good thing, so long they handle it in a kind way.
So how can we be simple Christians?
Focus on three things:
KNOW GOD DEEPLY
KNOW PRAYER ROUTINELY
MAKE HIS LOVE KNOWN CONSTANTLY
(Adam)
People are not projects, they are the reason we are called to do what we do.
You are called to minister to the hearts of people not to thier ears, stand beside them, be there when they call. Pray for them even when they think you do nothing.
Remember you don’t perform you present the truth.
YOu only serve ONE, THERE IS ONLY ONE YOU ARE CALLED TO PLEASE AND HIS NAME IS JESUS.
(Lets Pray)
