Disciples Make The Best of "Babylon"
Almighty and merciful god may we Proclaim your words this morning not mine. That made you feel our hearts may you change us inform us got the scriptures tell us that you are the Potter and we are the clay. Form us this morning in Christ's name we pray. Amen.
Disciples make the best of Babylon. this morning I get that preach and teach out of one of my favorite books of the Old Testament book of Jeremiah and I want to start a Bible College in New Orleans. I took a preaching course on preaching from Jeremiah and I with my two favorite professors their doctor strong and dr. Gibson, and I'll never forget our time together. But this morning I kind of want to talk about this first slide here who loves the move. anybody
So being a an in Ministry being a pastor moving is inevitable, right and this morning. I'm not saying I'm moving.
This morning Amanda and I have moved like nine times since we've been married all but two of those have been basically cross-country and most of the time it's for something that's out of our control, you know, it's finances or it's a job changing and I'm sure that many of us this morning. We can't read any of that up there. I'm sure for many of us this morning at some point. We have moved unless you're one of those few lucky people that have been in the same time that you grew up and your work there and you were tired and someday, you know, you'll die in that same town. That was the way a hundred years ago in this country, you know all my family at one point where in Roseville Illinois and they started that little town and we have the Roseville Cemetery, which is full of Blues the whole cemetery and everyone in my family was born And then died and that same small town, but for America today, most of us just have to move for work all the time. And I know that's one thing don't tell the cabinet that I just really I struggle with is moving around all the time. It's hard to settle in it's hard to to get to know people and it's really hard. You know, one of the one of the issues in America and around the world today, I was watching on the news a couple nights ago was loneliness is a major issue and the Generation II man is even more so lonely. We don't have deep connections with people. We don't have many friends and I think part of this is because we are so TranZit. I live in an apartment complex which we hate Apartments. We've only lived in two and we will move to West Palm housing was so expensive. So we went to this little apartment. I don't know it was probably like 8 or no wasn't even 800 square feet. But people were moving in and out all the time and it was kind of a cool with some sense. You know it sit at the pool and we talked all these people from around the world that were training at the airport right across the street from us. But we have to be careful when we move and one of them's got to be careful with is that we don't take the baggage. We're going to listen to fit the physical move or new job. We don't take the bag as of the last place to the new place. And it's something that I I tried to work on very intentionally is evaluating a my own emotions my own hurts my own pains is whether or not even in the life of the church, all of us pastors have some pants just like anybody does it has a job and so we have to evaluate and we have to move forward until this morning. We're going to talk about
Being called and blooming where we are planted. So we're going to look at Jeremiah 29:5, but he had to kind of give you some background and it to Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a prophet, right? He was a young guy. He was about 16 years old. And God called him for a purpose to Proclaim some harsh realities to the leadership. So just imagine a sixteen-year-old kid going to the White House and telling the president whoever whatever present it's in there. You need to fix this are your country is going to collapse and that's what Jeremiah was sent to do as a sixteen-year-old kid Jeremiah and said kind of through historic your he was engaged to be married because that's what you did at 16 years old back then. And he was told he couldn't marry. He was to Proclaim God's message and he had a tough life. But the Babylonian Empire took over the Jewish Nation because of their decision not to follow God. and God and this story has the Babylonians take over and just a side note. The Babylonians were very Advanced for the time. Which they were in so who's ever used an outhouse in here? Haha, yeah that those are there still communities. There was a church we worked at they had just got indoor plumbing and maybe like 10 years before we got there. So the Babylonians thousands of years ago had indoor plumbing. And of course, you know when they were destroyed that technology was lost. So there we go. We have the house. So they were being punished for their idolatry. Also this the Babylonian Empire they owned everything during the old world. And there's your mile use one at 6:55 BC. We don't really know when he died, but you know that six Century to 7th Century, which ends in 5:01, BC.
Come and get to my scripture. Here we go. Jeremiah 29:5 says build houses and settle down. Cultivate Gardens and eat what they produce now the Jewish people were complaining God you put us in Exile know how many times did the Jewish Nation end up in Exile quite a few times, right? Like I'm playing in God. We just want our country back. We just want to do that home. And what else can I do? Die basically says stop whining and make the best of your situation. Build a house settle down now. It's a big commitment to build a house, right? I mean even in that time. I would think to spend all my time running energy on building a place for my family. And then gardening who's the gardener? Not me. I shouldn't raise my hand. So we try we've got a couple of successful things. Like the easiest thing is probably potatoes grow potatoes pumpkins are really easy. I did that when I was a kid, but everything else would kill so so plant a garden make the best of your situation and there we are there's a sunflower in on the middle of the Rocks. We had the bloom Where We Are We have to embrace our now. and even if that means our in captivity So like the take really bad situations and turn them into good. I really believe that. And I try not to repeat myself cuz I was told as I get older I might do that for for my parents and again. During Katrina, everybody told us that God was punishing our city for our sin and they just lost their minds because the the main part of the city that didn't flood was the sick that part of the city that was filled with sin that the church has the homes at Community. That's what got devastated. But God took those really bad situations and still does turn something a good so when the Jewish people were in Exile here are some of the highlights first of all, they created the Hebrew alphabet during that time of Exile. They have a written language that they still have today. Because of the accident I would say that's pretty significant. The importance of the Torah. So before the Torah was kind of ways to live a good life. You know, they understood God gave it to them. But the extent of this is God's word and which is the foundation of our life. This was the first time that happened. Bait outside of the physical Temple. So before this time. They had to be in Israel that had to be at the temple to be a Jew. And now you can be a Jewish person no matter where you live. That's still true that We can be Christians no matter how close we live for the holy Lance. We can meet Christians no matter where we are what we look like what we speak none of that matters to God. It's I believe planned God drawing us where we are planted. We are called to grow Where We Are. verse exercise get married that takes I hope hopefully takes commitment and there's so many people that end in divorce today. And and again, I have people divorce to my family and good friends and everything but its commitment when you get married and I don't care what marriage Ian be committed. Do your partner? have children then help your son's find wives and your daughters find husbands in order that they too may have children. increase the number they're so you don't do window away.
One of the first command that God gives us is in Genesis chapter 1 verse 28 It says that God bless them Adam and Eve right and said be fruitful and multiply.
fill the Earth and government rain over the fish in the sea the birds in the sky and all the animals that Scurry along the ground now for me just kind of a side note what's really important and this scripture is our Free Will as Humanity. God set a tone that we have the right to rain and name the animals. I got told us that we are to be fruitful and multiply and certainly this topic of having children is always a Hot Topic issue no matter what church I've been apart. But the point here is that kind of Christianity, you know, we talked about all these other world religions and how we're kind of dwindling down and the fact is that people just aren't having shoulder in Christian's not having as many children as I used to and so churches would you know, if people would have 5 6 7 kids and then they would baptize them into the face and it became Christians that doesn't happen much anymore. and You know, of course, I'm in favor of that. We should have more children and and raised in the faith, but I kind of want to I want to bring up the sex point. So I have a friend of mine that's in my doctorate in Ministry cohort and he wrote this this week and I just thought it was kind of interesting instead of one denomination $38,000. the baptized one person in 2018 What will it cost doing business as usual the reach the tens of thousands and our city? By any measure are far from God. And he says I don't know if you have that kind of money laying around but I know you know, it never hurts to think about what it will take to reach our city if we are willing to stop doing business as usual.
To the point here is not that not the amount of money. The point here is that the church today is in a different place than it was 50 years ago. We has the church have to stop doing things as we once that we have to be able to be fruitful and multiply. So unless God is doing a Abraham and Sarah situation many of us in this morning about not having anymore kids anybody else plan to have more kids. All right, so I don't know Amanda and I are talking about that right now. You don't know. I don't know how many more kids were going to have. This has been really difficult on us. You know, I got one. We went to the listening post. We are 30 minutes late on Friday we get there. We had a great time and then we went back to the hospital and it was and thank you Lord. Thank you guys so much for watching her silly for us.
We end up back at home like 2:30 in the morning. And so it's been rough, but I think children are worth it a hundred percent and be that I don't know that Aunt or Uncle maybe our grandma and grandpa that the kids don't have to raise them up in the face. But the point is that multiplication isn't just about having kids. It's about making disciples of Jesus. And so we talked a little bit last week about this, but I think I'm going to share a video with you from one of my favorite Christian authors and Publishers is Francis Chan and a quick one minute video.
When I was a kid was Place game called Simon says right was a visit play that and there's a really young. There's no app for it.
You know you just Simon Says Pat your head, you know, so okay, you know Simon says Jesus says is a totally different game. If Jesus says something I have to do what you just have to memorize it.
Do you study at your memory?
Play memorized it.
I told my daughter erased go clean your room. Shouldn't Come Back to Me 2 hours then go. I memorize what you said.
You said Rach go clean your room. I can say it in Greek.
My friends are going to come over or have a study on what it would look like if I clean my room.
She knows better than that. And so why do we think we're going to come before the church one day and quote everything that he said and talk about how much we know that it's just it's just as black and white stuff if I just what I would do. apps for making disciples
I have time for me, right we are to just go and make disciples. That's what God calls us to do. So, what are we doing about it? And I could list 2020 other things that we can do to make the sideboard previous week. I shared a B10 the items that you can do to to teach the Next Generation until the charge this morning is go and make disciples at stop talking about let's go do it. It's our last one here is we are called to make a difference where we are Jeremiah 29 verse 6
Promote the welfare of the city where I've sent you into Exile pray to the Lord for it because your future depends on its welfare. Now, we could really usually get into some political conversation about welfare and taking care of our neighbor and of course a little bit. I'm going to have to touch on that but I had to look up this biblical definition of welfare. What did God mean by that statement? Action or procedure designed to promote the basic physical and material well-being a people in need. So we as the church are called to make a difference. We are called as people of God to help those in need and the church was that original welfare system. It was it was a different time and age now that's difficult because 90% of churches that I know today or struggle 9 90% every Pastor that I know, you know, the church budgets are struggling a lot of churches are going down to part-time pastors cuz I can't afford to keep a Pastor churches are 90 people are less on an average Sunday. And so I think the church had a good job here when you guys help start Tri-County Community Resources that I don't know the whole history. I don't know the whole story. All I know is that you guys helped start this here in our County and I think that was a good move. Because we as the church support this ministry are they have the resources. We don't have we can pool all of our churches together no matter how big or small this is the church being the church and its really easy, especially when we're in Babylon. To think of ourselves as well. We're just going to help our own. And I see that I've been apart of churches, you know, we had a fun the members in need to find and we only helped our members, you know, because the church is dwindling and there's limited resources, but the truth is we're called to help all of God's people. Now we do that here. We help all God's people we have to be able to come in every week for assistance and we try to help them. We really do we pray with them. We put them in the right direction. Are we help with groceries and gas money and all these great things that we're doing. And I hope that we're spreading the word of Jesus to these people are driving crazy we help because we are Christian right? We're not Christians because we're helping them. But because of our faith we are helping out those in need the kind of reminds me. The one of my good friends is a rabbi Brad hirschfield his name and he wrote this book. You don't have to be wrong for me to be right. So we don't have to agree on every single thing. To be a Christian we don't have to agree to help those in need. We don't have to agree politically. We don't have to agree scripturally, you know again one of the things I endorse women in Ministry not all of my brothers and sisters in Christ would agree with me. But you know what? It doesn't mean we can't be friends doesn't mean that we can't come together and help somebody. All of us we have to except we're in this kind of a weird place in the world today where if I don't believe the same thing you believe we can't talk. We can't communicate. It's really irritating to me. And so this is a great book if anybody in the church wants to do a study on it. I have like five of them. I would love to join the group and do the study with you.
Come and closing we have to put Jesus first. And all things if we want to make the seiples no matter where we are with which is first. We have to be disciple and make disciples even in Babylon.
One of my sides is missing here. That's okay. You know my grandmother which probably many grandmothers also say is a house the house, you know, it takes work to make it a home right? And I don't know what's it's probably been passed for Generations. Right? And I truly believe that A house of the house, but it takes love it takes work to be a home. And part of being a disciple is building that home together as a church building that home in our community where people when they come to church I Feel Love. When you are go out. On Monday through Saturday and Sunday after church and to the community. People know your faith because of how you behave how you act. The piece that you have at a time, I am struggle with Stress and Anxiety too, but we can have peace. We have to be making disciples. I don't care if that is through the raising of your kids and grandkids if that is bringing others to church at that is meaning with them and their home. I would much rather it be in your homes.
Share God's love no matter where you are and strive to do as God tells the Jewish Nation here. To make the best of all situations I don't care where you're at where you're working. You are a Marketplace minister. Marketplace Minister you are in the field versus me. I'm in the I'm in the chapel most of the time right? This is my place to preach and teach what you all and share but you all are out in the world. You're a pastor just like I am so I can I charge you I can Mission you as a church to be that person. butter spray Oh mighty God we get Authority. To the members and a tenders of this church. They go out into the world multiplying disciples. We gave them the authority to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. The share God's love with the world. to show welfare meaning a support to those in need
we give them the encouragement that they are part of the body of Christ here at our church for support. for building up God help us work with those who we don't always agree with. But that's okay. How about be the body of Christ that you have called us to be? And we pray this in Christ's name. Amen.