November 24, 2019 - (Week 3 of 3) - Make the most of Every Opportunity
My life is better when I'm active in sharing my faith.
Is a verse in Philemon that the old? And Ivy translates I think the bass and it says I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith that you have a full understanding of every good thing you have in Christ Jesus.
There's something that we lose when we aren't active in sharing our faith.
I can tell when a Christian isn't sharing their faith. I can tell when they are you guys when they are they are bubbly. They are just fine. They are there there this guy just watch him. He just just as one of the age of a seat. Everything is good and I know he shares his faith. But I know when they're seasons in my life when I haven't been that's when I get critical of everything around me. That's when I get negative about what's going on around here. That's what I blame others for what hasn't happened in my life were in the life of my church. When I'm not active in sharing my faith.
There is nothing more fun than sharing your faith. I got to have a conversation with a young man who was waiting for his brother-in-law who is in an interview.
And he was standing outside and it was nice and I said we'll come on in and you can't I can't let you in unless I supervise you so sit here and let's talk. and so probably for an hour we talked and he was culturally, he's in he's in a religion culturally that doesn't allow him to Well, he said no one can become what they are. Because you have to be born into it. That's the only way you can get in. and he said that if anyone ever leaves their religion their family Cuts them off so We don't talk about people who leave our religion. What can you tell me about Jesus?
I want to know about Jesus.
There is nothing more fun than being able to talk about someone who wants to know about Jesus.
It it's something about it when you share your faith. You remember why you're a Christian in the first place. When you share your faith and you're reminded of the good things of God.
When you talk about Jesus you remember he's here right now and present they can do Miracles right now here in the presence.
1st Peter tells us that
where to be ready to share about the hope that we have in to do that with gentleness and respect.
And I could waste a lot of time asking you to people see the hope that you have but I want to say that's my expectation that people see the hope that you have. Did they say why aren't you worried when this happens? Why are you singing when this happens? Why are you saying you're praying for me when you have all of this happening in your life?
You see the big BB.
Greatest Miracle the world can see is the evidence of a renewed mind.
When people see Jesus in you, they will ask you about Jesus. Why are you this way? Well, that's the answer. That's the question. They're asking.
Life is better when I share Jesus.
Jesus expected us to tell others about him.
Any expected it to be hard?
When he left his disciples, he said As You Go, Make Disciples teaching them to obey everything. I have commanded you and baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.
And I was going to share this scripture later, but it really put a downer at the end of the message. So we got to do it now. Because there's some hard stuff in here that we need to deal with and we need to hear. But I don't want you to be convicted that you got to share your faith. I want you to be excited about Jesus and passionate about him and understand that you can't keep it in.
We got to do the tough stuff now so we can have the fun stuff later. Okay? This is the the Bible part that it's separate. It's at the end of it all but we read Matthew chapter 10 starting at verse 24. Jesus is talking to his disciples. There's Twelve Apostles that he sends out. He said students are not greater than their teachers and slaves are not greater than their masters students are to be like their teacher and slaves are to be like their master. And since I the master of the household have been called The Prince of demons, the members of my household will be called even worse. Don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed and all that is secret will be made known. What I tell you now in the darkness shuttle Brown when they showed showed abroad when the day break comes when I whisper in your ear show from the housetops for all the year. Don't be afraid of those who can kill your body for the cannot touch your soul fear. Only God who can destroy both soul and Body in hell. What is the price of Two Sparrows one copper coin? Not a single Sparrow can fall to the ground without your father knowing it in the very hairs of your head are numbered. So don't be afraid you are far more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledge acknowledge me publicly here on Earth. I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on Earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. Don't imagine I came to bring peace to the earth. I came not to bring peace but a sword I have come to set man against his father daughter against her mother daughter in law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your house. If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you're not worthy of being mine, or do you love your son or daughter more than me? You're not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you're not worthy of being mine. And if you cling to your life, you will lose it. And if you give up your life for me, you will find it. Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the father who sent me. If you receive a prophet is one who speaks for God then you've given the same then you will be given the same reward as a profit. And if you receive a righteous person because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs and if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of these my followers, you will surely be rewarded.
And we can spend a lot of time. On this passage, and we can all leave here. Under conviction that we have to do more.
But I want you to understand.
God knows it's going to be tough. When you talk about Jesus? To the people that you love.
He knows it's going to be difficult.
with those people that you work with
with those neighbors with those friends with those family members. He knows it is.
He says don't worry. You're worth a whole lot more than sparrows.
Don't worry because he cares for The Sparrows who aren't worth a whole lot. But boy, they make the world a better place for them being them.
You are not your own. You've been bought with a price. You honor God with your body. You honor God with your Witness. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light on a hill.
You're the only Jesus people see.
Aren't you glad he's giving you Holy Spirit to help.
Aren't you glad he's given us of his spirit so that we have the words to say at the proper time.
Aren't you glad that that he's given us the holy spirit? So we have boldness beyond what we normally are bulls.
Aren't you glad he's given us of himself. And that's when were filled up with him. He just wouldn't leaks all out and it's not even effort on our part. We're just
Listen, I know some of you have been praying for people for a long long long long time. Don't give up keep fraying. Every time there's an opportunity share God's love.
What I'm going to remind you of today is a tool that lets you see really good success in really key areas to get momentum going.
We've talked about this before but I'm going to bring it up again because I want you to get what I'm trying to say.
See, it's been in my experience.
Most of us in our lifetime with will have influence on a thousand people. give or take some will be more some will be less. It's not Beyond any expectation that all of us will influence a thousand people.
and if it's true and that means every person we influence can influence another thousand people.
And those thousand people can influence another thousand people.
So I want you to get that your simple acts of kindness that changed lives daily.
Are one degree away from influencing a million people. and 2 degrees away from influencing a billion people
what you do matters? How you live matters? You reflect Christ matters.
goes beyond it goes beyond it's it's it's amazing to watch.
I don't want you to be concerned about reaching a million people or a billion people. Those numbers are out there.
But I do want you to be concerned with reaching the people of peace in your everyday world.
Who are people of peace?
If we would have started reading at the start of Matthew 10 when Matt when Jesus sends out his disciples, he tells them to go to the people of peace and a town. The people of peace or are ones that invite you in their the ones who will help you. There are people in your life. Who are our friends who are neighbors who are family who are co-workers those that they're there to help you they want to help you?
If you look around your everyday world and you don't see those people who want to help you maybe start doing something that they can help you with.
there there
and it's those people of peace. Who God wants you to reach?
If you have your notes, there's just a place there. You can think about those people those who friends those family workers those neighbors those classmates those cool workers. Anyone that God puts on your radar or the Highlight look for the people of Peace the one who will serve with you. Because they're the ones who God is already prepared to hear his love.
Okay. Those are the key ones. And it makes it a whole lot easier when I tell you to do next okay?
There's four strategies for you to use with people in your everyday world. first one I hope they did it. It should pray for them. Right. We know this salvation is a supernatural act and we can't do it on natural means we we got our freedom frame into the kingdom. There's a prayer that I like to pray. It's in the Bible and I don't have the correct reference off the top of my head. But you can search for it. If you want you pray that there will have hearts to know God.
Pray that for your kids pray that for your co-workers pray that for your family that they would have hearts to know God.
Always pray and never give up.
The next thing I want you to do is I want you to plan to help them. That's the number to you help that you you serve them. Remember I told you to look for people who want to serve you or guess what you do. You start serving them. Here's the tricky part here. Okay when you serve them they're obliged to serve you. That's what friends do they serve each other and guess what develops a friendship you're serving them. They're serving you you're helping them. They're helping you. It's an incredible thing when it happens and you'll have to take that you might need to take the initiative for you might need to stop. Turning down that neighbor for help. They who always comes over and wants to do stuff for you. Why do we do that? We don't want to be obligated to them to pay it back.
I will gladly shuffle my neighbors walk because I don't want them to shovel mine cuz then I got in trouble the other there's next time right? I'm just being honest. That's not what I'm telling you to do. I'm telling you to do the opposite make them just serve them so that they want to serve you too.
Next thing the W is welcome them. This is inviting them into your everyday into the rhythms of your life. The rhythms are eating its creating its celebrating its Recreation get serving is worshipping it's working a rhythm is something you're already doing. You just fight invite them along. Guess what? People of Peace are already inviting you along into their rhythms. So pick up their offer.
do you want to drive your kids somewhere as long as they're safe people like, you know what I'm saying, but
you take the next trip with her kids. Help out. Welcome them in.
in the final Tipton this is to make use of time and time of course is an acronym. So we're going to getting to that acronym right away.
time starts with your testimony
What is a testimony or testimonies your story about Jesus? It has a beginning it as a middle. It's got in the end. I want to talk about more that talk more about this later on and I'm going to invite two or three people to share your testimony this morning. So start thinking about that and get the terrified over. Okay, some of you will be sharing your testimony this morning. So start thinking about that. It's got a new beginning. It's got a whole story. We just need to know what Jesus is doing in your life now or recently.
The eye is that you have to be intentional.
busy weekend
we can be nice to people and help out people and never bring up Jesus and all we've done is be nice to them. We can invite people along with us and we can even invite them to church. But unless we invite them to Jesus it is we just invited them along.
We can even take people through discipleship course and if it's just the boat doing the things so your become a disciple of God and it but you don't really tell him about Jesus. It's more be like me. Guess what you made a disciple of yourself. Congratulations. Not the goal.
We need to be intentional in a relationship side has I am so So blessed. In the position. I'm in that. I don't have to hide that anywhere. Like I don't talk about it. Like, you know, it depends like I some people late like I'm here on Friday. So I talked about ask him what the weekends like and they asked me about my weekend and some of them. I just tell them we're getting together with friends and others of them would tell them we're getting together in a homegroup from Friends former Church.
I don't know why I don't tell everybody. bat I think I just like being sneaky sometimes cuz I like them I like I like to. I don't know. I understand. I blame it on holy spirit cuz he gives you the words to say and sometimes you get the whole enchilada and sometimes you give a little bit right so you keep them hungry, but the m in the acronym of time is messy relationships.
And I'm not talking about. You was a Christian having a messy relationship. You have Holy Spirit clean it up get it, right. I'm talking about not being offended when the people that you're inviting into your everyday world. Don't think the same way you do or don't act the same way you do and why do we expect non-christians to act like Christ? We shouldn't.
I like being surprised when someone who doesn't follow Christ has a god fight cuz they have them and it's awesome and it's a great to tell Eva like that's exactly what God thinks. It just see them just light up.
But you don't expect them to have that. Because you and I we have the mind of Christ. They don't have the mind of Christ. Sometime they have got that so that's awesome.
When they don't have God thoughts, you know expect messiness. It's not going to be easy. It's not going to be clean. It's not and that's a good thing.
The e in the acronym is everyday Jesus.
what I mean by that is that
we got to be so filled up with Jesus that it's just a natural thing for us to talk about him. But it's a natural thing for us to say, okay. I'm praying for you and it would mean it actually.
and ends not that we're putting on at a Christian Mass, but wages were so filled up with Jesus. Like why don't why don't we get so excited about reading the Bible. That was that's what we talk about when we go to work.
I mean sometimes I do but I work in the church, so it's supposed to happen.
You can do it, too. One Challenge I want you to consider is if you're not regularly reading the Gospels. I think everybody should always read something in the gospels all the time because I I want us to be so filled up with Jesus. He just leaks out and the gospels are where we get what Jesus did and what he said and how he treated people but starting next week December 1st if you read one chapter in Luke, You'll read the whole book of Luke by Christmas Eve. One chapter a day go through the Book of Luke and get in the habit of reading Jesus everyday. Get in the habit of thinking about him throughout the day get in the habit of talking about them with other people.
You'll see him. Show you some really cool things in in and give you insight into what you're dealing with.
It's amazing. It's amazing when we're in this word and then he starts to clean us and he starts to cleanse us and he starts to train as he starts to change us and and we start seeing things through this word is opposed to seeing things the way every other media wants us to see it.
If you want to know how to lead someone to Christ. We have a resource for that and we have a short link on our site to go to Kingdom way. CA / Witness. And that'll take you to a site that shows you how to share your faith without an argument. So it's not about arguing someone to Christ but it gives you the step by steps. These are the questions you asked. Here's how you respond. It's a wonderful tool and one that I recommend, but I don't think I'll teach and I'm not going to teach today.
Because I want to hear your story.
I want to hear your story about Jesus. I want to hear your testimony.
I know that the greatest Miracle the world can see is the testimony of a transformed mind.
When we don't fear the things the way we used to fear them. We don't worry about the things the way we used to worry about them. We we we we don't.
Start being led by compassion. Set up need.
I'm I'm studying old compassion. I still haven't learned it all yet in the end. I was going to share something about compassion, but I don't have it down yet.
But what I observe about compassion is that's how Jesus was lead. He was moved by compassion. He was never moved because of need.
Compassion is love an action. It's literally you come alongside and you feel with a person feels.
And I'm learning that when I'm led by compassion. There's a really cool things that happen. Life is better when you share Jesus when you're lit by compassion.
so what I want you to do is to take some time and think about What's something what's up with a part of my story I can share right now. There's a beginning that says this is how it was. There's a middle of it says this is what God did there's an end that says is what it's been like since
it's a story not about me. It's a story about Jesus.
It's not glorifying me. It's glorifying him.
It's a story that you can share when compassion leads you to share it. When your compassion comes upon us when we eat we look and we see or we we here and we understand or come somehow through our senses and I'll get it all worked out and give you a diagram in it.
Not today.
I want to hear someone story who's got a story about Jesus you want to share? Come on up.
okay, come on up your next okay, so we got her too and I will open it up for one more person if you want but
The true that might life that it's part of my life that I kept secret for most of it is that I was actually sexually abused as a child. I'm going to happen between the ages of 6 and 8. I kept this is a secret because the Predator told me that if anybody knew the truth of this they would they would fight against me. They would take it against my family and everyone of us if they knew the truth of what happened to me.
Turn up my life. I kept it secret but I dealt with depression and anxiety fear. I dealt with
Pictures of being under the impression but I want you to know God was there every step of the way I was never abandoned. I had walked these memories out until I was a teenager. When I was a teenager. God knew what time it was he knew where it was in my life and he said, okay and memories came back. It was never done in a way that that I couldn't handle when I said I can't do this. He stopped. But he would say, okay.
And I know a little bit more. Time and time again something would happen. It would be okay. I have an abandonment issue god with a okay. This is where it's coming from. But you were yours later it would be okay for dealing with fear. Okay, you were dealing with hopelessness. Okay, we're dealing with whatever step by step by step it with me and God. It was when I was believing this lie, that was told to me that it became a stronghold. Let's see. You have to keep this a secret.
But God never ever abandoned me any time in that. Time after time he would walk me through and I would be healed over and over and over again every issue. It was a year ago last January. I was sitting here in the sermon and Trevor was preaching and God said, okay, we're going to show you a memory to show you the light that's attached to this memory and
Well as River Fields of you have to protect your family from the truth. That was the LIE. And so I went to a friend I said this is what's going on. And he said I'm praying for you and I'm going to pray for boldness in it strengthened in. hours
I was able to tell my entire family what happened. I was able to open up and tell him the truth of what had happened.
Sean was actually in when they were on the way over to my place to hear what was counting on God told Sean that he was going to give me a new heart.
Sounds like I don't know what that means. They just knew that they were coming over because I had to tell him something but honestly what God has done in the last year is truly that
Lake the new heart It's something that I can't even describe how amazing it is. I can't even describe how There is a freedom there is a hope there is just this rooted truth that there is no doubt.
That God is air. There is no doubt that he has me. And like honestly, I pray over every single one of you that. You deal with those things in your life. Better keeping you back from having that new heart. No matter how difficult it is deal with it. Just deal with it. But do it with God because you can't do it on your own. My God is the one that is going to walk you through it. That is my testimony. That is my truth.
I've been waiting a long time to share and I've been thinking about it. many hours in into the night and the first thing I could say is that if you knew me before Jesus, you wouldn't recognize me at all. I've had a lot of issues in my life. I went through chronic depression. I've been in and out of Institutions since I was 7 heavily medicated. I lost my dad at 13 and my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer the same year special schools have no friends do majority of my life and I turned to the sauce of using illicit substances to try and find peace and it just sort of exacerbated the situation and it made me have a lot lot of anxiety and I dealt with homelessness for. Of time and just trying to find my place in the world and I don't understand how people could Find weather thing was I did never had anything and I didn't feel purpose. I didn't feel. love and things seem to just get worse and worse and it was like I would start a going back to church and I felt like there was it was like Grace, but it was like at the end of a dark tunnel my own pain. I can look people in the eye.
Smiler feel any sort of joy and I just started to worship God and because I just wanted to meet people but I didn't know how. and I was praying one day and God when am I going to do about my anxiety because
weary barbed wire broken glass
so heavy that I could even
Hooksett if you just said just say
completed me because I felt like I was half a person my whole life. I didn't even know who I was. And now I feel like a whole person.
And every time I speak for him, like how did that love it? It hasn't left. It was like six months of just pouring into B and taking away all my pain and all my suffering it all by.
give me the set of keep yubikey. Love to beat.
And my whole world flips upside down and I'm seeing through new eyes.
I just been on a quest for him since then. everything I do is for him because
if it wasn't for him, none of this would have been possible. I wouldn't be able to stand here now telling you.
Thank you.
Thank you both for risking and for sharing and I owe you two stand with me. I want to close with a three blessings from the word of God over you. Okay?
First of all Lord, I pray that we would be active in sharing our faith that we have a full understanding of every good thing we have in you. Lord I pray that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened so that we know the hope that which we've been called The Glorious inheritance in the Saints and his incomparable great power for us who believe and Lord. I pray that the God of all hope would be Phyllis with all joy and peace as we trust in you so they will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit Lord answer the prayers people have been praying give us eyes to see the people of peace that you want us to show your love to I pray Lord God that we would all have stories of people coming to know you a little bit better a little bit more and then the understanding that they've been Darkness into the Kingdom of Light Lord. I pray that we would be so in love with you that we'd want to share you with others, wherever we are we share those with the We we have been shot down with before Lord. We will share those with the one that we care about and we have compassion for and Lord. I pray that Lord salvation will flow from this place and through our lives and Lord God that lies would be transformed because otherwise Lord, all we're doing is gathering together and feeling good about ourselves or better about ourselves. So Lord, God may your name be glorified and praised and Lord as we go back into worship. May we respond to your grace in our lives today? I pray Lord God that people would be set free from the fear of man and Lord be drawn to the fear of God and Lord. I pray that we would be transformed again in your presence in your holy precious name. Amen. Amen. Stay standing is the worship team comes back. Let's respond to God with singing and prayer.
Praise You Lord
Well, I had a pretty good idea. The today was going to be a very powerful service simply because of all the opposition we had trying to get this thing started this morning. You know how my brain works the more opposition I face the Greater Joy experience cuz I know the enemy only attacks what he's most fearful. And I want to invite you just to take this. to the next level You know so often in our worship. We just going to sing the words on the screen. What kind of just go through the rhythms. We just go through the paces. But I really want to encourage you today. How's your worshiping worship from your heart worship from your soul? Don't just go through the motions, which is so this is what I have to do or But focusing on what God is actually sing to you. See, I believe God is in this house right now in in here and I believe that testimonies that went forth this morning. The god set this up so that others in his place would hear those testimonies and it would create testimonies of their own in their own lives. Because when God's word goes for that does not come back void.
So I know there's people out there that are impacted by the two decimals that were shared today. and sometimes it takes a little bit of God's power and glory for it to go from here to here.
And that just takes time to to worship. So we're going to do this meet. Maybe God is telling you to just sit down and listen, that's fine. Maybe he's telling you to scream as loud as you can when you're singing that that's fine. Maybe he's telling you just to listen to his voice. That's why but just hear what God is saying to you hear what God is calling you to do and then respond like let's not let this time. Let's not miss what God wants to do in this house today. But let's experience the fullness.
I don't know. I just I know God wants to do something. amazing
and it comes to those whose hearts are going to be open to receive what God wants to do.
Maybe you want to dance so you need to dance and I'm just feeling that that you've been underneath this this bondage of
I don't want to call it a Canadian thing off of just holding back or emotions and holding things back. But I think there's not the part of it. But God said that I want you to break through that. I Want You To Worship me in spirit and in truth without reservation
and this could be the scariest thing you've ever done in your life.
But God is calling you not to be fearful of the things that the enemy has built up in your mind. Cuz the reason why the enemy has built these things up in your mind. Because he's fearful of what will happen if you break through them.