Whats Next

If I have not had the pleasure of meeting you My name is Danny Abell I am the Next Gen Pastor here at Reliant. If you say whats a NextGen Pastor. I have the privilege to lead both the kids and student ministry of our church. As most of you know I recently took charge of the kids ministry and man what a blessing that has been but I do want to just let you guys in on something that I have learned in my first 3 months and that is Man You guys need Jesus!! Just remember those little guys tell it all.. On a serious note I have been so encouraged to see the people of our church truly pour into the next generation week in and week out. If you want to join in on raising up the next Generation please come and talk to me after service. Because the reality is that the Next Generation is the Now Generation and If we do not raise up and disciple the next Generation we will lose a generation. but on a different note I am truly excited to continue in this series of therefore Go. This is truly a series where We need to lean in and listen to God during this series. This Series is not on accident We as Pastors believe that its time for our church to wake up and Go. We have work to do in the city of Dallas.. We have got to get to a point of action instead of just talking.

I want to get started this morning by letting you guys in on a little of Me and My beautiful bride Kaylas World. I am not going to lie you guys sometimes it seems like Kayla and I end up in some of the most bizarre situations and If i am being honest it normally is a result of my crazy ideas and most definitely a result of my stubbornness. but I got a question for you married people have you guys ever took up a random habit as a family? Like stuff you really no nothing about? For me and Kayla that was hiking. I still havent figured out why people hike. it consists of walking up hills walking down small paths. Walking in the woods and getting covered in spider webs. I know I know they say if you do it for awhile you get used to it. I will stop there and Just say no thanks. Nonetheless Kayla and I gave it a go this time last year. Our first adventure was right down the road over at Kennesaw mountain . We both thought well how hard can it be? We had both Colbie and Rylee( there was our 1st mistake.) We had 0 water bottles 2nd mistake and I believe Kayla had a bum toe 3rd mistake. On this trip we did make it to the top of the hill however We realized oh wait we have to walk back down.. Frustrated tired and worn out we began to trek down the road to get back to our car. We were so blessed God sent 2 Angels in the form of an Elderly Couple who obviously seen our struggle and offered to drive us down the hill. They could have been murderers but who cares at that point. I wish we could say we learned our lesson. I dug in and said we are going to do it better this time. Jay Nelson reffered me to an App that showed me the trails showed me the path and everything. I found a trail over in Fairburn said it was a green trail that was only 2 miles.. We prepared a little better this time brought water brought noahs carrier Colbie and Rylee were thrilled to do it again so we took off down the trail about a mile in colbie begins to complain of her feet hurting and she just stops walking completely. those that know Colbie you know that girl is stubborn so as any dad would do I picked her up and expected the trail to loop like the app said.. However We are a mile and half in and boom trail is closed. So then not having another option we turn around and then boom somewhere along the way we took a wrong turn and end up not having any idea where we are going. So picture this I am carrying Colbie for most of the way Rylee is starting to realize that we are lost and beginning to panic Kayla is carrying newborn Noah in a carrier covered in sweat it was not an ideal situation we thankfully found a road and made it back to the Van.. We officially said we will stick to mulberry Rock Park. I tell you guys this story to tell you this

It does not matter how hard you are trying if you are ill prepared and going in the wrong direction.

In the midst of uncertainity This is a great time to ask Whats Next? This is a great time to recalibrate. We long to see a movement of God in our homes at our work and in our schools.

There’s a tendency in Christianity and the church where church was mainly a bunch of people who sing loud, pray before they eat, don’t do drugs, and give some money to missions.

You see, I think God wants more for his people. And all throughout the Bible you hear about this story of God rescuing people out of their broken and shattered lives, giving extravagant grace, mercy, hope, and real answers to life’s deepest burdens. People are changed! I mean, really changed.

Isn’t that what we really want?

· For those paralyzed by fear, they meet the God of the Bible who is the prince of peace.

· For those racked by loneliness, they meet their heavenly Father who has adopted them into a forever family.

· For some of us with a past, you hear about God’s grace that’s greater than all our sin.

So, here’s the question, how can we see a movement of God in our lives?

Like Pastor Bill said last week Evangelism is the work of individuals We are to be witnesses we are to tell people about what Jesus has done for us. I ask you this Question Why are you keeping what God done for you to yourself?

Before we dive into John 2 lets check out this clip

John 2 (ESV)

1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

1. Realize God Wants to Use YOU

You see, it’s easy to miss, but did you notice who Jesus chose to use in this miracle? You’d expect maybe a king, a celebrity, maybe a general… but Jesus used simple workers at a wedding in the small town of Cana to work His first miracle.

Think about it, who were the first people to get to be a part of one of Jesus’ miracle? Servants. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus chose servants who certainly weren’t very high on the social ladder to be His partners in the miracle.

Sometimes I wonder and kind of wish God would save more athletes, celebrities, and billionaires. Imagine how many hospitals could be founded and wells could be dug with the wealth of Amazon’s Bezos and the followers of Lady Gaga.

But that’s the point. Throughout history, God used the most unlikely, ordinary people to accomplish His plan. And I think the reason is that God chooses the ordinary to display His extraordinary love, grace, and gospel to a broken and hurting world.

Just flip through the Bible and you see that God specializes in using…

· Cowards (Gideon)

· Murderers (Moses)

· Those who couldn’t speak (Moses)

· Drunks (Noah)

· Liars (Jacob)

· A donkey (Balaam’s donkey)

· Widows

· Teenagers (David)

· The sick (miracles of Jesus)

· And He even brought a dead guy back to life

In choosing ordinary servants, Jesus reached to those everybody considered to be on the bottom; showing that there was no one too broke, too poor, or too insignificant for His movment.

So, if we are going to see a movement of God it’s going to come through who? YOU!

For some of you, God wants to use you to reach your soccer team, your friend group, your neighborhood. Others of you, God has gifted you with talents and abilities and placed you in places because He wants you to be a part of extending His Kingdom here on earth.

2. Listen to the Voice of Jesus

The second way we are going to see God move in our lives is for us to listen to what Jesus is telling us to do.

Remember in the story, Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them, and what did the servants do? They listened to Jesus. They clearly heard His instructions! He gave them their marching orders.

Since quarantine began back in March of 2020, I’ve found myself getting more and more anxious. Sometimes I could tell you what I was worried about and others I couldn’t really describe it except that I walked through my day nervous about more bad news I would get.

Here’s what I wrestled with: are we letting the news direct us or the good news of the gospel? Where are we getting our direction from? Are we listening to more of the Tiger King than the King of Kings?

Let’s be real. if you are listening more and more to influencers on social media and less time with your Bible, who are you really listening to?

Listening to the voice of Jesus re-centers our thinking and reminds us of who we belong to. It reminds us of where our hope lies. It challenges the lies were’ tempted to believe.

One of the questions I get goes something like this, “What do I do if I’m just not getting a lot out of my quiet time?” That question sounds like one of my personal questions that I’ve often asked. It’s like I’m trying to meet with God, and it doesn’t seem like much is happening.

It probably may surprise you that this is a real struggle for me. You may think I get up in the morning and angels appear and carry me downstairs to sit down with a cup of coffee and do my quiet time.

That’s just not how it works. I’ve been in ministry for nearly 10 years, received seminary education, and sometimes I sit down with the Bible open and the heavens just feel like solid brass. And I start to pray and recall the things I want to pray about, but ten minutes later I found myself thinking about the spaghetti my wife made last night and I wonder how did I get here?

If you’re someone who finds it regularly difficult to get something out of a quiet time, let me encourage you with a couple things. Here’s the thing you’ve got to understand: it’s really important to maintain the discipline. Even through the hard days, regular getting before the Lord is such an important practice. Often life is – as one person once put it – a long obedience in the same direction.

This is to say that some of the greatest things that happen in your life are not through these huge, dramatic moments, but through a long obedience in the same direction. That’s what it’s been like for me. Some days are amazing and some aren’t. But my life has be arranged around this habit. For me, it’s first thing I do in the morning. I stop, intake the Word, layout my burdens before the Lord. It’s been so rewarding.

Acts 8:26–34 ESV

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?”

So, let me ask you, are you listening to the voice of Jesus?

Here’s the last idea if we are going to see a move of God we have to…

3. RECOGNIZE THERE IS WORK TO DO

Think back to the story. How did the servants get the water to fill up the jars? Did they pull out a hose and fill those clay pots up? No! We have to think, these servants had to go to a water source like a well, draw it up, carry it, dump it. And then again. And again. And again.

Imagine the amount of work it took for these servants to fill up these six jars. Scholars tell us that each of these jars would hold twenty to thirty gallons each. That’s a lot of trips!

Here’s the point: if we are going to see a move of God we have to recognize there is work to do.

This is about faith; where we first recognize that our salvation is not based on works, but on grace. At the same time, we recognize there is blessing in listening to His voice and serving Him. You see grace is opposed to earning. We cannot earn anything before God, but grace is not opposed to effort.

This is the part we do – there’s a lot work – and we trust God with all the results.

And every time you invest in what Jesus tells you to do, you are trusting God to do something with it.

Every time you open your Bible you’re trusting that God speaks to us through His Word.

Let me encourage you to bloom where you are planted.

3 Next Steps

1.Who is your one?

2. What are you doing to equip yourself

3.Have you found your bridge