I am so blessed that my church has so many different facets of ministries and Pastors. Today the Pastor of our Deaf Ministry came to our Crosswalk service and gave an incredible message that I want to share. I have had some dealings with Pastor Tom on the Baptism committee as we have had several of our deaf congregation baptized, and he performs the Baptism for them. Everyone can tell what a great heart Pastor Tom has for this ministry and the way he interacts with all involved. It is just another confirmation for me that God works through so many different kinds of people to give His children the Good News. The things I am sharing today came from my notes and most of it credited to Pastor Tom.
On the stage beside Pastor Tom today was two patio chairs, a barbecue grill, and a stock of firewood. We were asked where we might find this setting of furniture and decided that this could all be found in a backyard setting- possibly one with a fence around it, you know - nice, cozy and comfortable. The analogy then was brought to say that some Christians have what could be called a "backyard faith". This is a faith that consists of you, or me, and Jesus- just the two of you, being in relationship and fellowshipping with each other in the "comfort" of that fenced in enclosed backyard area. This really impacted me as I believe we have all gone through life and experienced seeing many Christians live out this "backyard" kind of faith. Some of us may even ourselves be there right now.
One of the scriptures today was in Philippians 2:6-8 saying:
"Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings. When he found himself in the form of a human, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Christ came out of the comfort of his backyard in heaven: from his Father, humbling himself even to death. He did not stay in the confines of a backyard while here on earth- he moved it out to the "front yard" so everyone could see! Pastor Tom described the front yard as where the "parties" happen. It made me think of college parties that in walking or driving by you could see that a party was going on. People would just stop in. There was no restriction of who could be there.
In knowing that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit left their "cosmic backyard" and moved to the front yard in order to be in relationship with all people, are we willing to move OUR faith to the front yard as well? Having a "front yard faith" is to be like Jesus who loved and reached out to all who needed help and healing- not just of the physical but of the spiritual most of all.
"But ..... I'm really comfortable here in the backyard, and I don't know if I could move to the front yard..... I could be rejected, and sometimes suffer. I know that the front yard is where I NEED to be, but how can I get there?"
Colossians 2:9-10 says this:
"All the fullness of deity lives in Christ's body. And you have been filled by him, who is the head of every ruler and authority."
Since we have been filled by him, we have the POWER in the Holy Spirit to move from the backyard to the front yard. In doing so, God will use our short falls and weaknesses for His purpose of reaching others. The "front yard faith" is a relational faith- the kind of faith that God wants all of us to have. This allows us to love people into a relationship with Jesus, but we can't do that from the backyard.
Are you where it's comfortable in a "backyard faith". One that consists of only you and Jesus- always keeping Him and your faith to yourself?
The front yard is a place where people that need Him are driving by or watching from afar, waiting to see what you will do in showing them who.... He... is.
How can we not want to share His abounding, never-ending love with them for all He has done for us?
Hang out in the front yard and watch what happens- God will move in a miraculous and profound way when WE step out on faith to extend grace, mercy and love to others.......
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
From Stepping Stones To the Cornerstone
A story within a story... today's service at LLUMC was uplifting and "chewable" in regards to the great sermon by Kay DeBlance. Our series is on "Welcome to the Family" and the topic today was "Adoption into God's Family". Kay spoke about her own family tree and then described God's family, which consisted of all of us- not just in our congregation, but across the world. In becoming a child of God, we become heirs of the Kingdom of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
Somehow.... I feel that some people just may not comprehend how BIG that is.
I think part of our problem in comprehending this is our past. Some of us have ones that we would like to push a button and be able to erase it all possibly due to the pain, or the anger and bitterness it produces inside of us. At lunch today, I had the opportunity to share some of my past with new friends. It's funny how when we tell our stories, we seem to even surprise ourselves of what we have gone through .... and how we survived. The sound of my own voice in sharing these things today almost seemed like I was another person: a spectator, if you will, of what had happened- an outsider looking in, yet... knowing that it was indubitably me. I found it amazing afterward to realize how I had gotten from point "A" to point "B" without completely losing my mind.
The past can be looked upon as stepping stones to our present.
Some of these stones were a muddy trail in the forest where we had no idea where we were and kept getting stuck in mud holes along the way. Some were a steep mountain making us climb and climb only to get to the top and nothing and no one was there. At times they were a smooth highway drive, but eventually speeding out of control and into a horrible accident, or carelessly paying no attention to how much gas we had for the trip and ending up stuck on the side of the road. Then there were times that we would run and run, but in looking around, we found we were running on what seemed to be like a "track"- just going around in circles.
At some point, one of the stepping stones led to making a decision to become a follower of Christ.
The Bible speaks in the Old and New Testament of Christ being the 'cornerstone'. The first mention of this is found in Psalm 118:22 "The stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone". The prophet Isaiah also spoke of it and said "So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic." (Isaiah 28:16 NIV). Zechariah 10:4 says "From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler."
There are also three passages in three books of the Gospels in which Jesus himself recites Psalm 118:22 to the chief priests and the Pharisees. In Acts 4:11 it also gives the account of Psalm 118:22, and then Ephesians 2:19-20 goes a step further to call Jesus the "chief cornerstone". 1 Peter 2:6-7 also refer back to Isaiah's prophecy rounding out all of the passages that speak about this particular title that God gave Christ hundreds of years before and after His birth.
In light of the "stepping stones" analogy earlier, we all can step off of the uneven ground and stop ditching the shortcuts that we thought would get us to answers in life faster and place our feet on the firm foundation of the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. Part of this solidarity of ground that Christ gives us, besides the Holy Spirit indwelling, are other believers who share in our burdens and our joys. Serving and worshiping with us to help keep our feet on solid ground.
In stepping on the firm foundation of the chief cornerstone that was laid for us, know this:
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:21-22 NIV)
In reflecting how all of this relates to the message Pastor Kay gave us today, I feel that the stepping stones of our past have brought us to being Adopted Daughters and Sons of God. These stones are our "story", and without the unevenness of the trail, the tumbles and falls that gave us our scars, we cannot relate to others that are still finding their way to the firm foundation of Christ Jesus. Every scrape, every cut that we have endured, He promises to heal, but remember they can be used to bring others in to His glory.
Lest we never forget what brought us here: where we were, and where we are now- in the presence of the Living God.
Somehow.... I feel that some people just may not comprehend how BIG that is.
I think part of our problem in comprehending this is our past. Some of us have ones that we would like to push a button and be able to erase it all possibly due to the pain, or the anger and bitterness it produces inside of us. At lunch today, I had the opportunity to share some of my past with new friends. It's funny how when we tell our stories, we seem to even surprise ourselves of what we have gone through .... and how we survived. The sound of my own voice in sharing these things today almost seemed like I was another person: a spectator, if you will, of what had happened- an outsider looking in, yet... knowing that it was indubitably me. I found it amazing afterward to realize how I had gotten from point "A" to point "B" without completely losing my mind.
The past can be looked upon as stepping stones to our present.
Some of these stones were a muddy trail in the forest where we had no idea where we were and kept getting stuck in mud holes along the way. Some were a steep mountain making us climb and climb only to get to the top and nothing and no one was there. At times they were a smooth highway drive, but eventually speeding out of control and into a horrible accident, or carelessly paying no attention to how much gas we had for the trip and ending up stuck on the side of the road. Then there were times that we would run and run, but in looking around, we found we were running on what seemed to be like a "track"- just going around in circles.
At some point, one of the stepping stones led to making a decision to become a follower of Christ.
The Bible speaks in the Old and New Testament of Christ being the 'cornerstone'. The first mention of this is found in Psalm 118:22 "The stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone". The prophet Isaiah also spoke of it and said "So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic." (Isaiah 28:16 NIV). Zechariah 10:4 says "From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler."
There are also three passages in three books of the Gospels in which Jesus himself recites Psalm 118:22 to the chief priests and the Pharisees. In Acts 4:11 it also gives the account of Psalm 118:22, and then Ephesians 2:19-20 goes a step further to call Jesus the "chief cornerstone". 1 Peter 2:6-7 also refer back to Isaiah's prophecy rounding out all of the passages that speak about this particular title that God gave Christ hundreds of years before and after His birth.
In light of the "stepping stones" analogy earlier, we all can step off of the uneven ground and stop ditching the shortcuts that we thought would get us to answers in life faster and place our feet on the firm foundation of the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. Part of this solidarity of ground that Christ gives us, besides the Holy Spirit indwelling, are other believers who share in our burdens and our joys. Serving and worshiping with us to help keep our feet on solid ground.
In stepping on the firm foundation of the chief cornerstone that was laid for us, know this:
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:21-22 NIV)
In reflecting how all of this relates to the message Pastor Kay gave us today, I feel that the stepping stones of our past have brought us to being Adopted Daughters and Sons of God. These stones are our "story", and without the unevenness of the trail, the tumbles and falls that gave us our scars, we cannot relate to others that are still finding their way to the firm foundation of Christ Jesus. Every scrape, every cut that we have endured, He promises to heal, but remember they can be used to bring others in to His glory.
Lest we never forget what brought us here: where we were, and where we are now- in the presence of the Living God.
Monday, July 9, 2012
"Without Forgiveness There Is No Freedom"
The current series at our church is called "Welcome to the Family". On my previous posting, I wrote about our "Sphere of Influence" which is a term Pastor Shante' coined to describe her definition of today's family. The message today was a continuation of this series as it pertains to forgiving others.
I'm certain that most reading this have heard, read, and have discussed the topic of forgiveness at some point to someone. You may be thinking that this is old hat. I just want to let you know that nothing that comes out of Pastor Shante's mouth is "old hat", and I am thankful for that. I will be reciting my notes here on this much needed topic in today's unforgiving, grudge holding world. Most of what I will be writing is credited to Pastor Shante'.
We have what it takes to forgive others. It's too bad that we can't just end here with that sentence, and everyone just get it! Why is that? Well, for one, because we have sin in our lives, and are not perfect. Jesus is our model of perfection and forgiveness. The first passage of scripture that was referred to was Matthew 6:9-13 which is Jesus's sermon on the mount that includes the "model prayer" commonly referred to as "The Lord's Prayer". This very important passage in verse 12 says "and forgive us our sins, AS we have forgiven those who sin against us."(NLT) Shante' pointed out the word "as" in this passage to tell us that the topic of forgiving in this prayer is the only time that Christ expounds. In this verse, He not only asks something of God the Father, but also states that we will do the same in return. The prayer then goes on in verse 14-15 to say "If you forgive those who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive you. BUT if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." The AS and BUT in these verses are of great significance of showing the importance that Jesus placed on forgiving others.
We have to "choose" to forgive someone. Forgiving someone is a choice. A harsh reality is that even in choosing to forgive someone, they may never be remorseful for what they did or said to you. So of course the question arises "why should I forgive them then?" Forgiveness is known as a virtue in a follower of Christ. We will never be more like Jesus than when we forgive others.
Ler's ask these questions:
What am I getting out of this grudge?
I'm certain that most reading this have heard, read, and have discussed the topic of forgiveness at some point to someone. You may be thinking that this is old hat. I just want to let you know that nothing that comes out of Pastor Shante's mouth is "old hat", and I am thankful for that. I will be reciting my notes here on this much needed topic in today's unforgiving, grudge holding world. Most of what I will be writing is credited to Pastor Shante'.
We have what it takes to forgive others. It's too bad that we can't just end here with that sentence, and everyone just get it! Why is that? Well, for one, because we have sin in our lives, and are not perfect. Jesus is our model of perfection and forgiveness. The first passage of scripture that was referred to was Matthew 6:9-13 which is Jesus's sermon on the mount that includes the "model prayer" commonly referred to as "The Lord's Prayer". This very important passage in verse 12 says "and forgive us our sins, AS we have forgiven those who sin against us."(NLT) Shante' pointed out the word "as" in this passage to tell us that the topic of forgiving in this prayer is the only time that Christ expounds. In this verse, He not only asks something of God the Father, but also states that we will do the same in return. The prayer then goes on in verse 14-15 to say "If you forgive those who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive you. BUT if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." The AS and BUT in these verses are of great significance of showing the importance that Jesus placed on forgiving others.
We have to "choose" to forgive someone. Forgiving someone is a choice. A harsh reality is that even in choosing to forgive someone, they may never be remorseful for what they did or said to you. So of course the question arises "why should I forgive them then?" Forgiveness is known as a virtue in a follower of Christ. We will never be more like Jesus than when we forgive others.
Ler's ask these questions:
What am I getting out of this grudge?
- It is blocking you from a true relationship with God
- It could be bringing on physical illness such as ulcers, headaches, depression, etc.
Now let's look at what forgiveness is NOT:
- Forgiveness is NOT forgetting
- Forgiveness is NOT approving of what was done
- Forgiveness is NOT making excuses for what was done
- Forgiveness is NOT reconciling a relationship
The last scripture that Shante' referenced was Colossians 3:13 that says "Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Once again, we are reminded that God has forgiven us, therefore we must also forgive others.
We are to pray for those that hurt us. Think on this: Jesus is dying on the cross- being mocked, ridiculed, spit upon, and laughed at. In the midst of all of this, he prayed and asked God to forgive them all for they did not know what they were doing. That is the single most profound act of forgiveness ever known.
One of the last things that Pastor Shante' said in regards to this message was this "Without forgiveness, there is no freedom". I titled this post this quote from Shante' as it really summed up everything for me. We talk a lot about freedom in many forms. "True freedom in Christ can not be held by an unforgiving heart." (Joy Tipton) Shante' broke it down as us trying to order a sandwich and asking them to hold the tomato or pickles. We have to take what is in the Word of God as a "whole". We can't pick and choose what virtues to have and not have, or commands we want to follow, picking some, but not all.....
What are you are holding on to against someone that is hindering your relationship with God? Letting go is part of the healing process that we all can experience. Not dwelling on the hurt and pain everyday will bring freedom and peace back to your heart and open new doors to your relationship with God, and with others. Unforgiveness keeps us living in the past, unable to truly move forward with what God has planned for us now, and in the future.
I pray that each one of us will examine our hearts and search out any unforgiveness within. And as we do, allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in letting go and forgiving others as well as forgiving ourselves.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The "Sphere Of Influence"
The theme to the series Welcome To The Family that we started in church today was making God first in your home. The message resonated with me in alot of ways as I recalled alot of my childhood growing up in the church and the "Sphere of Influence" my parents and the church had on me. I am going to be giving a more personal reflection on this message today, though I am going to list the key points to Pastor Shante's sermon that i feel are critical in our daily walk with Christ.
Pastor Shante' pointed out that the most common way we define a family is a husband, a wife, 2.3 kids, and a dog named Lucky :-) Although we are all aware of the 21st century family in many other ways, let's focus first on our own families growing up.
Some of us were raised in church as children, and some were not. For me, I was going to church while I was still in the womb. My mother was/is the church pianist at a little Baptist church where we attended and never missed service on Sunday morning, Sunday night, or Wednesday night. Our church was small with less than 50 people probably, but the atmosphere there was that we were all family- calling each other Brother and Sister and tacking on either our first or last name to go with that. Upon a bit of research, I discovered that the term "brothers and sisters" in the NIV version of the Bible was listed in scripture 179 times. In looking at all 179, only about 10% I would say referred to the term in a "biological" sense. The rest of the verses were "addressing" believers of God and Christ, or were defining what that term meant.
Let's look at the verses that defined "brothers and sisters" according to Paul in Romans 8:29 "We know this because God knew them in advance, and He decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of His Son. That way His Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters." (CEB)
Hebrews 2:11-12 says "Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says, "I will declare Your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing Your praises." So, in Romans and in Hebrews it tells us that we are not just brothers and sisters as believers to each other, but we are brothers and sisters to Jesus as well as Him being our Lord and Savior.
OK, now let's switch gears to us as kids again, and also to those who have children now. I remember one Sunday morning when my mom came in my room while I was still sleeping trying to get me up for church. I'm not sure why that particular Sunday was more difficult than others to get up, but I was NOT moving no matter how many times she came in telling me each time to "get up" and get ready for church. What I DO remember about this particular Sunday was the cold wash cloth that she put on my face while I was asleep, and my mother's NON-reaction to my outcry and whimpering because of it. There was no "not going" to service as long as I was in my mom and dad's house.
As the story goes, as in my "About me" testimony on the website, I eventually turned my back on God for many years. Regardless of me not being in church or around other believers, I remember distinct times when people would walk in and out of my life with a word from Him that I would recognize, or I would visit a church with a friend that wanted to go and feel a familiar presence that might put me listening to some Contemporary Christian Music for a little while.... but it never lasted. When I finally DID come to true repentance and remembered my salvation as a teenager, I knew that it was my family- my parents in particular- that set my feet on solid ground my entire childhood: Sunday School, Vacation Bible school, prayer meetings, nursing home visits.
They rooted me in the Word of God as a child from singing songs to memorize scripture, to "drawing swords". This was a game the youth played usually on Sunday nights where we would stand up, hands on our bibles in front of us, and the teacher would call out a scripture to be looked up. We would then all scurry to open our bibles to find the scripture and read it before anyone else. That game really helped me with where the books of the bible were as well as the song we sang reciting the New Testament books which I sometimes still sing under my breath today when looking up a passage in my actual bible. Youversion is a little easier in that sense, but I still love reading from my actual bible.
Lest I stray. I will end the children part of this with passages for parents bringing up and rooting their children in God and His Word:
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV) This passage is a prime example and testimony of my life.
"As for parents, don't provoke your children to anger, but raise them with discipline and instruction about the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4 CEB)
"and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
(2 Timothy 3:15 NKJV)- Paul is actually speaking about Timothy here, but I think we can see the correlation it can have on us.
Being rooted as a child, or not being rooted but coming to know Christ as an adult, the following are some key points that Pastor Shante' gave today on how to set a "Sphere of Influence" in your home that is Christ-like. This also is what is needed as a "Sphere of Influence" around us everyday:
1. God needs to be obviously present in our life. In order for that to happen, time is needed to be spent with Him daily.
2. We need to be conscious of the Word of God.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
3. Prayer- we need to be in communication with God.
4. Service- we need to be loving all people "outside" the church. Pastor Shante' mentioned not getting caught up in a "Holy huddle" as believers and excluding or avoiding others that are outside of our church.
and finally,
5. Our witness and legacy- what will we leave behind? Pastor Shante' said that when we put God 1st in our lives, it makes a lasting impression. it is our job to help people in our family find their purpose in life.
"If God is not a part of your everyday life, God is not part of your reality".
~ Shante' Buckley
Jesus's family is made up of the "whosoever will" group. God created the family to love Him and to love others.
Is your home a godly "Sphere of Influence" for your family?
Is your daily Monday through Friday atmospheres and company that you keep encouraging you in your Faith?
My friends, one cannot live out their Christianity alone, nor did God intend for it be so. God wants you to be part of His family and leave a legacy to the witness of Jesus Christ to your children, friends, co-workers, your biological family, and to those who you may have only crossed paths with for a moment. But even in an instant you can be an "influence" in helping someone see Jesus.
What does your "Sphere of Influence" look like?
Pastor Shante' pointed out that the most common way we define a family is a husband, a wife, 2.3 kids, and a dog named Lucky :-) Although we are all aware of the 21st century family in many other ways, let's focus first on our own families growing up.
Some of us were raised in church as children, and some were not. For me, I was going to church while I was still in the womb. My mother was/is the church pianist at a little Baptist church where we attended and never missed service on Sunday morning, Sunday night, or Wednesday night. Our church was small with less than 50 people probably, but the atmosphere there was that we were all family- calling each other Brother and Sister and tacking on either our first or last name to go with that. Upon a bit of research, I discovered that the term "brothers and sisters" in the NIV version of the Bible was listed in scripture 179 times. In looking at all 179, only about 10% I would say referred to the term in a "biological" sense. The rest of the verses were "addressing" believers of God and Christ, or were defining what that term meant.
Let's look at the verses that defined "brothers and sisters" according to Paul in Romans 8:29 "We know this because God knew them in advance, and He decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of His Son. That way His Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters." (CEB)
Hebrews 2:11-12 says "Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says, "I will declare Your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing Your praises." So, in Romans and in Hebrews it tells us that we are not just brothers and sisters as believers to each other, but we are brothers and sisters to Jesus as well as Him being our Lord and Savior.
OK, now let's switch gears to us as kids again, and also to those who have children now. I remember one Sunday morning when my mom came in my room while I was still sleeping trying to get me up for church. I'm not sure why that particular Sunday was more difficult than others to get up, but I was NOT moving no matter how many times she came in telling me each time to "get up" and get ready for church. What I DO remember about this particular Sunday was the cold wash cloth that she put on my face while I was asleep, and my mother's NON-reaction to my outcry and whimpering because of it. There was no "not going" to service as long as I was in my mom and dad's house.
As the story goes, as in my "About me" testimony on the website, I eventually turned my back on God for many years. Regardless of me not being in church or around other believers, I remember distinct times when people would walk in and out of my life with a word from Him that I would recognize, or I would visit a church with a friend that wanted to go and feel a familiar presence that might put me listening to some Contemporary Christian Music for a little while.... but it never lasted. When I finally DID come to true repentance and remembered my salvation as a teenager, I knew that it was my family- my parents in particular- that set my feet on solid ground my entire childhood: Sunday School, Vacation Bible school, prayer meetings, nursing home visits.
They rooted me in the Word of God as a child from singing songs to memorize scripture, to "drawing swords". This was a game the youth played usually on Sunday nights where we would stand up, hands on our bibles in front of us, and the teacher would call out a scripture to be looked up. We would then all scurry to open our bibles to find the scripture and read it before anyone else. That game really helped me with where the books of the bible were as well as the song we sang reciting the New Testament books which I sometimes still sing under my breath today when looking up a passage in my actual bible. Youversion is a little easier in that sense, but I still love reading from my actual bible.
Lest I stray. I will end the children part of this with passages for parents bringing up and rooting their children in God and His Word:
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV) This passage is a prime example and testimony of my life.
"As for parents, don't provoke your children to anger, but raise them with discipline and instruction about the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4 CEB)
"and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
(2 Timothy 3:15 NKJV)- Paul is actually speaking about Timothy here, but I think we can see the correlation it can have on us.
Being rooted as a child, or not being rooted but coming to know Christ as an adult, the following are some key points that Pastor Shante' gave today on how to set a "Sphere of Influence" in your home that is Christ-like. This also is what is needed as a "Sphere of Influence" around us everyday:
1. God needs to be obviously present in our life. In order for that to happen, time is needed to be spent with Him daily.
2. We need to be conscious of the Word of God.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
3. Prayer- we need to be in communication with God.
4. Service- we need to be loving all people "outside" the church. Pastor Shante' mentioned not getting caught up in a "Holy huddle" as believers and excluding or avoiding others that are outside of our church.
and finally,
5. Our witness and legacy- what will we leave behind? Pastor Shante' said that when we put God 1st in our lives, it makes a lasting impression. it is our job to help people in our family find their purpose in life.
"If God is not a part of your everyday life, God is not part of your reality".
~ Shante' Buckley
Jesus's family is made up of the "whosoever will" group. God created the family to love Him and to love others.
Is your home a godly "Sphere of Influence" for your family?
Is your daily Monday through Friday atmospheres and company that you keep encouraging you in your Faith?
My friends, one cannot live out their Christianity alone, nor did God intend for it be so. God wants you to be part of His family and leave a legacy to the witness of Jesus Christ to your children, friends, co-workers, your biological family, and to those who you may have only crossed paths with for a moment. But even in an instant you can be an "influence" in helping someone see Jesus.
What does your "Sphere of Influence" look like?
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