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| so answer the question. what do you think of when you hear the word church?
what is the mission of the church?
why should i go to church?
what is church?
give me some answers- just some research for theCURRENT
be @ WCC 3.26.06 6pm for theCURRENT | | |
| \\love is the answer; at least for most of the questions in my heart: 'why are we here?', 'where do we go?' and 'why is it so hard?'
-jackJOHNSON | | |
| lately i've been a big fan of the disugsting. I enjoy the shock value and great illustrations afforded by disgusting things- whether they be my trash can covered in maggots that i take to the street with my bare hands, or the references to vomit in the bible.
this one tops them all... guess what i learned yesterday? go read Is 64:6... yeah like you would actually stop reading this to go read the bible... so i'll just put in here... here you go...
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
ok got it? now the translators are nice to us here but rob us of a great disgusting tid bit that you can never forget once you hear it. And isn't that what we need every once in a while? to be shocked by God's word so that we never forget. Yeah so here ya go... those 'filthy rags' = bloody tampons. (i just threw up a little in my mouth). I know- if anyone knows- it's the married man that knows that this tips the scales on the level of disgusting.
So there is a lesson to be learned... and as Mark Driscoll put it in his sermon last weekend..."how many of you are going to hand out bloody tampons to the trick or treaters?" yeah well when we fill our buckets up with all this self-righteous garbage and bring it to God as if it's a treat for Him... he throws up a little in his mouth because that's disgusting to him and he is no more thrilled than those poor unsuspecting trick or treaters.
so keep that in mind, kids, as if you can get it out of your mind...self-righteousness is disgusting.
always happy to disgust -g | | |
| you want an update? here's your stinkin update.
wcc youth: don't forget to tally up your complianing and whining.
Philippians 2:14-16
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
k? peace out-
g | | |
| here's the sermon for sunday...
„W Live your Faith
„W ¡§Georgia is in the Ocean¡¨ story
We took the teens camping down to the OBX- it¡¦s probably my favorite place I¡¦ve ever been. I love the water and down there you are almost always in walking distance to the sound and the ocean- it¡¦s fantastic. We were all the way down in Frisco which is south of the Hatteras light house. It was interesting because we went to the beach to watch the sunrise, but the sun didn¡¦t rise from where I¡¦m use to watching the sunrise it rose if you were looking at the ocean from our left. Then at night we would watch the sunset to our right facing the ocean. One night was beautiful- there was a rainbow at one end of the beach and a purple and orange sunset at the other side. So then Olivia Light and I were admiring the ocean (she¡¦s an ocean lover too, but won¡¦t go in it) and talking about a camp I went to in Georgia and I pointed down the beach as if to say Georgia was that way (south down the beach) then we realized that this section of the beach was obviously facing south. This blew my mind- because I grew up knowing beach is east, and here I was on the beach watching a sunrise in the north and a sunset in the south. What really got us was when I realized the correct way to point to point at Georgia which is south is out in the Ocean and man it was so funny to us at the time we thought we we¡¦re hilarious and we went to share our humorous story with everyone else who didn¡¦t think it was very funny- guess you have to have the right since of humor- so that¡¦s our inside joke between me an Olivia ¡¥Georgia is in the Ocean¡¦
And my point to that story is that sometimes we¡¦ve got to unlearn some things that we¡¦ve thought our whole lives, like the ocean is east is not always the case.
„W we¡¦ve got to unlearn some things.
„W Pray
„W 1 John 3:16-18
„W 16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
„W Love is Jesus Christ
o Went out to them (unlearn church)
„W Jesus did not die so you could go to church- that phrase hit me hard. When I heard it I was hesitant to accept it. We have turned churches into our own cop-out version of following Jesus. We go to ¡¥grow¡¦ or to ¡¥worship¡¦ or to ¡¥be fed.¡¦ When in reality- following Jesus is so much more, it cannot stop here. Church (the building) is not where we are going to do the things that Jesus did and commanded us to do. You are not going to find lost people here; you might, but this is not the best place to find them. It is odd then that at church on Sunday a.m. is often the only place that the gospel is preached-where there¡¦s no lost people. Jesus did not die so you could go to church. He did not have clothes that he considered his ¡¥Sunday best,¡¦ and if he did probably would have found better use for them than wearing them himself. His love for people would have led him to find someone who needed them more than he did. Even his fellowship meals a part of his mission and not ¡¥down time.¡¦
„W He laid down his life for us- not just at the cross, or on Sunday but an entire life lived on purpose with a clear mission, he didn¡¦t let anything get in the way of that mission, not friends, parents, or possessions not religious leaders. All I see are distractions to our mission here in this fast pace culture of America. So much so that it gives us a distorted view of what following Jesus really is.
„W Love to Jesus was simple- meet people where they are, met there perceived needs, give of yourself til it hurts. Just want the best for others, this includes salvation, meeting their needs
„W Tony Campollo, a preacher who is never afraid to step on some toes, said this ¡§You are not a Christian until your heart is broken with the things that break the heart of God.¡¨ Throughout scripture God tells us to take care of widows, help orphans, give to the poor, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for those who are sick, visit those in prison, this breaks God¡¦s heart does it break yours? ¡§You are not a Christian until your heart is broken with the things that break the heart of God.¡¨ Are you doing anything about it? It¡¦s going to take your money,- ouch- time, emotions, your strength, love it¡¦s going to be your whole life- that¡¦s following Jesus.
Let¡¦s look at a story about a man that had a face to face encounter with Jesus Christ¡K
Mark 10:17-22
The Rich Young Man
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good¡Xexcept God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'[a]"
20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22At this, the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
We¡¦ve got to unlearn ¡¥our comfortable lifestyle¡¦
I hate to categorize everyone into the a negative light- but I read a lot in the old testament about God¡¦s relationships to nations as a whole. Now we put a lot of emphasis on that personal relationship, but think for a moment about our national relationship with God. This story in Mark 10:17-22 portrays what I think our national relationship with Christ really looks like. America is the richest, most powerful nation in the world; we are the rich young ruler.
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
This encounter between Jesus and the rich young ruler challenges the very core of our worldview and lifestyle as Americans. Why? Because this young man has everything he could need. In fact, he has everything that our society says he needs to be happy. HE could be the star of ABC¡¦s ¡¥The Bachelor.¡¨ But when faced with the ultimate choice- ¡¥sell all you have, give to the poor, come follow me and receive eternal life,¡¦ or ¡§continue in your good, law-abiding, lavishly wealthy lifestyle and die¡¨; he chose money. Sound familiar? Americans have westernized Christianity, making Jesus fit their idea of who He should be and making Christianity into what they want it to be. We want Jesus as long as He doesn¡¦t conflict with our culture, we have changed His teachings to be more suitable to our lifestyles. We want to have our wealth and Jesus too. But Jesus¡¦ words in Matt. 19:21-24 make it clear that the very thing that will send most Americans to hell is their desire for money.
¡¥We have to unlearn our habit of fitting the teachings of Jesus into our cultural worldview¡¦
Our culture is saturated by, engrossed in, and obsessed with the pursuit of material gain, so much so that we don¡¦t even realize it. The question then for Christians is, will Jesus be lord or will money? Will we be preoccupied with making and spending money or with sharing it with those in need? Again, this life is not about you, it¡¦s about glorifying God.
We need to get out of our comfort zone for Christ he spent 3 years with a group of guys that had to unlearn everything they had been raised knowing- their Jewish laws could no longer save them, they had to get out of their comfort zone to accept this new covenant that Jesus was here to initiate, and they had to get out of their comfort zone preaching and spreading the gospel out from their Jewish roots into the gentile world- we¡¦ve got to get out of our comfort zone- only then will we be where He can use us most when we take off our pride, our confidence and strength and allow his strength to be made perfect in our weakness.
„W Statistics¡K Great wealth¡K
The 10 largest transnational Corporations have a total income of greater that 100 of the world¡¦s poorest countries. The revenue of the largest company, Wal-Mart, is close to that of the Swedish economy. Wal-mart¡¦s annual revenue is approximately 200 billion dollars.
In 2004 teens in the USA spent 169 billion dollars. That averages out to $91.00 per week per person.
If your household combined income is more than $20,000 a year you are richer than 5.4 billion people.
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Intense poverty¡K
More than 8 million people around the world die each year because they are too poor to stay alive. Each morning our newspapers could report, ¡§More than 20,000 people died yesterday of extreme poverty.¡¨
Nearly half of the 6 billion people of the world are poor. 1.1 billion of these live in extreme poverty which is defined as getting by on less than a dollar a day. These households cannot meet basic needs of survival. They are chronically hungry, unable to get health care, lack basic shelter (a roof to keep rain out of the hut) and basic articles of clothing, like shoes.
6 million kids die every year because they can¡¦t eat
Extreme exploitation¡K
More than 100 million children do not attend school because of poverty, discrimination, or lack of resources. 2 out of 3 are girls
A third of all children do not complete 5 years of schooling, the minimum for basic literacy.
In the 1990¡¦s there were 53 major conflicts in the world that resulted in an estimated 3,6 million deaths, with women and children constituting and unprecedented number. More than 120,000 children (under 18) some no more than 7 are being used as soldiers across Africa. At the start of 2002 the number of people displaced world wide because of war or conflict was 19.8 million that¡¦s about 1 out of 300 people on earth.
Around the world children are being abused, exploited and traumatized. Children¡¦s age, their nature and often their dependence on adults make them especially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
An estimated 1.2 million children are traded by smuggling and prostitution rings every year. More than 30 million women and children throughout Asia and the pacific have been trafficked over the past 30 years¡X¡§the largest slave trade in history¡¨.
AIDS CRISIS
Number of children orphaned by AIDS living in Sub-Saharan Africa at the end of 2003: 12 million.
Does it break your heart? It breaks God¡¦s heart!
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
„W Who cares? Stop playing games with your faith- it¡¦s time for the church in America to stand UP and cry out we do! An not with words¡K
„W Take some action¡K because geuss what we have material possessions- make some sacrifices, compassion international or world vision¡Kgo be on the front lines¡Kit¡¦s not out of the question to sell it all and follow Jesus- in fact it¡¦s the answer to the question.
I¡¦ve been on trips when kids have given all of their money to the mission knowing they would miss meals the rest of the week. I¡¦m not going to talk them out of giving. I¡¦ve heard stories from other youth ministers of parents and sponsors who have helped on missions trips that came home afterward to sell their house and cars, take a vow of poverty and totally give up everything to follow Christ on the mission field.
Lyndsey¡K
A story was told of a girl that decided to dive right into the mission field out of high school. She just got there this month to Africa- now her decision to do this was met with opposition from the strangest places. Her parents who were Christians, her friends in youth group, even the church leadership sat her down to try to discourage such an outrageous life move. They decided to make a list of pro¡¦s and con¡¦s the con list was getting pretty long while the pro list stayed blank. Then she spoke up¡K if God says go it doesn¡¦t matter how long the ¡¥con¡¦ list is. Only one item needs to be on the ¡¥pro¡¦ side God says go. My cousin lyndsey just got back from Bolivia where she was doing missionary work with a church plant there. Before lyndsey went my family did the same thing- they tried to stop her- she said God says go- and out of nowhere a man showed up at the doctor¡¦s office where she worked and after a short conversation the man said he would support her while she was there and pay for her trip.
God said go- that¡¦s all we need!
It¡¦s not just an option for ¡¥super Christians¡¦ it¡¦s a requirement of all followers of Christ to give it all, lay it all down.
We have to realize we are rich- maybe it¡¦s God¡¦s blessing, but the more I think about it- it¡¦s the devil¡¦s plan all along- always to busy worried about finances, to even listen to what God is really saying. We have to be careful and pay attention to what Christ really taught. After the encounter with the rich young ruler¡Khe took his disciple aside and this is what it says¡KJesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
We see it plainly here or maybe we choose not to see it- Jesus warns against wealth- it gets in the way, it makes it even more difficult to live the life he requires, we must shed the excess is what Jesus is saying.
You¡¦ve probably heard the question¡K¡¦why does God allow the poor to suffer? You¡¦ve probably had a good answer like- their treasure is in heaven, or God works all things for the good of those who love him, or God is love he doesn¡¦t want anyone to suffer but sin is in the world and we mess up so we suffer- well here is a question I we are faced with right now¡KWhy does God allow the rich not to share?
Jesus drives this story home with a glimpse into what it will be like at judgement¡KI think we can¡¦t look at this story without realigning our priorities- when will HE be our priority (the sick the hungry)?
Matthew 25:31-46 (New International Version)
The Sheep and the Goats
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
„W Story of Rolando¡K
Kevin Greer is one of the leaders at CIY- he had an opportunity to go to HONDURAS??? To see the work of compassion international. He met a boy named Rolando, who lived in a small home with dirt floors, mad of mud bricks with a roof of scrap metal. He lived with his mother, a widow and his brother. In this house were few possessions- cooking utensils, a few stacks of neatly folded clothes- no furniture. Kevin tells the story of how Rolando¡¦s only personal possession was a box of letters and pictures from his compassion international sponsor. Rolando showed Kevin these letters and pictures with a smile on his face. His sponsor was a 16 year old boy from Chicago. Kevin wondered if the boy in Chicago knew how much that $32 a month meant to this child. It made Kevin realize that Kevin had just become one of the sheep in this story. Now if you can picture this story of judgement with me At judgement this boy in Chicago will stand alone to answer these questions¡KWhen did you see me hungry and feed me, When did you see me in need of clothing and clothe me? With out saying a word- Rolando appears out of the crowd and takes his place beside the 16 year old boy from Chicago.
When you are standing alone b4 the judge answering for your life, how you used what God gave you, what you did with the knowledge, the wealth, the time you had on earth¡K
„W Who is going to stand next to you? Who is going to come out of the crowd and stand next to you and thank you for sacrifice you made, thank you for loving with actions, and for laying down your life for your brother. For seeing someone in need and having pity?
I know I could sit through sermons and listen to the whole thing but never really think about myself, maybe apply it to someone else¡Kor just not think about it. I want to ask some questions and I just want you to think- the answers may be obvious, but just to get you thinking listen to these rhetorical questions and think.
Rhetorical questions¡K
When the rich young ruler asked, ¡§What do I still lack?¡¨, how did Jesus answer? (Matt. 19:20-21)
At Judgment, when those on His left asked, Lord when did we see you hungry or thirst or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?¡¨, how did Jesus answer? (Matt 25:44)
¡§If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (1John 3:17) If you don¡¦t help the poor, how can the love of God be in you?
How can you say that you love God if your love for Him doesn¡¦t impact your wallet or your purse and convict you to give to the poor?
Can the rich go to heaven? If yes, the why would Jesus warn so strongly against gaining wealth?
If Jesus warns so strongly against gaining wealth, why do we ignore it?
„W My challenge to you is this¡K Verse 18 of our text 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
My challenge is love¡Klike children
. Just before Jesus¡¦ encounter with the rich young ruler, He encountered Children- I want you to be like those Children.
Speaking of children¡K My wife and I would like to announce that we are expecting our 3rd child! We are excited with what God has blessed us with.
Mark 10:13-16
The Little Children and Jesus
13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16And he took the children in his arms put his hands on them and blessed them.
Children have a simple faith; they believe God will take care of them. So today will you walk away sad like the rich young ruler? Or will you have that simple faith like a child willing to surrender trusting that God will take care of you? I really don¡¦t want this to be another money sermon- where visitors walk away mad about the church only wants money- in fact don¡¦t give your money to the church get it in the hands of those in need, spend it on a plane ticket to Africa or somewhere out of your comfort zone where God needs hands and feet to do his work.
I¡¦ve struggled with this message. Because I know I am guilty of being the rich young ruler. But I look back in times of my life that I have made it through impossible situations, I see where God has provided for me and taken care of me. And yet I return to materialism, and put my hope in my own plans, and my own ability to provide. I get comfortable in my air conditioned home with clean water flowing from a faucet, with a soft couch, and things surrounding me for my own entertainment. But I see now that it¡¦s time for a change¡KI have material possessions and I see my brother in need, so I¡¦m not going to walk away sad I¡¦m going to live my faith!
I want us to try something now, it¡¦s called ¡¥the fellowship of the unashamed¡¦ Lets stand and I will read out loud the white sections, I want you to read out loud the sections in yellow- I want you to mean it and not let it stop with words but when we leave here today I want you to live it¡K
The Fellowship of the Unashamed
I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit
Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has
been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow
down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense,
and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight
walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions,
mundane talking, cheap showy giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or
popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised,
regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by
patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my
way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted,
or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the
pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of
mediocrity.
I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed
up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a
disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop,
preach until all know, and work until He comes.
And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is thepower of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16)
invitation
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