Happy Mother’s Day!  Welcome to Pt. 2 of Relationships: “Relationships and Family!”  Today I want to talk about why “family” is the most powerful demonstration and best example of the way relationships are supposed to work; and how “family” is God’s idea and desire for his kingdom and for every one of us.

Remember the old TV show, “All in the Family” with Archie and Edith Bunker, Meathead and Gloria?  Here’s a family with tons of dysfunction and challenges, but in the end, their relationship with each other always trumped everything.  What about a more modern example: “Parenthood!”  Jo Ann and I love this show.

“Parenthood” takes the reality of family life, condenses it, dramatizes it, and packages it into 42-minutes of coziness. For the most part, each member of the ensemble gets equal play, though Peter Krause’s Adam Braverman, if anyone, is the center of the show, if only because he represents the responsible son, the dependable husband, and the reliable brother. He’s magnificent in the way that he interacts with his family and deals with his autistic son, Max. Lauren Graham is the unreliable single mother, sister, and daughter, a well-intentioned and hard-working mom who can’t seem to get out of her own way when it comes to both her career and family. Meanwhile, Dax Shepard — who has a much better and more likable presence than you could ever hope for, is trying to raise an illegitimate son he only recently became aware of, five years after the boy’s birth.  Then there’s Julie (Erika Christiansen), the ambitious corporate lawyer who feels like she’s missing her daughter’s childhood, and her husband, Joel (Sam Jaegerman), the stay-at-home Dad, who is grappling with the sometimes, emasculating reality of that position. He’s a licensed contractor who has been relegated to juice box dispenser, but he doesn’t dismiss it. He understands the importance of his role. The family patriarch and matriarch here are Craig T. Nelson’s Zeek and his wife, Camille (Bonnie Bedelia), who ironically are the only family members whose marriage has legitimately been endangered, but only after decades of marriage.

“Parenthood” depicts one big “family” with again, more than one issue or problem they seem to be constantly dealing with.  But what you come to realize is that their “relationship as a family” is the glue, the bond, the reason they can keep it all together and overcome the struggles and difficulties; traverse the tough and happy times…

It’s appropriate that we talk about relationships and family on Mother’s Day!  Let’s give up for all the ladies in the house!  Personally, I’m very thankful and appreciative of my Mom and my wife- who is an incredible mom, wife, and woman of God!  We’ll talk more about honoring all the ladies later, but let me give you this to consider:

Top Ten Reasons God Created Women:

 10.       God worried Adam would get lost in the Garden because he wouldn’t ask for directions!

9.         God knew that someday Adam would need someone to hand him the TV remote!  (Parenthetically, it has been noted that men don’t want to see what’s ON TV, they want to see what ELSE is on)!

8.         God knew that Adam would never make a doctor’s appointment!

7.         God knew that when Adam’s fig leaf wore out, he wouldn’t buy a new one!

6.         God knew that Adam would never remember to take out the garbage!

5.         God wanted man to be fruitful and multiply, but he knew too that Adam would never be able to handle the pains and labor of childbirth!

4.         As “keeper of the garden” Adam would need help finding his tools!

3.         Adam needed someone to blame for the “apple” incident, and for everything else that was really his fault!

2.         As the Bible says, “It is not good for man to be alone!”  And the Number 1 reason…

1.         God stepped back, looked at Adam and said, “I can do much better than that!”

True?  Ok, let’s get serious now!  Family matters significantly for God and it needs to for us as well.  Again, “Family is how we relate- to each other and to God!”  So, relationship is best understood in the context of family!

Relationship and Family Foundation

Mark 10:6-9 But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation.  ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’  Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

The bottom line is that “family matters to God” and that’s why it should matter with us!  As a matter of fact, God ordained and instituted the ‘family” above everything else.  His heart and plan is that we all exist with Him and with each other in the context of “family!”  Throughout history family has been the foundation of all society, which is the primary reason Satan so diligently attacks and endeavors to disrupt and destroy the family!

That’s why you read things in the Bible like God creating Adam and Eve to be husband and wife, to multiply, and to have children- sons and daughters.  You read throughout the OT how God relates to Israel as “his children” as well as sometime referring to them as his “bride or wife.”  You also see the organization of Israel in terms of “Tribes, Clans, and Families.”  In the NT, Jesus is called the “Son of God” and he refers to God as our “Heavenly Father.”  He tell us to pray this way: “Our Father…”  Later, Paul uses terminology of “spiritual fathers and sons and spiritual mothers and daughters” to describe the context of making disciples and mentoring.

Further, Jesus, Paul and others reference the “church” as the “bride of Christ” and the “family of God.”  Paul also says that just as Jesus loves his church, so a “husband is to love his wife.”  So, as you can clearly see, as far as God is concerned, everything is about FAMILY and it is RELATIONSHIPS that make up the family.

And finally, back to Jesus- his ultimate purpose was to restore you and me to what- Religious experience?  Institutionalized programs?  Rules and Regulations?  Dogmatic exercises?  Of course not!  God sent his “SON” to provide the way for his “prodigal sons and daughters” to be restored to right relationship with God, our Father!”

Relationship and Focus on the Family

Eph. 5:21-6:4 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.  As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.  For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.  He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.  No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.  And we are members of his body.  As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”  This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.  So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.  Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.  “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

That’s a ton of Scripture and wisdom right there!  Basically, Paul is telling us what our most immediate family relationships need to look like- as a husband, father, wife, mother, and children; and it says very importantly, that these relationships need to reflect Jesus’ relationship with his church!

First thing the Bible says about relationship in the context of your immediate family is that it’s all about “submission.”  Few people like that word today and fewer practice it!  But it’s because we don’t fully appreciate and understand what the Bible means by it!

Biblical submission has to do with two very powerful things with powerful benefits: 1) It means to “come under authority”, and 2) It means to be greatly appreciated.  And the benefits are someone else is “covering” and protecting you; looking out for your best interests because you have their best interests at heart, and you know just how valued you are.

God wants our immediate family relationships- especially between a husband and wife to be about covering and caring for one another!  It’s knowing ladies that you can submit to your husband BECAUSE he deeply cares for you and he’s going to cover you; protect you, provide for you, empower you!  It’s knowing men that you can submit to your wife BECAUSE she is going to also take care of you and she’s going to affirm you and be affectionate toward you.

The Bible also says that children need to submit to their parents knowing they have their best interests at heart, that parents want the very best for their kids, that they have a responsibility to protect them and set them up for a blessed future.

All of these relationships are mirrored by Jesus’ relationship with the church!  Jesus loved the church by giving his life for her- so a husband is to do likewise.  The church loves Jesus by honoring his role and responsibility- so a wife is to do likewise.  And all of us share the responsibility that is given to “children.”

And what makes these relationships work is that we are submitted; to God and to one another.  And what makes them not work is that we’re not submitted; not to God nor to one another!  And being submitted means I am counting on you for your covering and your care!

Relationship and the Family of Faith

Luke 8:19-21 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they couldn’t get to him because of the crowd.  Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to see you.”  Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.”

Why is the church so important?  For one very powerful reason: it’s all about Family!  You can have all the friends in the world- but what’s better than friends is family!  You may not think you have any friends, but you have a family!  And you may think we don’t get along a times, and we don’t agree on everything, and we all have different tastes and preferences, and we can complain and criticize, and we think “What???”  Hey, welcome to family!

Family is hard, it’s complicated, it’s not always perfect, but thank God we have this GCC family!  And as we know, family is family, and when you have family, you never give up on family- you fight for family, and “church is family!”  It’s your FOREVER FAMILY!  I hope your biological family all knows Jesus, but the church is the family you’ll be with forever.

Because it’s a SPIRITUAL FAMILY!  And in it you have spiritual fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, every spiritual grandsons and granddaughters…

The key to the Church Family is that we “hear and obey!”  We listen and receive God’s Word and we put it into practice- Jesus says, “That’s my Family!”  Because it’s a family that wants to do that because it’s based on Relationship and Service!

What’s the difference between a restaurant and a family dinner?  At the “restaurant” someone takes care of everything, wait on you, bring it to the table, and you can even complain about it; maybe even turn in a complaint card!  “The gravy was too salty… I’d like a complaint card please!”

If you did that to your mother or father, they’re doing to do something to you!  I’d never complain about that!  It’s hurtful and harmful, and greatly disrespects the service they are offering you.  Also, you don’t just roll into mom and dad’s house, sit down, and start ordering a meal!  “Hey, I’ve been sitting here awhile… I’d like the menu please…”

What’s going to happen most of the time?  “Hey, this is family, go to the fridge, help yourself, you know where the food is!”  Or, “Hey, help set the table then, you know where the plates are!”  And when dinner is done, you help to clean up, right?  It’s family, we join in and do something.

That’s the difference between a restaurant and a family!  It’s whether or not you join in and do something!  And you join in and do something because this is not a restaurant, this is a family; we are brothers and sisters, together, serving our Father and serving one another!  GCC is family and this family gives you not merely the opportunity, but more importantly, the relationships that require the responsibility to serve…

In a family you see a need and you meet it.  In a business, you don’t!  Why?  Because family is different; it’s an entirely higher and deeper level of relationship!  And that’s why God doesn’t call his church a business, or an organization, or institution, but a FAMILY!

You don’t walk into a restaurant and say, “Are there any needs here I can meet?  Do you need a new commercial over or fridge… I’m just so invested in this mean you served me!”  You don’t do that, but you definitely do that when it’s family!  You look for ways to serve, help, bless someone else- again, that’s why God wants his church to be family because those things reflect his heart and nature.

And if you’re not doing those things, serving, helping, being a part, giving, it’s not going to feel like family and you’re going to find it easy to just leave; it’s just a restaurant or business experience for you.  But when it’s family, you just don’t leave; you’re involved, you’re serving, giving, invested- it’s FAMILY!  Amen?

Jesus said, “My mother and brothers are those who are hearing and doing my Word; that’s my family!  They own the mission, they’re committed, they’re putting faith into action, they’re discovering the joys of helping and serving others!  And that’s why God calls his church family and that’s why you need the family of faith.  The church, GCC, gives you the relationships and responsibilities that goes along with that to truly experience what it feels like to invest and live life abundantly!

Tell you a story: Previous church, this guy who meets with me and tell me how bad the church is, how no one has connected with him, who he’s not getting fed… and I asked him two questions: 1) Tell me how much you gave last year? And 2) Where have you served?  Guess what?  Nothing and nowhere!  He missed the whole point and purpose.  It’s a FAMILY and in the family you don’t just show up, you jump in a serve!  And I promise you, when you do that, you don’t complain, you experience all the joys and fulfillment that family, despite it’s imperfections, brings to your life!

Where you serve is where you will find family!  Where you understand it’s all about relationship and not about religion you find family and fulfillment!

Foundation of Family, Focusing on your Family, and the Church, the Family of Faith!

Next Week: Pt. 3 Relationships and Friends

Welcome to Part 1 of our new teaching series: RELATIONSHIPS!  Illustration: My friends in HS- the “BUD Club”- Big Ugly Dudes…  I’m not making this up!  We did everything together…  We were inseparable…  We hugged and cried at graduation, promised to stay in touch- BUDS forever!  That lasted a few months at most…

Did you ever have somebody that you loved, cared for, committed to, and then one day, it was all gone?  How about, ever meet Mr. Perfect and he turned out to be Mr. Psycho?  Or, knew a married couple that you knew was the prefect couple, if anyone was going to make it, they would; and then one day, they just split up?  Makes you wonder if any relationship can make it!

Well, there’s a direct correlation between all our relationships and our relationship with God!  Since God created us for “relationship” then we can’t get them right unless our relationship with Him is right.  Because you can’t simply have a “religion” with God or a “ministry” with God or a “thing” with God; you have to have a relationship!

Why do relationships go wrong?  We won’t work at it! 

Prov. 29:18 (NLT) “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild!”    Without vision people perish and that goes for relationships- you have to have a vision for your relationships, and starts with your relationship with God!

Rev. 3:15-16 (NLT) “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold.  I wish you were one or the other!  But since you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth!”

Jesus said this, “You can be hot and you can be cold, but don’t be lukewarm when it comes to your relationship with God!  That’s nauseating!”  And when that comes to our relationship with God people fall into one of three categories:

HOT- You are growing spiritually!  Spiritual growth is not some mysterious thing that just happens to us.  It is the result of developing certain disciplines in your life and living them out consistently.  And it’s a process over time as you learn, apply what you’ve learned practically, and mature as a result.

2 Thess. 1:3 “…for we are thankful that your faith is flourishing and you are all growing in love for each other.”

Are you “hot” for the things of God?  Is your faith flourishing?  Is your love for God and for others growing?  Spiritual growth is not just about biblical knowledge- that can puff you up; but it’s about applying that biblical knowledge to your life in the everyway and the everyday!

COLD- You don’t know God yet!  And Jesus said that’s not necessarily a bad place to be, since you can basically meet God in a moment and in that moment, be instantaneously turned around.  But when that happens, you get turned around (repentance) and then start taking the steps to follow Jesus…

But if you’re “cold” it’s because you don’t yet know God; maybe you know about him, you know about Jesus; you even believe that he’s for real; but you don’t yet “know” him in a personal relationship dynamic!

Jesus talked about this- John 7:28 “Yes, you know me, and you know where I come from.  But I represent the one you don’t know…”  So, Jesus said, “I’d rather you are hot and growing spiritually or cold, with the opportunity to meet God, then to be…

Lukewarm- You’re drifting!  Frankly, Jesus said, this is the worst state to be in!  We would think that to be “cold”, to not know God is the worst possible condition someone could experience.  But that’s not true!  It’s being “lukewarm” about God- drifting…

Heb. 2:1 “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.”  

If we don’t give diligent attention to our “following Christ” we will drift away from Him, from the truth of His Word and the truth of what God has written about us!  And honestly, this is where most Christians and most churches find themselves!  Shocked?!  How do I know that, because of the spiritual landscape in America right now tell us!

The problem is we have lost our focus, our vision, regarding having a personal, “hot”, relationship with God!  Church services, church programs, church activity, church buildings… cannot replace our personal relationship with God!  We are drifting and so many don’t even realize it because they’re having so much “fun” doing church stuff!

Illustration: On vacation at the beach… riding the waves… looking up and realizing “I don’t recognize the beach!”  Didn’t realize I’d drifted so far…  Wasn’t paying attention!

My relationship with God doesn’t happen by accident; doesn’t happen because I’m in church, or in a class, or in a ministry, or LIFE Group; your relationship with God happens because you want it to and you work at it!  That goes for any relationship that we say matters!

So, here are two questions: Personally and in our groups, to deal with and answer…

What “Disciplines” Best Help Me Relate to God?

Jer. 29:13-14 “If you look for me in earnest, you will find me (when?) when you seek me.  I will be found by you, says the Lord…”  Notice, it’s only when I’m very diligently, with all my heart, earnestly seeking God, that I will find Him!

But when you “seek God earnestly” it’s because you want to go with Him and you want Him to go with you!  And that’s what the Bible tells us, God said, 2 Chron. 15:2 (NASB) “The Lord is with you when you are with Him.  And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you!” 

See how that works?  You have to “go with God” because God knows where He’s going; it’s not the other way around, which is so much of what we pray and what we do…  A hot relationship with God is all about disciplining yourself to “go with Him” everyday!

What disciplines help you experience and relate to God in a way that produces spiritual growth in your life?  We are all potentially going to relate to God in different ways! 

The key is you are relating and as a result you are growing…  Me- I relate to all three of my kids differently… 

Disciplines of: Bible Study, Prayer, Fasting, Worship, Fellowship, Accountability Group, Serving, Missions, Other Ways?  The key is, these disciplines that you need to incorporate into your life, the purpose for them, is to grow spiritually; not just do stuff, and to do these in a way that it’s you relating to God and relating to you.

What “Distractions” Hinder Me from Relating to God?

Just like there are disciplines that will help you to experience God in a growing, more on fire way- hot, there are things that will definitely keep you from developing in Christ!

Ps. 24:3-5 “Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place?  Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.  They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have right standing with God…”

“Clean hands” and “idol free” is what enables you to experience God’s presence in your life and be blessed.  This represents being purified from sin!

Two primary “distractions” that will hinder your relationship with God:

SIN- Greek word “harmatea” literally means to “miss the mark.”  What sin in your life is making you miss the mark with God; hindering your relationship with Him?

1 Cor. 15:34 “Come to your senses and stop sinning.  For to your shame I say that some of you don’t even know God!”  Wow!  What do you have to do?  Stop the sin!  Stop doing the thing that is greatly hindering you in your relationship with God.

People do it all the time- “Man, I really love Jesus… but I hate my boss so I’m just going to keep making him miserable until…”  Or, “Oh, I love the Lord… but I love my car or my job or my neighbor’s wife or… more!”  What is that sin in your life that you love more than God?

John 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments!”  That’s the test!  If I really love God then I’m obeying his word, I’m living in his purposes for my life!  You cannot have unconfessed sin in your life and grow spiritually- it will only hinder your relationship with God!

If you want to have clean hands and a pure heart then you have to confess the sins in your life so your relationship with God can be right; you have right standing with God!  So, pray about those things, tell a mentor, share it in your group, but plan to make it right or it won’t be right!

1 Cor. 10:13 “But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.  He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”

IDOLATRY: This greatly hinders your relationship with God because you’ve made gods out of other things.  And what are other gods?  Anything and everything in your life that you love and worship more than God!

Ex. 20:3 “Do not worship any other gods besides me.”  You say, “I don’t do that!”  Then why is your relationship with God so lukewarm?  Why are you so nonchalant about the Lord?  About going deeper with God- really living out His purpose for your life?  Why?  Because he’s not God, capital “G”, he’s just thrown in there with all the other god’s you have in your life!

“What are the things that I put ahead of God in my life?”  And let me define that- “putting it ahead of God” means that you are more passionate about that “thing” than you are about growing in the Lord and doing his will.  It could even be something that is a good thing…

Talk about this in your groups this week; in your personal devotional time; work it into your vision for your life- determine to have a purposeful and passionate relationship with God!

 How’s your relationship with God today?  Is it hot?  Cold?  Lukewarm?  Is there any unconfessed sin in your life?  Idols?  What are you going to do about it?

One of the things I love about living in Colorado is there are over 300 days of sunshine every year, compared to Seattle which averages about 70!  Did you know there are great benefits to living in the sunlight?  When our eyes detect darkness, a small gland in the brain called the pineal releases melatonin, which establishes sleep cycles. When we detect light, melatonin production subsides and its cheerier hormonal sibling, serotonin, takes over to promote wakefulness and help elevate mood. (The word serotonin is rooted in serum + tonic, so it’s like an elixir for happiness. Melatonin is the mel or “black” tonic, for darkness.)

Eph. 5:1-14 (Read) Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.  3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.  6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.  10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper (melatonin!!), rise up from the dead,? and Christ will give you light (serotonin!!).

There is this period in history called, The Dark Ages, 5th to 15th century, following the collapse of the Roman Empire.  It is called the Dark Ages primarily because it lacked any significant scientific break throughs, relatively no innovation, filled with war, disease, and plagues, and institutionalized religion!

The Dark Ages ended because of the Renaissance, the advent of the printing press and a cultural movement of the arts and sciences.  But the Dark Ages ended too because of those like Martin Luther and his 95 thesis, that questioned that salvation is not merely by faith alone but must be accompanied by corresponding works (practical application), nailed to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany on Oct. 31, 1517 that inspired the Protestant Reformation!

Living in the Light is the practical application of the revelation of Jesus Christ!  This is the only way we can truly SHINE for Christ.  Paul calls us to live in the light…  Living in the Light- it “wakes” you up to life!  Four keys to Living in the Light…

 IMITATE GOD

 “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” (Ephesians 5:1 NLT)

 Here are some of my imitations: Pinky, Grover, and Craig!  But imitating God is much more than pretending to sound like his voice or proclaim his values- too many people do that.  Imitating God is about putting his voice and values into practice!

The best way to understand this is not to say, “I’m practicing what I preach” but to live your life in such a way that you are constantly putting into practice what Jesus preached!  That’s how you live in the light and imitate God.

Practicing the values that Jesus espoused means you are enlightened to the best and right and only way to really live and you are bringing that revelation- Light, to others!

Ask: “Do I imitate God by practicing godly values?  Example: Treating others the way you want to be treated.  Loving others as yourself.  Not being judgmental.  Etc.

DON’T PARTICIPATE IN DARKNESS

“Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”. (Ephesians 5: 7, 8 NLT)

Notice that Paul is NOT telling us to steer clear, avoid, or have nothing to do with people who are practicing sin and may be full of darkness; nor is he getting all legalistic about it.  This would contradict the very ministry of Jesus- his direct association with “sinners” that the religious constantly condemned him for, as well as Paul’s own ministry to the Gentiles.  Further, it would go against the grain of the Great Commission, and Jesus’ call for us to “be light!”

My church growing up made a point of noting that bowling, playing baseball, mixed bathing??, missing church for any reason whatsoever, skirts above the knee, not wearing a tie, playing card games, WERE ALL WAYS YOU PARTICIPATED IN DARKNESS!!  Meanwhile, gluttony, gossip, prejudices, etc. all seemed to be ok to participate in…

Paul is telling us not to “participate in the things these people do.”  Well, the first question is: Who are “these people?”  And the second question is: What “things” were they doing? 

We must understand what it means to “practice” or “participate” in “things” that are beneficial rather than bad for us!  Beneficial means that good will come from this.  Bad means, well, bad will come from this!  Paul makes this case in Romans where he speaks about meat being offered to idols-  he personally didn’t have a problem with it, while others did.  This is the juxtaposition to “imitating God”- practicing biblical values means you don’t participate in sinful behavior.  Yes, you bring light to those in darkness; but darkness itself is the condition of sinful practices either because people don’t have the revelation of Jesus (light) or they have chosen to ignore the light.

This also means, I don’t casually or carelessly hang out, around, or in the dark places, suggesting I’m “being missional.”  Living in the light to shine the light of Jesus is all about having and bringing revelation!  It’s being prudent so you can be productive!

DETERMINE WHAT PLEASES GOD

 “Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.”. (Ephesians 5: 10 NLT)

Say, “CAREFULLY!”  “DETERMINE!”  “WHAT PLEASES GOD!”  How carefully do we do that?  Living in the light also means, and this is especially important considering the last point, I’m careful to determine what pleases God.  Here’s a couple things I know pleases God:

Faith (Heb. 11:6- “without faith it’s impossible to please God”).  Sharing the Gospel (Rom. “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” ).  Fulfilling God’s purpose (1 Sam. “to obey is better than sacrifice”).

Now, if I’m smart, if I truly have revelation, I’ve been enlightened, I want to carefully determine and do what pleases… my wife!  And hopefully she feels the same…  I’ve really sucked at that at times!  Why?  Because I’ve determined not so carefully and done what pleases Terry!  Can I make a confession?  It’s challenging for me to please others because I seem to always want to please me!  Am I the only one with that issue??

But all jokes aside, why is it important for me to please my wife, and her me?  Because she and I want peace, personal satisfaction, and passion in our home!  I actually believe that it pleases God when a husband and wife can please each other, when children please their parents, as it relates to biblical values being put into practice.

To live a children of the light is to KNOW what God wants and to put it into practice!  It’s asking: “What will bring God pleasure?” or “Will this bring God pleasure?”  Determine what pleases God when it comes to your life, every aspect of it!

EXPOSE EVIL

Eph. 5:11-14 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead,? and Christ will give you light.”

Darkness is, in many ways, a cover up.  People constantly cover up all kinds of things because they know they’re wrong.  How about the recent Secret Service situation?  Or Watergate?  Or the trial of John Edwards right now?  Or …

What ultimately happens?  How do we find out there has been a cover up?  THERE’S REVELATION and it becomes EXPOSED!

As a kid I’d sweep the dirt under the rug to cover it up… guess what happened?  It’s the first place my mom would look!!

Remember how Adam and Eve tried to cover up their nakedness?  They were “exposed” literally!  And all of us in this room, right now, felt a certain awkwardness with that.  Why?  Because sinfulness and our fallen world has twisted and perverted and made dark all that is right, wholesome, and of the Light!  True?

When Paul says expose evil he’s not talking about running around as the Holy Ghost Police or carrying picket signs with “God Hates Gays!” on them or any other such un-Jesus-like behavior!  NO, Paul is telling us that the Light of Jesus, lived out through how you practice his values, will always expose the darkness, but when it does, now what?

Well, when you’ve been found out, when what you’ve been covering up comes to light, what do you want to find?  How about this- GRACE, MERCY, FORGIVENESS, HOPE and HELP for overcoming the darkness you’ve even chosen to be in.

It’s interesting that Paul is writing to the same church, Ephesus, that Jesus later in John’s Revelation commends for exposing evil, but condemns for losing their first love!  Think about that… He’s saying that “Living in the Light is more than just exposing evil, it’s about loving me!”  Which translates into light not only exposing the evil that wants to consumes people’s lives, but more importantly, bringing Jesus into those situations- his love, grace, mercy, hope, help, forgiveness!

Tony Campolo always said, “Love people but hate their sin!”  But someone else recently said it better in my opinion: “Love people and hate your own sin!”  That’s what puts it all into perspective for us!  It’s being reminded that all of us have a “dark side” an old man, the flesh, the evil in us passed on through our fallen DNA, but the LIGHT SHINES and brings the revelation of of what God values- “That God so loved the world that he gave his only son… and while we were still sinners Christ died for us… that God not only “preaches” the Cross, Jesus put it into practice with his own blood!

Shine!  Living in the Light!  Imitate God by practicing right values.  Don’t participate in darkness.  Determine what pleases God.  Expose evil. 

Sometimes you don’t realize how dirty something is until you shine a light on it! The crawl space under our house in Leesburg! Seen the Fabreeze commercial?

Shining a light on a place like that causes two reactions: 1) “Hurry up, turn the light off so we don’t have to see all that dirt!” or 2) “Now that I know how dirty this is, I need to do something about it!”

In Part 1 of this series, we established that Jesus is the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12)- He brings “revelation” that darkness has been defeated and that by following him we will have the light that leads to life. But, Jesus also calls us “children of the Light” (Jn. 12:36) and that we are to be “the light of the world… and to let our good deeds SHINE out for all to see…” Mt. 5:14, 16. That’s what we want to focus on today.

HOW DO WE PARTNER THE MESSAGE- THE REVELATION OF JESUS, WITH THE METHODS- THE RESPONSE OF GOOD DEEDS AND SHINE??

Note Lu. 10:30-37… “A Jewish man was traveling on a trip… and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a Jewish priest came along; but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man he felt deep pity. Kneeling down beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two pieces of silver and told him to take care of the man. ‘If his bill runs higher than that,’ he said, ‘I’ll pay the difference the next time I am here.’ Jesus went on to say that we should “go and do the same.”

Jesus, in this story, shines the light on several key things…

“Darkness” causes bad things to be done by, and to people!
Religious people don’t solve any problems for people in the ditches of life!
“Children of the Light” will get down and dirty in the ditches!

When the “light that leads to life” shines on people’s life; especially when it reveals their poor condition, we have a responsibility to reach into their lives, get down in the ditch if necessary, get our hands dirty, and elevate them to a position of honor, respect, and dignity!

Note Ps. 113:7-9 “…He lifts the poor from the dirt and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! He gives the barren woman a home, so that she becomes a happy mother. Praise the Lord!” Notice:

ELEVATE the poor from the dirt- what soils and stains lives: sin!
ELEVATE the needy from the dumps- disadvantaged and their disadvantages: social!
ELEVATE the barren from desolation- “inferior” and “isolated”: sorrows!

Today, Hollywood stars, musicians, wealthy business people are focusing on the plight of the impoverished more than ever before! But where is the church? Are we shining the light of Jesus’ love, compassion, and mercy or do we turn and walk the other way??

Look at Deut. 15:7-11 “But if there are any poor people in your towns…, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year of release is close at hand… Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some among you who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share your resources freely with the poor…”

Even though this is an OT reference, God is calling us to shine the light of his love and mercy to those less fortunate than us. Here’s the thing about these verses …in every 7th year your debt would be forgiven, your slaves would go free, your mortgage gone! Let’s bring back the OT! In the year of release, don’t find excuses for not helping people. “When I’m freed from debt, etc.” “When we get this building paid for, when we get our general fund…” It’s amazing how that “when” never comes!” But, in the “year of release” there are no excuses. We need to stop making excuses when the “light” reveals there is need- even if it means we have to get down and dirty in the ditches!

Verse 11 “The poor will never cease from the land…” There will always be the poor- “your poor!” Speaking of “Israel’s” poor- the “Church’s” poor, GCC’s “poor” here in Denver…

Note Mark 14:3-7… “…During supper, a woman came in with a beautiful jar of expensive perfume. She broke the seal and poured the perfume over his head. Some of those at the table were indignant. ‘Why was this expensive perfume wasted?’ they asked. ‘She could have sold it for a small fortune and given the money to the poor!’ And they scolded her harshly. But Jesus replied, ‘Leave her alone. Why berate her for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But I will not be here with you much longer.’” Here’s this woman pouring perfume, worth one year’s wages, on Jesus’ feet- it could have been given to the poor! Jesus said, “You’ll always have the poor and whenever you wish you can help them- still focus on me!”

So, what’s going on? The Good Samaritan is made a hero for shining the light of God’s love and mercy on the man in the ditch, helping the poor; while the woman is harshly scolded for not doing so. What’s being said?

We must Bless “Socially”
We must Build “Spiritually” too…

Don’t miss this: Jesus is saying, bless socially, but also build spiritually. Now we’ll talk more about that in a moment. But, let’s first answer the question of “why we will always have the poor among us?” as Jesus stated. The facts are:

1.3 billion people living on less than $1 day. 3 billion live on less than $2 day. Unless these people live right next to us, we wouldn’t know this. 1.3 billion have no access to clean water, 3.7 billion no adequate sanitation, 2 billion have no access to electricity- it’s a world of massive need.
And in the western world, we have the capability, the resource to make a real difference- here and there!

In the OT, Deuteronomy says it, and in the NT Jesus says, we will always have the poor among us. Why?

THE PURSUITS OF THE RICH

James 1:11 “The hot sun rises and dries up the grass; the flower withers, and its beauty fades away. So also, wealthy people will fade away with all their achievements.”

God really doesn’t have a problem with people’s pocketbooks! God’s problem is with people’s pursuits! We’re not to love money- we are to love people, and the issue is our pursuits- as people and as churches!

The gross national product, essentially the wealth, of the 48 poorest nations in the world is less than the wealth of the 3 richest people in the world! That’s one fourth of the world’s nations! Any of those three people here today? The world’s 7 richest people have enough money to wipe out third world poverty! In their hand! Seven people could pay for the basic needs of a quarter of the world’s population. Americans spend 35 billion dollars on weight loss products (CBS News); 3.5 billion on boarding our pets (CBS News); 5 billion on Halloween (NPR); 2.5 billion yearly on prescription sleeping pills (Marketwire); 30 billion every year to maintain our lawns (foodnotlawns.com); 4 billion each year on ice cream (wemarket4u); 151 billion on narcotics (Time); 250 billion yearly on gifts (timelime.com); 821 billion on food (Looksmart); 8 billion on cosmetics, 1 billion to color our hair (e-source news); 8 billion on plastic surgery (fool.com)…

It’s the pursuits of the wealthy that keep the poor poor! Poverty doesn’t go away even if the world’s seven richest men bailed out those 48 poorest nations, because poverty reinvents itself!

And because the light is shined on those who are down and dirty in the ditches, we now have the responsibility to shine the light of Jesus love, compassion, and mercy. We can’t do it all for everyone, but like the Good Samaritan, we can help the one we come across in our daily travels…

THE IMPERFECTION OF THE WORLD

God created a paradise and we made it a slum! There’s sickness and disease and pestilences and… Because of this fallen world there’s crime and injustice and greed and inequality…

Prov. 13:23 “A poor person’s farm may produce much food, but injustice sweeps it away!” The food is there, in the ground, but because of injustice, inequality, discrimination, the fat get fatter and the weak, weaker!

But, even if you take a poor man out of poverty, etc. if he makes some wrong choices he’s going to fall right back into poverty again and probably be worse off than at the beginning! Mother Teresa said, “You’re not going to relieve a poor man of his poverty just by giving him money.” There’s got to be a bigger solution. Listen, I strongly believe we need to “give” money and resource… Be a blessing, be generous, etc.

BUT, there’s got to be more. The solution is not to simply give more, but to give it all! And the Church has the “all!” It’s the message of Good News- it’s shining the light in the darkest, deepest, dirtiest ditches; “letting our good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” Mt. 5:16. But here’s what happens….

THE PROBLEM OF RELIGION

Religion causes far more problems than it solves! We can talk about parts of the world where there is absolute abject poverty, and I’ve visited and seen such places, and yet cows are sacred! But that’s not what I’m really talking about! Or we can talk about parts of the world where under the name of Allah or God or Islam and sadly under the name of Christianity there have been wars and strife and hatred and suffering! But even that is not what we’re really talking about! I’m talking more about the problem of religion, the ineptness of it when it comes to the power of Jesus Christ to make a difference!

Religion and religious mindsets miss the whole point of what it means to “Be the light of the world… and to let our good deeds SHINE out for all to see” Mt. 5:14, 16. Remember too, what Jesus said in Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor…” There must be an understanding of the importance of the “power” or “supernatural ability/capability” that enables us to “shine out” and “minister” to those who need it most of all!

Without that “power” or “enablement”, or what Jesus refers to as the “anointing” we will fail the poor in providing for their greatest need of all- salvation alone in Jesus Christ!

“Being the light of the world, shining out through good deeds,” is ultimately about bringing Jesus Christ into every situation! The woman in Mark 14 wanted to build the spiritual side of her life and people said, “what a waste!” “That could have been sold and given to the poor!” And Jesus said, “you’ll always have the poor with you but you won’t always have me!” And incidentally, after the resurrection of Jesus, when we do give or do for the poor, we do give or do, to him (Mt. 25).

What the “religious” were doing to this woman was criticizing her for building the spiritual side of her life and saying you should give to the poor instead. But Jesus said, “I am anointed to preach the gospel to the poor!” It’s not enough to just bless the poor socially, we must also be able to build them up spiritually- this is the example of the “Good Samaritan” and “the woman.” The “religious” ignored the man in the ditch, although there was probably a donation made to a benevolence fund!

The real power to make a difference in someone’s life and to “shine out” for Christ is not only in the “money” we give, but more importantly in the “message” we preach!

The message is the Good News of Salvation! If we fail on the spiritual side and we just have a religion of “good works”, doing some “good things” without the anointing of “Jesus” on us, in us, we’re not going to really make “the difference” that we need to make! The anointing is in the message, the gospel, and people criticized it and still do today!

What I’m saying is that we cannot simply be about the social side, nor can we simply just be about the spiritual side; but the two must work together! THAT’S HOW WE BRING THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD TO THOSE DOWN AND DIRTY IN THE DITCHES AND OUR GOOD DEEDS SHINE OUT!!

1 Thess. 1:5 “For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message.”

We don’t bring “good news” of just words, or “good news” of just works, but “good news” of revelation power and response! When you build spiritually, you will bless socially! You will SHINE OUT with the “message” and the “method” of transformation!

Note again, Ps. 113:7-9 “…He lifts the poor from the dirt and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! He gives the barren woman a home, so that she becomes a happy mother. Praise the Lord!”

SHINE means that we reveal Jesus and respond as Jesus would; especially to those whose lives are down and dirty in the ditches and dumps of life; those we encounter along the way of life.

It means we elevate, “lift the poor out of the dirt” by getting dirty in the ditches with people… We meet the needs of those who are living in the dumps… We go to the barren and the desolate and… give them a home, a family! This house and this family! And we work together on the social side and the spiritual side and people are transformed! God “sets them among princes!”

People ultimately need transformation! If we’ll more intentionally build the spiritual and the social; prioritize it, and not just talk about it or think we’re doing it, but be willing to examine and evaluate our lives and our ministries and ask, “do we do that?” “Does this ministry do that? Does it build the spiritual and the social? Does it elevate people out of the dirt, the dumps, the desolation, spiritually and socially??? Does in “shine the light” like that??

And if it doesn’t then we quit doing it, we quit pretending that it does. Remember, Jesus embraces the poor, but he doesn’t embrace their poverty! Listen, P 2 Cor. 8:9 “You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich!”

Jesus shined the light of God’s love, grace, mercy, and compassion and stepped into the dirt, the dumps, the desolation! But why? To be just like us? To be dirty like we were? To live in the dump- socially and spiritually like we do? To be barren and desolate like us?

No, to elevate our lives, to lift us up, and to seat us with him in heavenly places! (Eph. 2:6). He took the punishment not so we could be poor, but so we could be rich!!! Jesus doesn’t embrace a poverty mindset or the poverty; he embraces the poor so the poor can be rich! Rich in his power and anointing and yes, even rich in the resources to keep lifting others out of the same dirt, the same dumps, the same desolation we were once in!

And Jesus says, “Go and be light like that, bring that revelation and response to those who need it most! Go and shine through the message of hope and the methods of helps!

The essence of critical thinking, according to the book “Winning Decisions”, is to slow down the process, learn how to reframe problems, see beyond the familiar, and focus on what is unique in any important decision situation.  I’ve learned the need for becoming a critical thinker myself, as well as seeking out critical thinkers, over the past several years of my life as I’ve considered things like the church having a greater marketplace impact, engaging the emerging generation in entrepreneurial and leadership development, and simply challenging the church to a more powerful and productive missional lifestyle and fruitfulness.  For those of you facing important decisions in leadership or otherwise, consider the following four ways to hone your critical thinking skills:

1. Slow down.  Take time to consider multiple problem definitions before moving towards a solution.  In other words, stop and have the conversation about what the core issue really is and the best way to overcome it.
2. Break out of the box.  One of the main reasons people never move beyond where they are is because they simply do what they’ve always done.  Facing challenges and important decisions is a great time to buck conventional wisdom and look for new, innovative, or simply better ways to change your situation and solve your problem.
3. Foster debate.  Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they oppose you!  Encouraging debate can bring much needed insight and ideas to the table that otherwise would have been squelched by only intreating with those who agree with us.  We must approach alternative views and thoughts with an open mind so we don’t become a prisoner to our own myopic mental model.
4. Run with the mavericks.  Seek out those who are on the cutting edge, who are using the chaos as the seedbed for creativity, and who simply see the world, especially the church world, differently.  They’re not rebels, not crazy, they’re most likely anointed by God two move his church and his cause forward!

SEEING: Seeing has to do with vision.  Every leader needs the ability to see or envision where the ministry, etc, needs to go.  Most leaders can see what others can’t see and visionary leaders can see beyond what others can see.  They not only see where the ministry is at the moment, they can see well down the road to where the ministry can, or has the capacity, to go.  They can also see what it’s going to take to get from “A” to “B.”

STRATEGIZING: Strategy is what makes a vision work, how it will be implemented, and what the necessary steps need to be.  Without a strategy, a vision or mission is just wishful thinking!  A vision states who you are and want to be; but a strategy what it’s going to take to accomplish this.  I’m rarely impressed with someone’s vision.  What I’m really interested in is their strategy- how do they propose to get from where they are to where they want to be?  If vision is “seeing it” then strategy is how you “step it” out! 

SYSTEMIZING: Systems are the appropriate components to the strategy.  Again, vision is what you see as possible, strategy is how it’s going to get down, but systems are the organization for the strategy.  Without organization a strategy has no timelines, no accountability, and no measurements for productivity or success.  Organization doesn’t have to be, nor should it be restrictive, which is sadly too often the case.  Instead, systemizing should always be form AND fluidity, organized AND organic, adept AND adaptive!  Otherwise, systems overtake the strategy, which in turn sabotages the vision!  Systems must also grow with the vision and the strategy.

Shine the Light.  This weekend we celebrate Easter and I want this to be a very relevant experience in regards to the resurrection of Christ.  What’s the impact of this great event on the world, on you and me?  Think of it in these terms: as we sit here in this dark auditorium, it captures in some way why we have Easter and what Jesus has done for us.  Basically, we were all “in the dark”, we had lost our way, and we desperately needed someone to “light” our way, to lead us out of our “darkness” and into the “light”; in reality, from “death to life!”

Isaiah, the prophet, talked about the day when that would happen, when Jesus would rise from the dead, when the “Light” would come, when he said, “The people who have walked in the dark have seen a bright light.  And it SHINES upon everyone who lives in the land of darkest shadows” Is. 9:2 CEV.  

So, hey, the light has come and it’s all good, right?  Well, as most of you know, not really.  Sure, Jesus’ resurrection seals the deal on being able to live forever, our sins can and are forgiven, death no longer has dominion over us in Christ, and we can live in the light, but there’s still this craziness of dealing with darkness…  You see, here’s the thing, after Jesus’ resurrection it wasn’t all over!  The story didn’t end.  It was just the close of a chapter, a very significant chapter, but not the end of the story!  Now, we’re living in that next chapter- it’s the chapter between Jesus’ defeat of the ‘darkness’ and the time when there will be no more darkness!

 Yes, the Light has come, the only way to real life and living forever has been illuminated.  But it’s still a ‘choice’ until God says, ‘OK, that’s it, no more time, no more earth, no more choice, the final decision is made, heaven or hell, that’s it, people are going to have to spiritually deal with the light that Jesus brings, that enables you to see things for what they really are, or the darkness that the devil uses to casts it’s shadow over your life until one day, you’re completely swallowed up by darkness…

We can take the ‘Light’ for granted.  We can get used to the light, get real routine and religious about it.  We can see how far we can move a way from the ‘Light’ and still ‘see’.  Others start to get so used to the darkness over their lives that they begin to adjust to it…  But, then, no matter who you are, if you’re not careful, and you’re assuming you can still see where you’re going or know what you’re doing, you may find yourself in a situation where suddenly, there’s no more light…

LIGHT DISPELLS THE DARKNESS!

Remember what Isaiah said, “The people who have walked in the dark have seen a bright light…”  And as you know, the ‘Light’ changes everything.  But this isn’t just about what happened back in the day when Jesus rose from the dead.  Isaiah also said, speaking on God’s behalf, in Is. 42:6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness… and you will be a light to guide the nations.” 

Later Jesus Himself would say two very profound things: Jn. 8:12 “I am the Light of the world.  If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”  Jn. 12:36 “Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”

Jesus puts it all into perspective.  “I’m the Light,” he says, and you are “children of the light!”  In Mt. 5:14 he comes right out and says, ”You are the light of the world.”  In other words, even after he’s resurrected, there is still a ‘time’ when light and darkness will sort of ‘co-exist’ and darkness will prevail unless there are people who let the light that is in them (Jesus) shine out to others around them, revealing the way…

Wow, right there is the solution to how “people walking in darkness will see the light…”  But it’s also not as easy and effortless as it sounds!  The fact is Jesus died and rose to save the world; but the world still needs saving!  And now, Jesus has given those who have found the Light- the children of Light, the responsibility of shining the Light; or more specifically, revealing Jesus to those whose lives are “shadowed” or “shrouded” by darkness!

When you think about it, it’s an incredible, somewhat unbelievable plan- Jesus died and rose to save the world, but because ‘time’ isn’t up yet, and people still have a choice, and therefore darkness still looms, Jesus calls his church to be people of Light, bringing “light”, illumination, revelation, to those still deciding, still choosing!  Even though, Jesus, through His resurrection, forever overcame and dispelled the darkness, the “choice” that people have, keeps the darkness around because people can choose to ignore the light, cover it up, or walk away from it altogether.  And that’s why Jesus reproduces His Light in our lives, and then sends us out into the darkness to bring the Light…

That’s also why the same devil, the lord of the darkness, who could not defeat Christ, now has turned has attention to trying to attack and defeat the “children of the Light!”  As far as he’s concerned, Christians, the Church, those who claim to be followers of Jesus, those who have the Light, just won’t do it.  We’re too weak, cowardly, and susceptible to temptation and we lose focus… So, Satan makes his sinister plans to pull the children of the Light more and more into the shadows…

LIGHT SAVES YOU FROM THE SHADOWS!

Here’s the thing, to fully appreciate and put Easter into perspective, you’ve got to understand what’s going in the spiritual realm.  We think Easter is all about eggs and bunnies and jellybeans, and I’m about to make some of you upset with me, but that’s part of a strategic plan to pull us into the shadows!  Consider, that since the time of Jesus’ resurrection, Satan has stepped it up!  At that point, hell realized that it was done for, that God wins!  So, Satan decided to go after the weakest link… yep, you and me!

Think about it, the devil said, “If I can’t defeat God because Jesus has conquered death and hell, then I’ll create shadows and I’ll go after people, that which God loves the most, that which Jesus gave His life for.  If people are that important then I’ll make it my priority 24/7 to tempt them with the shadows, to move among them in the shadows, to cause their minds to be blinded to the truth…”

But, 1 John 1:5-7 “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.  So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.  But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

Very truthfully, there is a very real conspiracy going on here!  And the outcome all depends on whether the ‘children of the light’ will ‘let their light shine’ so people can find God!  When those who ‘walk in the dark, see the light’ the shadows begin to lose their ability to control people’s lives!  When we let our light shine- the character and conduct of Christ on display in our lives, fulfilling his cause in our workplaces, communities, families, it overwhelms the shadowy schemes and strategies of Satan!  When we realize that we may be weak, but Christ in us, is strong, we find the courage to face the shadows in the name of Jesus and they- the shadows, must flee!”

JESUS SENDS US TO SHINE FOR HIM!

The true power of Easter is in the fact that Jesus has multiplied the effectiveness of the “Light!”  My life becomes a guide for people, just like Isaiah and Jesus said it would, and should every day!  And when the character and conduct of Christ, and his cause is being lived out, that means the LIGHT is shining out from my life AND PEOPLE WILL BE DRAWN TO THE LIGHT, WHICH IS JESUS!

Every person who has Jesus Christ living in them, who has received the illumination, enlightenment, and revelation that Jesus brings to their lives, has the ability to be a LIGHT!  Although, the darkness still exists because of people’s free will to be able to choose between good and evil, the light has come… and Jesus says, “You are the light of the world… let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” Mt. 5:14, 16 NLT.

“And the people who walk in the dark will see the light…”  Because all over this world, all over this nation, all over this community, wherever there is hopelessness or despair, ignorance or pride, hatred or prejudice, anxiety or fear, loneliness or depression, oppression, shadows, darkness, Jesus shines through the lives of ordinary people in everyday places with extraordinary results!

Sometime we think our life is so insignificant, what can one person really do considering there’s so much need, so much darkness around us everywhere, everyday.  But do you know what?  In a room as big as this, with so many people here today, this small light (flashlight) in my hand makes a difference… I can lead anyone of you out of here today!

And what happens when other people begin to let their life shine for Christ?  You and me can make a difference!  When more and more of us begin to let out light shine for Christ it begins to not merely bring illumination, but elimination to the darkness!  Suddenly perspectives change, the conditions of someone’s life changes, minds change, and hope is restored; a way out from the shadows is found!

Speaking of Jesus, John wrote, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” Jn. 1:5.  Jesus would go on to say himself in John 12:46, “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the darkness.” 

Against the backdrop of how the church and the culture have crafted “Easter” we forget what it took for the Light to come, the darkness to be defeated, and Light to shine, then and now!  Communion, especially at Easter, can put this all into perspective for us!

Drive Pt. 5- “The Passion Driven Life!”  I Hope you’ve enjoyed this teaching series!  So far we’ve talked about: The Power of Passion and how it drives your life.  Passion vs. Obsession and how obsession can take you over the edge.  Overcoming Obsession by smashing strongholds.  Fuel Your Passion through spiritual pit stops, planning, and getting God’s power.  I’ve had a lot of great feedback and hopefully, this weekend we can wrap up the teaching by looking at what it means to live a Passion Driven Life!

You may have heard of the “Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren.  Basically, Warren says that God put you on the planet on purpose and only when you discover that purpose, through connecting with God relationally, can you live the life you were created for and meant to live.  As you know, your life can be driven by many things: work, sports, education, wealth, even ministry!  But obviously, you want to have God’s purpose if your life is going to really count.

But purpose without passion to perform it, as well as practical application is, in my opinion, profoundly hypocritical!  It’s like someone who has superior knowledge of the Bible but when you look at their life, there’s no supporting evidence!  Remember Jesus said, “Now that you know these things, God will bless you fro doing them!” (Jn. 13:17).  That’s always the issue isn’t it?  Either not living up to what we already know or worse, telling others they should be doing something that you’re not practicing in your own life!  Example: Weight Watchers commercials.  It’s not believable unless the person telling you why you need weight watchers is living proof that it works!  It would be like someone who never exercises, never eats healthy, or doesn’t take good care of themselves telling others all the time, “Hey, you should really get in the gym, look at you…”

But isn’t that exactly what the church or your life can look like and why the culture doesn’t take us seriously?  We have purpose, but we don’t have the passion to put purpose into practice!!  As a result, we’re not qualified to accurately represent Christ, let alone, advance his cause.  That’s why we need to live a PASSION DRIVEN LIFE!

Here’s how Paul puts it: 1 Cor. 9:24-27 24 “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” (NLT).  

Paul knows his purpose… what he’s talking about here is what it takes to put that purpose into practice; he’s talking about a passion driven life!  He says:

• “Run to win!”  So, are you running to win?
• “All athletes are disciplined in their training!”  So, are you disciplined in YOUR training?
• “We do it for an eternal prize!”  So, do we?
• “I run with purpose in every step!”  So, are you taking steps on purpose?  To me, this statement puts the passion driven life into perspective!
• “I discipline, I train, so I won’t be disqualified!”  So, how’s that look in your life?

Purpose doesn’t disqualify you; it’s not having the passion to drive your purpose and put it into practice!  A PASSION DRIVEN LIFE IS ALL ABOUT PUTTING PURPOSE INTO PRACTICE!!  So, if you want to live a passion driven life, this is what it’s going to take…

A PASSION-DRIVEN LIFE IS ABOUT DEVOTION

Again, WHO and WHAT are you devoted to?  Devotion is being zealous about someone or something.  Paul was obviously devoted to the passionate pursuit and performance of God’s purpose for his life.  He says, “I’m not just shadowboxing here, I’m running with purpose in every step!”  He is telling us what it looks like to be devoted, to be zealous about Christ, his church, his cause, and how all that related to Paul’s personal life.  He’s saying, “If you’re really passionate then you’ll be devoted to doing what it takes to put purpose into practice!

And that all really rises and falls on your devotion to the Lord!  How can you know purpose without knowing the purpose-giver?  So the question is, “What does your devotion to Jesus look like?”  Because you can’t know God’s desires for your life without be devoted to God with your life!

Because… Devotion to God determines the desires of your heart!  David said in Ps. 27:4 “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”  He also said, Ps. 37:4-5 “Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust him, and he will help you.”

Paul knew that… Devotion to godly desires will passionately drive your life!  Rom. 12:1 “I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”  Rom. 12:11 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

He was putting into practice what he was preaching and that’s what keeps us from being “disqualified!” 

A PASSION-DRIVEN LIFE IS ABOUT DETERMINATION

Devotion is essential, but you also can’t win without determination!  Are you “running to win?”  Roger Bannister, the great runner, said, “The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.”

Paul asks, 1 Cor. 9:24 “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!”  That’s determination!  Cayla at the MD State Track Championships…  Determination is what causes you to “run to win!”  Michael Jordan was cut from his JV BB team!  But determination caused him to become one of the greatest BB players in history!

Determination is persistent passion that drives you to not be denied!  Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

That’s another way Paul define his determination!  A passion for God’s purpose for your life drives your life because of determination- “I’m not just showing up to wear the uniform.  I’m not just in the race.  I’m running to win!”  Can you say that in your life??  If you’ve lost determination then you’ve lost passion for God’s purpose!

A PASSION-DRIVEN LIFE IS ABOUT DISCIPLINE 

Passion drives your purpose: 

If you don’t know your purpose for life, why bother? Why get up in the morning? Why put forth the effort? Life without purpose is activity without direction, and motion without meaning. Life without purpose is pointless. If we forget the reasons God put us here on earth, then we drift toward apathy and lethargy.  Passion and purpose go together. You need a cause greater than self to give your life significance and meaning. The more you understand God’s purposes for your life and live them, the more passionate you’ll be. Nothing matters more, not fame, wealth, success, or pleasure. Nothing compensates for life without meaning.  An unclear purpose will kill your passion!  At the same time, a passion for God will give you a purpose for life!

• Mark 12:30 “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”
• Ps. 69:9 “Passion for your house has consumed me.” 
• Rom. 12:11 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

Passion drives your priorities:

In Acts 20:24 Paul basically says that my life; my passion to fulfill the assignment God has given me, drives my day, my week, my month, my year, my life!  He’s saying, “My life is balanced by knowing and passionately pursuing what God desires for me!”  BUT… An unbalanced schedule kills your passion!

You need to see God’s purpose as it relates to the whole of your life; that’s really what being disciplined is all about.  Remember, discipline is far different than obsession!  The Bible says there’s a season for everything and a rhythm to life. You need intake and outlet, rest and work. Too much of either will cause you to lose your passion to either exhaustion or boredom.  Psalm 127:2 “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”

For some, the problem is you’re always giving out, always helping, sharing, serving, working, and being generous and never take time to recharge. If you don’t, you will get unbalanced and can eventually suffer compassion fatigue – you stop caring about God, others, or anything at all because you burn out from too much work or service.  Others are the exact opposite, always taking in but never giving out. You go to Bible studies, listen to teachers on the radio and DVD, go to seminars, concerts, and workshops. You’re always learning, always taking in but not giving out. You don’t have any ministry or mission. You’re not really helping anybody. “Knowledge puffs up”.  You start to look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy!

James 4:1 “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”  The more you know about God’s plan for your life the more responsible you are. You need both inlet and outlet, work and rest. You need balance in your schedule. 1 Tim 4:7 “…train yourself to be godly!”  (Take the time to keep yourself spiritually fit.)  We all know to be physically fit requires a balanced diet – to be spiritually fit you have to balance God’s purposes for your life in every area.

Passion drives your preparation”

Ex. Janay DeLoach, #2 long jumper in the world!  We had the privilege of watching her practice, AFTER school, AFTER her work internship…  Her purpose to make and with the Olympics is driven by her passion to see this dream realized, which includes preparation!  I see too many church-goers with the attitude that God will open every door and make it all happen for them!  It doesn’t work that way!  Throughout the Bible God calls his people to not only have a passion for his purposes, but to translate that into disciplined preparation!

2 Tim. 4:2 “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.”   Col. 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

If you are living, or want to live a passion driven life, then you will consistently preparing yourself… which is another way of talking about being a life-learner, growing spiritually, ongoing development of your giftedness, etc.

Passion drives your performance:

2 Tim. 2:15 “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”

People who possess a passion for God, a passion to fulfill his purposes, simply want to live the best life they can possibly live!  They want to truly represent Christ- his character in every facet of their lives.  They can’t just show up and go through the motions; they’re not interested in just talking about the Bible, they want to put it into action!  Again, the church has lost its credibility with the culture because our “performance” has been greatly lacking!  Because passion for God isn’t foremost, we don’t even know what our purpose is; and without knowing what our purpose is, how can we perform it??

It’s back to Paul saying, “Run to win!  Be disciplined!  Train!  Don’t end up disqualified!”  Your and my performance has to measure up to the standard of Christ- Does this glorify God!

How many times do you hear Jesus say in the Gospels- “I’m here to do the will of the one who sent me… and everything I do, how I perform must meet the standard of bringing the Father glory and honor!”

DOES YOUR PERFORMANCE MEET GOD’S STANDARD OF HONORING AND GLORIFYING HIM?  It takes a passion driven life to do that!  A life driven by a passion to perform God’s purposes in a way that highly glorifies and honors God!  I want that for me, for you, for GCC!

A passion driven life!  Devoted, Determined, and Disciplined to God’s purposes!  As we close this series… rate your passion for God’s purpose in your life, in your relationships, in GCC, in your work, in every area!

Pray this with me: “God I want to live a life that is driven by a passion to fulfill your purposes!”

Welcome to Pt. 4 of DRIVE- “Fuel Your Passion!” Passion is your potential- it’s “what’s under the hood.” It’s all that horsepower. It’s what DRIVES your life. But, it doesn’t matter what your potential is, or how big the engine is- the dream, the goal, the desire; you’re not going anywhere without fuel!

Nascar Example: A Sprint Cup car has a 358 cubic inch engine capable of 850 horsepower and speeds of over 200 mph! Compared to the 127 horsepower of my 2002 Honda Civic! Still, whether you have an 850 horsepower passion or a 127 horsepower passion; fueling your passion is what gets you down the road or around the track!

And it’s not a “one time pit stop” or “once to the pumps” thing- it takes actively fueling your passion for you to succeed in life; and more specifically to fulfill God’s purpose for your life! The light on my gauges tells me I need to fuel up soon… We need a light like that; a reminder to “fuel up!” Paul gives Timothy such a reminder…

Note 2 Tim. 1:6-7 “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”  Notice some key things in this passage about how to fuel your passion…

• YOU have to fan the flame! “Fan into flames”- rekindle, fuel the fire (passion) ACTIVELY- keep it burning…
• YOU are gifted by God! “Spiritual gift”- charisma, gifts of God (charismatic/charisma: magnetism, enthusiasm, loyalty… (Notice how people are described as a “gifted writer, singer, athlete…)
• YOU can’t be motivated by fear! “Spirit of fear and timidity”- cowardice, lacking in courage or self-confidence, lacking in boldness or determination…
• YOU have spiritual power to perform your passion! “Power”- dynamis, an ability, a mighty deed, supernatural… (Think of it this way: an engine + fuel = power!)
• YOU are loved by God and he wants you to succeed! “love”- agape, highest regard and appreciation, highest concern… (Realizing how much God values your life)
• YOU must have the will and discipline to do what it takes to fuel your passion! “self-discipline”- self-mastery and will power… (Passion must set priorities!)

Acknowledge and Accept God’s Gifts for Your Life

How do you know what God’s gifts are for your life? Well first consider this: there are 3 lists of “Gifts” in the Bible and you’ve been created with and given certain gifts (I’ll share more on “spiritual gifts” in the teaching series in June). Let me quickly note these three lists:

• The Motivation Gifts: Rom. 12:6-8 (serving, encouraging, giving, leading…)
• The Manifestation Gifts: 1 Cor. 12:7-11 (knowledge, healing, prophesy…
• The Ministry Gifts: Eph. 4:11 (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher)

These aren’t exhaustive lists necessarily, but you’ve been given some of these gifts- perhaps one or two from each list. How do I know that? Look at these verses:

• Rom. 12:3 “Do not think that you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”
• 1 Cor. 12:7 “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”
• Eph. 4:7 “However, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ.”
• 1 Peter 4:10 “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”

Again, how do you know or discover what these gifts are that God has given you? Simply:

• What are your desires and abilities? What do you love to do, have an affinity for? What dreams/desires do you have? God gifted you that way!
• Where do you enjoying serving? If you could serve others, meet a need, help someone in some way, what would that look like? Again, you’re gifted for it!
• How do others around you describe your life, abilities, what you’re good at, etc.? Other people, especially spiritually mature people, can greatly help you discover and develop your gifts!
• What do you do, that when you do it, you’re just very good at it? You are simply very effective at ______________?

I want to also give you another practical tool you can use to help you discover your gifts/abilities. Spiritual Gifts Assessment Online: Click here. There are many of these, you can google them, but this is a good one to get you started.  Once you discover your gifts and abilities, you have to fuel your passion for those things. It may be, “I have a passion to teach children” or “I have a passion to build things” or “I have a passion to tell others about Jesus!” But you have to fuel those passions by actively exercising those gifts!

Align Your Direction with Your Desires and God’s Gifts

As I just stated, gifts are discovered through desire- the desires of your heart. David in the Psalms knew this and he says something profound: P Ps. 37:4-5 “Take delight in the Lord (how God has made you, etc.), and he will give you the desires of your heart (to honor him with your gifts/life). Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” Help you do what? Fulfill your passions as they are centered in God’s desires for your life. This is another way you fuel your passion…

Desire determines direction; direction determines destiny! I’ve stated many times, “A passion for God gives you a purpose for life! The priority passion of your life must be a passion for the Lord; which is exemplified in a life completely committed to trusting in and serving God’s purpose! Your passion for God begins to align your life as you realize just how uniquely gifted you are for his purposes for you.

Because as you pursue God you are pursuing your destiny. Your direction in life is being determined by following and living out the desires of your heart! You fuel your passion every time you take another step in that right direction- direction that is the result of “delighting in the Lord, committing everything you do to him, and trusting in him” because he has gifted you the way you are on purpose!  You actively keep “fanning the flame”- fuel your passion; you’re not fearful or timid about it, and God’s helping you with his power. And that’s why you want to also fuel your passion by setting…

Audacious Goals that Require God’s Power

Here’s another key to fuel your passion. Once you begin to understand your gifts and abilities, you’re exercising them, and your desires within the context of those gifts and abilities are beginning to set direction for your life; then you need to set some goals that are beyond your ability to achieve!  “Whoa, wait a second Broadwater… beyond my abilities?” YES! And what I mean by that is this: you set some goals that DO align with your gifts abilities BUT also will require GOD’S POWER! You want to have some God-sized dreams and set some God-sized goals that, like Rom. 12:3 says, are proportionate with your faith that God has given you!

Let me tell you how those God-sized dreams and God-sized goals will fuel your passion: because you will need God’s inspiration and power to achieve them! I love this quote: Zig Ziglar- “Passion will die without constant inspiration!”

You’ll recognize the need to stay tuned into God for the power/fuel you need to see your dreams and goals realized. Paul told Timothy, “God gives you the dynamis- power you need to achieve his purpose!” You tap into God’s power and nothing becomes impossible!  I love the example of Caleb in the OT. He’s 80 years old and after helping all the other tribes take possession of their piece of the Promised Land, he says, “Now I want my mountain!

Joshua 14:7-12

You see there’s no fear or timidity in that! Having audacious goals fuels your passion: you’re invulnerable to fear or intimidation (the meaning of audacious) because you know you have God’s power! What goals are you setting that require God to see them achieved?

Accountability for Achieving Goals

This is the “self-discipline” part that Paul talks to Timothy about. “God has given you a spirit of self-discipline!” This fuels your passion because you not only know where you’re going, you are taking the “pit stops” necessary to keep the “fire burning, the flames fanned!” Dale Jr. needs to stop in the pits every 30-40 laps or his tires are going to wear out, his car is going to run out of fuel and he’s not only going to be potentially “stopped” out there on the track, he may even crash!

You can “be stopped” in life because you lack self-control… or you can have the self-discipline to “stop” and refuel regularly! And when it comes to fueling your passion to achieve and be accountable with your goals, it looks like this:

• The self-discipline of your private time with God- You need that “pit stop” every day! Time in the Bible, in worship, in prayer… Those things are crucial to fuel your passion! Ps. 16:11 “You will make known to me the path of life; ?In Your presence is fullness of joy; ?In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
• The self-discipline of making yourself accountable to other people- A mentor, your spouse, your Life Group, the Weekend Gatherings… Those people are fuel for your passion! Why? Heb. 10:24-25 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

You know, there’s NO EXCUSE for running out of gas; especially when you have the cash and there are 5 gas stations at every exit or on every corner! You have no excuse for not fueling your passion by taking regular pit stops daily and weekly, and however often it takes! That’s how you practice the self-discipline necessary to be accountable in achieving your goals!

Fuel your passion! You’re responsible for that. “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

A passionless life is a powerless life! Maybe like Timothy, your passion has been waning and the fire is about to go out! You need to reignite your passion for the Lord- return to your first love. That puts it all into perspective. Don’t wait for the “feeling” to return- passion is not a feeling, it’s a gift and it’s the self-discipline to use that gift (your life) for the highest, most noble purpose- to glorify God!