Surrender is a word we don’t talk about much. The concept goes counter culture to our world. We would much rather talk about success, conquering, winning, achieving. But surrender is a very necessary aspect of the believer’s life. Surrender means you let God take control. It means you obey what God wants you to do, and you trust Him in the journey. You yield your resources, your time, your talents, and your life to accomplish his will. We resist that initially, because we think that means we are giving up so much, but what we discover is we gain so much.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Finding real life means surrendering yourself completely to Jesus Christ. When we do we will find fulfillment in every area of our life.
We find fulfillment in worship. Authentic worship comes when we surrender. Paul says in Romans when we become a living sacrifice, which is our daily surrendering to God, we are worshipping. Daily, lifestyle worship is “his good, perfect, pleasing will.” (Romans 12:1,2)
We find fulfillment in service. One paradox of life is this: when you give, you get. And when we begin to focus on serving the needs of others, we find we gain so much in the process.
We find fulfillment in relationships. Meeting the needs of others will build genuine relationships, which are deep and meaningful. When you invest yourself in other people other people, in turn, invest in you. And deep, authentic relationships are cultivated.
Are you willing to begin the journey of surrender? God can do incredible things through a life that is surrendered to him.
As a grace driven church, we know that leaving the comfort of our facilities and going into our community to share Christ’s love and grace is imparative. What does a grace driven church do in the community? We share the good news through good deeds. Just as it takes two wings to lift and airplane off the ground, we realize that coupling good news and good deeds will help us build the kingdom of God in Dayton.
Good deeds, expressed through service and ministry to others, validate good news. The good news explains the purpose of the good deeds.
Good news and good deeds are, after all, a summation of Jesus’ ministry on earth. When the crowds were following Jesus, he “welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God (good news), and he healed those who needed healing” (good deeds) Luke 9:11. When Jesus sent the twelve disciples out, “he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God (good news) and to heal the sick” (good deeds) Luke 9:2.
Riding a donkey, Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The crowds cheered and shouted praises to him. They laid palm branches and cloaks on the ground for the donkey to walk on. For a moment, the donkey perhaps thought the people were cheering and laying down their sacrifices for him. But it wasn’t about him. He was simply carrying the Message.
As we serve our community with good deeds, our ultimate goal is to point people in the direction of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
We are just the donkey. It’s all about Jesus.
Well, the world didn't end last Saturday as self professed Bible scholar Harold Camping predicted. In my lifetime, I have seen and heard preachers make bold predictions about the end times. Many think they have "broken the code" and can tell you the "secrets hidden in the Bible." Most of the time, there isn't much of a splash, but once in a while it catches the attention of the masses.
Every generation since Jesus walked the earth has been convinced they are living in the end times. Even Jesus' followers immediately after the ascension where talking about His immanent return, and that was 2000 years ago! And it's not just the "code breakers" who fuel the fire; Talk to anyone who has been watching the cable news channels or devouring New York Times lately and the conclusion is that with all the stuff happening around the world, and espcially in the middle east, this must be it. The retrun of Jesus can't be too far off, can it?
Truth is, God want's us to be thinking about the return of Jesus. There is a longing in the believers heart to meet Jesus face to face, and see the corruption and evil that is so prevailant in the world cease. A longing for heaven is healthy, but it shouldn't be based upon cooky predictions and taking current events out of context. Our desire to be with Jesus should come from an understanding that what we see now is not all there is, that there is something much, much greater that awaits us. And until that day comes, we will serve Him with all of our hearts and to the best of our abilities.
So, when it comes to predicting the end, put away your holy calculators. Stop trying to discepher Biblical prophecy based upon what you see on Fox News. Being prepared for the end is not so much about knowing the date as it is living for Jesus Christ in the present.
In Numbers 16, Moses in leading Israel in the wilderness, when some 250 men begin to oppose his leadership. They claimed they had as much authority to lead as he did. But there was one problem, they were acting on their own authority, not God's.
Like Moses, every leader has his/her opposition. There will always be those who disagree with the direction the leader is taking, or even challenge the leader's authority to lead. It is a certainty when you take up the mantle of leadership. When Moses was challenged, he was confident in his authority. You see, his authority didn't come from him, it came from God.
The implication is two fold. First, the leader must always discern his/her place in God's will. Am I leading on His behalf, or do I have improper motives? Is this what God wants, or what I want? Is this His, or mine? The leader must always self evaluate to make sure his/her heart is pure.
Secondly, when opposition comes, LEAD! Again, opposition is a constant companion to a leader. When it comes, treat those who oppose with grace, but continue on. Remember, God's people need leaders who will be bold and follow God's will, no matter what the opposition.
This summer, in our Wednesday Family Reunion adult class we are looking at the Bible from cover to cover. As we begin this study, I am reminded once again of the amazing faith of the patriarchs. These men heard the word of the Lord, they trusted Him at his word, and they obeyed.
Did you know that when God commanded Noah to build the Ark, it had never rained? Can you imagine how much faith that would have taken? He knew he would be the butt of many jokes, and I'm sure, at times, questioned his own sanity, but he did what God commanded. And his faith and obedience meant he and his family were saved when the rest of the world perished.
God appeared to Abraham (then called Abram) and said, "I want you to pack up everything and leave Ur." Interestingly enough, God didn't tell him where he was going! But Abraham, by faith (Hebrews 11) left his home and began the journey of being the father of a great nation.
Later, after God had made a covenant with Abraham and promised him descendants as numerous as the stars, God commanded him to take his only son Issac and sacrifice him on an altar. Everything God has promised Abraham depended upon his son. The Bible gives us an indication that Abraham believed that God would deliver his son, in spite of the command to take his life. He told his servants that he and Isaac would be come back down from the mountain. And he told Issac that God would provide a ram to be sacrificed. God did spare Issac, and Abraham's faith once again proved to be amazing.
When you hear the leading of God, you have the choice to follow it. Take example from Noah and Abraham. Trust that God always knows what He is doing, and obey. And you will see God work his amazing will, and His goodness in your life.
Dealing with criticism is one of the most difficult lessons for a leader to learn. We begin in ministry with the highest of motives: to serve God and bring others to Him. Then it happens, something we do or say, or a change that is made, meets with criticism.
Encountering a critic can be a painful experience. I have learned over the years that criticism has it's place. As a matter of fact, for anyone in leadership or ministry, or anyone trying to make a difference, criticism should be embraced!
Anyone who is leading is open to criticism. All leaders, servants, and innovators are criticized. The absence of criticism may mean I am not leading effectively. David Hocking, in his book, "Seven Laws of Christian Leadership" said, "If I am not being criticized, I am doing nothing, I am being nothing, I am nothing!"
What should we do when we meet with criticism? How can I embrace criticism? First, let the critic be your teacher. No matter what manner the criticism is given, ask yourself if there is any truth in it. Has your critic seen something you failed to see? If anything, your critic is teaching you how to handle criticism!
Second, many criticize because they aren't informed. There are times that criticism can be addressed by sharing information on the strategy behind a decision or the information that brought about the change. Once the critic has more information they may be willing to let the situation play itself out.
Thirdly, if there is no truth to the criticism, or nothing you need to learn from it, you need to dismiss it. You cannot please everyone, and some people believe they have the spiritual gift of complaining! Win Arn, a very respected church growth expert said that there will always be 3-5% of people in your ministry who will be against change forever and ever, amen! The old saying is true, you can't please everyone. So stop trying. As matter of fact, if you try to please everyone, you will wind up not pleasing anyone.
Finally, we have to keep the proper perspective. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Love people, and understand that decisions and changes you make affects them, sometimes in a profound way. But always keep in mind the goal of ministry and/or leadership is to help people become more mature disciples. More than anything else, our responsibility is to follow God's will. With prayer and fasting, earnestly seek Him. Boldly go where He wants you to go. Remember you are to lead people by following God.
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