Sunday, August 08, 2004
Made for a Mission (40 Days of Purpose)
- Victor Lee
Scripture: John 20:19-23 - Jesus Appears to His Disciples
Christians are called to carry on Jesus' mission of reaching the world with His Good News.
Matthew 28:19-20 - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Mark 10:15 - "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
Luke 24:15 - "As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them"
John 20:21 - Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
Acts 1:8 - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Jesus equips all Christians with 2 essentials:
- Supernatural Peace
- John 20:19,21 - "Peace be with you."
- Christians should live a life of peace, love & forgiveness.
- John 20:23
- Are we known to be people of peace instead of troublemakers?
- Supernatural Power
- John 20:21-22 - Jesus breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
- Galatians 5:16-18 - Live by the spirit... led by the spirit.
- The Holy Spirit will transform us when we let it take control of our lives.
- Galatians 5:23-25 - the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol.
"Living on purpose is the only way to really live. Everything else is just existing"
Related sermon: Created For Evangelism by Dr. Stephen Pattison
--------------------
Sunday, August 01, 2004
Shaped for Serving God (40 Days of Purpose)
- Kinson Leung
Scripture: Matthew 20:29-34 - Two Blind Men Receive Sight
Ministry...
Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
We were called to make a difference in life.
It's not how long we live, but how we live.
Find your S.H.A.P.E. and use it.
- Spiritual Gifts - Identify the gifts God has given me. Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 27-31; Ephesians 4:11, 12; 1 Peter 4:9-11.
- Heart - Clarify what I really love to do. Philippians 2:13; Revelation 17:7.
- Abilities - Appreciate and apply the natural talents and vocational skills I have. Exodus 31:3; 1 Corinthians 12:6; 2 Corinthians 3:5b
- Personality - Learn how my God-given temperament can best be used in ministry. 1 Corinthians 2:11
- Experience - Review my history to discover how God has prepared me for a unique ministry that only I can fulfill! Proverbs 4:13; 2 Corinthians 1:4; Hebrews 5:12, 13
Ministry is using your S.H.A.P.E. to serve others.
Matthew 20:28 - "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Your service means nothing to God, if you don't have a servant's heart.
Philippians 2:5-7 - "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness."
If we want to be used by God, we must be willing to be 'interrupted'.
To be interrupted in life means...
- Breaking the flow of "self-absorption"
- Phil 2:4 - "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
- We shouldn't mind being interrupted because God's agenda is also our agenda.
- The interruptions of Jesus weren't interruptions at all, they were part of God's timetable superimposed onto His.
- Stop looking at ourselves, but see the needs of those around us.
- Breaking the habit of "over-looking"
- Matthew 20:30,31 - "Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!'
The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!'"
- Often when our lives become "overcrowded", we tune out things around us.
- Every time someone stops to make time for you, you're being affirmed and validated as a person.
- Make a choice/statement that others are WORTH stopping for.
- Breaking the cycle of "indifference"
- Matthew 20:34 - "Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him."
- Compassion instead of disinterest.
- Jesus specialized in the menial tasks that we tend to avoid.
- Interruptions in life can be a good thing because they can remind us to check that our hearts are soft/malleable.
CHALLENGE: How many times in our life do we have the sign, "DO NOT DISTURB"?
Related sermon: Created to Serve Others by Dr. Stephen Pattison
--------------------
|
