What About My Money

NUTS For Christ In Stewardship
Eccl.11:1-6 2 Corinthians. 8:1-12 9:6-9

“What about my Money, are you ready?” Has someone ever said to you, you are nuts? What they mean by that is they think you’re a little crazy. Some of us will admit we are. Last week I told you you’re not normal if you follow Christ. I would personally rather be abnormal in this world and be normal for Christ.

For me, being nuts stands for “Never Underestimating the Spirit.” When I trust Gods spirit in my life to help me be all I can be, I can have a positive outlook to living a life in the spirit; Trusting God with the day to day operations of my life. I know I can trust God. That’s what I pray you will find out in your life.

Today is the day for financially committing ourselves to supporting the ministry of Christ. I have spent immense amounts of time on what it is to give of your time, talent, and spiritual gifts this last year. So we are going to talk about money. Whatever we do for God, give of our time, talent, gifts, or money, we ought to do it with a passion to offer our best.

Let’s meet Bobby for a moment. Bobby is eleven years old, and knows his parent’s 20th anniversary is coming up. He tells his parents, “Mom and Dad, you’re the greatest parents in the whole world. I sure wish I had a $100 because if I did, I would get you the best anniversary gift ever.”

In the past, Bobby had always drawn them a picture card and told them how much he loved them. Bobby’s parents were interested in seeing just what their son would get them if he had the money. The next day, they sent him a hundred dollars in the mail, with no return address, and with a typed message saying, “This is for you, to do as you please.”

Bobby was thrilled when he opened the envelope. “Wow, a hundred dollars, and it is mine to do what I want to do with it.” Two days later on his parent’s anniversary, the anticipation was building in their hearts as to what their son would give to them. Expectation mounted as Bobby came through shouting as he always did “Happy Anniversary!” He presented them with another hand drawn card. In it he told them they were the best parents ever, and he loved them very much.

They smiled and said, “This card is great where is our gift.” Bobby said, “You’ve got it. I always make you a card for your gift.” His father said, “but son, you said, if you had a $100, you’d get us best anniversary gift ever.” Bobby replied, “Well Dad I would have, if you had of given me the $100 when I said it. The father said, “But, son you got a $100 in the mail.” Bobby replied, “I would have used some of my money, but after I bought my new video game, and two cd’s, I barely had enough left to go to the movies, so you can see why I didn’t have anything left for gifts for you.

How would you have felt if you were Bobby’s parents? It’s not that Bobby did not love his parents or even that Bobby was a bad kid. Bobby simply did not understand the concept of being grateful and demonstrating it by making personal sacrifices. Being NUTS For Christ in Stewardship means never underestimating the Spirit when we make personal sacrifices because we are grateful for what God has done for us. Who knows how many envelopes Bobby would have received if he had of acted differently? Think about it for a moment, how many blessing didn't you receive because you weren't grateful? Being grateful is the key to being blessable. More Tomorrow...you are loved!

Series: What About My Money? (4)

Take Up Your Cross

Matthew 16:21-28

The Last thing Jesus said is that we must deny ourselves and take up our cross.

Jesus is saying, “if you want to be my follower, you cannot have everything you want to have, and you cannot do everything you want to do no matter how happy or good you think it might make you feel.” Satan wants you to operate your spiritual lives through feelings; Nothing wrong with feelings. But this Christian life is not about what makes you happy.

There is nothing easy about being a Christian if you’re serious about it. Most people are not strong enough to do it. Anybody can be a church goer, but not everybody is going to be willing to pay the price to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

To deny yourself does not simply mean I don’t do these things anymore. It also means, making yourself available to do what God is calling you to do. What God has created you to do? It’s not possible for us to go from denying ourselves, to following Jesus. There is that stage of picking up our cross first. To pick up the cross is just as voluntary as denying yourself.
Denying yourself does not always include pain. When you deny yourself illegal drugs, your body benefits? When you deny yourself, the temptation to steal, you stay out of jail. When you deny yourself premarital sex, you avoid pregnancy, Aids, child support payments, a life of poverty and a whole lot of other things. This is the kindergarten, first grade level of Christianity

But this idea of taking up a cross and voluntarily suffering pain today for a long term gain requires people who are willing to be NUTS for Christ. The cross is moving on to higher level. The cross is always going to involve some pain in our lives. It will always involve some element of hurt. It’s not going to be something that we look forward to, or jump with joy at the prospect of going through.

When we pray, “Lord, use me to win one person to you this year for Christ, and Lord I want to go deeper in 2014.” Do we realize we’re saying, “Yes Lord, I’m willing to go to the cross?” The only way for Jesus Christ to bring salvation to the world was through his suffering on the cross.

There are going to be hardships we are going to have to endure in order for God to bring salvation to those around us. A lot of it is going to have to do with the attitudes we display when trials come into our lives. Especially those that are unfair. Nothing could have been more unfair, than for Jesus to have picked up his cross and died for you or for me... To take up our cross means eliminating the belief that our lives are somehow going to be fair. It’s a given your teacher is not fair, your boss is not fair, your spouse is not fair, your children are not fair, your parents are not fair, your friends are not fair.

1 Peter 2:19-20 “For it is commendable if a person bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.” that’s an incredible statement by Peter. To take up our cross is always a voluntary positive act on our behalf. This is exactly what Jesus did on the cross.

It’s important to realize that Jesus never told the disciples anything about the suffering he was going to go through and the cross they were expected to carry, until they were convinced that Jesus was the Son Of the Living God. It is only after we have settled our relationship with Jesus Christ that He begins to introduce the cross into our lives. We cannot move beyond Kindergarten faith, without a cross in our lives. It is sheer nonsense to ask to grow deeper in God or to be used by God without expecting there to be some sufferings and inconveniences in our lives. The same God, who willed a cross in the life of Jesus, wills a cross for anyone who would come follow after Jesus.

Whether or not we are willing to take up our cross depends a lot on what we believe about what’s on the other side of death. If we believe, the really good things in life and the fun things in life are what we presently see around us, that’s what we will spend our lives chasing.

If we believe, that what really matters in life is how and where we spend eternity, we will take up our cross as often as required not only for our sake, but for the good of those we love. You see, Jesus picked up his cross, not to be able to say “look what I did.” He picked up his cross, knowing that nothing he could have gained by bypassing the cross, was worth the reward of having been to the cross.

Picking up our cross is not a one time event. We are called to do it everyday. The next time you want to do something that God says not to do. Pick up your cross. The next time you don’t feel like doing, what it is clear God wants you to do, pick up your cross. Who is truly going to be able to do this daily? Only those who have made up their minds that this is real. Following Jesus is a costly thing. It does cost us our lives. But we never know the tremendous good God is going to bring into our lives, by us taking up our cross so that we can follow Jesus.

People are giving their lives for so many things that ultimately do not really matter. Why not choose to give your one life to something that will count for all eternity. Make it worth it.
Jesus even throws in a bonus promise. Like us the disciples were thinking, well Lord if I take up my cross, it might seem like I have to leave everything just to follow you. Peter even said, “Lord we have left everything to follow you.”

But Jesus’ bonus verse in Mark 10:29-30 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.”

You can make the decision to hold on to what you have, but realize in the end you will lose it all. Or you can take up your cross for a whole new level of living. You are loved!

Series: What About My Money? (3)

Take Up Your Cross

Matthew 16:21-28

 

It's one of those mornings and as I was getting ready to come into the office I said, coffee time! Time to get my bodacious on. this morning we are on the third part of  this weeks look at "Taking up our cross in Stewardship" So if you haven't read the first two, please do before reading on because it will make a whole lot more sense.

Coming to Christ is a voluntary act of our will. Nobody can make us come to Jesus. Nobody can keep us away from coming to Jesus.

Sure our parents or our spouse can make us come to church, but that’s not making us come to Jesus. We never come to Jesus as a group. When we stand before God, nobody is going to be standing with us. It will be a one to one session. This is the only in Christianity when it will be all about you. God has chosen us to be His children, but we have to decide whether or not we will have him as our parent. We are not born God’s children, but rather we are adopted into the family of God.

Eph. 1:4-7 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the one he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

The blood which Jesus shed on the cross will not do us a bit of good, if we do not choose to follow him. It’s like having a million dollars in the bank, but choosing to never write a check on it because we would rather get our money somewhere else. Did not God promise to take care of you if you gave Him control of everything? Did not Jesus say “Seek first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you?” One of the things about taking up the cross of Christ includes taking on the mentality of a steward; it changes our thought on who’s in control in our lives. It allows us to see the big picture plan that God has for each of us. Trusting Him is a big step, but a step that worth it. You are loved!  

Series: What About My Money? (2)

Take Up Your Cross

Matthew 16:21-28

One of the great misunderstandings we have is that if we do what God wants us to do; everything will work out in life just as we want it to.

 

There was no doubt in the prophet Jeremiah’s life that God had called him and gave him a message to give to the people. Jeremiah had it figured out, when I do the right thing by obeying God, the people will do the right thing and obey God. Nothing was further from the truth because latter on some men got together and planned an assassination attempt on Jeremiah’s life. When Jeremiah found this out he said, “Lord you tricked me. I did what you said, and now these people are trying to kill me.” Do you see why some say you have to be NUTS to follow God? There is no way for us to understand all God is doing. We can even make our situation worse by being obedient to God. Here's were trust comes in; We simply do what God asks, and never underestimate the Spirit’s ability to work in a given situation. God is working on your behalf.

There is a difference between going to Kindergarten and entering the 12th grade. Now education is the goal of them both. What would happen if someone enjoyed Kindergarten so much, the person refused to leave at the end of the year, and came back year after year. Now you’d say that’s a nut of a different kind. There sitting in class is an 18 year old playing with playdoh and coloring outside the lines. We know that growth is necessary in the physical world. The same is true in the spiritual world. Our prayer for this year is to grow deeper in Christ in 2014 and to move beyond the grade we’re in to the next level.

Now there is a difference between salvation and discipleship. Salvation is open to all those who will come by faith, but discipleship is for believers willing to pay a price. There are too many Christians who are content with being in Kindergarten year after year. They are not willing to change their lives in order to grow in Christ.

They are stuck on convenience and comfort, and honestly believe following Jesus is all about them. “What are my wants and my needs is their predominant way of thinking” Once they start to mature, they will discover following Jesus, is really all about Jesus and His claim upon our lives.

(Look at the example in Matthew 16) Jesus asked the disciples one day, “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples said, “Some think you’re John The Baptist risen from the dead, some think you’re Jeremiah the prophet, Some think you are Elijah, others think you’re one of the prophets.” Jesus then asked, “But what about you, who do you, say I am.” Peter told him, “You are the Christ, The Son Of The Living God.” Jesus told Peter, “Peter you got it right, but only because the Father has revealed it to you.” Now that they really knew who he was, Jesus attempted to take them to the next level of the cross.

 Jesus started telling the disciples, “I’m on my way to Jerusalem. When I get there, I will be beaten and I will be killed, and on the third day raised to life.”

Peter took Jesus aside and began to give a lecture on why this would never happen to Jesus. “Jesus don’t talk like that. You’re the Son Of The Living God. It would be a great injustice. You don’t have to put up with that. We don’t have to go to Jerusalem. There are plenty of other places we can go to and continue to have a wonderful time in this life. You deserve a lot more than this. You would have to be nuts to go to Jerusalem and surrender to those hypocritical religious leaders. Look at all these people who are willing to stand with you.”

Whenever we are faced with obeying God in sticky situations and God is attempting to move us to the next level, Satan will come to us with excellent reasons for why we do not have to be obedient and should not put forth the effort to move higher. He tells us we deserve the best in life. He tells us, God expects us to have a good time and to be happy. He tells us, we have a right to not have to put up with such and such. He tells us there will be plenty of time in the future to do the right things. He tells us, it is possible to have a crown without having any suffering.”

Let make this clear, I’m not advocating that your life with Christ is all about pain and suffering. But those things in your life that make it uncomfortable when you have to make the right decision that is what taking up your cross is all about.

Jesus made the statement once, “I have not come to do my will, but to do the will of the Father who sent me.” The whole purpose in Jesus coming to earth was to go and be nailed and murdered on a cross. You see each time we do something wrong and disobey God, the holiness of God demands that we be pushed further away from his presence. The further we are from God, the closer we are to hell which is the punishment for disobeying a righteous and holy God.

The only way to pay for sin is by death and the shedding of blood. In the Old Testament, they sacrificed animals to cover their sin. The animal’s blood covered their sin to keep God from destroying the nation, but it never removed their sin. Finally it got to the point, that because of the tremendous increase in sin, not even the animal’s blood could cover it. Yet God loved us so much, God would not simply wipe us out and give us the fate we deserved.

Instead God sent His Son Jesus Christ, to shed his blood, for only the pure and sinless blood of God could remove our sins. Jesus knew that going to the cross was going to be more painful than anything he could imagine because it would mean separation from God while all the penalty for all sin from every person who had lived and ever would live would be demanded of him. His blood and his blood alone was the answer for the world.

On the night before he was crucified, Jesus was in such agony, he prayed, “Father if there is another way this can be done, then please do it, but not my will, your will be done.” As Jesus prayed, the sweat dropping from his head was filled with his own blood.” More blood flowed from the beating with the whip and the crown of thorns on his head. At first his blood was spilled in drops from the nails. But then as Jesus hung on the cross, a soldier jabbed a sword into his side and out flowed the blood that makes eternal life possible.

What got Jesus through the cross, was not thinking about what he was going through, but what was going to happen on the other side of the cross experience. It tells us in Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus saw where he wanted to end up. That’s why he voluntarily chose to pick up His cross and go to Calvary. His goal was not to hang on the cross on Good Friday. His goal was to be seated at the right hand of throne of God. People had told him, you’re nuts to stay on that cross. Get down and save yourself. Jesus knew he could call 80,000 angels to his side, but he’d rather please his Father. More tomorrow...you are loved!

Series: What About My Money?
Take Up Your Cross

I know you may be thinking why does taking up your cross have to do with stewardship? Jesus made a bold declaration to anyone who wants to be his disciple. He said, “If any want to come after me, they must deny themselves and take up their crosses and follow me.” One of the things we must do in being a good steward is to understand that we must give everything to Christ, which includes our money.

The story has been told of a man who constantly complained about the size of the cross he had been called to bear. He was convinced he had it more difficult in life than anybody. Nobody had gone through the things in life that he had experienced. If only he could talk to God face to face about this situation. His complaining was so extensive it began to get on heaven’s nerves.
Finally an angel came down and took the man to heaven where crosses were assigned. He told the man, “Look, all you do is complain about the size of your cross. I’m going to take you into the room of crosses and you choose which one you want to bear.” The man finally got a smile on his face. When he went into the room, he saw crosses of all sizes. He was like a giddy kid in a candy store. Some seemed as tall as four and five story buildings. As he went through the room, he finally noticed two crosses, one was about three feet high and the other was four feet. He yelled out, “that’s the cross that I want!”, as he pointed to the small cross that was about four feet tall.” He didn’t want to seem too immature by getting the smallest one.” The angel said, “what, are you sure that’s the cross you want.” The man replied, “Look, you don’t know what I’ve been through. I’m not carrying any of these large crosses.” The angel said, “well the only reason I asked the question of whether you were you sure that particular cross is the one you wanted, is because that’s the cross you had before you got here.”

For years, many people have misunderstood what it is to take up their cross. It does not mean pinning a piece of jewelry on our clothes, our necklace or our ears. Our cross is not the boss on our job who gives us a hard time, a child that’s involved with drugs, a prison sentence that we are living out, an incurable disease that we have, or a problem in our lives that we would like to get rid of. Many times you will hear people say of something that’s come into their lives, “well I guess this is just my cross to bear.”

When we hear the word cross, we usually think of something that’s decorative or somewhat attractive in its design. It’s often pleasing to look at because that’s how crosses today are made. In the first century, when people heard the word cross, they immediately thought of pain, suffering, and death.

The cross was an instrument of death. After a criminal was found guilty by the Roman Government, the person would be forced to carry his own cross to the place of crucifixion. Carrying the cross was a public admission that you were wrong and Rome was right, and now you’re in submission to the government. People knew what it was like to leave a city and see people hanging on a cross in great suffering eagerly waiting for death to come.

You may not like this but you cannot be normal if you want to follow Christ. Let me clarify that. To bring Jesus’ words into today’s language, Jesus would be saying, “If any wants to come after me, let them deny themselves and sit down in their own private electric chairs to be zapped as needed and follow me.” Most of us would say, “You’d have to be NUTS to voluntarily sit in electric chair, with the electricity turned on. Suppose I get shocked.” The question must be asked; will we do or sit where God tells us to sit, or make up our rules as we go along? More Tomorrow...you are loved!

Expect Great Things from God

'...Thus far the Lord has helped us.' 1 Samuel 7:12 NKJV

I love to share with others the thought that we can expect great things from Him. The Bible says, 'Then Samuel took a stone...and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."' As you end this year and look back, what do you see? Monuments to failure? Wasted opportunities? When it comes to your failures, God says, 'I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.' (Isaiah 43:25 NKJV)

When it comes to your wasted opportunities, God says, 'I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten...' (Joel 2:25 NKJV) A wise man said, 'If we do not learn from the past we are doomed to repeat it.' It's ok to look back and learn, but if you drive looking in the rearview mirror, you'll end up in a ditch. Whether good or bad, don't get stuck in the past. 'Do not say, "Why were the former days better than these? For you do not inquire wisely concerning this."' (Ecclesiastes 7:10 NKJV) One of the dangers of growing old is that you become more excited about the past than you are about the future. A lady wrote to a newspaper editor and said, 'Your newspaper is not as good as it used to be.' He wrote back and quipped, 'It never has been.' God says, 'I know the plans I have for you...they are plans for good...' (Jeremiah 29:11 TLB) God has a plan for you this coming year. So, 'hats off to the past and coats off to the future!' Roll up your sleeves, go to work, and expect great things from God. You are Loved!

Being Visionary in 2014 (3)

A Vision does not Necessarily Require Immediate Action.

A lot of people have good ideas. Many times God may be in the process of birthing a vision in their hearts. But most of the time, they want to start NOW!

But the story of Nehemiah, along with numerous other Biblical accounts, illustrates the truth that a clear vision does not necessarily indicate a green light to begin. Too often when a person with an idea that seems to be a God ordained vision charges out of the gates too early; the result is failure, discouragement and disillusionment.  A vision rarely requires immediate action. But it always requires patience. Many people ask, why wait? After all, there are people to rescue. Why not just plunge ahead?

Because developing and discovering a vision is a process. Sometimes it’s painful and agonizing. But it is always worth every bit of the agony along the way.

Waiting often seems like a waste of time. The assumption is, since we aren’t moving ahead, nothing’s going on.

 This false; Good things happen to those who wait. Our culture has trained us to think that if we can’t see anything or we don’t get immediate satisfaction then nothing has happened or is happening.

God’s spirit moves as it wills and just because you can’t physically see it, it doesn’t mean his spirit isn’t moving in our midst. The lie of the enemy is impatience and a belief that we must see a physical manifestation. Now do physical manifestations happen, yes? In God’s time not ours.

In 2^nd Corinthians 5:7 Paul says, “We live by faith and not by sight.”  Faith is something that God raises up in us so we can trust Him as we walk this journey of faith. We don’t see God yet we believe he is the creator of the universe. So we must as an individual and church wait on God believing in faith that what he has laid into our spirits will be fulfilled.

While not every good idea is vision material, every vision begins as an idea. Not all burdens are vision material, but every vision begins as a burden. Waiting gives us a chance to examine our emotions and sort out minor concerns from major ones. If what concerned you yesterday is of little concern today, odds are that it was not vision material.

Just as you cannot rush the development of a child in the womb, you cannot rush the development of a vision. God determines the schedule for both. Acting too quickly on a vision is like delivering a baby prematurely. They are always weak. And in some cases a preemie cannot survive the rigors of life outside the womb.  So it is with vision. Immature visions are weak. They rarely make it in the real world.  As we wait, not only does the vision mature, but we also mature and become ready for the vision.

Many times the tendency is to assume that since I know what I am to do, I’m ready to do it. But God has to grow us into our vision. Just as a vision must be God ordained, it must also be done according to God’s timetable.

Philippians 2:13-14 says “For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing.”

Everything you do includes waiting. Yet, we often complain about waiting, and argue with God that our timing is better. Have you ever met someone who had a good idea but bad timing?

Remember Moses? He had the right idea, but his timing and methods were terrible. His vision was to free his people from Egyptian slavery. And that was a God thing if there ever was one. So what did he do? He went to work and killed an Egyptian. If Moses had sat down and calculated how long it would take him to kill all of the Egyptians, he would have realized that it would take several lifetimes. So, what did God do? He sent Moses to the University of Sinai to study in their wilderness program for 40 years. It took Moses 40 years to grow into the vision that God has designed for him.

Nehemiah, on the other hand, had it pretty easy by comparison. He only had to wait four months before the wheels started turning. But working for the King of Persia was still somewhat of a desert experience for him. Nehemiah was a man with immense leadership ability who awoke every day to do a job that tapped little or none of those skills.

I know you can you relate? Do you wake up every day to circumstances that seem to have nothing to do with the vision you sense God is developing in you?

Then you are in good company.
Joseph reviewed his vision from an Egyptian dungeon.
Moses spent years following sheep.
David, the teenage king, spent years hiding in caves.
And Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king whose ancestors had destroyed the very city he longed to rebuild. Be encouraged. God has you where He has you for a reason.

Not only does the vision need to mature, and we need to mature to be prepared for the vision, but God is also working behind the scenes to prepare the way. This is why it is so important to wait on his timing.

Remember that the vision God has for our life is only a small piece of the entire puzzle. God’s vision for your life is much bigger than you. Apart from his intervention and preparation, you and I are incapable of pulling off even our small part of the operation.

One of the most difficult things related to vision, is distinguishing between good ideas and God ideas. We all have good ideas. Everybody is concerned or burdened about something, but how do you know which ideas to act on?

You may have asked yourself where is this leading up to? We have been praying and seeking God as to how we can continue to reach our community. As I shared earlier we would love for you to sign up to pray for needs and for renewed vision for 2014. What’s our vision for this year?

Serve days: 2^nd Harvest, Gospel mission, Teen Challenge, Helping Families locally, Youth Missions Trip, Adult Missions Trips, Church Care Days, Community Outreach: Trunk or Treat, Thanksgiving & Christmas families…

Serving the church family…serving on the worship team, media, hospitality, greeters, children’s and youth ministries, women’s and men’s ministries.

These things aren’t just jobs. They are ways to serve your God and to carry out His vision for this community through this body. I hope and pray you will catch the vision and be a part of this amazing body of believers.

Finally, one of the big things we have been praying about is having a second service to reach more families; Seeking God on having options that meet the needs of those who call CFW home. But this takes time for all involved to catch the vision. I hope you’ll catch the vision and say pastor sign me up.

Because all of this requires you!  I pray you will take the time to seek God during our week of prayer and then plug in were God wants you. Let’s pray…