Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Inspired thoughts: Developing healthy relationships

Everyday God has placed us in situations where we are mixing with people. People are an essential part of our lives. Often they enrich our lives in obvious ways, other times we only notice them when they are missing. Imagine living your life only interacting with a computer and never meeting another human.

Our relationships are often complex. Fortunately, the bible offers us a lot of wisdom about living and mixing with others. One of the most important relationships that exists is that of family relationships. And as parents, we play an important role in this relationship. Ever noticed how occasionally your children imitate you, and it is not just the good things about you.

Some foundational and important wisdom for families comes from the sixth commandment; you shall not commit adultery. Scriptures reveal that this is not just about inappropriate sex, but about respecting and valuing each other and developing healthy relationships. Through Ephesians chapter 5 God says to us, Honour Christ and put others first. A wife should put her husband first as she does the Lord…A husband should love his wife as much as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. (Eph 5: 21, 22, 25). Think about how different your family would be if this always happened. A wife always loving her husband through her words and actions, a husband always prepared to give up stuff even his life so his wife could benefit. And children always respecting each other, putting others first

Such a way of living is tough work, because putting others first, even those who are closest to us, is not natural for us. Some starting points include spending time with each other to discover more about each other, discovering how the other people in your life see the future and other aspects of life. If you would like some help in this area feel free to contact me. Ephesians also offers us some further wisdom in this area, from Ephesians 4 God says to us, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ. (Ephesians 4:32)

Something to think about and share as a family
What are some good things about your family?
What are some ways you put others first in your family?
Does anyone need to hear that you forgive them, or do you need to ask for forgiveness from anyone?

To go a little deeper
Read 1 Thesselonians 5:12-28

Ascension Day Celebration: Looking up to lve today

Today we celebrate Ascension Day,
the day when Jesus physically left earth and ascended into heaven.
Ascension Day officially is celebrated 40 days after Easter Sunday which was Thursday.
For many Ascension Day ranks up there with Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.
And it is something that is important to our Christian faith.
Many people attend worship services on Thursdays.
It is mentioned in the two most common summaries of faith
the Apostles and the Nicene Creed
In a number of countries throughout the world including Finland, Germany and Indonesia is considered so important that it is a public holiday.
And importantly you can find details about Jesus’ ascension in a number of places in scripture including
Acts chapter 1 verse 9 we heard
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

In going to heaven Jesus has not just left us stranded here and gone on some holiday.
Sometimes I think that is what people believe.
Sometimes I even wonder this, but then God reminds me what He is up to.
In 1 Peter 3 verse 21 we are told that Jesus sits in heaven at the Father’s right hand with everything under His authority.
That is a good thing to keep in mind as we live our lives.
Everything is under Jesus’ authority.
Not just some things but everything.
Now that doesn’t mean everything is good or happening to how God wants it.
But it does mean that God is interested in everything and everyone.
It also means everything and everyone will be judged by Him.

But Jesus is also active for us.
He has gone to heaven before us to prepare our rooms for us
In John chapter 14 verse 2 we hear
In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

And he is also concerned about us now, on earth
That we continue to follow him and continue His work on earth
Listen again to a number of verses from Acts 1
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with
 water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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.”
For our life now God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Next week we celebrate the church, God’s people receiving this gift.

It is important to remember that Jesus has not deserted us,
But through the Holy Spirit we continue to be in contact with Him.
We continue to receive an insight into our future with God,
But also important we receive instructions from Jesus on what we are to be doing as we live our lives now.

For a start God says to His followers, WAIT.
Wait until you receive the gift from God, before doing the next thing.
Because without the Holy Spirit we will have little effect.
Are you a good wait-er?
Do you have patience?
I am not.
I am a person who gets impatient if I have to wait too long.
I like to be active.
When I go to see a doctor, I know I must take a book.
I get frustrated with God when I think I am ready,
but he seems to be taking so long.
But waiting for God is not about doing nothing.
It involves preparation.
It involves being in situations and places that help you recognise God’s Spirit.
Think about this,
the disciples did not go and do their own thing whilst they waited for the Holy Spirit.
In the next few verses before the Holy Spirit is given to them
They continued to meet together.
They prayed together.
They found a replacement for Judas.
They prepared themselves for what God had promised.

Our congregation has said it is focussed on being an evangelising congregation.
A congregation that reaches out to people.
We believe this is what God is calling us to do.
To grow God’s church through growing our congregations.
The only way this will occur is by us relying on God’s gift of the Holy Spirit.
And each of us need to prepare for this.
We need to stop doing our own thing.
and instead be prepared by God
We need to be both passionate and prepared people
By praying together.
By meeting regularly together not just in worship but also in other things.
By putting the right resources people and things in place for ministry and mission.
Now some of these things are happening.
We have small groups in place.
Are you part of one?
We have people who are praying as a group.
With prayer we are about to start a daily prayer time at the church and give to our small groups prayer points for the fortnight.
And we are aiming to put the right resources in place so we can be effective in evangelism and mission.

But there is one final key to everything.
For us to be effective we need to rely on God’s Spirit.
Without God’s Spirit we will not be effective witnesses.

Our reading from Luke reminds us what it means to have God’s Spirit.
To be authentic witnesses for Jesus.
Listen to this.
From Luke 24:46-48
46 Jesus told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
As we live our lives
As we interact with people
God is asking you and me to be His witness
that He brings about repentance and forgiveness of sins to everyone.

Let me say that again, differently
As people interact with you,
Do they know
God brings about repentance and that He will forgive them their sins?
That is what God wants us to be witnesses of.

This is the key to how our lives should be focussed.
The number one thing your family, your work colleagues, your neighbours, your friends, people you do business with and else one else who bumps into you should know
Is that God is about bringing repentance and about forgiving their sins.
Do they know that?

Or do they think being a Christian is something else.
Some impressions of Christians that have been passed onto me by others.
They are too judgemental
They are too focussed on themselves, too worried about what they have physically and spiritually.
They are weird, usually referring to people who love telling others about their supernatural gifts.
They want to make us all robots.
They are unforgiving.

But being a witness is as simple as
Helping people see that …
that through Jesus we can have repentance and forgiveness of sins.

Or is it?

I often personally have experienced two problems with this simple instruction

One is my vision of repentance.
I automatically see repentance as someone pointing at me yelling
REPENT YOU HAVE SINNED
Some people say we have lost repentance in the church.
Because we don’t do this too often
Now occasionally this may work.
But that it is only one way to bring repentance into the lives of people.
Throughout scripture the term repentance has this focus on being turned to God.
And there are numerous ways people are turned to God.
For many it is about sharing the stories of God with them,
Sharing what God has done, is doing and will do for them.
And also how God is bringing us life for today and for the future.
And encouraging people to be focussed on this life rather than a short term life.
This involves investing time with people.
Can you think of someone you who needs to turn to God?
If so:
Please pray for them
Please make time for them
Please share with them how God gives them life.
And importantly rely on Holy Spirit
Allow God to do they changing of heart and to take time.
And allow God’s word to do the judging, remember it is Jesus and not you sitting at the right hand of God now.

The second problem I have experienced is that at times I have found it personally difficult to forgive people.
Our human nature is that we want our rights.
And we want people to pay for their sins.
For what they have done wrong.
Look at the news.
Look how vicious the media and even how our own conversations are when someone messes up.
Now there are consequences when people sin, when you and I sin.
But if things only stopped at the point of being punished
Then we are all stuffed.
But the truth it doesn’t need to stop at punishment.
God wants everyone to know that there is forgiveness, through Jesus Christ.
And God wants you and me to be a witness that He forgives.
Are there people you know who need to know they are forgiven?
To be a witness that highlights God’s repentance and to bring God’s forgiveness into people’s lives.

Repenting and forgiveness is not about us being perfect,
But constantly allowing God to talk to us and our situation.

We need God.
We need His Spirit.
We need to rely on Him
Prayer
Bible Reading
Associating with other Christians.
Patience

Everyday this week ask yourself
Who do I need to share what God offers, repentance and forgiveness with?

So look up in order to know how to live today.
Amen

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Receiving what is needed for life

One of the greatest miracles God has given each one of us is life. But God doesn’t just start life He keeps on sustaining life. Through the world God has created, He provides us with opportunities to grow through our mind, our bodies, our emotions, our possessions, our places in community and our spirit. God uses each of these areas of life to help us grow and have life now.
When our life is unbalanced, it often means we may have neglected one or more of the opportunities for our life to be fed. Its times like these we feel like a pot plant sitting on a dark veranda that someone has forgotten to water. Droopy, tired and hoping that a little bit of life will accidently fall our way.

But put that plant in the sun, give it some fresh soil and some water and it begins to brighten up. Likewise when we feel like a neglected pot plant we need to tap into the opportunities for life that God has provided. We may need to spend more time feeding the mind, caring for our bodies, dealing appropriately with our emotions, developing and nurturing our relationships, understanding who God has created us to be, caring for and managing the possessions we have and developing our relationship with God and with others who are influenced by God.

The facts are God is interested in helping in both this life and the life in heaven. Jesus informs us of this in John chapter 10, verse 10 where we discover Jesus came to give life to everyone and have it to the fullest. Having life to fullest also means living not just for today, but also for the future, the eternal future. Throughout our life we may need to avoid things that harm or kill off the possibility of eternal life, we may need to let go of some things and pick up others and we need to latch onto things that prepare us and develop us for the future life with the life giving God.

Something to reflect on and share as a family
How has God given you life?
What areas of your life, may you need to spend some more time with so you can have life?
How are you preparing and how can you prepare for the future with God?

To go a little deeper read: John 6:22-59

Sermon: Loving God means loving others

The Christian life revolves around having two loves.
One is God
And the other is other people…
People in our congregation and people in our wider community

But Loving as God commands is not always easy….
Some people can be very difficult to love

Is there someone you find difficult to love?
Do you struggle with loving some people?
Maybe they have hurt you.
Perhaps they are soo different from you that there is nothing in common.

Our struggle to love someone shows that we are human.
And it shows that we are serious about love.
Anyone can have a theoretical romantic approach to love.
From a distance we can say we care about someone.
We can even pray for them.
But are prayers are often the starting point that maybe pointing us towards some action.
For instance in Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus says to the disciples ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest field.
Then in the very next verse in chapter 10 guess what He says to the disciples.
“You go”

And that is being active in love.
And such love is hard.
Loving a homeless person,
Loving someone who has hurt you,
Loving someone who is different from you
or Loving a problem person are some of the people God wants us to love.
And loving them can be difficult.

Satan and many people in the world give us excuses of why we don’t have to love them.
To treat them with love.
Like they don’t really deserve it.
Or it probably won’t work or they may even take it for granted.
Yet loving others is what God calls each one of us to be actively doing.
And this type of love involves giving more than receiving.
Mother Teresa in a famous speech highlights that the love God calls all Christians to be involved in,
Is the love that is not too focussed on what we receive, what we have or even how it makes us feel.
But rather Christian love is focussed on giving.
Giving away what God has given us.

Consider verses 12 and 13 of today’s reading from John 15
Jesus says 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Friendship for God is not based on what we have done for Him,
But rather what He has done for us.
Listen again to verse 16 of John 15
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.

God is calling us to be involved in a love that gives
Many people find giving and laying down their life even for their friends difficult.
Let alone those people we have problems with.
As people affected and infected by this world,
Most of our lives are orientated around what makes us comfortable, what we want, what we can get, what we have.
Giving like Jesus is not a natural thing for us.
At times we will struggle in loving others as God has loved us.

There is only one remedy for this
We need to constantly be connected to the source of love.
When it comes to love we are a lot like a soaker hose.
A soaker hose is nothing more than a dry bit of rubber.
It has no hope of giving life
For it to be effective it needs to be connected to a source of water.
But when it is connected to water
Water flows not only into it but also through it and out of it.
It not only receives water it also passes water onto whatever is around it.
Likewise for us to love like Jesus
We need to be connected to God
And when we do this God and His love not only flows in us,
It also flows through us and onto those around us.
And so our times of worship together
Our times in small groups
Our times in personal and family devotions
Are times where God is not only showing His love to us,
But also preparing us to love others as He has loved us.

Now a starting point of how we are to love others is the ten commandments.
And from 1st John 5 verse 3 says
This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
Many people are adverse to rules.
They will look for ways around them.
Some people think God commandments are too hard.
And they are hard, we know they are impossible to completely meet.
But avoiding them because we can’t always meet them is not the answer.
Consider this Jesus says when you obey the commandments you are showing love not only to God but also to others.
And so another way to look at the commandments is that these are our aims in life
That we should continually seek to meet their expectations.
Not so that we look good,
But so God and others are loved.

Which commandments most apply to you regarding the person or people you find most difficult to love?
For me it is often the 8th Commandment
Not bearing false witness against other people.
Especially the part that which is covered in the explanation where we are to speak well of others and explain their actions in the kindest possible way.

And when we fail in love
We are reminded that we need God
That Jesus laid down His life for us to deal with our failures
To pay for our sin and to guide us
God has sent us His Holy Spirit to give us strength to keep on trying to love others

And for some of our situations loving like God may be very difficult and it may take time.
One person I know very well had a major dispute with his sister.
They hadn’t spoken for a number of years.
He said every time he tried calling her she would hang up on him.
And he would feel hurt and angry.
But he desperately wanted to develop a relationship with her.
So we suggested he start from sending birthday and Christmas cards to her.
For two years he heard nothing.
Then on third year she rang him and thanked him.

Now some people have hurt us so much that our friends and society would say we have right to hate them.
A lady I met a few years ago joined a small group that was focussed on forgiveness.
She joined it because she wanted to love as God calls us to love, which includes forgiving others.
You see her adult daughter had been murdered.
She was struggling.
And she said the only way I will ever be able to forgive is through God’s guidance and strength.
Now when I left that small group, she indicated that she had grown she was still not at a point where she could forgive her daughter’s murderer,
But she indicated that she was a lot closer than before she began in that small group.
And she would keep relying on God.

Now back to your situation and the people your are struggling to love.
It may take time to love as God has loved you.
However keep on persevering.
Keep listening to God
Some of these people may take time.

We are called to live a life of love….
Loving God and loving others
They cannot be separated.
God says loving me involves loving others.
Amen

Monday, May 11, 2009

Mother's Day Sermon: Blessed by God through our mums

Good morning
Could everyone who has or has had a mum please raise their hands?
Good I have prepared the right sermon for Mother’s Day.
We all have a mum.

God has given us many blessings in life.
Jesus is the greatest blessing of all, eternal life.
And not far behind Jesus would have to be mums.
Without them we wouldn’t have life.
God has given us life through them.
And they fulfil God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah
That He will bless them so they can be a blessing to others
God has blessed mums so they can be a blessing to us and others.
And there are many blessings mums are to us.

On a Monday a teacher gave her class a lesson on the magnet and what it does.
Every Friday they have a revision of the weeks lesson.
One of the questions was: “My full name has six letters. The first one is M, and I pick up things. What am I?”
Half the class replied mother.

Mums bless us in many ways.

I invite you to turn to the person next to you and share one way God has blessed you through your mum.

Some people have mixed feelings about their mum.
Not everyone has had a good relationship with them all the time.
And sometimes even mums get things wrong.
Remember Romans 3:23: for everyone sins and falls short of the glory of God

One day, a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking among her black hair. She asked "Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?" Her mother replies, "Well, every time you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white." The little girl thinks about this awhile, then asks, "So how come ALL of Grandma’s hairs are white?"

Despite their superhuman efforts at times mums aren’t perfect,
often they are the first to admit it
But God does forgive them.
And so should we.
Someone once said that one of the blessing about life they learnt from their mum is about forgiveness,
About seeking forgiveness and giving forgiveness.

This highlights something about mums that are worth remembering.
Throughout their lives they often reflect God
especially that God is constantly thinking of his children,
even if their children don’t think so.
Susannah Wesley, mother of John Wesley spent one hour each day praying for her 17 children. In addition, she took each child aside for a full hour every week to discuss spiritual matters. No wonder two of her sons, Charles and John, were used of God to bring blessing to all of England and much of America.
But it is not only the obvious times that they are thinking of their children.
One of the most difficult situations I have so far in ministry is ministering to a lady in her last days.
For over 20 years she had been estranged from her children.
As we were preparing some details the issue of her children came up
At which you could see a tear in her eye
And she requested that I contact them and see how they reacted.
Even though she had not spoken to them for 20 years she had never stopped thinking of them and praying for them.
Unfortunately that night she died.
And she never got to speak to her children.
And they probably never realised that she still thought of them.

Being a mum is difficult
Kate Samperi writes before becoming a mother I had a hundred theories on how to bring up children. Now I have seven children and only one theory: love them, especially when they least deserve to be loved.

And we it comes to the blessing God gives us through our mums
We benefit most from mums when we allow God’s approach to life to influence our relationship
Ephesians 6:1-3 restates that famous commandment it says Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Honour your mum’s.
Doesn’t mean we worship them as gods.
But it does mean we give them respect.
In this commandment God is encouraging us to always give them some of the time He has given us.
To give them respect.
As I think about it….not everything my mum does I like.
And when I was a teenager I thought she was a bit weird.
But over time you notice when you respect your mum.
More blessings become obvious.
And so I encourage you to respect your mum as God’s gift to you.
Also from Proverbs 1:7-9
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools a despise wisdom and discipline.
Listen, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching

or as the New Living Translation says
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
My child,* listen when your father corrects you.
Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

Our mum’s and dad’s give us true knowledge.
We can gain a lot of information from books and tv.
However some of the most valuable things in life are actually gained from our parents.

Now this doesn’t mean that everything my parents say is right or appropriate for today.
When I was first a parent I rejected a lot of what my mum and dads said as old hat.
But I have noticed that some of the things they say are valuable and helpful.
God has given them wisdom for life, and listening to that wisdom is like accessing an handbook for life

And for many people mums are also are instrumental in us receiving an insight into God.
In the Bible St Paul writes to a young pastor called Timothy.
Listen to what he has to say to him from 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 5.
5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
When I first read this passage I thought surely there is not people in the bible called Eunice and Lois.
So I went to the original languages and there they were.
But did you notice something,
the faith that Timothy had in God was the result of the time put in by his mother and grandmother.
And it is true today for over 85% of Christians when it comes to faith the most influential person has been mums.
They are often the ones who are reading devotions at night,
Persevering with faith activities when children don’t want to be that involved.
And the second most influential are dads.
Mums and dads are the main encouragers of people participating in faith activities.
And what a wonderful gift to receive through our mums,
The truth that God is a God of love and has a place for us in heaven.

And the final thing God says to us today about our mums is they need caring for as well.
As Jesus hung on the cross listen to what he did for His mum
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

As Jesus hung on the cross
He is concerned for His mother.
He is making sure his mother is cared for.
And at times our mothers need caring for.
How does your mother need caring for.
Maybe she needs a little of your time?
Perhaps she needs some physical help.
Maybe a little patience.
Perhaps she needs to hear you love her.

Think of your mum and thank God for her.
And mum’s think of your children and thank God for them.

To finish off.
One day there was a four-year-old and a six-year-old who went down the street with their dad to buy mum a mother’s day present.
They bought her a pot plant. On mother’s day the four year old was really excited because they had used their own money to buy. But the six year old was a little upset. Mum said what is wrong. "There was a really big bunch of flower shop that we wanted to give you. And it was real pretty but we didn’t have enough money. It was just for you….It had a ribbon on it that said ‘Rest In Peace,’ and we thought it would be just perfect since you are always asking for a some rest and peace.

Whether you are a mum or the child of mum
Remember the blessing God has given you through your mum
And thank God for the blessing they give.

Because ultimately all good things come from God.
Amen

Inspired thoughts: Rest with God and don't miss the good stuff

Have you ever missed out on something good?

It is very easy to miss some of the good things that God has dropped in our lives. Some years ago, I visited someone in another town. When I returned I happened to mention this visit to a friend and they said, “Did you see the lovely gardens? Did you go on the beautiful walk with the waterfall? You should have stopped at a particular cafĂ© where they make hot chocolates that taste like a warm chocolate mousse. And did you visit this other person, they have some great stories to tell you about this area?” I had to confess that I was so focussed on what I wanted to do that I’d missed the opportunity to be blessed by the many great things that were on offer.”

The reality is God too constantly wants to bless, encourage, guide, protect and give us much for life now and the future. And one of the important places for this to occur is when we take time to spend with God not just by ourselves but also with other Christians. This is one of the essential reasons God said that we are to have a day of rest from our normal routine. Resting with God is not about us doing our own thing or doing nothing, it is about taking the time to listen to Him and to worship Him.

Hebrews chapter 10 verses 19 to 25 reveal to us some of the benefits of taking time to worship God with others. When you take some time to read Hebrews 10:19-25 you will discover that God cleanses us, wants to take guilt from us, is giving us hope and promises us many things, and that He is faithful, giving us love and encouragement and is preparing us for the future.

God’s commandment, Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy, (Leviticus 23:3) is God really saying I want to have a deep relationship with you. It is God saying I want you to know what life is about now and in the future. It is about God wanting to make sure we get to receive many good things. And we get God’s insights and all the good stuff he offers by regularly spending time with Him and with others especially in worship services.

Something to think about and share
What are some good things you have got from God?
What makes spending time with God difficult and what can we do about it?
How is God different from our friends, work places and social scene?

To go a bit deeper, spend time reflecting on Psalm 135

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Sermon John 10:11-18 following the Good Shepherd

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday.
Are you following the Good Shepherd?
Or are you following someone or something else?

Who are you following??
Who influences you in your life?
What or who is behind the decisions you make?

This week as you make decisions
As you respond to how others react
As you live your life ask yourself who or what am I following?

Is it other people?
Other ideas?.
Or other approaches to life?

One of the Early Church Fathers is a gentleman called Augustine.
He has had a significant influence on some aspects of Christianity.
Despite being born to a Christian mum.
His father was an open pagan.
Early in his life he did not follow the faith,
Instead he loved women, debating and many lustful joys of life.
He openly had what we would call mistresses.
He followed some of the popular thoughts of the day
that encouraged people to think of themselves first, second and third.
Even as he turned to God he was still pulled like a strong magnet to other approaches to life.
As he was going through his early life he had a famous prayer, "Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet"
After some disappointments with what he was following and believed,
realising that this were not going to satisfy him.
He read the story of St Anthony of the Desert,
Resulting in Him turning away from many things in His life.
To God.
Then he picked up Romans 13, from verse 13.
This is what he read:
13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Overtime he became one of the most influential followers of God.

What about you are you following God?

Sometimes we think we are following God…
But are we?
I often I am confident I am following God,
And then I think of Paul when he was called Saul
He followed God as the Jews knew God.
His understanding of God was not just based on what we know as the Old Testament
But also the traditions of His father
And in the way He wanted to follow God..
He was bound a lot by traditional ideas and thoughts.



Even in the church we can think we are following God.
However at times I am amazed what people think is Christian.
Early in the history of the Lutheran Church in Australia
There was a discussion at one congregation about introducing a new worship service
An English worship service…
The children of the German families spoke mainly English but all the services were in German.
But there was opposition.
One lady said if German was good enough for St Paul then it is good enough for me.
Often we too can be bound up with ideas about how things should be.
And whilst these ideas maybe helpful for some people they aren’t for all

Some years ago I was at a congregation when a missionary from Papua New Guinea,
Questioned the pastor why people were so disrespectful and ungrateful to God for His suffering and dieing.
He said you go with your head bowed, and you look so sad.
And you return the same way looking so sad.
He went on to say, “Don’t you understand what God has done for you.”
“Aren’t you happy that God laid down His life for you so you can have life, and has taken all the weight of your sins.”
In Papua New Guinea people come down the aisle dancing and smiling because they are so thankful that God wants them in heaven so much that he would lay down His life for us.
They are grateful of what God has done.
He really got me thinking.
And realised both responses are very valid.
When my head is bowed and I look sorrowful
I am reminded of the fact that even though God loves me
I have sinned and I continue to sin.
That I am ashamed.
And when I come away smiling and being thankful
I am reminded of the fact of what Jesus has done for me.
That He laid down His life for me.
Isn’t that something to be joyful and thankful for.

And we truly need to examine what we think,
how we act and how we see things
Through having a deeper relationship with God.
By spending more time with God
And this means spending time in the scriptures
And allowing God through the scriptures reveal himself to us.

This means we rely on not just what someone has said
Or what you have read in a book
Or what people think makes sense
Or even what is said in official church documents
Now it is not that these ideas are wrong
but we need to understand their context in scripture.

Because following God means following
who God says he is and how God says we are to live?



And this morning we have heard that as Jesus
God is our Good Shepherd
John 10:10
I am the good shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays his life down for the sheep
Now it is important to understand something…
Good and Shepherd is a little like an oxymoron
It is like saying Honest Car Salesmen
It is not that there are no Car Salesmen who are honest
But the word honest is not what first comes to mind when I mention car sales man.

Jesus is a Good Shepherd because of what He has done for us.
He voluntarily laid down His life for you…
You have life because He has died for you.
In yesterdays Age there was a story of why AFL teams win premierships.
It wasn’t because of money or tactics.
It highlighted that the recent AFL grand final winners had players who would significantly put their body on the line for their team mates.
There was example after example of players who are prepared to put their bodies on the line so that their team can get an advantage…
And this is exactly what Jesus has done for you
He has put His body on the line for you.
What a great God to follow!

And what does it mean to follow this God.
Well listen to this from 1 John 3:16-20
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

Following God involves laying down our lives for others…

Now Jesus is not asking you to go on the cross
But He is calling each of us to be prepared to serve others.
Not because they deserve it, but because they need it.
One of the most influences in my life is my grandma.
By the time my father was six
Her husband had died
She brought up four children at a time when there was little welfare.
But she was also dedicated to her Lord.
She was involved in a Lutheran Rest Home not in her town by a near by town.
When you visited her home she had mission boxes for not one but a number of missions
Her focus was about helping others experience and gain the love of Jesus
Not because they deserved it but because that’s what they needed to experience God and His love.
Even those who were different to her or saw things differently,
she was generous with.
And this reminded me of something a pastor once said
He got up one Sunday and said to His congregation…
Don’t come to church…
The elders and the treasurer just about had a fit.
Then he said I want you to be the church

When we just come to church
We are more interested in what we get from church
Whether the music was what we liked
Whether some did what we wanted.

But when we see ourselves as being the church
We not only look to receive God’s grace and love
We hear the cries of others
We see the people in need
And we look for ways to serve others so others benefit
We look to be God’s hands and feet.

And often at this church we have some great people who are keen to be the church.
Keen to serve.
We have people who are regularly helping others.
But there are also people and groups crying out for help.
We have parents and children who are crying out for a safe place for their children.
Our Bible song team needs extra helpers and teachers
On Wednesday, we have midweek communion, and we need people to transport others to church.
Being the church means helping others experience the one who has laid down his life for us.
And laying down your life may mean putting aside how you look or even what you believe is important.
As we enter a phase of evangelism there will be people who will come in here who will irritate you and me.
People who are interested in developing a relationship with God but not necessarily in the ways we do
Laying down our life means putting some of our likes aside so these people can experience more of the one who laid down His life for us.

So this week ask yourself
Who are you hearing and seeing who needs help so that they can experience God more?
And how can you lay down your life for them?

Has anyone read the Heavenly Man?
It is the story of Brother Yun, who was called by God to be involved underground house church movement in China.
I need to stress Christianity is not illegal in China.
But it is very rigidly controlled.
Brother Yun was prepared to share the gospel with people through the house church movement even though it meant imprisonment.
But even in prison he got to share the Gospel.
And when he was released from prison,
Do you know what he did?
He continued sharing the Gospel.
He was prepared to lay down his life for others so they could develop a relationship with the God who laid down His life for them

Come on follow the good, the true shepherd who gives you life
And help others follow him…Amen