Our default position is to focus on self.
It’s all about me…
Give me.
Listen to me.
Help me.
Serve me.
Love me.
Want me.
Need me.
Thank me.
This never works, never satisfies.
We need to flip the M—and move from “me” to “we.”
When we love God and put others before self—life is blessed, satisfying, rich and rewarding.
Loving God, loving people and loving life… this is how it was meant to be.
Flip the M.
Enjoy.
Have you ever questioned the worth of “special china” sitting behind glass doors on display—yet rarely used?
You can’t find a clean cup in the house for a drink of water and you glance over at the china cabinet…
There they are—all lined up, looking good and staying put.
Off limits.
Reserved for something special and important.
Frustrating, isn’t it?
Cups for use are in high demand and in low supply while the “special china” is plentiful but not available for use.
The Apostle Paul pointed out that in a large house, there are all kinds of useful vessels—some gold, some silver, some wood and others made from clay. (2 Timothy 2.20)
What’s important to God, according to Paul, is not the appearance of the vessel but its usefulness.
God doesn’t have special china in His house, only vessels for use.
Unfortunately, many churches are full of “special china” Christians who make an appearance on special occasions, then return to the display case so they can be admired.
Remember the analogy Jesus used when describing the pharisees?
He said they clean the outside of the cup and dish…
In other words, they look good.
They shine and sparkle in the display case, but on the inside they’re full of selfish motives.
Moldy, dirty and nasty… unable to be used.
To all the “special china” in the church cupboard I say:
You’re not special—and we need your help.
You’re a vessel for use, not an ornament to be admired.
You were created by the potter to carry things.
We have a city to love and people to serve.
It’s time to get out of the display case and be used.
Picture a family getting ready to go on a long drive and overnight stay somewhere.
The parents carry suitcases, diaper bags, groceries, backpacks and toddlers.
They load up the car.
They make several trips into the house and back out to the car—each time, their arms full of necessary items.
What do the kids carry?
Maybe a favorite stuffed animal or Nintendo DS.
In this picture, we see a principle:
The mature carry more than their own stuff, while the immature carry only what they need or want.
When Moses was leading the Israelites from where they had been to where they were going, he felt the weight of carrying an enormous burden.
He was surrounded by family, friends, elders, leaders and staff members but he still felt alone—alone in carrying the vision, responsibility and burden to see it come to pass.
Moses complained to God about it…
“What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!” (Numbers 11.11-12 & 14-15 NLT)
I can relate to Moses’ frustration and feeling alone in being a “carrier.”
The church is full of people who will only carry what they need or want.
Being a carrier of the vision can feel lonely and overwhelming at times.
Here’s how God responded to Moses:
“Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders… to stand there with you. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.” (Numbers 11.16, 17 NLT)
In essence, God put the same “carrier spirit” Moses had on a group of 70 others.
I believe God is going to do the same thing here at Fairwood Church.
I believe many will rise up to take on the “carrier spirit” – carrying the vision, responsibility and burden to see it come to pass.
How about you? Are you ready to carry more than a stuffed animal or Nintendo DS?
Are you ready to carry more than you need or want?
I’m looking for some carriers…
With approximately 2 million people camping out in the desert, the land could not sustain them.
There were no orchards or farmlands.
There wasn’t a Walmart Superstore nearby.
No taco trucks or hot dog stands…
So how did the Israelites eat?
God provided “manna” – bread from heaven for them.
He gave them instructions to take just enough for their families for the day—assuring them that He would provide enough manna for everyone each day.
He told the people not take more than they needed, not to store the manna.
No manna in doggie bags or tupperware containers.
Can you guess what happened next?
“Some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning By then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell.” (Exodus 16.19 NLT)
I believe God’s blessings are never meant to be stored, hoarded or kept to ourselves.
When we try to keep or contain His blessings, things start to stink real quickly.
God’s supply never diminishes. He’s not in recession.
What He provides, there’s always more where than came from…
More grace. More forgiveness. More mercy. More love. More favor. More blessing.
Our job isn’t to put it all in a tupperware container for safe-keeping.
Our job is to look around and make sure everyone is getting some.
Don’t let what God blessed you with get all stinky.
Don’t let your manna attract maggots.
Instead—share, give and pass on the blessings to others.
In terms of making a difference, we tend to think of going to the power-players for help.
People in high places…
Politicians. Wealthy business owners. Celebrities. You know—important, recognized, respected people.
In the story of Israel crossing over from the desert-side of the Jordan river into the new territory God had for them, a key figure emerged… someone who provided them with crucial information, someone who became an important ally and friend.
Who was this someone?
It was a harlot, a prostitute—a woman named Rahab.
For Israel, this woman of low standing became the key to the city.
I think there is a valuable lesson here for us: we need friends in low places.
Our church won’t make a difference by chasing after politicians, wealthy business owners and celebrities.
We need to reach out to to those with poor reputations.
The Dream Center in Los Angeles, led by Pastor Matthew Barnett, is a shining example of this principle.
They reach out to the hurting, the poor, the pimps and prostitutes, addicts and gang bangers.
Here are some quotes from Pastor Matthew Barnett:
“If We worship the God of the second chance, we must be people of the second chance.”
“When God sees someone help a homeless person, I believe he does a touchdown dance in heaven.”
“Getting ready to take 150 men and women in our recovery program to go see TRON. These peeps are the best!”
“We don’t need more spiritual leaders—we need more spiritual janitors, picking up broken pieces and telling people they can dream again.”
“The moment you help someone in need, you just snuggled up to Jesus a little closer.”
Follow Pastor Matthew on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/matthewbarnett
Read about the Dream Center: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Center
Generally, we think of middle-class as a safe (or even desirable) place to be.
However, this isn’t always true. Spiritually, it’s more desirable to be poor, bankrupt, at the end of your rope.
Remember what Jesus said?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 5.3 (NKJV)
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” (NLT)
“They are blessed who realize their spiritual poverty, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.” (NCV)
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.” (MSG)
God’s blessing comes to those who acknowledge their spiritual bankruptcy.
When we see how deep our debt is before God and have no ability to redeem ourselves… that’s when grace flows.
Salvation is God’s extravagant gift to us. It’s free, but it cost Him so much.
Poor in spirit? That’s the place to be. You’re blessed.
What if you aren’t poor in spirit?
This would mean you don’t see yourself as so bad, sinful, morally bankrupt and lost that only grace can save you.
You would be “middle-class in spirit.”
You would believe that you’ve earned your standing with God and blessings from him.
You would believe that your success and wealth are due to your own hard work, talents and abilities.
Quoting Timothy Keller from his book Generous Justice:
“My experience as a pastor has been that those who are middle-class in spirit tend to be indifferent to the poor, but people who come to grasp the gospel of grace and become spiritually poor find their hearts gravitating toward the materially poor.
To the degree that the gospel shapes your self-image, you will identify with those in need.
You will see their tattered clothes and think: ‘All my righteousness is a filthy rag, but in Christ we can be clothed in his robes of righteousness.’
When you come upon those who are economically poor, you cannot say to them, ‘Pull yourself up by your bootstraps!’ because you certainly did not do that spiritually. Jesus intervened for you.
And you cannot say, ‘I won’t help you because you got yourself into this mess,’ since God came to earth, moved into your spiritually poor neighborhood and helped you even though your spiritual problems were your own fault.
In other words, when Christians who understand the gospel see a poor person, they realize they are looking into a mirror. Their hearts must go out to him or her without an ounce of superiority or indifference.”
As individuals, and as a church, we must avoid the middle-class in spirit problem.
How?
By being poor in spirit—aware of our own pitiful shortcomings, failure and spiritual bankruptcy.
We are recipients of His grace.
Let’s pass that grace on….
We have a city to love—the hungry to feed, the hurting to comfort, the lonely to include, the overlooked to welcome and orphans to provide for.
Our church is to be a city of refuge—a haven for those who are looking for a safe place and a second chance.
We will not be an exclusive club for spiritual fat cats.
We will not be a religious retirement home.
We must be a place of grace.
We must be a place that doesn’t care…
“We don’t care where you’ve been, what you’ve done, what your zip code is or what your reputation is. You are welcome here. You belong, you are loved and you are accepted here.”
We must be a pocket of blessing, hope, healing, restoration, life and joy within our city.
As Israel was preparing to cross over into the land God had prepared for them, God gave their leaders instructions for several cities of refuge in the new territory…
“When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, designate cities of refuge to which people can flee…” (Numbers 35.9-10 NLT)
Later, the cities of refuge are described in Joshua chapter 20 – Kedesh, Schechem, Kiriath-arba, Bezer, Ramoth and Golan. These Hebrew names are significant—they reflect God’s purpose for establishing these cities of refuge.
Kedesh means: sanctuary or refuge.
Shechem means: shoulder or back.
Kiriath-arba means: to associate or fellowship.
Bezer means: gold.
Ramoth means: lifted up, a high place.
Golan means: refuge.
In other words, these cities were places where exiles could come and find new strength and value as God redefined them, restoring their hope and dignity.
In these cities, God welcomed those who needed a second chance… He put them back on their feet, put a new twinkle in their eye, lifted the heavy burden off their back—allowing them to hold their head up high and without shame.
This is the picture of what our church must be: a city of refuge—a place of second chances.
Psalm 113.7, 8 in the Message Bible says, “He picks up the poor from out of the dirt, rescues those who’ve been thrown out with the trash… seats them among the honored guests, a place of honor among the brightest and best.”
I’m thankful for a God who sees beyond my dirt—giving me value and worth.
And I want to be part of helping others experience the same.
Our 2010 included…
BBQs.
Parties.
A car show.
A Kid’s Carnival.
Weekly giveaways.
500 backpacks stuffed with school supplies—given to local children.
Frozen turkeys and Thanksgiving groceries—enough to feed 1,100 people in our community.
Hundreds of Christmas gifts for kids in foster care.
Over 5,000 hot meals given to the hungry.
Why?
Because we have a city to love.
It’s not “us -vs- them.” We live here and we are them.
God has us here for a reason—and that reason does not include hating on the city or its people.
Consider these instructions from God to his people:
“Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you… Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29.5-7 NLT)
I believe these instructions are fitting for us today…
Work for the peace and prosperity of the city.
Pray for the city—its welfare will determine your welfare.
It’s clear that we have a job to do.
We have a city to love—our future and well-being depends on it.
The list of things we did in 2010 isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning.
In 2011 we will care more, love more, give more and serve more.
Our greatest days are before us, not behind us—because we have a city to love!
I find this story intriguing…
Vivian Maier was an American amateur street photographer whose work depicts scenes in Chicago and New York in the 1950s and 1960s. Her photographs were not discovered until 2007. Following her death in 2009, her pictures began receiving critical acclaim.
John Maloof, a 26-year old real estate agent in Chicago discovered her work and purchased nearly all of it—100,000 negatives and prints. He posts some of the photographs on a blog and recently announced plans for an upcoming book and documentary about Vivian Maier.
The blog: http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/
Here are some of the photographs featured on the blog:
It’s possible to be so good for yesterday that you’re no good for today.
I feel sad when I drive by a local casino’s sign and read the names of their upcoming acts…
REO Speedwagon, MC Hammer, Smokey Robinson, STYX, Rick Springfield, Brian McKnight, Air Supply.
Kinda seems like the last stop before the grave for musical artists.
I wonder, has anyone rebounded from performing in (local) casinos?
If I had to choose, I’d rather be so good for today that I’m no good for yesterday.
I’d rather be creating, writing, inventing, dreaming, producing, thinking—than living off yesterday’s success.
I’d rather be filling stadiums with today’s songs than playing hits from 30 years ago in local casinos.
This is what I’m saying…
You’re alive.
You’re here, today.
You’re not at the last stop before the grave!
Your best days are still before you—they’re not behind you.
Be good for today—so good in fact, that you’re no good for yesterday.
Keep dreaming, thinking, creating, inventing, producing, growing, changing, learning.
Think stadiums, not casinos.
