Tracy and I were riding our bike and we passed a house that had a little dog running at us full speed. All of a sudden he stopped he had come to the end of his leash and just barked at us. What if he could go outside his boundaries, what if he were unleashed? Questions starting coming to mind… What if we as Christians were unleashed, not letting boundaries hold us in our comfort zone? When is the last time you talked to someone about the Gospel? When is the last time you invited someone to church services. Don’t know of anyone, can’t find a single person to invite? You’re not looking!
What would happen if we unleashed ourselves to take the truth to a lost world? Is my life being confined within boundaries, could I be convicted of being a Christian?
2 Corinthians 5:20 (NKJV)
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
As Christians we are Christ’s ambassadors, we represent the King of Kings! How can we do that with boundaries! Am I willing to be uncomfortable for the sake of Christ?
Look at Paul’s trials:
2 Corinthians 11:25-28 (NIV)
25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
When Paul was converted he was transformed, his life reflected that of a follower of Christ…a Christian.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)
18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
We all are at different levels in our Christian walk, but each one of us should be striving for gain, transforming our lives!
Romans 12:2New Living Translation (NLT)-2 don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
To be transformed we must:
Love God- Mark 12:29-30 (NKJV)
29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
We must Love our Neighbors- Mark 12:31 (NKJV)
31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
How do we view others? Are we in our comfort zone, within our boundaries, leashed in our own little world? We need to raise our relational risk! God uses ordinary people like us to do extra ordinary things! God is not looking a great powerful orator, God is looking for a willing heart! God is not looking for ability He is looking for someone with availability. God wants you just as you are so give Him what you have! He will take it and multiply it and increase it. He will make more out of your life than you ever thought possible!
I want to unleash my potential. How do I unleash the character and nature of Jesus into my life?
Unleash His conviction- You don’t decide when, the time is now!
Luke 19:10 (NKJV)
10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Paul wasn’t afraid he said in
Romans 1:16 (NKJV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
I’m planning on unleashing my potential when I get around to it, we are not round to it Christians. The Lord’s church is not a would of, could of, should of, I’ll get around to it church. Our VBS can make a Hugh difference in people lives, how about yours?
God’s plans for your life are bigger and greater than you can imagine, but we hold the key to unleash them!
Unleash His Humility-
Philippians 2:5-7 (NIV)
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
Paul makes it clear by giving an example to follow, we should adopt the same attitude or frame of mind that was found in Jesus Christ.
It’s not about ME! It’s about what I can accomplish with God’s help. Jesus did not take on the form of just a human, but of a slave! He went far beyond any of us, in any act of service. He made servanthood His essential mission.
Mark 10:45 (NIV)
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Unleash His Perseverance-
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
John Ortberg, The Life you’ve Always Wanted said- Imagine a group of people coming to your home and interrupting your Twinkie-eating, TV-watching routine with an urgent message: “Good News! We’re from the United States Olympic Committee. We have been looking for someone to run the marathon in the next Olympics. We have statistics on every person in the entire nation on computer. We have checked everybody’s records – their performance in the president’s fitness test in grade school, body type, bone structure, right down to their current percentage of body fat. We have determined that out of two hundred million people, you are the one person in America with a chance to bring home the gold medal in the marathon. So you are on the squad. You will run the race. This is the chance of a lifetime.”
You are surprised by this because the farthest you have ever run is from the couch to the refrigerator. But after the first shock passes, you are gripped by the realization of what’s happening in your life. You picture yourself mingling with the elite athletes of the world. You allow yourself to imagine that maybe you do have what it takes. At night you dream about standing on the podium after the race and hearing the national anthem, seeing the flag raised, and bending low to receive the gold medal.
You begin to feel a sense of urgency. It will be your body wearing those little racing togs, with a billion people watching on television. But greater than any external pressure is the internal drive that says, “This is the race I was created to run. This is my destiny. This is why I was born. Here’s my chance!”
This race becomes the great passion of your life. It dominates your mind. It occupies every waking moment. To run the race – to win if you can – become the central focus of your existence. It is what gets you out of bed in the morning. It is what you live for. It is the chance of a lifetime.
Then it dawns on you: Right now you cannot run a marathon. More to the point, you cannot run a marathon even if you try really hard. Trying hard can accomplish only so much. If you are serious about seizing this chance of a lifetime, you will have to enter a life of training. You must arrange your life around certain practices that will enable you to do what you cannot do now by willpower alone. When it comes to running a marathon, you must train, not merely try.”
This is the Christians life! This race becomes the great passion of your life. It dominates your mind. It occupies every waking moment. You run the race to win and it becomes the central focus of your existence. It is what gets you out of bed in the morning. It is what you live for! You will have to enter a life of training. You must arrange your life around certain practices that will enable you to do what you cannot do now by willpower alone. When it comes to being a Christian you must train, not merely try.”
Unleash His Assurance-
John 14:1-4 (NIV)
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that 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. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
This verse is rich with assurance:
I am going there to prepare a place for you.
I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
We must live as if we have a destiny in mind! Does your life define your destiny? Are you a Christian? Have you unleashed a life of conviction, humility and perseverance realizing the assurance that awaits? Are you running the race? If not……Why are you waiting?
