The Lord’s Test
I woke up this morning and knew that today, the sun would not be shining and the clouds would be gray. As I stepped outside, rain fell upon my head. My car wouldn’t start so I walked to school instead. I forgot all of my assignments I failed all of my tests. I dropped my head in disgust and asked the Lord for one request. "Lord, why is it that things won’t go my way?" He gently replied, "Dear child it is because you didn’t thank me yesterday. I woke you up and enabled you to see the sun again. I gave you shelter, protected your family, and even let you make a new friend. I blessed you far greater than I ever had before. But you were too busy to thank me once more. You didn’t feel sick because I maintained your health. You had money in your pocket because I maintained your wealth. You had shoes on you feet and clothes to wear, too. You had plenty of food to eat, and what did you do? You ignored me and went about your tasks. But when you wanted something, you never hesitated to ask. I was there when you needed me and that wasn’t too long ago. But when things started going your way, it was me you did not know. As if that weren’t enough, I provided your favorite luxuries. This was something I didn’t have to do-they weren’t even necessities. And when it was time to get on your knees and show your gratitude, you decided that after such a fulfilling day, you weren’t in the mood. So I decided to give you just a little test. To show you how it would feel to stop being blessed." I began to realize what the Lord was saying. And when I got home, I fell to my knees and started praying. He said, "My child, you have learned and you know I do forgive. But remember to remember this day as long as you shall live. I love filling your life with joy, and your pain I’ll alleviate it. But just a simple thank you would show how much you appreciate it."
In our world today we have leaders that are great and have been a good influence on the world we live in. The Pope is gone now and they are looking for a new leader. Every four years we in America go to the poles to elect a new leader of our country. Each year in our church we elect leaders to serve on the board. We are in need of leaders for many areas of our lives. The leaders that are chosen last for a time period and have to be replaced. The disciples were in a period after the Lord had been resurrected. They witnessed Him coming alive and had seen His resurrected body 12 times in a forty day period. He was alive but had ascended back to heaven and was no longer on the earth. They were looking for new leadership to guide them as they lived for Christ. In the spiritual world in which God reigns Supreme we have leadership from Him as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When Jesus left he gave these orders. Acts 1:4, LK 24:49. The disciples at this time were having problems that they needed help with. Peter had denied the Lord and had confessed he loved him. James and John were still thinking about positions in the kingdom. The other disciples had problems with their spiritual lives. They needed power and a Leader to help them in what Jesus had left them to do. I ask you today who you look to for guidance in your life. I know we all have situations and circumstances that we have the ability to choose one way or
another and either choice could be good or a bad decision. I am glad Jesus said to wait upon the Holy Spirit.
A simple out line for the message for today for those of us who need help is:
1. He gives us promise for a perplexed people. The Holy Spirit is here to help people. The Bible says that God is love and as His body we are to be like Him. I would like us to focus on some truths. You are never a failure if you are giving out your life in love
I have been in places where it seems they only want to increase their numbers in church and if they do that they believe they have fulfilled God’s purpose. The focus on numbers becomes the reason for that church. But to please God we must focus on people wherever we are. We do not change the world by being here on Sunday morning but as we go out in our community giving out love.
We are to give out positive words and actions. People are in need of praise and good news more when things are not going well than when they have had no problems. People want to hear about how God is working in your life and the Good News about Jesus Christ.
We need to be excited about what Christ is doing. We grow by having fellowship events in making people feel loved. Just sitting in church does not do that. What ideas do we have to bring people together that they may be under the influence of Christ in our lives?
We grow deeper through discipline in our life. Just listening to a sermon does not do this. One has to take time to read and study the Bible. One has to have a daily set prayer time. One needs to take time to talk with others about spiritual life. What ways do you have that helps you become more Christ like?
We become stronger as we worship. Just because we show up in a church building on Sunday does not mean we worship. Why do we sing? It should be to get out focus on God. Why do we give in the offering? To show our love to God and let Him know we are dependant on Him. Why do we listen to the sermon? To change the way the world wants us to think to help us think the way God wants us to think.
Each one that comes to Christ is a minister of the Gospel. It was the Catholic Church who came up with the idea of a division of Lay people and ministers. The Bible does not give us such a division. Everyone who is in Christ is needed to proclaim the Gospel. The Bible speaks of the church as being a body. It then talks of each part being as important any other part. What would eye do without the ear, the foot without hand, the tongue without the nose? All are important and what we do if one of our parts fails to work? A friend of mine cut his thumb this last week and he said it is very hard to type when you do not have use of your left thumb.
The Bible tells that Jesus fills all the believers with His Holy Spirit to do the work that needs to be done. No one is exempt from sharing the Good news about Jesus Christ through a holy life and words. Just going to church will not bring the Gospel to world. Numbers are not the reason for church but it is more exciting when there more people to enjoy life in Christ with. Promise Keepers with 70,000 men did something in my heart that I was not experiencing in a church of 40 people.
Acts 2:42-47
What are we doing everyday to help see that people are being added to the church daily? We are perplexed when we do not have purpose in our lives. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to give us that purpose.
2. Jesus give us purity for polluted professors.
There has been some that think if we do not have quality in our church among believers we will not have church pleasing to Jesus. Those who have lead us to believe that way want us to be a pure church and we can not do that if we have people coming who have wrong living habits. Some churches remain small because they do not want to have sinners in their church that might make others in the community think that all who attend the church are saints with no blemish. What keeps people from coming to church? The church is to be a place that is free to attend to hear t he truth of God’s love. The church is to be place where people may attend and fellowship in the best way. The church is to be a place where people come to be refreshed and renewed after being beat down by the world.
A church that has a people that are living a changed life will attract others to the church. It is hard to stay away from a place where people are loved as they are. God gives love in a church because He wants people to be able to find real life. The church that is excited about how Jesus has changed them from wicked ways to loving ways will be attractive to people to people who lack love. I believe that people want to be involved in a place and around people who are full of joy. One of the biggest hindrances to keep people from coming to church is that they see in the people who attend the church a bad attitude or a sour disposition. Do you want to go to a place where all there is, is complaining and grumbling people? What have you said to others this week that made them think this is the best church in the world to go to?
I also wonder if some in the church do not invite others to come because they do not see exciting things happening in the church. Why do people go to movies? Because there is action. Why do people go to sporting events? Because of the exciting things that can happen on the field or court. If a church does not want new converts coming into the church they should hang up a sign outside saying, “We do not care if you perish and miss heaven.” The church is here to seek and save the lost and as long as people are lost we have work to do. We are going to miss out on the blessings that God wants to do for us if we do not become excited and let that excitement get into our everyday lives. We are here to help people leave a life of wickedness and follow Jesus. We should count people in our church because people count to Jesus. The more we help to come to church the more that are going to be changed and they will go out to bring more in to be changed. Jesus makes us pure not to sit on the shelf and be admired but to go to a lost world. The Holy Spirit is here today to give us purity so we can help others know the love of God.
3. Jesus gives us power to overcome pitiful problems.
We need to hear the truth to live a changed life. Some assume that if a church is growing they have let down on the truth of the Gospel to make it easier for people to follow Christ? Then why is it that Jesus was able to attract large crowds to follow Him? The power of the Gospel is Good News and people want to hear good news. He not only attracted adults but He had children climbing on His lap to hear Him. A Christ centered church will affect people in the same way. Jesus was God in the flesh so His message was pure and right from God for us to understand. The greater the commitment the greater will be the response. People will give themselves to something that is worth giving their lives to. Jesus was very plain in what He wanted when said, “Come follow me.” He did not expect saints at that time but wanted commitment so they would be given to be like Him. Jesus never lowered the standards but started where people were. He helped Peter who followed a far off and was fearful of people. All the disciples it says in the Bible forsook and fled when Jesus was arrested. It was to them He said “Wait.” Jesus knows we all have problems and He through the Holy Spirit can give us power to overcome those problems.
4. JESUS is able to renew our PURPOSE WHEN OUR PASSION IS GONE.
We lose purpose for living when we have not passion. When all we see is problems. When we loose hope for living. The only way we can keep focused on purpose is to keep focused on Jesus. We cannot look at people. Here is an example:
"Following The Right Course" In a recent NCAA cross-country championship held in Riverside, California, 123 of the 128 runners missed a turn. One competitor, Mike Delcavo, stayed on the 10,000-meter course and began waving for fellow runners to follow him. Delcavo was able to convince only four other runners to go with him. Asked what his competitors thought of his mid-race decision not to follow the crowd, Delcavo responded, "They thought it was funny that I went the right way." Delcavo was one who ran correctly. In the same way, our goal is to run correctly--to finish the race marked out for us by Christ. We can rejoice over those who have courage to follow, ignoring the laughter of the crowd.
If people only knew about Jesus what they saw in you, how well would they know Him?
