Sermon Central
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Tipping Sacred Cows
Contributed by Ken Hubbard on Feb 2, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: A sermon addressing the need to change church as usual.
-I want to talk to you about transitions that need to happen in the church world. In the process I am sure I will TIP SOME SACRED COWS!
• Citipoint is in a time of transition
• At the same time the church, as a whole, is in a time of shifting…
o From affluence to influence
o From consume to contributor
o From selfish power to servant power
o From program investment to people investment
• The world believes that the church is...
o Insignificant...insufficient...irrelevant
• Yet, God is going to raise His church up with…
o Power...Prominence...Position
• These may be challenging times for the church
• But they are great times.
• My fear is that we become so enamored with having church
• That we lose the purpose of having church
• We must understand that our transition is positioning in a place to do and be what He has called us to do and be
• We are, in fact, a Chosen Generation
• Our purpose of coming to church must change
o It’s not socializing or fulfilling religious duty
o It’s no longer being satisfied with two perfectly sung songs
o 20 minutes of poetic phrasing / called preaching
o We must have an encounter with God
o We must get in the place where heaven opens
o We must change ourselves
o So we can change our world
o My position is as a watchman on the wall
o I am not here for your entertainment
o We have destroyed the purpose of the pastor in the church
o We have everything except what the Bible declares
o I must not only lead a charge
o But prepare the church for the same charge
o I cannot be satisfied with our accomplishment
o But with an undying, unyielding passion, push, press on
Transition – a passage from one position to another
- transitions – most painful / most fruitful
We are all living in a time of major transition in the church world
o And while it may be very painful
o I believe they will be the most fruitful season
Because in
“In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh”
“The master of the banquet saves the best wine for last.”
God is transitioning His church for a great end time harvest.
And is ready to pour out new wine
But, we are still stuck in an old wine skin system!
Systems:
Saul – Man’s choice - religious
David – God’s choice - spiritual
Lot – Sodom – misplacement of
Fathering anointing
Abraham - Fathering anointing
Many sons
Etc.
Babylonian 3 Hebrews, broke
Systems / Cultures have to change
We can remodel / spend money and dress up an old system
And not change anything
We live under old systems
Samuel was replacing the old system of Eli
o Saul – David
o Abraham – Lot
o Babylon – 3 Hebrew boys
We are in a transition:
Globally
Ecumenically
Socially
Governmentally
Personally – Citipoint
Transition = a passage from one place to another
New wine is poured out into new wineskins.
God can’t pour new blessing (wine)
Into old wineskins (systems)
We break systems by tipping sacred cows
And having new wineskin (systems)
o The church can no longer be for those who want to
Play church
Control a Pastor
Have a little word and a lot of self
Debate
Power Struggles
1. SACRED COW NEW WINE SKIN
Church as Mother Church as Father
• We live in a generation that has been over mothered and under fathered
o Mother is the nurturing one
o Mother is the encouraging one
o Everything in the church is fine when we operate in a mothering system
o But people get upset when the fathering system steps in
o Because this generation is not accustomed to a fathering system.
• Father
o Sets the system – an order
o Disciplines
o Guards the gate – Adam
o Give banks to the river
• The role of a father is of great importance
o In family life
o And church life
• Under-fathering is dangerous because
o No vision
o No rules
o Guidelines
o Standards
• Just as over-fathering
o Abuse of power
Authority Rests in the relationship not position
Relationship is not build from authority
5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."
