Video review of 2013 - (Photos from various church events set to the music of "Press On" by Selah)
What a great review. Some events were missed but it looks like we’re a group of believers who love one another.
What about our personal lives? What about our personal relationship with Jesus? What if God made up a video of your life in 2013; what would that look like? Your devotional life. The way you treated others. The way you handled the finances with which the Lord has blessed you.
Would we want that video to be shown for all of us here today?
During the video we heard a song about “pressing on”. (by Selah)
They lyrics are awesome:
When the valley is deep - When the mountain is steep
When the body is weary - When we stumble and fall
When the choices are hard - When we're battered and scarred
When we've spent our resources - When we've given our all
Chorus:
In Jesus' name, we press on - In Jesus' name, we press on
Dear Lord, with the prize - Clear before our eyes
We find the strength to press on
In Jesus' name, we press on - In Jesus' name, we press on
Dear Lord, with the prize - Clear before our eyes
We find the strength to press on - To press on
Hosea 6:3 (NASB) says it this way:
“So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.”
“So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the (drenching, winter) rain, like the (gentle) spring rain watering the earth.”
Pressing on, going deeper with the Lord, how can we do this?
Recently Pastor Karenlee and I have been discussing our Sunday evening service. This is basically what our church activities look like week after week:
Sunday School (Bible lesson)
Morning Worship
Sunday Evening Gathering (Same as SS but with a few hymns)
Tuesday Women’s Luncheon (lunch with Bible lesson)
Wednesday Evening Gathering (Same as SS but with food and an extended time of prayer)
In essence we have four SS (Bible Study) sessions and morning worship.
Is this bad? NO, it is not!
Now, let me make this REALLY clear! We love gathering together to study the Bible. Bible knowledge is critical to our lives in Christ.
But, Bible knowledge without applying it to our lives is disobedience.
(Accountability Groups) One of the ideas we’ve been discussing is the idea of having accountability groups on Sunday evening.
John Wesley developed three types of small groups: societies, classes and bands for the purposes of support, accountability, and encouragement.
Accountability groups are a modern version of this model
First there were Societies. These were large groups of believers with the men and women separated to opposite sides of the gathering place. The speaker gave a lecture or sermon. There was no interaction, no questions asked and no responses. This was informative and not evangelistic.
Second, there were Class meetings
(medium mixed groups of 10 - 12 people)
Now, imagine that you are in such a meeting and you are being asked the following questions to which you must give a verbal response …
Group Questions:
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I
am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in
confidence?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
6. Did the Bible live in me today?
7. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
8. Am I enjoying prayer?
9. When did I last speak to someone about my faith?
10. Do I pray about the money I spend?
11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
12. Do I disobey God in anything?
13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is
uneasy?
14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
16. How do I spend my spare time?
17. Am I proud?
18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the
Pharisee who despised the publican?
19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold
resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do
about it?
20. Do I grumble and complain constantly?
21. Is Christ real to me?
What an absolutely amazing set of questions! It seems that they cover every aspect of accountability before the Lord and to the body of Christ, His church.
Finally there is the Band meeting
(small group 2-3 people, same gender and general age)
This is a group of very trusted individuals, not slapped together in a haphazard manner.
Once again, just imagine that you are in such a meeting with two other people of the same gender and general age. You all love each other in the Lord, confess to one another and encourage each other. Imagine having to ask and answer these question every time you get together!
1. What known sins have you committed since our last meeting?
2. What temptations have you met with?
3. How were you delivered?
4. What have you thought, said, or done, of which you doubt
whether it be sin or not?
5. Is there anything you desire to keep secret?
As I read articles about accountability groups some people saw them as “sin control” groups rather than spiritual development groups and this would be entirely possible if the questions focused only on behavior and not on the spiritual cause of the behavior.
This sort of transparent honesty is terrifying in our society.
Why? Because we live in a critical, judgmental world. We often see God as just waiting for us to sin so that He can punish us.
Let’s assume that we’re in a small accountability group and each one of us is in Christ and Christ is in each one of us.
We are friends but do we really know and love each other enough to trust ourselves to this kind of openness and honesty?
How would our lives change if we did?
Suppose we had all been in groups with open support, confession, encouragement and prayer in the year 2013.
Remember when we thought about what a video of our lives as we lived them in 2013 would look like?
Now, compare that mental video to one that would have been made if you had been part of a Class group and a Band group throughout the year.
What would the video of our year look like then?
How would the two videos compare?
1 Thessalonians 5:11
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
What has God called us to be?
Philippians 3:12
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
Can we press on to take hold of Christ better alone or walking with brothers and sisters in the Lord; brothers and sisters with whom we can gain support, confession and encouragement?
Please be in prayer that whatever we decide in this matter that it will please the Lord.
