Kingdom Climate 2
I. Introduction
We confuse climate with weather. They are not the same thing. Climate is in fact defined as "a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years." So this is more than weather! Climate is in fact what sets weather into motion. Climate controls weather. Climate dictates what the weather will be like. Climate can be a great destabilizing force. So some of you are fighting storms, trouble, difficulties and you only seem to get temporary relief or respite. Then those same challenges show up on the horizon again! We expend all of our energy on fighting weather when if we would spend the same efforts on controlling the climate the storms, patterns, cycles would change! We have a tendency to react to the patterns and never do anything to address the climate that is causing those patterns. Some of you have been fighting the same fight new versions for 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and you rail against the weather but never deal with the root which is the climate that produces the weather.
So we began by saying that climate change must be preceded by climate control. Some of us are asking for climate change but we are unwilling to control the climate so the climate dictates no change. We talked about the fact that climate control dictates dismissal. There are folks in your life that have made a profession out of celebrating the death you are living through. They will try to talk you into believing that something is dead that is in reality only asleep. Until you dismiss them you will have no miracle. Then we said that the climate we allow/operate in will forecast our future. We talked about the fact that waves depends on wind. Who do you have in your life that can identify the wind and you make the changes so that the wave will stop?
If you don't think I am on something here regarding the power of climate go back and think about the Prodigal Son and you see it again. Here is a boy that has resources when he is at home. He leaves home and has the same resources but everything goes wrong. Why? What changed? It wasn't the money. It wasn't his name. It wasn't even his status. The only thing that changed was climate! Climate is paramount! When bad weather came to him how did he change the weather? He changed climate! Some of you want the safety and provision of one climate but you refuse to leave the climate that is producing pig pen storm clouds! It was when he attached himself to crazy people that he started having crazy desires!
So last time we shifted gears and I began to attempt to actually articulate from Paul's writings what a Kingdom Climate would look like in our individual life and in a church body. I am literally laying out for you line by line a climate that will produce a totally different weather pattern in every area of your life. Again you can't complain about the weather that the climate you refuse to change produces. The issue is the climate we are talking about absolutely flies in the face and is absolutely opposite of our society's culture and unfortunately even most church cultures.
So Paul starts Romans 12 by addressing the first step to climate change which is to address the way you think.
II. Text
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Then we dug into Romans 12:4-8 which declared that Kingdom Climate is marked by being connected and serving. In fact, joyful service is the litmus test that allows us to tell just how connected you really are! We are not called to be consumers but co-laborers. Without connection there is no protection.
Let's move forward. I must warn you that many of you struggle to even establish connection and service so as we move forward it is going to be even more difficult because this gets harder not easier. However, we are talking about climate change. Climate change never comes easy but the long term patterns it sets into motion is worth the effort and struggle.
Romans 12:9-10; 3 (as I said I would come back to verse 3):
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
Kingdom Climate dictates that we:
1. Connected
2. Serving
3. Have sincere love
According to folk history, the English word sincere comes from two Latin words: sine (without) and cera (wax). In the ancient world, dishonest merchants would use wax to hide defects, such as cracks, in their pottery so that they could sell their merchandise at a higher price. More reputable merchants would hang a sign over their pottery — sine cera (without wax) — to inform customers that their merchandise was genuine. In other words, they were not the folks who would present cheap or fake for the real thing.
How many of you would agree that we like to visit wax museums but no one wants to attend church in one!
May I say to you, with great pain, that the practice and climate of most modern day believers and therefore churches is a lot of talk about love but little to no genuine practice of love. This can be seen in grudges that we harbor, the gossip we gladly share, the accusations we level, the attitudes we refuse to address, and lack of care seen on a regular basis. This is a climate issue.
There are a lot of waxy believers. Fake love. Spoken love but seldom actually seen.
Sincere love? Am I supposed to believe it is real love just because you tell me you love me one time a week in a service? No . . . prove it. Demonstrate it all week long and in every situation. Defend me when I am not around. Give me grace when I am obviously and even intentionally wrong and out of order. Call my name out in prayer. Check on me. Love is sincere when it is active.
Jesus said that we would be known by our love. Our love would be our identifier. Our brand. Our mark. However, when we put out an inferior product it reflects badly on the maker! Waxy love makes us unidentifiable and undesirable. If we don't have sincere love, then we are easily exposed as fake! Without sincere love we are a cheap substitute. Folks can find that at the club. It isn't real love . . . how many bar tenders check on their customers during the week . . . then they come to the church and get mad when no one checks on them. And rightfully so . . . we are supposed to have sincere love. We must recognize that the expectations placed on us are higher and they should be because we are supposed to be different! We are supposed to be the real thing.
Real love is the basis and the foundation of the other climate commands that Paul gives. Without sincere love we have no ability to establish the rest.
4. Run away from evil. Hang onto good.
Again this is about climate. Make no mistake this definitely deals with protecting your witness, testimony and where we spend time and money. You can't get away from the fact that we must be careful about what we dwell on, watch, and listen too. However, we must remember that Paul is dealing with the climate of how we relate to one another. He is teaching us how to handle each other's mess! If you don't believe that we have trouble with this, then why is it if someone graduates college, gets a big promotion, receives a huge blessing there is no deluge of texts and Facebook posts? However, let one of our young ladies get pregnant by her boyfriend or let someone make a bad decision and get caught and group texts begin. Our twitter feeds explode. The whispers begin!
Paul says that when we are dealing with each other we should hang onto what is good. Listen, there are a lot of things about you that I don't like but if I am determined to have climate change I must make a conscious choice to focus my attention/hang onto/believe what is good about you. It doesn't mean I don't see or that I ignore what is bad about you but it does mean that I can't fixate on that. It means I look to your good as I help you overcome the bad. It doesn't mean that we are afraid to address, confront, and challenge you on the bad, to correct the evil or to call sin what it is. It doesn't mean we won't break fellowship if you refuse to repent and continue in self-destructive, open, and defiant sin. Why? Because we have genuine love and I can't let you continue to live in sin or to be exposed to the danger of your current actions without saying something! Kingdom climate, which is founded on sincere love, dictates that in the process of calling out and holding accountable that we don't define you by the bad but the good. I will believe the best about you! Too many of us believe the worst first. We are too suspicious. I abhor and detest what is evil! But about you I believe what is good and I will cling to and call out the good in you!
5. Loyal
Here is something that is missing from our climate today. Loyalty is a lost quality. We have taken "To thine own self be true" as a way of living and operating in relationships. Loyalty means we are committed to each other through thick or thin, good or bad, convenient or inconvenient, mountain top or valley. It means I am not around only as long as I can get something from you or it is good for me. It means I am here for you for the long haul. It means conflict, feelings, or even arguments are not going to cause me to turn on you or walk away from you. I will give you the benefit of the doubt in all things. Why? You aren't just another relationship. You are part of me. We are members of the same body and I can't do without you any more than my physical body can't operate effectively without my nose! You are essential for me. Therefore, I am loyal to you. Loyal like Jonathan who chose David over his own family.
I will fight for you! Treat me wrong I am not going anywhere. Hurt me . . . I am like glue. I am loyal to you. I am stuck to you. I am devoted to you! We walk away too easily and too quickly! There are people who we must turn over, walk away from, have no association with (those who are totally unrepentant). However, we don't have that option just because someone gets on our nerves or wrongs us once. Our lack of loyalty causes us to walk away from relationships we desperately need.
6. Honor
In verse 3, Paul lays the foundation for this climate altering trait. There is no way you can establish a climate of honor if you are only or overly concerned with yourself. Paul says we shouldn't think of ourselves more highly than we ought. Why? Because he knew that if we think too highly of ourselves we would never be able to honor someone above ourselves. We would never be willing to play second fiddle. We would never be able to come to the place where we would not only applaud but assist someone else to succeed if it means that I don't.
Paul is adamant that we must establish a culture of honor because he knew this . . . God's blessings are found in a climate of honor. Children honor your parents. Wives honor your husbands. Employees honor your boss. Honor those who labor among you. Honor is not about position . . . it is about life source. We are instructed to honor anything that is a life source. We are to honor one another because you are a life source to me! This means that although I could do that solo better than you I honor you and give you a shot. This means although I could take the best parking spot closest to the door I honor you. Means I am doing my best to help your dream to come true. Means I am here to make sure you get your blessing.
One version even goes so far as to say . . . outdo one another in preferring one another. Man if you want to compete let's change the climate and compete like that. Yeah you out did me in honoring someone else. Let's see who can honor more! By the way this isn't good just towards the leaders or pastor. We should honor everyone. Everyone is essential. Everyone is important.
Remember . . . when Samuel was tasked with anointing the next king and had tried to anoint all of Jesse's sons and David was absent? Samuel would not sit down till David arrived. Some of us sit down on what God has anointed. So the appointed and anointed never arrives because we don't practice honor. The appointed king can't walk in if your sitting down. Your refusal to honor results in an absence of anointed folks in your life. Honor pulls the anointing into your life.
Often God will send us WHAT WE NEED in a package WE DO NOT WANT. David wasn't packaged like Samuel expected. Don't allow dishonor to disqualify you from receiving the gift!
Talk about a climate change. Does this sound like most church families? Does this sound like this church? Does this sound like the climate of your life personally because we are corporately what you are individually? Don't hate on the church weather that your personal climate creates! We want to rail against the weather of loneliness, apathy, anger, hurt feelings but we won't work to establish Kingdom Climate! So when we get mad we bail. When we aren't served we bail. When someone took my spot and got blessed I get mad and sulk. When I didn't get to sing when and with whom I want . . . when I didn't get my song sung on a Sunday . . . when I hear something bad about you I use it as ammo to make me feel better about me at your expense.
Listen I just need to tell you where I am today. I am tired of trying to build a church! I am telling you it is time to build a kingdom climate and the church will grow as a result because the climate is so stark in contrast to anything else out there that people will want to be a part. The reason folks are skipping church and are faithful to the Lions Club or the water park is because the climate at those places is often more kingdom than the church. The enemy gets them to settle for a cheap substitute. It is time for a climate change! I realize that just preaching about it won't get the job done. However, I also know that we have to call some things into existence that are not. It is time to do the hard work! It is time to hammer out a Kingdom Climate that will produce unbelievable and undeniable weather!
Our climate should be:
Connected
Serving
Sincere Love
Love Good/Hate Evil
Loyal
Honoring
What if everyone was as connected, served, loved, hung on to good, loyal and honored as much as you?
I challenge you this week . . . connect, serve, and find an opportunity to show genuine love, loyalty, or honor.
