Good morning Calvary. I am so excited about this new series we are beginning today. Over the next few weeks we will discover how we can learn the will of God. Although many people think it is a mystery to know the will of God, God has made it known to us in many ways. This first week we are going to look at a few things that we know is part of God’s will for everyone, and a few ways we can come accomplish them.
Some of us are concerned about knowing the will of God, and I understand that, I also want to know that what do, what I say, where I go are all in the will of God. However, there are some action we don’t need to ask is it God’s will, because He has already said, this is my will. Let’s take our bibles and look at a few examples.
Look at Matthew 28:19–20 (NIV84)
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
From reading this we know that it is God’s will that we make disciples. We don’t have to question, should or shouldn’t, I don’t know, may I should, but then again what if God don’t want me to. No! God wants us to share our faith and make disciples.
He said, MAKE DISCIPLES how by baptizing people and teaching people. We know this is God’s will.
Greg Laurie was right when he said in a sermon
I think that we way overcomplicate this thing that we call evangelism… I think most Christians know more than enough to go out and start sharing their faith. We are just afraid to try. We are afraid to fail. Maybe we are afraid to succeed. I don’t know.
God has called us to make disciples. In every place, in every way, in every language possible. So I going to suggest that Ruth you go to the Russian, Tim I need you to go to China, Jim how about you going to Germany, the rest of you just pick a country, learn the language, and go be the hand and feet of Jesus around the world,
What! We can’t do that, how then are we going to reach the world for Jesus Christ?
Well, lets come back to that in a few minutes.
What else do we know is the will of God? Look at
Matthew 22:37–38 (NIV84)
37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
We know that it is the will of God for us to Love the Lord our God; How: with all our heart, with all your soul; and all your mind.
We are to love our neighbor like ourselves.
John Macarthur said, “Someone has said, and I’m not sure who, that love may not make the world go around, but it sure makes the trip worthwhile. ”
There are neighbors all around us who need to experience love. Real love.
James reminds us that love must be more than lip service. James 2:14–17 (NIV84)
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
So we know that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, but how. What if we could provide the homeless with a new home, or feed the hungry in southern Ohio, or may provide medince for the low income families.
It will cost us over one million dollars, can we add that to our budget Ronda? Ronda is our treasurer. No! Again we are called to do something that seems impossible. We cannot afford to do it ourselves, nor can we afford to hire others to do it for us. So what is the answer? Do we just let this call go unanswered? Do say, God we talked about it, and decided it was impossible. So we just gave.
Do spend the rest of our days, overwhelmed, defeated, and beaten down.
That may have been how Dr. Gordy Klatt felt as he looked at defeating cancer. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Gordy Klatt, a Tacoma colorectal surgeon, wanted to enhance the income of his local American Cancer Society office. He decided to personally raise money for the fight by doing something he enjoyed—running marathons.
In May 1985, Dr. Klatt spent a grueling 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma for more than 83 miles. Throughout the night, friends paid $25 to run or walk 30 minutes with him. He raised $27,000 to fight cancer. That first year, nearly 300 of Dr. Klatt's friends, family, and patients watched as he ran and walked the course.
While he circled the track those 24 hours, he thought about how others could take part. He envisioned a 24-hour team relay event that could raise more money to fight cancer. Months later he pulled together a small committee to plan the first team relay event known as the City of Destiny Classic 24-Hour Run Against Cancer.
In 1986, 19 teams took part in the first team relay event on the track at the colorful, historical Stadium Bowl and raised $33,000. An indescribable spirit prevailed at the track and in the tents that dotted the infield.
Now, Today, more than 5,000 Relay For Life events take place across twenty countries.
How did it happen, 5,000 communities with across 20 countries worked together to raise over 5 million dollars.
What if churches did the same thing to reach out to the world with the love of Christ? What if we could create a system to join us together so each of us would do our part to reach around the world? Then Ruth would not need to go to Russia, Tim you would not need to go to China, no trip to Germany, or the need to digging out our passports.
But what system could do so much? Well, we don’t need to create it, it was created years ago. As a United Methodist Church, we are already a part of an organism that is reaching around the world.
(Video)
As you see, together, we are making an big impact reaching our world with the love of Jesus Christ. As we pay our connectional giving, as we each church works together, we are able to fund programs like, imagine no malaria, Jackson Area Ministries, CARE outreach in McArthur, but we are also able to send missionaries to Zaire, to South America, and to places here in the United States.
This morning we know our God wants us to make disciples, not only here in Jackson, but around the world, We know we are to love our neighbor, the one next door, and the as well as the one in Russia. Through our connection, we can.
Next week we are going to look at barriers to us knowing God’s will.
Amen.
