New Year Challenge – A closer Walk
Bumping into Ross-anne at Supermarket
At the supermarket this past week, I was at the meat counter when this girl came up and threw her arms around me
Fortunately I knew her
She belongs to a Christian group, “Cornerstone” who operates an evangelistic ministry in Ballarat.
We hadn’t seen each other for over 6 months and we spent some time catching up with what was going on in her life and the life of her team.
It was great to hear the news of what God was doing in their lives, but I did have one regret.
The leader of the team, Nerida, had become engaged and moved back to Burke
My disappointment came from not catching up with her before she left.
This is what happens though when we don’t stay in contact with one another
we lose track of what is happening in each other’s lives.
It the same with God. When we don’t stay in touch with Him as we should, we lose track of his agenda for our lives.
As we start a New Year, it’s important we step back and evaluate our relationship with our Great God
For me personally, the most important aspect of the changes our church has been through is this aspect of how we now relate to God
Instead of trying to relate to God through the law, it is now defined through a personal relationship of love
No longer is it a matter of trying to win God’s approval by performing impossible tasks
I know I have been accepted into a personal relationship with the God of the universe through the blood of Jesus Christ
This change has a dramatic influence on how we practice our Christianity
Let me ask you a question
Think of two individuals – both Christians
One gets up early and spends time in prayer and Bible Study before heading off to work
The other gets up late and rushes off to work without touching bases with God
Which one does God love the most?
God loves them both equally – God does not love in degrees like we do,
nor does he love conditionally - “If you do this, I will love you”
How would we be if this is how we related to our spouses
We would never tolerate this in our own personal relationships, so why do we think God operates in this way
God loves us all, period!
Does he like it when we talk to him and read his word – absolutely, but we can’t equate this with His loving us more
John 5:39-40 “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life;
like the Pharisees we can study the Bible all we like to acquire knowledge about God
But knowledge about God is not going to give us eternal life
and these are they which testify of Me.
the scriptures, the law and the prophets were given to lead us to the source of true life, Jesus Christ
40 “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can bring eternal life
we do Christian things because of a relationship, not because it is a condition of God’s love, or because we are told to or else!
Sons of God do godly things, it is part of our new nature
As this verse says, we have to be willing to come to Jesus Christ, not just academically, but personally
Notice what drove the apostle Paul
Phil 3:10-11 All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life.
Can’t get any more personal than that
How well do we know God - Rowland Croucher
The business of knowing God, and it is after all our chief business, is not so easily practised as it is talked about. For many of us ’knowing God’ consists of having given intellectual assent to Christ’s claims to duty and having accepted the fact that Christ died for our sins. We then blithely go through the routine of life, say a few mumbled prayers -- perhaps even on a daily basis
-- study the Bible a little and regularly attend the services of the church. We might even be involved in volunteer ministry. We might just feel serious enough about the whole thing to tithe. For some, ’knowing God’ may even have led them to attend Bible college or seminary -- perhaps even to engage in ’full-time’ Christian ministry. But is this what is really meant by ’knowing God’?
’Knowing God’ goes far deeper.
We parrot the phrase ’having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ’. But do we really understand what we are talking about? Do we realise that those words refer to ’intimate, constant
companionship’? It is a relationship very much like being in the presence of one’s best friend all day long and constantly interrupting the work or the silence for conversation wherein you
reveal the deepest longing, pains, fears, joys and sorrows that you’ve experienced. And it is two-way conversation. How often do we really listen to God? Do we study the Bible simply to have more and better Bible knowledge? Or, do we study the scriptures to hear and see and know the Person behind them? And does our knowledge really change us in any way? Indeed, we may
become more ’mystical’, more ’spiritual’, and ’free’. But how does our companionship with God change the way we act towards others? Do we love more deeply, with greater sensitivity, greater
practicality? In God’s name how have we loved? With greater mercy, compassion and generosity? Have we loved only with our tongues and not with food, clothing and shelter for the poor? Or, have we loved in action, only to let our razor tongues destroy another child of the Father? How well do we know God? How well do we image Christ? It is to that extent, and no further, that true knowledge of God dwells in us.
This is the transition we all need to make
All to often, our Christianity is focused too much on ourselves and not enough on Jesus Christ
our approach to our Christian disciplines should be the same as Paul’s – “All I want - is to know Christ”
Lets take prayer for an example
To often this is our approach - If I pray, God will love me more; or He will stop me being run over by a truck today; or it will make me a better Christian; or He will give me what I want
The focus is primarily on us
However, the focus of prayer is not about making us better, or making us more loveable, or a better Christian, or getting what we want
Rather, prayer is more about jumping on the phone and talking to our best friend
“Hey Jesus, what do you think about that hunk, Gary?” Pretty handsome huh?
Rather prayer is an exchange of views, but rather than forcing our opinion on what we think about that incredible hunk, “God, please let it be him!”, we listen for God’s opinion on the matter - “thy will be done”
I want to know what Jesus thinks, I want His advice, I want to know His mind or his will on a matter, so that I can react to the circumstances like Jesus would react
That’s what Paul meant when he said, “All I want - is to know Christ”
Paul knew if he truly knew Jesus Christ, everything else would automatically fall into line
That’s why prayer needs to be more than just talking to God at a specific time each day
That’s good, but he wants to be, and we should want to include him, in every moment of our day
This sounds a lot more like “walking with God” and being “instant in prayer” than just spending a set time each day with God
Bible Study
the focus of Bible Study is not about the accumulation of knowledge of God
its not to make me a moral person
God is not concerned with what you do so much as what you are!
Its not to tell us how to live
its not to understand prophesy
It’s all about – “All I want - is to know Christ”
Jesus needs to leap off the pages of the Bible
Again its about relationship – studying God’s Word is just that, understanding and knowing God
What about Church Attendance
Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
What is the reason of church services - “All I want - is to know Christ”
This is why we should want to be at church – and that is what we should get at church – you come to know more about Christ, and I come prepared to teach Christ
General Patton’s comment
We find time to go to the movies, etc, but when it comes to God’s time, it’s negotiable
WHAT DO I GET OUT OF CHURCH?
By Janelle Kangas - WCG Joliet, IL Congregation
We have so many friends who don’t come to the hall;
They say “I don’t get anything from church at all!
We used to hear of the trunk of the tree,
But now there seems to be nothing for me.”
What do I say to these friends that moan,
That would rather stay at home, all alone?
How can I help them, where do I start?
Then I felt God put these words in my heart:
The next time you think, “What do I get out of church?”
May these next words give your heart a lurch.
May the Spirit guide you back to our door
Never to think of these words anymore.
I get to worship God in song,
Knowing the angels are singing along.
I get to pray out loud to God,
Knowing this family won’t think me odd.
I get to raise my hands in song or prayer,
Knowing these friends will not stare or care.
I get to watch the next generation,
Learn to speak of God with adoration.
I get to pray just one for one,
For those in the darkness, who need the Son.
I get to learn of forgiving grace,
God has given the whole human race.
I get to hear of the undying love
Jesus rains down onto us from above.
I get to give to those outside,
Knowing His Spirit is my guide.
I get to have cookies, coffee or tea,
And share with others what God gave to me.
I get to share all the joy and the pain,
And say “God loves you” again and again.
I get to help with the needs of others,
Remembering we all are sisters and brothers.
I get to leave this hall on a spiritual high,
So thankful to God for again answering “Why?”
What, oh God, can I get out of Church?
I hope these words give your heart a lurch.
Please come again to this circle of friends,
For God’s love, and our love, for you never ends.
What about tithes and offering?
Jesus modeled giving by giving his life, I’m only asked to give of my time and resources
Do we really want to know Jesus in this regard
Paul did when he said, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death
Do we look on the things God has commanded us to do as opportunities to become more like Jesus
I could go on to talk about our other Christian responsibilities, relationship with others, our use of spiritual gifts, evangelism
All of these things God asks us to do is to help us to get to know Jesus
We stifle our spiritual development when we don’t do them
1 John 2:3-6 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
The bottom line of what John is saying is, “those who don’t want to pray, or study, or come to church, give, love etc, is that they don’t seem to want to know Jesus
If they did, they would be doing these things
Unfortunately, like so many other things in society today, Christianity is becoming just another commodity to be consumed
What’s in it for me? Its like we are going down a supermarket aisle picking and choosing the aspects we like
That not what true Christianity is like – true Christianity is taking the whole package
True disciples of Jesus Christ are those who want to know Him intimately, and if that involves pain, suffering, and even death, like the apostle Paul, they say, “It is well with my soul”
Revelation 3:20-21 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.21 “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
We don’t like to apply this verse to us do we?
Far to often the real Jesus is left outside knocking on the door, waiting to be invited in
Too often the response is, “I want to know you, but not that well”
He will only come into the lives of those who want to know him intimately like Paul did
Notice if we are intimate, he is intimate with us
As we start a New Year
Let me first of all thank all of you for your faithfulness, your commitment to our great God
I’m sure God is pleased
It has not been an easy year, but it has been a year of spiritual growth
Second, Let me challenge you to start some new spiritual habits so that we improve our own personal relationship with our great God.
He gave everything for us, and held nothing back, not even His own Son.
Its only appropriate we respond in kind by demonstrating we appreciate his love for us by getting to know his Son Jesus Christ and allowing Him to conform us to His image
