23, January 2005
Dakota Community Church
Can You Believe It?
Introduction:
Yes you can!
Answering that question is a no brainer, like choosing life or do you want a spank?
We are believers – it is what we instinctively do.
Quote:
"I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history." - H.G. Wells
It is who and what we are – we have staked eternity on it.
What are we believing for here at Dakota Community Church?
What kind of Church are we going to be?
We will be whatever we believe for.
1. We are believing for a Church with a strong Word foundation.
In the wilderness the children of Israel had to collect manna everyday, only for that day. If you don’t get the word every day you will not survive.
John 8: 31-32
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
It is the truth you KNOW that makes you free.
A word church is a free church!
Psalm 107: 20
He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
A word church is a healthy Church. You don’t need to touch the hem of His garment, you are the Body of Christ, and you are wearing the garment now!
Psalm 119: 111
Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.
A word church is a joyful church! The bible says that in His presence is fullness of joy; tell your face about it! The joy of the Lord is our strength so a church without joy is a weak church.
Psalm 119: 165
Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
A solid foundation in God’s word will bring peace and stability to your life. A congregation of this kind of people is a great place to belong!
Psalm 119: 105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Illustration:
Ravi Zacharias, a Christian intellectual who travels around the world lecturing in secular settings on spiritual themes, tells of an experience he had in Columbus, Ohio. He writes, “A few weeks ago, I did a lectureship at Ohio State University. As I was being driven to the lecture, we passed the new Wexner Art Center. The driver said, ‘This is a new art building for the university. It is a fascinating building designed in the post-modernist view of reality.’ The building has no pattern. Staircases go nowhere. Pillars support nothing. The architect designed the building to reflect life. It went nowhere and was mindless and senseless. I turned to the man describing it and asked, ‘Did they do the same thing with the foundation?’ He laughed. You can’t do that with a foundation. You can get away with the infrastructure. You can get away with random thoughts that sound good in defense of a world view that ultimately doesn’t make sense. Once you start tampering with the foundations, you begin to see the serious effects.”
The problem in our culture is that ideologically we not only have staircases going nowhere and pillars supporting nothing, but we are also tampering with the foundations. The whole world is built on the foundation of God’s Word. The Bible is not just a book of religious writings; its words are what the world is built upon. God is the Designer and Architect of the world. His will and his laws are the foundation of life. If the foundation is not there, the whole building begins to crumble, no matter how beautiful it is. But we live in a relativistic age which questions truth and out rightly rejects the Word of God. Unless there is a turnaround, we will find our culture collapsing upon itself. When God created the world he built it upon his laws and principles. And whether we agree with them or not, like them or not, we either accept them or accept the consequences of breaking them. Those laws and principles are carefully spelled out in God’s book, the Word of God, which we call the Bible. If all of life is based on the principles found there, then it is extremely important that we are acquainted with what this book says.
A word Church is a church that knows the direction the Lord wants it to go.
Do you struggle with what you are supposed to do? Get into the word.
Whenever there is confusion the best thing to do is to go to the word. Councilors are great but the word is the best. Both together are really great.
Psalm 119: 9-11
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
A word church is a holy church. Why do we want to have the word as our source and our authority and our foundation? In it are the answers to breaking every evil hold on your life.
Romans 10: 17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
One word from God can change your life forever!
This world needs to see the church walking in its full potential. They will only see that through being saturated with the Word. Why?
John 1: 1-5, 10-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
A word church is a church that imitates Jesus. Let’s aim that high!
2. We are believing for a Church that reaches young people.
God is calling us to reach a generation that is growing up with very little or no spiritual foundation. That makes our job tougher but even more crucial.
Quotes form the book “13TH Gen.”
“We are raising a generation without a future.” – President Bill Clinton
“We are the first society in history in which a person is more likely to be poor if they are young rather than old.” – Senator Daniel Monahan
“This is the first generation to be looked on as a regression rather than an advance.”
“Instinctively one generation has always provided for the next. Here suddenly there is a departure from that.” – John Clarke – Principle in a town that voted to raise taxes to fund a seniors complex while cutting the school budget by 17%
“We’re spending our children’s inheritance.” – Popular bumper sticker
“This is the aborted generation.” – Estimates of up to ¼ of their numbers have been murdered before drawing a breathe.
They are cynical, they are hopeless, they are aimless and most of all they are just what God is looking for!
1Samuel 17: 42
He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him.
Daniel 1: 17
To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.
Jeremiah 1: 4-9
The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
"Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, ’I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.
Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth.
1Samuel 3: 1 & 19
The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.
Luke 2: 42-47
When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
1Timothy 4: 11-13
Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.
What do all of these young people have in common?
They were all born in socially messed up circumstances – not unlike this current generation of young people.
Historical Quotes:
"I see no hope for the future for people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today. For certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was a boy we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wild and impatient."
(Greek poet Hesiod)
"Youth today love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, no respect for older people, and talk nonsense when they should work. Young people do not stand up any longer when adults enter a room. They contradict their parents, talk too much in company, guzzle their food, lay their legs on the table, and tyrannize their elders."
(Socrates)
"The world is passing through troublous times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents of old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they know everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are forward and immodest and unwomanly in speech, behavior, and dress."
(Peter the Hermit AD 1274)
God uses young people!
We need to make them word based young people!
3. We are believing for a Church that is not ruled by the traditions of man.
We want to be a congregation that does not worship any sacred cows!
TOP 5 SIGNS YOUR CHURCH IS TOO CONTEMPORARY:
5. At the annual meeting, you play Survivor to elect new leaders
4. When asked what church things begin with "J", the youth in church shout "Java" before "Jesus"
3. When asked, "Who wrote the Bible?" most members say "Eugene Peterson"
2. To be user-friendly, the building committee installs a Jacuzzi rather than a conventional baptistery
1. The "Left Behind" Bible isn’t the one you forgot at church
Silly Church traditions have blocked the way to Jesus long enough!
- The music
- The money
- The building
- The dress code
Anything that is not a biblical standard must not be allowed to hinder access to the cross.
Matthew 9: 10-13
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Religion is always willing to sacrifice people to preserve itself.
Jesus is only coming for people!
Conclusion:
A boy had just returned from Vietnam and called his father and mother who lived in Boston. He said to his mother, "I just called to tell you I am on my way home, and I want to bring a buddy home with me."
His mother said, "Sure, bring him along for a few days." The son said, "But, mother, there is something I must tell you about this boy, one leg is gone, one arm is gone, one eye is gone, and his face is disfigured."
The mother said, "Well, go ahead and bring him, but only for a few days." The son said, "But, mother, he is going to live the rest of his life with us." She replied, "No, son, he can’t stay. He would be an embarrassment to us. What would people think? Besides, we just can’t be bothered with caring for someone in that shape. The son hung up.
A few hours later the police called from California to Boston. The police sergeant at the other end said, "We just found a man with one arm, one leg, one eye, and a disfigured face, who has committed suicide. The identification papers on the body say he is your son."
Let’s not lose them because they are inconvenient or because they make us uncomfortable.
