C.O.R.E. – E: Equipping – It’s all About Me

Ephesians 4:11-16

¹¹ And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the TRAINING OF THE SAINTS in the WORK of ministry, to BUILD UP the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all REACH UNITY in the faith and in the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S SON, [growing] into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.
¹⁴ Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, let us GROW IN EVERY WAY INTO HIM who is the head—Christ. ¹⁶ From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love BY THE PROPER WORKING OF EACH INDIVIDUAL PART.

Reviewing the CORE –

C – Christ – It’s all about Him!

Jesus Christ has to be at the center of all that we do as His followers and as the church. We do what we do for Him and because of Him. We should constantly be striving to have “the mind of Christ.” To think, love, and act as Jesus would in our daily lives. It’s not easy, but it’s what we are expected to do. When we don’t think like Christ…act like Christ…love like Christ…we leave the world confused and vainly searching for life and hope without any idea where to find it. When the people of the church are living like Jesus it will stir things in people, cause them to wonder and question things about themselves and others, and ultimately enable them to find their way to the source of hope found in a relationship with Christ.

O – Outreach – It’s all about Them!

Our purpose for being the church is to fulfill the Great Commission given to us by our Lord upon His departure. Go…make disciples…share His story. When the church is focused on making disciples and sharing His story we see the impact it can have in live, homes, communities, populations. When the church is silent and stagnant we see the destruction that can come instead. Today there are more vacant churches around in large part because the church as a whole has lost sight of the need to focus on outreach as corporate bodies and individual members. We need to remember that we are here for the people who are not yet here.

R – Relationships – It’s all about Us!

Jesus commanded us to love each other like He has loved us. He declared that this is the way that people around us will know that our faith is genuine, when it is authenticated by the love of Christ expressed by and toward one another. There are no short-cuts to this, we either have true AGAPE love or we don’t—it can’t be faked. Most of the people around us have seen plenty of Christ-followers and churches acting in ways that are not steeped in love. When they see genuine love it will rock their world. Love that is characterized by; grace and mercy; compassion and passion; generosity and action; sacrifice and selflessness. They can deny our claims and statements as much as they want to, but it’s impossible to deny a life characterized by this type of love.

1 John 4:7-21
⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷ By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
¹⁹ We love, because He first loved us. ²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

We Conclude this Sunday with: E – Equipping – It’s all about Me!

Imagine for a moment a stream of people who are in line getting the things they will need for a long journey. There are tables stretching toward the horizon and people picking through the things on the tables in hopes of getting all they will need for the adventure. How silly would it be to decide that I don’t want to wait in line so I’m going to skip it? How far on the road would you make it without the supplies?

For many this is how they approach the Christian journey. Once they are saved they believe that they have all they need. While it’s true that you only need to be saved to have eternal life in heaven, there’s so much more to be experienced and done if you will make being a Christ-Follower part of your daily life. In addition there is victory and strength for life that can only be found in this abiding relationship as a disciple.

The Abiding Truth of Equipping Discipleship

John 15:1-11
¹ “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. ³ “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. ⁶ “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
⁷ “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
⁹ “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
¹⁰ “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. ¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

Abiding in Our Relationship (John 15.1-11) – We are Connected

• Abiding Connection – Living With, Dwelling, Staying, Committed
• Equipping Connection – Getting what is Needed: Nutrients from the roots
• Producing Connection – Bearing Fruit Identified by our Relation
• Preserving Connection – We avoid being cast off as worthless

Abiding is Our Requirement – The Word Disciple Indicates we Must

• You don’t have to be engaged in the discipleship process
• But why wouldn’t you want to be?

Abiding is Our Responsibility – I have to Personally Engage

• Churches provide opportunities, but you have to follow-through
• I think one of the saddest things is that in a day and age when we have more opportunities for Christians to be equipped and to be engaged in Bible study and communities of faith growing more and more like Christ we find a lack of participation in personal and collective discipleship. The evidence of this is painfully apparent.
• Some Ideas:
• Get on a Bible Reading Plan
• Get Involved in a Study
• Don’t Miss any Opportunity for Growth as a Disciple

Abiding has Real Results – Rewards for Following Through

• As long as the Tree is rooted and receiving nutrients it’s logical to expect fruit.
• As long as the believer is rooted and receiving nutrients we can expect growth.
• The growth and fruit (or lack of) in our life identifies where we are rooted.

A Final Thought: Avoiding the Frustration of Childish Christians

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 – ¹ And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. ² I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, ³ for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

Reviewing the CORE

Don’t Lose Sight of the CORE

“There is an old story about a lighthouse keeper who worked on a rocky stretch of coastline. Once a month he would receive a new supply of oil to keep the light burning so that ships could safely sail near the rocky coast. One night, though, a woman from a nearby village came and begged him for some oil to keep her family warm. Another time a father asked for some to use in his lamp. Another man needed to lubricate a wheel. Since all the requests seemed legitimate, the lighthouse keeper tried to please everyone and grant the requests of all.

Toward the end of the month, he noticed his supply of oil was dangerously low. Soon it was gone, and one night on the light on the lighthouse went out. As a result, that evening several ships were wrecked and countless lives were lost. When the authorities investigated, the man was very apologetic. He told them he was just trying to be helpful with the oil. Their reply to his excuses, however, was simple and to the point: “You were given oil for one purpose, and one purpose only – to keep that light burning!”

A church faces a similar commission. There is no end to the demands placed on a church’s time and resources. As a result, the foundational purposes of a church must remain supreme.”

• (illustration from: James Emory White, Rethinking the Church (Baker Books, 1997), 27-28.)

There are many programs and ministries in the life of the church, and most of them are very good.  However, a quick tour through the our area and the counties surrounding us will reveal that there are many churches that are nearly vacant if not totally closed.  At a time when the need in our world for the light of Christ is so great and countless souls are searching for something solid to believe in and find hope we discover that many of the once bright shining lighthouses have closed. 

This is why I believe that we need to consider and stay committed to the CORE Values of the church.  There will be different methodologies and teachings, but these four elements of the CORE are nonnegotiable.

C – Christ – It’s all about Him!

Hebrews 1:1-4
¹ Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways.
² In these last days, He has spoken to us by [His] Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe.
³ He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He sustains all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
⁴ So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs.

Jesus Christ has to be at the center of all that we do as His followers and as the church. We do what we do for Him and because of Him. We should constantly be striving to have “the mind of Christ.” To think, love, and act as Jesus would in our daily lives. It’s not easy, but it’s what we are expected to do. When we don’t think like Christ…act like Christ…love like Christ…we leave the world confused and vainly searching for life and hope without any idea where to find it. When the people of the church are living like Jesus it will stir things in people, cause them to wonder and question things about themselves and others, and ultimately enable them to find their way to the source of hope found in a relationship with Christ.

O – Outreach – It’s all about Them!

Matthew 28:18-20
¹⁸ Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Our purpose for being the church is to fulfill the Great Commission given to us by our Lord upon His departure. Go…make disciples…share His story. When the church is focused on making disciples and sharing His story we see the impact it can have in live, homes, communities, populations. When the church is silent and stagnant we see the destruction that can come instead. Today there are more vacant churches around in large part because the church as a whole has lost sight of the need to focus on outreach as corporate bodies and individual members. We need to remember that we are here for the people who are not yet here.

R – Relationships – It’s all about Us!

John 13:34-35
³⁴ “I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.
³⁵ By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus commanded us to love each other like He has loved us. He declared that this is the way that people around us will know that our faith is genuine, when it is authenticated by the love of Christ expressed by and toward one another. There are no short-cuts to this, we either have true AGAPE love or we don’t—it can’t be faked. Most of the people around us have seen plenty of Christ-followers and churches acting in ways that are not steeped in love. When they see genuine love it will rock their world. Love that is characterized by; grace and mercy; compassion and passion; generosity and action; sacrifice and selflessness. They can deny our claims and statements as much as they want to, but it’s impossible to deny a life characterized by this type of love.

Last Sunday I shared this bold prediction that bears repeating:

If a church –and by that I refer to every individual believer—will strive to live a life of love—CHRIST LOVE—in their lives and in the church then the make-up of the congregation of that church will include many of the same types of people that flocked to Jesus during His ministry on earth.  The hurting, the sinful, the filthy masses of mankind will begin to make their way to the church because these people…and all people…are hungering and thirsting for real love. When they find that they will flock to it and they will eagerly tell other people who are searching like them where to find it.

• It won’t be about compromising values on things that are sin.
• It won’t be about making it comfortable by watering down the message of Scripture
• It won’t be about changing the way or why we are doing things
• IT WILL BE ABOUT PEOPLE LONGING FOR LOVE DISCOVERING REAL LOVE

We Conclude this Sunday with:

E – Equipping – It’s all about Me!

Don’t miss it this Sunday as we discuss the importance of availing yourself of opportunities to grow and mature as a follower of Christ and the critical nature of discipleship if the church is to be all she is intended to be and we are really going to have an IMPACT in the world around us.

Living Waters Community Church, Springfield, Vermont

 

The C.O.R.E. of Who we Are

(This is Part III in the series of messages based on the CORE Values of LWCC)

What is “The C.O.R.E.?”  Simply put: this is what I believe to be some of the non-negotiable make-up of the church and the life of a Christ-Follower.  There are far too many churches and people who have allowed a variety of things to rip them from the basics of the faith and today they find themselves confused about their identity and purpose.  It’s my prayer and hope that by sharing this series of messages we’ll be clear on who we are and what we’re to be focused on.  Through that understanding we will not be swayed by other good things to forsake the best thing in following Jesus Christ.

The Core Values of Living Waters Community Church:

• C – Christ: It’s All About Him
• O – Outreach: It’s All About Them
• R – Relationships: It’s All About Us
• E – Equipping: It’s All About Me

Over the next few weeks we’ll be unpacking this in greater detail to discover what it means for our church fellowship and what it means for each individual believer.  Today we continue by taking a look at the clear command given to us by the Lord Jesus, to love each other with an authentic and visible love.

C.O.R.E. – R: Relationships – It’s All About Us

John 13:31-35

³¹ When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. ³² If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself and will glorify Him at once. ³³ “Children, I am with you a little while longer. You will look for Me, and just as I told the Jews, ‘Where I am going you cannot come,’ so now I tell you.

³⁴ “I give you A NEW COMMANDMENT: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. ³⁵ By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

A NEW COMMANDMENT WITH AN ANCIENT TRUTH

WHY THIS PART OF THE C.O.R.E. IS ESSENTIAL

• The Reality of Our Experiences in Churches
• Fighting Faithful
• Battling Believers
• Christians Cutting-Down Christians
• Judgmental Jesus-Followers
• Selfish Saints

Church everywhere are wounded and they bleed with the broken hearts and souls of people who have come expecting to find love and hope only to be stabbed by some harsh word or cut-down by a carnal attitude. Where love is anticipated we discover a lack of love, and the truth is:

The only holes that are not filled in are pot-holes on the roads.  Where something is missing in our lives there is something else that will fill the gap.  Where love is lacking there are carnal and negative elements that will flood in to fill the void. Selfishness, jealousy, greed, anger, hatred, judgmentalism, carnality, etc… These things spill over onto and out of the lives of the church community. The results are: a stunted church, a skeptical community, and a grieving Spirit. Consider what the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit is as given in Galatians for a moment:

Galatians 5:19-26
¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar, about which I tell you in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. ²⁶ We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Jesus commanded (COMMANDED: not suggested or urged, but COMMANDED) His followers to love one another. We’ll pick this apart today because it’s so critical for us to understand and to employ in our lives. My prayer is that by the time we depart we will have been adequately convinced and convicted of the need for love—real love – Christ Love—in our church relationships, and really in every aspect of our lives.

COMMANDED TO LOVE: THE C.O.R.E. OF WHO WE ARE

THE CLARIFIER: LOVE one another…

• · We are expected to do a lot for one another in our relationships
• · Some of the “One Another” statements of the Scripture include:
• o Forgive
• o Be Kind
• o Rejoice With
• o Pray for
• o Show Patience
• o Encourage
• o Assist

· All of these are Built on the Foundation of Love (Agape-Love)

1 Corinthians 13.4-8 Offers us the Schematic of this Agape-Love

⁴ Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited; ⁵ does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; ⁶ finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never ends.

THE QUALIFIER: JUST AS I HAVE Loved you…

• · JUST AS I HAVE: Who Do You Compare Yourself With?
• · JUST AS I HAVE: The Ultimate Comparison for us is Jesus Christ
• · JUST AS I HAVE: The Qualifier of Love Causes us to Evaluate
• The Internal – Our Heart Motivation-is it “Just as I have?”
• The External – Our Christian Occupation – Is it “Just as I have?”
• The Eternal – Our Soul Salvation – Because of what He has done

THE FORTIFIER: You MUST love one another…

MUST  MUST  MUST

• Does this sound like Jesus was leaving it up to our own choice?
• Does this sound like Jesus was giving us options or conditions not to love?
• But we are given free-will and we can choose not to do something if we want.
• I can decide not to take the medication the doctor prescribes.
• I can determine not to observe and obey the speed limit signs on the road.
• I can disobey the rules and regulations where I work.
• I can declare that I will not adhere to the vows I made on my wedding day.
• And I can deliberately refuse to love select people
• But for any and all of these acts of disobedience, defiance and disrespect there will be a penalty, a consequence, and the result is not desirable.
• · Jesus tells us that this is
• A New Command
• A Modeled Activity (Just as I…)
• Something We MUST Do
• An Activity that will cause ripples around us (By THIS….)

THE AMPLIFIER: BY THIS all people will know…

• Why did so many people flock to Jesus when he was alive?
• Some for the Signs and wonders
• Some for the way he put the authorities in their place
• Some for the “newness” of this latest “craze.”
• But I believe most because they experienced Love…REAL LOVE
• The Prostitutes
• The Adulterers
• The Criminals and Thieves
• The Demon-possessed
• The Despised Tax Collectors
• The Wealthy and Well-to-do
• The Spiritually Confused and Seeking
• The poor and outcast
• The Diseased and Dying

• Now, let me make a bold declaration and a clear prediction:
• If a church –and by that I refer to every individual believer—will strive to live a life of love—CHRIST LOVE—in their lives and in the church then the make-up of the congregation of that church will include many of the same types of people, because these people…and all people…are hungering and thirsting for real love. When they find that they will flock to it and they will eagerly tell other people who are searching like them about it.
• It won’t be about compromising values on things that are sin.
• It won’t be about making it comfortable by watering down the message of Scripture
• It won’t be about changing the way or why we are doing things
• IT WILL BE ABOUT PEOPLE LONGING FOR LOVE DISCOVERING REAL LOVE
• Can our community of faith at LWCC be that church?
• We can if we keep love at the CORE.

Invitation

• Maybe you have been looking for love in all the wrong places and it’s time for you to stop searching in all those things and turn it over to Jesus Christ for real.
• You know that none of us can get it right all the time. The key is to recognize that and when we flop to quickly ask God for forgiveness and to get us back on the love track. We need to do this for our sake and the sake of the fellowship of the church.
• Perhaps you have publicly “blown it” in the area of love. One of the hardest things to do is to go to someone and apologize and ask them to forgive you, but you might need to do just that. See, if love is how they will know we are His followers then what does a lack of love say about us? About our Lord?
• Who needs to experience the depth of Christ’s love around you?

The C.O.R.E. of Who we Are

(This is Part II in the series of messages based on the CORE Values of LWCC)

What is “The C.O.R.E.?”  Simply put: this is what I believe to be some of the non-negotiable make-up of the church and the life of a Christ-Follower.  There are far too many churches and people who have allowed a variety of things to rip them from the basics of the faith and today they find themselves confused about their identity and purpose.  It’s my prayer and hope that by sharing this series of messages we’ll be clear on who we are and what we’re to be focused on.  Through that understanding we will not be swayed by other good things to forsake the best thing in following Jesus Christ.

The Core Values of Living Waters Community Church:

• C – Christ: It’s All About Him
• O – Outreach: It’s All About Them
• R – Relationships: It’s All About Us
• E – Equipping: It’s All About Me

Over the next few weeks we’ll be unpacking this in greater detail to discover what it means for our church fellowship and what it means for each individual believer.  Today we continue by taking a look at the clear assignment given to us by the Lord Jesus, to Go and reach the world..

O IS FOR OUTREACH: IT’S ALL ABOUT THEM

Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶ The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

For our purposes today we have three critical things to consider:

First: let’s consider this an ASSIGNMENT.

• · What is an assignment?
• · When do we normally hear that term?
• · What is expected when an assignment is given?
• o That it will get done.
• o That it will get done according to instructions.

Now, Consider how Israel had BLOWN their ASSIGNMENT.

Genesis 12:3 (HCSB)
³ I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Psalm 67:1-2 (HCSB)
¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor Selah
² so that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

Psalm 96:1-1-3, 10
¹ Sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth.
² Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation from day to day.
³ Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples.
¹⁰ Say among the nations: “The Lord reigns. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. He judges the peoples fairly.”

Isaiah 49:6 (HCSB)
⁶ He says, “It is not enough for you to be My servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

We can see from these Old Testament passages that God’s intention has always been to be revealed to the world through His people.  In the beginning He desired that the Hebrew people would live and proclaim Him to the people around them…unfortunately they failed in this assignment.  In fact, by the time of Jesus’ birth, we see instead that the world around them influenced and infiltrated them.

So, now this assignment is given by the Lord Jesus to the Church—His people.  More specifically, His Body.  We cannot afford to fail at this, and it requires that each person grasp and understand the assignment and be engaged in it.  So, let’s pick it apart a little today.

I. THE WEIGHT OF THE ASSIGNMENT (Authority)

Remember: It’s All about Him:

• · SAVIOR: What He Did for us who have believed. [Review Propitiation]
• · LORD: Who He Is to us and what we do in obedience.
• · Notice He doesn’t Say:
• o If you feel like going…
• o If it’s convenient to go…
• o If it’s in your comfort zone, go…
• o If…anything
• · He simply says…GO…The Lord has the right to expect obedience

II. THE WORK OF THE ASSIGNMENT (Activity)

“Make Disciples.” – Turn people who don’t know Jesus into people who do.

• · Why? Does is matter if we do this?
• · Who was it that did this for me?
• · Who can we think of right now to “Go” with?
• What Keeps us From Going AND Making Disciples?
• · Fear
• · Comfort
• · Uncertainty

III. THE WORLD OF THE ASSIGNMENT (Scope)

“Every Nation”

Every nation, the world, begins at the end of your big toe.  From that point forward everything is the world to which Christ has called you to go.  So, what’s at the end of your big toe today?

IV. THE WAY OF THE ASSIGNMENT (Parts)

Teachers use a device called a RUBRIC to define for students what is expected in particular assignments.  It lets the student know what the teacher is looking for and how the assignment will be assessed.  The Great Commission gives us a similar breakdown of what is expected:

• Going
• Gotta Get Up and Get Out
• Baptizing
• It’s really about introducing people to YOUR Lord and Savior
• Teaching
• Once Reached they Must be Teached (Taught)
• Empowered by His Presence (v. 20 and Acts 1.8)
• “I am with you always…even to the end of the age.”  (v.20)
• “But you will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My WITNESSES in JERUSALEM, in all JUDEA and SAMARIA, and TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.”  (Acts 1.8)

So…

Your mission should you choose to accept it… (and remember that if Jesus is Lord of your life then obedience to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords compels you to accept this assignment.)

Go to the World…and the world starts right where your big toe ends.

Share the Truth…who Jesus is and what He means to you and how He can make a difference for them.

Teach the Reached…Help believers grow and develop as engaged members in the body of Christ.

The C.O.R.E. of Who we Are

  What is “The C.O.R.E.?”  Simply put: this is what I believe to be some of the non-negotiable make-up of the church and the life of a Christ-Follower.  There are far too many churches and people who have allowed a variety of things to rip them from the basics of the faith and today they find themselves confused about their identity and purpose.  It’s my prayer and hope that by sharing this series of messages we’ll be clear on who we are and what we’re to be focused on.  Through that understanding we will not be swayed by other good things to forsake the best thing in following Jesus Christ.

The Core Values of Living Waters Community Church:

C – Christ: It’s All About Him

O – Outreach: It’s All About Them

R – Relationships: It’s All About Us

E – Equipping: It’s All About Me

Over the next few weeks we’ll be unpacking this in greater detail to discover what it means for our church fellowship and what it means for each individual believer.  We start with the central focus of everything for the believer and the church, Jesus Christ.

C – Christ: It’s All About Him

Matthew 28:16-20
¹⁶ The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came near and said to them, “ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. ¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

…All Authority – Why we need to Listen to the Lord

Jesus Christ…The Basics

• · The Eternity of Christ (John 1.1-14)
• · The Humanity of Christ (Hebrews 4.14-16)
• · The Deity of Christ (Philippians 2.5-11)
• · The Narrative of Christ (Various)
• Birth
• Death
• Resurrection

Jesus Christ…Who is He To You and Me?

• · Savior
• Sacrificial Death
• Intercession
• The PROPITIATION…Whatever the Heck that is (1 John 2.2)
• Picture yourself in the path of a speeding locomotive with your foot stuck in the rail-road tracks and no chance of escape.  You see the train coming, here the horn blowing, feel the vibration as it approaches.  You have no hope—there’s no way you can survive this.  suddenly someone appears and steps between you and the train.  The train doesn’t stop, the full force and fury of the locomotive is absorbed by this stranger.  He is destroyed, but through that act of sacrifice you are spared. 
• This is what it means to say that Jesus is the “propitiation” for us.  He stood in between humanity and God’s full wrath against sin and absorbed all the force and fury of that wrath on Himself.  Why do I say that it’s all about Him?  Because without Him I would have nothing.  No hope…no life…no joy…nothing.  For me, and for those who are followers of Christ, Jesus is the Central Core of who we are and what we do.

 

• · Lord
• Master
• Majesty

Jesus Christ…What will it Mean Tomorrow?

If you recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ is the central focus for your life, it will change how you live.  Perhaps for some the change will be subtle, but there will be a change regardless, because you begin living with Him in the center of everything about you.  Where you go, what you say, and what you feel.  In addition, there are things that are found in Christ that can be found no where else:

• · Hope
• · Strength
• · Future
• · Life

Invitation

• You Need Jesus to be Saved
• You Need Jesus for Daily Living
• You Need Jesus in Your Connections

Can’t Wait to See What He Has to Say: Cultivating Expectancy, Anticipation, and Eagerness toward God’s Word.

Recently one of our friends commented on a time when she had signed up with a Christian dating site on the internet. Soon she had developed a connection with one of the men on the site. She shared of the excitement that she had and the anticipation every morning of looking forward to seeing his picture pop up on her screen and reading what he had written to her. First thing in the morning and last thing at night she would check the site to see if there was a message from him.

She came to realize through that time and experience that her excitement and anticipation should be the same—or more so—for seeing the Lord every morning and reading His message to her.

Psalm 119:97
⁹⁷ How I love Your teaching! It is my meditation all day long.

How do you cultivate and continue in that sort of passion for God’s Word? How do you keep a passion that causes you to long for His presence and to be eager to read His message. It is something that you have to focus on and put your mind and body to do every day. It’s something that can become a good habit, much like plugging in your cell phone to the charger. You know that you need to do that on a regular basis or it won’t be charged when you need it. Without spending time with God in His Word regularly you won’t have what you need when the time comes.

So do it. Look forward to it. Come with anticipation and expectation to the Word of God. Long to see and hear from Him each day, and discover a whole new level of life and love in your world.

THE LESSON OF THE TOY BOX

We got to spend this past weekend with my granddaughter, Amaria (AKA Twink). She’s a lot of fun, even though she decided that she should not let her papa sleep on the Saturday night before Easter Sunday church. Admittedly, that part was a challenge, but that wasn’t the worst part. Let me tell you what really bothered me.

Amaria is one now, and as with most children her age she is into everything. By the time it was time for her to go home with her parents she had practically turned our living room upside down. Toys were strewn everywhere and there was barely a bare spot on the floor to put my foot on. So, as it was getting near time for her to depart I said, “Amaria, clean up this mess.” Amazingly she didn’t even seem to pay attention to me, so I repeated myself a little louder. At least that time she looked at me for a moment, but went right on playing and messing things up. So, a third time I repeated myself, only this time with great sternness. She stopped and looked at me puzzled as though waiting for something else to be said or done. Then, believe it or not, she went right on playing and making even more of a mess as if I weren’t even there.

She didn’t clean up. She didn’t even try to clean up. In fact after she left I was the one stuck cleaning up her mess. Fact is, at one year old she doesn’t have any idea what clean up time means, nor is she able to do it herself. I had the toy box ready, I had modeled the process for her, but whatever I put in the box she immediately removed. She is incredibly effective at making a mess, but totally incapable of cleaning.

In all honesty, I didn’t expect her to, and I really didn’t speak sternly to her—that would have been pointless and pretty silly.  Plus, I’d never be able to keep a straight face anyway.

This experience does, however, lend itself to a teachable moment for those of us who are older than the toddlers. I think that “The Lesson of the Toy Box” is the lesson of the cross. Humanity has made an awful mess of things. We have strewn our sin and our lives all over the place. As God looks down at the chaos sin has created I picture Him seeing it as I did my living room—a big mess. This time, however, it’s not plastic toys and wooden blocks, but lives and relationships that are shattered in the rubble of bad choices dumped from the “toy boxes” of our existence.

God could stand as a stern parent and demand that we pick up and clean up the mess we have made. After all, it’s not His mess, it’s ours. It certainly wasn’t fair that I had to pick up Twink’s mess, she is the one who destroyed the room. Anyone feeling sympathetic for me yet? Perhaps this will help you feel a little more sorry for me:

1. It was painful for me to get down on the floor and clean that up because I’ve had some knee trouble for several weeks.
2. It was difficult because she had made a really big mess.
3. I had other things I would have rather been doing…like getting to bed because I was exhausted.
4. And I—like Ralph from the Honeymooners—I am, after all, the king of this castle and I shouldn’t have to be picking up toys.

Guess what, however. This is the story behind the cross. A big mess that God knew we could not clean up on our own. Instead of demanding in futility that we straighten it up He did something unthinkable, and far more profound then my kneeling down to pick up those toys. He took the totality of the mess of humanity and put it on like a filthy soiled garment and with it was nailed to the cross at Calvary.

• · Because of our choices a crown of thorns was shoved on his head.
• · Because of our mess nails were driven into His hands and feet.
• · Because of our rebellion and sin Jesus Christ died on the cross.

Read about how the prophet Isaiah described this centuries before the event at Calvary:

Isaiah 53.3-8
³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like one people turned away from; He was despised, and we didn’t value Him. ⁴ Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.

⁶ We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all.
⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not open His mouth.
⁸ He was taken away because of oppression and judgment; and who considered His fate? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was struck because of My people’s rebellion.

Twink’s mess seems a whole lot less significant to me all of the sudden. Now I am vividly aware of my own mess and the price that Jesus Christ paid for me. There is no comparison…not even close.

• · I spent a few minutes cleaning up some toys.
• · Jesus was crushed for hours beneath the weight of my sin.
• · I put the lid on the toy box and went to bed
• · Jesus was pierced and laid in a tomb.

Oh, and one more thing that I need to point out:

• · My wife really appreciated that I cleaned up the mess
• · Most people ignore or reject the sacrifice Jesus made for them

I know it’s just a messy floor and a simple toy box to some, but thinking about it has drawn my heart and attention once more to that cross on a hill where I am reminded that…[my paraphrase of Romans 5.8].

• God demonstrated His love for me
• In that while I was still making a mess of things
• Jesus Christ was willing to die
• so that my mess could be cleaned up

Question: Why not bring your mess, whatever it is, to Him?

LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF ELIJAH

“Fire on the Mountain”

(Notes from this past Sunday Sermon)

• The Bible passages are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible
• The Scripture passages appear in green

I Kings 18

¹ After a long time, the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year: “Go and present yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the surface of the land.”
² So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was SEVERE in Samaria.

• 1 year at the brook
• 2 years in Zarephath
• Imagine what it would be like after 3 years of drought and no rain.

³ Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a man who greatly feared the Lord ⁴ and took 100 prophets and hid them, 50 men to a cave, and provided them with food and water when Jezebel slaughtered the Lord’s prophets.
⁵ Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring of water and to every wadi. Perhaps we’ll find grass so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to destroy any cattle.” ⁶ They divided the land between them in order to cover it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.

• We can see the desperation of the nation after all these years they are hoping to find even a small patch of grass to maybe save some cattle.
• Ironic that Ahab goes in the opposite direction as Obadiah, another man of God.

⁷ While Obadiah was walking along the road, ELIJAH SUDDENLY MET HIM. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell with his face [to the ground] and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”
⁸ “It is I,” he replied. “Go tell your lord, ‘Elijah is here!’ ”
⁹ But Obadiah said, “What sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death? ¹⁰ As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you. ¹¹ “Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!” ’
¹² But when I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord may carry you off to some place I don’t know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth. ¹³ Wasn’t it reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the Lord’s prophets? I hid 100 of the prophets of the Lord, 50 men to a cave, and I provided them with food and water. ¹⁴ Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!” ’ He will kill me!”

• Elijah SUDDENLY MET him is, I believe an indication that Elijah “appeared” there supernaturally. I come to this conclusion based on Obadiah’s fear that Elijah will be transported away and leave him “holding the bag” with Ahab coming.

¹⁵ Then Elijah said, “As the Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, today I WILL present myself to Ahab.”

¹⁶ Obadiah went to meet Ahab and report to him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you DESTROYER of Israel?”
¹⁸ He replied, “I have not destroyed Israel, but YOU AND YOUR FATHER’S HOUSE have, because you have ABANDONED the Lord’s commandments and FOLLOWED THE BAALS.

• As is typical human response, Ahab sought to blame Elijah for the problems that had befallen him and the nation rather than accept responsibility and make changes. When we disregard the Lord there will be consequences, and usually not pleasant, but the only fix is repentance and restoration, by God’s grace these are available to all of us.

¹⁹ Now SUMMON ALL ISRAEL to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah WHO EAT AT JEZEBEL’S TABLE.”
²⁰ So AHAB SUMMONED ALL THE ISRAELITES and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

• If the king summons ALL Israel then who should not be there?
• Who is Jezebel? –Ahab’s wife
• Ate at her table means that she was providing for them and maintaining them. It indicates her approval and support of the rebellion.

Why Choose Mount Carmel?

• Name: Means “Fruitful Field” and it was a fitting place to have this challenge and ultimately to bring an end to the drought, if not of rain then at least of the presence of God—or rather the people’s lack of seeking for God.
• Incredibly High – offered good vantage for the thousands who would be summoned to see the spectacle and ultimately the triumph of the God of Israel.

²¹ Then ELIJAH APPROACHED ALL THE PEOPLE and said, “HOW LONG WILL YOU HESITATE BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? IF YAHWEH IS GOD, FOLLOW HIM. BUT IF BAAL, FOLLOW HIM.” BUT THE PEOPLE DIDN’T ANSWER HIM A WORD.

• Think about how this recalls Joshua’s challenge to the people before entering the promised land, “Choose this day whom you will serve…”

Joshua 24:15 (HCSB)
¹⁵ But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.”

• Notice the people were silent, unlike in Joshua’s day when the heartily responded to him

The Prophet’s Challenge
²² Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.
²³ Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. ²⁴ Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers with fire, He is God.” All the people answered, “That sounds good.”
²⁵ Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”

• Elijah is giving every possible advantage to the false prophets so that in the end there will be no question who the One True God is over Israel.
• He gives them first choice of the bull
• He gives them first chance to prove that their god is real
• He give them the whole afternoon to accomplish their challenge.

²⁶ So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they did their lame dance around the altar they had made.
²⁷ At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!”
²⁸ They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed out on them. ²⁹ All afternoon, they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound, no one answered, no one paid attention.

Elijah’s Turn
³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near me.” So all the people approached him. Then he REPAIRED THE LORD’S ALTAR THAT HAD BEEN TORN DOWN:
³¹ Elijah took 12 stones—according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel will be your name”—
³² and he built an altar with the stones in the name of Yahweh.

Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons.
³³ Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.”
³⁴ Then he said, “A second time!” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time!” and they did it a third time.
³⁵ So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water.

Elijah’s Prayer and God’s Power
³⁶ At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today LET IT BE KNOWN that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things.
³⁷ Answer me, Lord! Answer me SO THAT THIS PEOPLE WILL KNOW that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.”
³⁸ Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
³⁹ When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “YAHWEH, HE IS GOD! YAHWEH, HE IS GOD!”

The Steps Elijah Takes

• Why does Elijah do the specific things that he does in preparation for his turn?
• Repair a damaged altar – reminder of how Israel had fallen from their relationship with God, the altar had been destroyed mostly by neglect.
• 12 Stones – point us to the heritage of Israel and remind us of God’s presence and power in Israel’s past which they had turned their back on.
• The Name of Yahweh – This is who it is all about, Elijah will be calling on the covenant God to prove Himself to the people.
• Four Gallons of Water drenches the sacrifice – Elijah is creating a scenario in which God would truly have to show up in a major way to demonstrate His power.
• The Time of the evening Sacrifice – Specific

The Victory on Mount Carmel
⁴⁰ Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there.
⁴¹ Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.”
⁴² So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel. He bowed down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
⁴³ Then he said to his servant, “Go up and look toward the sea.” So he went up, looked, and said, “There’s nothing.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
⁴⁴ On the seventh time, he reported, “There’s a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming from the sea.” Then Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Get [your chariot] ready and go down so the rain doesn’t stop you.’ ”
⁴⁵ In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in [his chariot] and went to Jezreel.
⁴⁶ The power of the Lord was on Elijah, and he tucked his mantle under his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

What would some of the Headlines in the Next Day’s New Read?

• · God Showed Up!!
• · Light the Fire, Lord!
• · (You Fill in the Blank)

The Victory is Clear and Powerful

• The prophets of Baal are executed. This might seem extreme, but it is the punishment for Blasphemy and turning the people away from the Lord, Yahweh.
• Then there’s a startling promise given to Ahab by Elijah. The THREE YEAR drought is about to end. Hurry up and get home cause the rain’s coming.
• Why end it now? Because the people had returned, at least for the moment.

Then….What the Heck Happened?
¹ Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ² So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!” ³ THEN ELIJAH BECAME AFRAID AND IMMEDIATELY RAN FOR HIS LIFE.

(to be continued…)

A Look at The Life of Elijah

God’s Plan of Provision

1 Kings 17:1-24 (Focal 8-24)

• Review: Last week we looked at God’s work in Elijah’s life in the PLACE OF PREPARATION
  • ¹ Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, I stand before Him, and there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!”

Deuteronomy 11:14-17
¹⁴ I will provide rain for your land in season, the early and late rains, and you will harvest your grain, new wine, and oil. ¹⁵ I will provide grass in your fields for your livestock. You will eat and be satisfied. ¹⁶ Be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside, worship, and bow down to other gods. ¹⁷ Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you. He will close the sky, and there will be no rain; the land will not yield its produce, and you will perish quickly from the good land the Lord is giving you.

• ² Then a revelation from the Lord came to him:
  ³ “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan.
  ⁴ You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”
  ⁵ So he did what the Lord commanded. Elijah left and lived by the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan.
  ⁶ The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he drank from the wadi.
  ⁷ After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
  • God’s Recognized Plan – Specific for Each of Us…we all have a THERE
  • God’s Required Part – Obedience…we have to do it
  • God’s Released Provision – He gives what we need as we obey
  • God’s Revealed Purpose – He moves us when it’s time to go
    • We asked last week why God would allow the brook to dry up, here is a perspective from one of my favorite authors, Watchman Nee:

§ “Because of our proneness to look at the bucket and forget the fountain God has frequently to change His means of supply to keep our eyes fixed on the source.”

§ Elijah was about to learn what God could do with empty vessels!

o Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament

· Introduction: Elijah Leaves the Comfort of the Country (8-10a)

⁸ THEN the word of the Lord came to him: ⁹ “GET UP, GO TO Zarephath that belongs to Sidon, and stay THERE. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you THERE.”
^10a So Elijah GOT UP AND WENT to Zarephath.

· Then – at the right time in accordance with God’s plan

o Often I want things to happen in my “then,” but God has the perfect “then.”

§ We might carelessly run ahead of God at times.

§ We might cautiously hesitate behind God at times.

o Do you remember when God gave you a “then” moment?

§ Doesn’t necessarily fit with my timing or agenda

§ Doesn’t always happen at the most convenient of times

· Get up and Go To… – God’s call is to move beyond where we are.

· NOTICE: “THERE” for Elijah had changed…this happens sometimes

o Sometimes that move is a physical move and sometimes a spiritual move

Move past this habit

Move past this problem

Move beyond this activity

Move away from this relationship

Move away from this sin

\Move away from my own will and plan

Move into God’s will and plan

So…God has the perfect THEN and the perfect THERE

Let me Share sometimes in the Bible When God says “Get up and Go…”

· Noah – Genesis 8.16 (Go out of the ark…it’s cool now)

· Abraham – Genesis 12.1 (Go from your home country…follow me)

· Abraham – Genesis 22 (Go to the mountain and sacrifice your beloved son)

· Moses – Exodus 3 (Go to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go.)

· Jonah – Jonah 1 (Go to Ninevah and tell them my message)

· Joseph and Mary – Matthew (Go to Egypt to protect the child…then Go back to Israel)

· Disciples (and us) – Gospels (Go and make disciples, preach the Gospel, win the lost)

Why Zerapheth? – There are a couple things you need to know about Zerapheth to understand a little more about how difficult a choice to follow when God says go can actually be.

· Zerapheth was in Gentile Territory, a place most Jews would avoid going

· Zerapheth was in Enemy Territory, a place that could be dangerous to the prophet near Jezebel

· Zerapheth was where a specific widow lived, among the neediest people of the culture.

God has a Plan to Provide for His Faithful Servants (10b-13)

^10bWhen he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow woman gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink.”
¹¹ As she went to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”
¹² But she said, “As the Lord YOUR God lives, I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”
¹³ Then Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. Only make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. AFTERWARDS, you may make some for yourself and your son,

Remember verse 9 where God said “I have commanded a widow to provide for you there…”

Apparently she didn’t get the memo somehow.

God’s plan might seem a little “crazy” to us!

· God will ask us to give the unexpected thing

· We might be ok with giving some things, but not others…but that’s often what God asks

· It would seem very unexpected to think that God would ask this widow’s last morsel of food

· God will ask us to give the most needed thing

· Food…it doesn’t get more needed than that…but food amid a famine is even more

· God’s plan challenges us to be willing to surrender even the things we need most

· What do you “need” that God might be asking you to surrender to His purpose?

C. God will ask us to give what we don’t want to give

· Looking at our pay check stub and our list of bills can be terrifying

· Then to think that God would be audacious enough to ask for 10% of it…Golly

God has a Plan to Provide for His Faithful Giver (14-16)

¹⁴ for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land.’ ”

¹⁵ So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. She and he and her household ATE FOR MANY DAYS. ¹⁶ The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through Elijah.

Trusting God can be terrifying, but if we will trust Him we will see amazing blessings!

A. God will provide us with the unexpected thing – Food in the Midst of Famine

B. God will provide us with every needed thing – Continued Sustenance for our Family

C. God will give us many fold the things we sacrifice – She gave a little and received a load

God has a Plan to Miraculously Bless His Faithful Givers (17-24)

¹⁷ After this, [consider what this “after this” means: after the challenge and after the faithfulness to give and after God’s miraculous provision in return…] AFTER THIS…the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness became very severe until no breath remained in him.
¹⁸ She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do we have in common? Have you come to remind me of my guilt and to kill my son?”
¹⁹ But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. ²⁰ Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “My Lord God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?” ²¹ Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the Lord and said, “My Lord God, please let this boy’s life return to him!” ²² So the Lord listened to Elijah’s voice, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. ²³ Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.”
²⁴ Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the Lord’s word in your mouth is the truth.”

A. God will do the unexpected – who could have even dreamed of this outcome?

B. God will do exactly what is needed – in the culture of that day a widow had so little

C. God will do what it takes for us to believe – in the end God’s purpose is to bring people to faith

So…Your Part in the Story:

· What is the unexpected thing God is asking you to give?

· What is the needed thing that God is challenging you to surrender?

· What area of your life is God working in to strengthen your faith?

What new thing is God calling you to?

Where is God saying to go?

Where in your life are you telling God “No!”?