Saturday, February 24, 2007

Let’s pray! Lord, in the midst of this busy week, I thank you for this
time we have together. I ask that you speak to me this morning. I accept
your mercy this day as a gift which grips me in awe of your incredible
love. Thank you for your patience as I wade through this journey of
faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 1:15-16

I wonder if many of us ever truly come to grips with our own sinfulness
as Paul does here. The confession that he was the “worst of sinners”
must have been very sobering for him as well as freeing.
It’s one thing to talk about sin, it is quite another to realize that we
are actually the guilty ones. You might be saying right now, “sure I’ve
made mistakes, but it’s not really all that bad, is it?” The answer
is…YES! IT IS!
We can dodge, ignore, blame, run from, or soften the truth, but the
reality is that you and I have sinned in ways that are so abhorrent to
God that we are deserving of death (See Romans 3:23 and 6:23 if you
don’t believe me!). It’s not a matter of whether we have sinned or not,
but rather a matter of how long we can keep up the facade. When this
moment arrives, we can either continue to live the lie or come clean.
Unfortunately for most, this moment of truth fills us with
disappointment and despair.
Yet for Paul, this realization filled his heart with gratitude, not self
loathing. God’s mercy came crashing down with an overwhelming force that
made His love undeniable. Paul saw that Jesus Christ came into this
world to save sinners, not condemn them. He was a man who was set free
by God’s love.
Paul is also mindful of Jesus’ unlimited patience with him and, this
too, should capture our attention. In essence he is saying “if God could
wait for someone who has messed up as bad as me; if I could wake up to
my need for him--then there’s hope for you!”
The good news is that God was patient for Paul to “get it” and now he is
patiently waiting for you and me to fully embrace him. This is what
eternal life in Jesus’ name means. Jesus gave his life for you and me
not because we earned it or are worthy, but merely because we “believed
on him”—trusting his words to be true, recognizing our need for him and
fully accepting his embrace. Paul was right when he said this is a
trustworthy saying that deserves our full acceptance: Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners!
PRAISE GOD!

Pray with me—Lord Jesus, as I see the example of Paul, I am in awe that
you are waiting patiently for me as well. I accept your mercy and I will
live this day in gratitude of your amazing love. In Jesus’ Name I pray.
Amen.

Shawn Robinson, Clayton Community Church
Sunday, February 25, 2007
(Pastor Exchange Sunday)

Today is February 25, we call it “Pastor Swap Sunday.” Today we would ask you pray for our churches, and to specially remember the those pastors and churches swapping pulpits.
The message going out today comes it titled “Field of Dreams,” from 1 Corinthians 3:1-11 NLT

1) You (the church – all gathered believers) are God’s field [vv8-9]
a. planted
b. watered
c. grown by God
d. for a harvest
vv8-9 The one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose. Yet they will be rewarded individually, according to their own hard work. We work together as partners who belong to God. You are God’s field, God’s building—not ours.

2) You (the church) are meant to GROW from infancy to spiritual maturity [vv1-7]

a. infant thinking: ‘I like mommy better than daddy, or sister, or brother…’i.e. Valuing one person or style more than another
b. mature thinking includes: ‘I value everyone & recognize the need for everyone’

vv1-7 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to mature Christians. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk and not with solid food, because you couldn’t handle anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your own sinful desires. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your own desires? You are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord. When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I prefer Apollos,” aren’t you acting like those who are not Christians?
Who is Apollos, and who is Paul, that we should be the cause of such quarrels? Why, we’re only servants. Through us God caused you to believe. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. My job was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God, not we, who made it grow. The ones who do the planting or watering aren’t important, but God is important because he is the one who makes the seed grow.

A sign of spiritual maturity is valuing the unity of the church because…

3) You (the church) must carefully insure that what we are building together is built upon the one foundation. Unity in the church is built on the one and only foundation of Jesus Christ. Our unity and God’s harvest are interconnected. When we realize this and act like it - the world will get the message and the harvest will increase.

Because of God’s special favor to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any other foundation than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

A sign of spiritual maturity is valuing the unity of the church because, it is then we become whom Jesus’ prayed and the world comes to know whom Jesus is.

May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. John 17:23