Sunday – March 18, 2012

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Bernie

March 18, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Slackers and the Christian Work Ethic from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

America was founded on the idea that by hard work and industriousness anyone can advance their life. It has been considered the “Puritan work ethic”. Paul would have been a good Puritan because he advocates for Christians to be hard workers and living quiet lives. This Sunday we conclude our time in 2nd Thessalonians looking at “Slackers and the Christian Work Ethic” and see how Paul deals with the final issue in the church at Thessalonica in 2nd Thessalonians 3:6-18. Don’t be a slacker, be in church at 8:45!

Word On Worship – March 18, 2012 Download / Print

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
“For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.”

Have you ever read a passage of Scripture you were sure meant something to generations gone by but somehow have lost the connection with the 21^st century? After all, who only eats bread or relies on the monthly support of the church to get by? Surely that would have significance in the life of a first century church and those who lived on the margins of society, but what does that mean for us today in a relatively wealthy nation and community?

Unlike the Old Testament, New Testament church ministry is not carried on by the priestly order of Levites. Nor is the work of ministry carried on by paid professional clergy. In the New Testament church, the work of ministry is to be done by every believer regardless of finance, education or daytime occupation. And if we do not do the work of ministry God has called us toward, the church suffers. The reality is you can never hire enough staff to do what God has called the church to do as the church.

Consider what the Scriptures teach about the exercise of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. God uniquely empowers every believer to take on a particular ministry in the body of Christ. But what happens when you decide not to do the job God has equipped you to do? Sure, it can be passed down the line to someone else. The ministry can be curtailed or even cancelled because of lack of interest. But if you do not do the job God equipped you to do, understand there is no one else God has equipped like you to do that job. If you fail to work at your task in the church, the entire church suffers because of it.

So what is the work God has given you to do for this church? It does not have to be inside these walls, but there is a job for you to do for God. What has God uniquely given you to do that if you do not apply yourself it will not be done the way God wanted to do it through you? If you can’t name a job you do, then you are unemployed for God. In that case you need to get a job, in the church, using the spiritual gifting God has given you. There are always people working overly hard because other Christians are not doing their job. May such a thing not be said of us at Sunrise.

Sunday – March 11, 2012

Posted on March 11, 2012 by PastorAndy

March 11, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Does the World Need Decaf Gospel Lite? from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Should the gospel come in various strengths? Gospel and decaf Gospel? Many Christians with good intentions take to sharing the the “Gospel Light” version with others until they are ready to upgrade to full strength gospel. But if the “diet gospel” is good enough, why does Paul go around as “Johnny One Note” preaching Christ and Christ crucified everywhere he goes? Join us Sunday morning as we continue in our study of 2nd Thessalonians and see why the purity of the Gospel is essential, and why the Gospel is not a matter intellectual agreement but an intimate relationship between God and the believer.

Word On Worship – March 11, 2012 Download / Print

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
“May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Have you ever felt you have moved past the gospel now that you are a Christian? It is easy for those of us who have been in the church for an extended period of time to consider the gospel as an academic reality in our lives. At some point we realized we needed a Savior and came to Christ for the pardon for our sins. But that was then and now we have moved on in our faith to other issues and ministries. So the gospel is placed on the shelf, even given a place of honor, but remains only a reminder of our salvation collecting dust.

The gospel is so much more than a reminder of what God has done in the past. It is by the gospel that we enter into relationship with God through the work of Jesus Christ. It is by the gospel that we are now able to share an intimacy with God, just as the Father shares with the Son and the Son shares with the Spirit. It is by the gospel that we enter into personal fellowship, not an intellectual database, with God. Based on the firm foundation of the gospel, we now have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ so He can minister to us in an intimate way as we face uncertain days and situations.

It is that relationship with God which sustains us after we come to Him for salvation since we are now children of God through the work of Jesus Christ. Asaph came to understand this when he saw the unrighteous seeming to prosper even though they have spent their lives shaking their fist at God. He realized they did not know God now and won’t know God then. He understood what Paul teaches in 2 Thessalonians 2, namely that they will spend eternity apart from God’s glory. What profit is there for a person to win the whole world and yet forfeit their soul in the end?

Asaph is able to come to his senses, but he does not merely rest on truth. Asaph uses the truth as a platform to build into his relationship and move closer to God. Psalm 73:23-26 “Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” That is the stability that comes from intimacy with God. All of this comes from the gospel by which we have relationship with God. So take the gospel off the shelf and put it into practice, God knows how much we need stability in the uncertain times in which we live.

Sunday – March 4, 2012

Posted on March 5, 2012 by PastorAndy

March 4, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

The Man of Lawlessness, the Restrainer & the 2nd Coming from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

In the history of the church, people have been very fast and loose with branding people as “the man of sin” or the Anti-Christ. I am sure if I were to ask you, you would be more than willing to nominate some contemporary names to wear the mantle. The Bible tell us us he will not be revealed until the “one who restrains him is removed”. Who is the man of sin and who is the restrainer who holds him back? And just who will willingly follow this man of sin? Join us this Sunday as we continue in 2nd Thessalonians 2 verses 6 to 12 as we look at “The Man of Sin, the Restrainer and the Second Coming”.

Word On Worship – March 4, 2012 Download / Print

2 Peter 3:15-16
“Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

I get a chuckle when I read Peter telling us Paul writes things that are hard to understand. After all Peter has his fair share of obscure texts that cause many people to scratch their head. But Peter is bringing out the same truth Paul does when it comes to people twisting texts they do not like, wanting to understand in a literal sense so they can avoid changing their thinking and their lifestyle.

Some will say, “I cannot understand how a God of love can send anyone to hell.” What they really mean is: “I do not want to believe in a literal hell because it would mean there is a consequence for my sin. I do not want to pay the price for how I actually live my life. Therefore I do not believe there is a hell and any passage in Scripture that states there is a hell must be too vague, too obscure or inconsistent with other passages of Scripture.”

So what might someone find “hard to accept” about Paul’s writings in 2^nd Thessalonians? 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 “They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” We want believe there will always be time to get “serious” about Jesus Christ. After all, you think, “When I see the things Paul describes happening I know it will be time to take the Bible more seriously.” But when the truth is continually rejected, what makes you think you will not jump in with the man of falsehood who is more than willing to take you further down the path you have already shown is the desire of your heart?

If you are not ready to follow Jesus today, understand the marriage you are entering into. The deceiver wants followers and will tell you what you want to hear. And you will listen because you want to hear what requires nothing of you. You have chosen to reject the truth of the gospel and to believe the lie. So in the end you are not dragged off against your will down the path of disbelief, but rather you pursue willingly what your heart truly desires. The path which gives you what you want will take you to where you deserve. I pray we all consider the cost of God sending His Son to pay for our sins. What do you plan to do with that today? Grace is the free gift of God that will cost your life that you might have eternal life.

Sunday – February 26, 2012

Posted on February 28, 2012 by PastorAndy

February 26, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Twisting the Scriptures from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

By the time Paul wrote his second letter to the church at Thessalonica it was very aparent someone was taking the words of the Apostle and twisting them to say something entirely different. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24 that there will be many false teachers and many who would try to deceive God’s people. So how should we protect ourselves from those who would look to deceive us and how can we prevent been deceived? Join us in our study of 2nd Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 1 to 5 and see how devastating twisting the Scriptures can be.

Word On Worship – February 26, 2012 Download / Print

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”

Nobody likes a crisis, least of all me. I am sure the Thessalonians felt the same way as they faced daily persecution for their faith. But when the circumstances of life seem to overwhelm us there is a natural desire to have a greater longing for the return of the Lord than when things are just rolling along. I know the older I get, the fewer reasons I have for Him to delay His return. But our desire to get out of life’s issues often causes us to not think clearly about the decisions that must be made.`

When things leave my sphere of control, one emotion I have to really get control over is panic. I take great comfort in knowing I am not alone. Jesus Himself had to remind His disciples in Mark 13:5-7 “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed.” I think the persecution had grown to a point where the Thessalonians entered crisis mode and they became alarmed. They were hearing reports that it was the Day of the Lord, and yet they were still suffering and the bad guys were still getting away with it. They had to worry that they missed Jesus return.

The truth of the matter is we do not make good decisions in moments of panic. That is why the military trains the men and women who serve our country in ways to appropriately respond in moments of crisis. So when crisis comes upon them they can respond instinctively instead having to think through the reasons why you should or should not do something. We need to do the same thing so when we find ourselves in that hour of trial we know what to do and why to do it.

We must interpret crisis by our doctrine and not allow crisis to dictate our doctrine. If crisis is the lens by which you view life, is it any wonder your perception is distorted? That is why correct doctrine is so important because it will give you the correct perspective about events that turn your life upside down. We need to be grounded in the truth of Scripture to face the storms of life that are headed our way so that we can stand when our faith is tested.

Sunday – February 19, 2012

Posted on February 20, 2012 by PastorAndy

February 19, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Suffering and the Return of Jesus Christ from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Tribulation and persecution…. Why does a loving God allow His children to go through such terrible things? Paul knew the saints would face hostility when they left their former lives and began to follow Jesus Christ. Many believers in the United States need the wake up call of 2nd Thessalonians and to realize we are the exception. Join us tomorrow as we continue in chapter 1 of 2nd Thessalonians and consider “Suffering and the Return of Jesus Christ.”

Word On Worship – February 19, 2012 Download / Print

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Whether you are thinking about the rapture, the Judgment Seat of Christ, or His glorious appearing at the end of the Tribulation, the return of Jesus Christ should bring great comfort to our hearts and mind and motivate our hands and feet. The question for our hearts to decide is what are we doing with the redeemed lives God has given us as we wait for our Lords return? How we answer this question is the evidence of practical sanctification in our lives.

This is one of the reasons Paul was constantly in prayer for the saints in places like Thessalonica. Paul understood that true spiritual change is the work of God in the life of the believer. Yes, we train and remain diligent in our faith, but is only the Lord who can bring about the increase. That increase is a walk that is worthy of the calling God Himself has given us, which is to the glory of God. Paul was praying that by the sanctifying work of God in their lives even through their trials, they would live in a manner consistent with their holy calling.

Knowing the glorious future that awaits for us as His children should impact our heads, our hearts and our feet. Each one of us will experience trials and tribulations. Therefore it is important we keep our thinking straight and know that God will use even our worst trial for His glory and our good, because His glory is always our good. God knew His saints would need their hearts to be encouraged with the truth that God will fulfill every good purpose and act prompted by faith. God has told us these things so that we do not lose heart, but persevere with great joy.

The words of prophecy found in the Scripture are designed to provide comfort and propel us forward to godly and fruitful lives. When we understand this life in the light of what is to come for eternity, we can fulfill the words of our Lord from the standpoint of heavenly treasures, as Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 6:19-21,”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Sunday – February 12, 2012

Posted on February 14, 2012 by PastorAndy

February 12, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Dennis Cole Presentation of Acts Chapter 1 and 2 from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

This Sunday we welcome Denis Cole of the Narrow Gate Theater Company, who has made dramatic presentations of the Bible around the world. He will be joining us with Westminster Presbyterian at 10:00 AM for his presentation of Acts chapter 1 and 2

Word On Worship – February 12, 2012 Download / Print

Acts 2:14-16
“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel…”

How do you get some one to listen to you? This is a question that I, as a pastor, ask myself every week. How can I use words, gestures and emotions to hold your attention and communicate the significance of the Scripture? I have to admit, I am often tempted to look at what is happening in other churches in order to see what their methods and approaches are and would they make a difference. Is the secret the use of secular psychology or is it being culturally relevant? Does contemporary music or hymns make a difference? Should we employ innovative advertising strategies to choose topical studies ranging from good marriages to money management in order to get people to listen?

I am not saying the search for reaching an audience is wrong, but the heart of the issue remains the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. The preaching of the Holy Scriptures is the heart of the Church, beginning at Pentecost and continuing to every revival that has occurred until today. From the Day of Pentecost and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer, the Church was formed from the bedrock foundation of preaching from the Word of God. The Book of Acts is the biblical record of apostolic preaching the turned the world upside down.

From the beginning, the apostles continued to preach and teach Jesus is the resurrection of the dead (Acts 4:2). After the persecution of the church begins in earnest, those who were scattered went preaching the gospel (Acts 8:4). The early church picked up where Jesus left His ministry- preaching repentance because the Kingdom of God is near. Jesus told the disciples before He ascended to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” That mandate has not ended.

Preaching has been central in the life of the church in all ages. The Reformation came through the preaching of Luther, Calvin and Knox. The Puritan movement placed high value on sound biblical teaching. The Great Awakening occurred as the result of great preachers such as George Whitefield and John Wesley. The nineteenth century was known by great teachers and evangelists like D.L. Moody and Charles Spurgeon. The weakness of the church today, I believe, is not the result of lack of faith, but rather a turning away of the God-ordained method if evangelism and equipping of people to do the work of God- powerful biblical preaching. Paul said it best when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

Sunday – February 5, 2012

Posted on February 6, 2012 by PastorAndy

February 5, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Cruise Ship or Battleship? from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Have you ever noticed many churches seem to base their model of how to “do church” on the cruise ship model? “Visit us and try our five different restaurants, 30 different stores, and we will put a folded towel rabbit on your seat before you arrive….” But has anybody considered if the cruise ship model was ever the biblical model for how church is to be done? Or does God’s plan for His church require more of a battleship model? Join us Sunday as we enter 2nd Thessalonians chapter 1 and consider the biblical model outlined by Paul for doing church right as we consider “Cruise Ship or Battleship?”

Word On Worship – February 5, 2012 Download / Print

2 Thessalonians 1:4-5
“Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.”

One major theme in our study of 2 Thessalonians will be the subject of eschatology — a fancy seminary word that means “things to come” or as many of us would see it, prophecy. When I came to Christ, eschatology was a huge fascination for me. How God has revealed the last days and how that affects believers was the type of thing that would get me to tune in and show up for the seminar. And then as I matured in my faith and started looking around at other good Bible teachers and the discussion people were engaging in, I was shocked to see that the subject was generally used as a target practice to throw stones at people that had a different biblical view than the one being presented.

But I have to say after my study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, I have found that almost every topic Paul has addressed is related to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. He relates persecution of the saints, sanctification and holy living to the return of Jesus Christ. The Second Coming is more than just prophetic speculation. Our study in these letters of Paul has reminded me to keep my eyes looking forward to the return of Christ. The writer of Hebrews speaks of the race that we run, and reminds us that we have many witnesses and we may be witnesses ourselves if the Lord tarries His return, because the finish line is the return of Jesus Christ.

The goal remains the same: being found faithful when Jesus returns. So prophecy and the return of Jesus Christ remains a vital issue in our spiritual lives. Not all the nit picking and petty arguments about minor details and nuance. The return of our Lord is the motivation we need to live holy lives today (1 John 3:3) and the disciple we need to run our race well (1 Corinthians 9:24). We need a prophetic mind set which allows us to evaluate every decision we make today in the light of what Jesus would say to us about our actions as well as our motives upon His return.

My prayer for us as a church is for the Lord to show us how everything we are going through, especially the struggles and hardships of this life, relate to the return of our Savior. Jesus never promised us clear and easy sailing if we decided to follow Him. In fact, He promised His disciples quite the opposite. Opposition and hardship does not mean God has forsaken us, but that He will use the oppression we face to prove His righteousness and confirm our worthiness to be counted as the children of God.

Sunday – January 29, 2012

Posted on January 30, 2012 by PastorAndy

January 29, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Introduction to 2nd Thessalonians from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Why write the book of 2nd Thessalonians? Didn’t Paul say everything he had to say to this young church the first time he wrote to them? Paul has much to say to these wonderful believers to encourage them in their faith, help them look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ and help them and us be on guard in the last days. Join us this Sunday as we begin a new study in the Book of 2nd Thessalonians, Paul’s book about the last days.

Word On Worship – January 29, 2012 Download / Print

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.”

One of the greatest weaknesses in the Christian community is the failure to see what is going on in the lives of other brothers and sisters in the faith so we can encourage and rejoice with them. The word “ought” in verse 3 can also be translated as “obligated,” literally a requirement because of what Paul could see happening in the lives of the saints in Thessalonica. It can be easy to say it was Paul’s job to know what was going on in the church; after all he is an apostle. But this is how Paul was with all the churches, not just the churches he founded. Paul is one who felt the obligation to know how the saints were doing in practical and caring ways everyday.

We have to guard our hearts and minds from becoming “isolationists.” Nowhere in Scripture are we taught fellow believers are to be isolated from other believers, whether they attend the same service or are separated by thousands of miles. We have an obligation to be aware of what others in our body are experiencing so we can pray effectively and we have an obligation to know what is going in the persecuted church around the world where many of our missionaries live and serve. We have an obligation to pray as Paul did for them and their spiritual growth and to praise God and rejoice for those who are standing fast.

This month we have an opportunity to engage ourselves as a church in this very practice. For the month of February we are partnering with our missionaries to the Alevi people of Turkey and their associates who are seeking to reach this wonderful people group. This is more than just praying for their work or even being aware we support missionaries in Muslim countries. This is about taking an active stance to learn more about the Alevi people and their culture. We are to pray for an Alevis for Jesus Movement to begin, where the seed which has been sown in this people group begins to bear fruit. And we are to carry the obligation of praising God as we see their faith grow through their many trials and tribulations, bringing honor to the Lord for His work in their midst.

For the next 5 weeks, I encourage you to be in prayer for the Alevi people. We will bring more information to focus our time of prayer as a community and individually in our own homes. And as we see how they “do church” and examine the Scriptures to see how church was done by the apostles, may we learn the lesson we will need to learn for our own perseverance and endurance as we go through our own trials and tribulation waiting for the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Word On Worship – January 22, 2012

Posted on January 22, 2012 by PastorAndy

January 22, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

REACH Series: REACH OUT and Evangelize from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Why is the scariest thing any believer faces on a daily basis is to open our mouths and share our faith? We come up with gimmicks or hope that people so admire our lifestyle that they are are compelled to ask us about our faith. The command of Jesus is simple, GO! Join us Sunday for the final installment of our REACH series as we learn to REACH OUT and Evangelize.

Word On Worship – January 22, 2012 Download / Print

Matthew 28:18-20
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus taught His disciples that faith was required to follow Him. In the beginning of their travels with Jesus, the disciples saw many people come and follow Jesus. Some were following Jesus because He fed them, some because He was performing miracles, still others because where ever Jesus was, there was great attention. They agreed intellectually with Jesus and they got along to go along. But somewhere along the way they stopped following. To be a disciple is not a short-term program, but a way of life.

Discipleship means to learn from and to follow a particular teacher. As a Christian, our teacher and the One we follow is Jesus Christ. As we grow and become more and more like the One we say we follow, then we are to bring other people to that same relationship. That is the heart of the command of Jesus- make disciples. Jesus could have left us with a restatement of the Great Commandment (Matt 22:37-40), with the need to be in prayer, but He didn’t. He told us to go and make disciples of all people- but somewhere along the way the Church confused discipleship with programs, with showmanship and with good works. As the fog of confusion grew in the Twentieth Century, the church began shrinking in size, influence and voice. The Church of Jesus Christ needs to get back to what Jesus wanted to be the heart and soul of His Church.

The problem is we want to reap the harvest of a disciple without paying any price. We all want humility and growth, without being humble or working to grow. William Law wrote, “Christianity is not a school for the teaching of moral virtue, or forming us to live a life of decency and gentility. It implies an entire change of life, a dedication of ourselves, our souls, our bodies unto God in the strictest and highest sense of the words.” (The Works of the Reverend William Law, Vol. 3, Pg. 263). Making disciples is not a matter of winning others to a philosophy, to make them nicer people who smile more often. The Great Commission begins as a rescue mission that leads to a marathon.

For us to reach out in evangelism, we need to understand the task God has called us to will require us to stretch ourselves out of our comfort zones, to humble ourselves to speak with people we may not have imagined and trust that God can use broken vessels such as ourselves to bring Him glory. All who believe in Jesus Christ receive marching orders with full authority from God to be able to carry out those orders. Discipleship involves saving people from themselves and from hell for all eternity.

Word On Worship – January 15, 2012

Posted on January 20, 2012 by PastorAndy

January 15, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

REACH Series: REACH IN and Disciple from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

The second in our REACH Series, REACH IN and Disciple. How do we as church look to equip other members of our church complete the work God has given each one of us to do? A practical look at how we can effectively disciple and be discipled in the Body of Christ.

Word On Worship – January 15, 2012 Download / Print

Colossians 1:28-29
“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”

When we were growing up we heard those familiar words from our mothers, “you are what you eat!” That saying is not only true for our physical bodies, but it is true of our spiritual bodies as well. Our generation is the consumer generation. We are always looking for bigger and better. The consumer is always right has been the motto of business. Sadly, the Church has taken this to heart and has become experts at reproducing consumer Christians who appear sweet and nice, but have never been formed into the life of Christ.

Consumer discipleship really is an oxymoron, but it is a phrase that more than adequately describes the path of many in their spiritual life. We have become a people who choose to follow Jesus as long as it does not interfere with our ability to acquire. We go about the business of doing “right things” in the wrong way. For a generation, the Church has taught we can serve Christ and still have it our way. Sermons, worship services, children’s programs and even the length of services are designed around the demands of the consumer. The church has conformed to the idea the customer is right, and if we do not become relevant to people then they will go some where else.

The Bible calls us to be servants and followers of Jesus Christ. Because He gave us His all on the cross at Calvary, we respond by giving Him our all. We are to take up our cross and follow Him — and when we serve we submit to Him. Worship is not about us. Sermon’s are not about us. Music is not about us. The story is God’s story not ours. According to Scripture we are attached to God by prepositions: He is in us, with us, for us, doing things to us. We are not the subject or the verb; we are the object.

We need to return to a model of discipleship where disciples go to church to serve, to contribute to others and to build up the Body of Christ in unity and faith in the knowledge of the Son of God (Ephesians 4:13). The life of Christ should be lived in us daily to the glory of God. It is when we serve others that God meets our needs. It is a kingdom perspective which buries personal tastes, slights, oversights and the mistakes of others under the blanket of Christ’s love for His Church. Because it cost Him everything, we are willing to give everything for those the Lord came to save. When we become that kind of disciple, we become like our teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ.