You’ll never be too small to serve your community, only too BIG, Never too dumb, only too SMART, never too poor, only too RICH, never too inept, only too CLEVER.”
“Human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and can’t really get rid of it.”
“This year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practice ourselves the kind of behavior we expect from other people.” The Case for Christianity – CS Lewis
Mark 3: 13 ` Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve–designating them apostles, that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons.
COMMUNITY
In his book The Connecting Church, Author Randy Frazee writes, “The experience of authentic community is one of the purposes God intends to be fulfilled by the church. The writings of Scripture lead one to conclude that God intends the church, not to be one more bolt on the wheel of activity in our lives, but the very hub at the center of one’s life…..”(36/995)
The church or a local community of believers is essential to our spiritual well-being. In the New Testament there are no “Lone Ranger” Christians. Believers needed each other and God expected them to be there for each other. Likewise, we need each other and God expects us to be there for each other.
God has ordained that we play a vital part in each other’s faith. For that reason we are commanded in Hebrews 10:25 not to, “…GIVE UP MEETING TOGETHER, AS SOME ARE IN THE HABIT OF DOING, BUT LET US ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER….” God has a purpose for putting us together.
DECISION MAKING
Proverbs 16:9 – We make our own plans, but the LORD decides where we will go.
Proverbs 18:1 – it’s selfish and stupid to think only of yourself and to sneer at people who have sense.
- When you are just trying to get there, to heaven, the one thing that can drive your decision-making is based upon fear.
- Right and wrong decision, sin or not.
- Once you say yes to Jesus, you are not to be driven by fear
Sometimes the Lord never tells you what to do; he just says I will bless whatever decision you make. If God makes all the decision you have nothing to give account for. God is not going to give account at the end for you, you will.
- Not an issue of right or wrong, it’s a good decision based upon relationships
- Move into a role of son or daughter, the authority that becomes ours because he trusts us more than we may trust ourselves.
- He’s going to work with us. Proverbs 16:9 – We make our own plans, but the LORD decides where we will go.
- I trust you, what do you what to do?
If you have the solution to every problem living inside you, then you have the ability to take the risk, make decisions
- Isolation, pay attention to the presence of peace, even if it’s scary
- The Lord loves to co-labor with his kids
- King David and building the temple
- Joshua and the talk about taking Jericho
- In the Kingdom the lights green until it turns red.
And as Henri Nouwen points out, “We are unified by our common weaknesses, our common failures, our common disappointments and our common inconsistencies.”
Luke informs us that “ALL THE BELEIVERS WERE ONE IN HEART AND MIND.