From Pastor Andrew’s Desk
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Greetings FCCB’ers!
Well, it is great to experience the monsoon this week…..oh wait, my sermon this week is about not complaining…sorry about that! Complaining about the weather is a habitual struggle :). On a happier note, it is exciting to launch World Outreach Week this upcoming Sunday! And here are a couple of reminders as we lead up to it:
Remember to join us tonight at 7:00 pm tonight in the FLC to hear from Chad Granger about his personal journey of transformation from racism into growing in faith and impact. And don’t forget about our International Potluck Dinner, Wednesday, May 3 at 6:30. Emmanuel Muhammed will share his amazing story of coming to faith in Christ from an Islamic background. This Sunday, April 30th I share my vision for missions and then the following Sunday, May 7, our service will be led by Teen Challenge’ Men’s Choir. Please join us for all these inspiring events! My vision message on missions will be based on Philippians 2. Missions is ultimately the “mission” of every believer in Jesus Christ as it comes from the heart of God. He is the King who demonstrates His unending and emptying love for His people (you and me!) We can pour out only from all that He has poured into us. This is from the heart of God. Philippians 2 begins with a number of “if” statements: If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,
if any comfort from His love
if any common sharing in the Spirit,
if any tenderness and compassion…”
In other words, if the Lord has deeply impacted our lives….now what? Is our response to hoard this love and sit on it. No, Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is constantly urging them, and us, to go deeper, farther in reaching out because of all the amazing things we have experienced by the depth of His love.
After all the “if” statements, Paul moves into a command: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves (v. 3).
How de-motivating it is when someone says something without knowing your context. For instance, they say, “don’t be so selfish….”
When someone says that to me, I naturally want to do the opposite; to be more selfish!
But when a statement comes after the confirmation of Christ’s character, and all He has done our behalf, a command like this follows naturally. Of course, we don’t want to do things out selfish interest, because our intimacy with Christ compels us to be emptied! He has done it! This concept wars against every natural human tendency of self-preservation and selfishness and moves us into trusting Christ.
Then we begin to think…
“How can I go low, so others can be raised high?”
“How can I help others grow in Christ at all costs?”
“How can I learn to be a friend to the hurting, the friendless, the poor?”
“How can I learn from them?”
“How can they be lifted up in Christ?”
As Christ changes our hearts and teaches us to die to ourselves and live to Him, “mission” is not something we do out of obligation or even some unique guilt, but rather out of the outflow of God working in us, that completely changes us. Amazing!
Change us Lord, change us completely.
Give us Your heart and mind.
Give us Your perspective.
May we receive You through everyone we encounter.
May our attitude be Yours (v. 5).
And what is that attitude? The attitude of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. In summary, the God of all creation humbled Himself completely…..beyond completely. It would be like the King of England becoming not just a “regular Joe”, but literally deciding to become a servant. The positional title would not change, but the actions would be completely other-worldly. As Christ humbled Himself, He did not become less of a God….He was still 100% the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, yet became the servant of all. Unbelievable. You and I could have never have made this up. Only from the mind and heart of God. The “Misseo Deo” (mission of God) is His and His alone. He conceived it and He is carrying it out. He chose to become even obedient to death, even death on a cross. (v. 8).
You Lord, have done it. Verse 10-11 reminds us that every knee and every tongue will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. All of creation doesn’t know His Lordship, but they will. There is no other God, no other hope. Let people know, go on mission with Him and for the souls of people. Watch Him show you on the way, all that He will do. Don’t worry, it will be God who will work in you for His purpose (v. 13). He will do it in and through you and me. The question is, do we believe that and are we willing to be used by Him in a mighty way?
The hardest thing about all this?
We need to get out of our own way.
We need to surrender.
We need to die to ourselves and our own desires and preconceived notions.
We need to be emptied.
He emptied Himself….will we follow? If we do, the experiences we will have and the people we will meet and the impact that will unfold will be limitless. You choose.
But along the way of following Christ, it can get discouraging. We often don’t know where He is leading. People can frustrate us too. We don’t understand certain things they are doing and can’t comprehend their idiosyncrasies and customs. Then we begin to complain and grumble. And then we begin to become blinded to what He is doing and begin to squelch His mission that He wants to do in and through us and others. Is our confusion and frustration about situations causing us to become ‘territorial’ and threatened? Rather, Paul says to do everything without complaining and arguing so that we can become blameless and pure…(v. 14). The world complains and argues, the world makes false assumptions…..may it not be said of us! May we believe the best in people and reach out in hope and in the belief of His great and mighty work in and through us! Then we pour out regardless.
How will First Church make a big impact on this town, region and the world? By becoming ‘nothing.’ By going low.
By emptying all preconceived notions about missions.
By falling in love with Jesus.
By learning from others,
By believing the best.
By dying to self, and living to Him.
Do we want to receive the fullness He has? Lets do it. See you Sunday!
Blessings, Pastor Andrew |
