01.08.2011 Turning our Focus Upward

If you were not here last week, Happy New Year!
Let’s pray:
We give our lives fully to You – we want our hearts to be soft so You can move our hearts in the way You feel is best. As we look at our church – where we are and where we’re going – speak through each member of this church – as You have stuff to say to us from every corner – we are a body, and each member contributes. So may our eyes be opened. Use these words to build our church. Amen
Turning our Focus Upward
After the next few weeks, we’ll get back to the Bible (not that we are not basing these few weeks on scripture, but you know what I mean) – a look at Heaven and Hell.
A look upward – in 2012 – we’d like to become a more spiritual church – not like ooo- spiritual, but we need to have more of a focus on God – that He would become top priority. As a church – we need to become more personally spiritual – it starts with us as individuals – each of us has to grow and focus on our relationship with God – and from that – it will cause our whole church to be like that more.
How to make our relationship with God top priority.
Psalm 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. 8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger;
One thing we ask – to see God’s face.
In making God a priority – how do we know that God is the top priority? The psalmist tells us – it is making Him the one thing in life – that one thing that we emphasize – that intimate part of our conversation that we talk about.
That doesn’t mean it takes the most time – work will take the most time, as far as hours – but as for passion and heart and emphasis – it would be on your relationship with God/Jesus. You know what is important – by what you discuss.
Last night I talked to Jemma and Tammy’s nieces – who are Dr. Who fans. It is like electricity, talking about our favorite shows and such – to some it is sports… but the Psalmist says that is how it should be when we talk about God – when we discuss what God is doing in our lives.
You can tell it is a priority in the energy spent in the pursuit of it.
Something that means a lot to you - you spend a lot of energy pursuing it. There are some at the Nat who spend a lot of energy pursuing it – their muscular systems are much different than mine! You can tell it is a priority.
Another way we can see if something is a priority – are other things sacrificed for it? That is a simple barometer – are you sacrificing other stuff for your relationship with God?
That is the starting point. What we need to do then – to bring that authentic spirituality – into the church when we come together – into our relationships – so it is not this monastic thing of going into the desert – but it is developing this relationship and then bringing it in so we can share together.
First – Step up as people – and share with one another in all different formats and ways what God is doing in your life. Think – how much do I do that? In what circles can I do that? Small group – that is one way – and that is one of the reasons small groups are important – the opportunity to share what God is doing in and through you. Fellowship speaks of our sharing our lives together. It is a matter of courage – like saying in a conversation – I want to share what God is doing in my life – not ACTING spiritual – but with genuineness and humility – not overbearingly, to communicate freely what God is doing in our lives. I challenge you to overcome inhibitions in this area. In small groups, and individually – and publicly as well! I know some of you would be willing to do that. If God is doing something special – let one of us know – and we can help it to happen. It is always encouraging. Even if you can’t come up front – but if you can write something – I’ll read it. We can share our sorrows and joys. It doesn’t have to be a great miracle – those are always encouraging – but it is often the work of God that is not seen that can be the most powerful. I encourage you to step up – lose your inhibitions to encourage one another.
Heb. 10: 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Think about, consider, how can I, when we gather together, encourage the others? So that you come into the gathering thinking that you have a responsibility to the church.
Second way to bring our spirituality into the church – become a more theological people. I don’t mean just having deep messages and teachings about the Trinity and how it works – or eschatology, or other issues – but rather – to live theologically better – as a church, to discover how to give a faithful response to the Biblical story within our culture and context.
I don’t have a lot of practicals – but here is an example: The economic crisis. Living theologically means to have a response to the crisis that is faithful to the Biblical narrative – it is having a response to the realities of the day that are not moved by culture or politics, but guided, controlled even, by the biblical narrative.
There is enormous wealth disparity – there was a study – where we are now worse than Russia and even Ancient Rome! So how do we respond? Conservative/Liberal? It is not less taxes/more taxes – or more entitlements/less entitlements – it is not Wall Street nor Occupy Wall Street! But we need to look beneath all of that – those are the outward ramifications of a deep spiritual need in our country! Would you agree with that? Unemployment is a result of a deep need in our country – the result of materialism and greed. That is not easy to talk about. But how is a tax policy going to address greed and people living above their means? Go to the core of what is wrong – yes – the politics need to happen, but there are a LOT of right answers if the core issue is taken care of!
The question comes – how as a church of limited resources – how do we respond to the economic crisis in our community? How do you do it in your circumstances and situations.
We did a study on Ruth a few months ago – the concept of the gleanings – it doesn’t translate to this society directly – but when they would harvest – you are not allowed to harvest the edges of your field – that is for the poor. They are not yours! But it is my field! No it is not – not the outer edges. What we see – God is desperately concerned for those in need – and we should be to. Yes, it won’t work for a car dealership to set up a few cars that anyone can take! That is not the point! But God had concern for the poor and He put that concern on others. When Boaz sees Ruth gleaning the edges – he tells the reapers to leave bundles of food for Ruth. We have this Law of the Edges – and what we see – the edges are not enough – and we see grace come in to our lives – and our concern goes beyond a law and requirement to become abundant grace and giving of ourselves. That is what I talk about when I talk about living theologically.
Throughout the narrative, we see God’s concern – and then we respond faithfully to it.
Third – 1 Tim. 3:16 – as a church in 2012, we need to overcome some inhibitions we have to common and public prayer and confession.
1 Tim. 3: 16 And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.
I think we, in this century – in this place – have lost the Biblical practice of public, common confession – reading scripture together – praying together – maybe because of ways it has been misused – but it is time to get over it – move forward and be faithful to the narrative.
1 Tim. 6: 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Finally – to bring our own spirituality into the church. Think of prayer and worship – towards the end of November we had an extended communion time – and places for people to come up and receive prayer. It was a powerful time of people sharing needs and praying for those needs. We need to learn to do that more as a church together. And we will. It needs to become a habit and a practice. That is what a church is – that is what it does
1 Cor. 11: 27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup
The context of this – they were coming to eat and for them the communion was a meal – and the rich people had all this food and the poor had nothing and they weren’t sharing with one another and Paul is reproving them on this! Gather together to worship. Yes, we are to examine – relational wholeness when we come together. There are relational holes, not wholeness.
One pastor said this: When you are in this circle debating about what is right and wrong – you should get out a cup and bread, stick them in the middle of the table – make sure everyone’s rent is paid, food in the fridge – and then break bread together – share the life of Christ together.
When I speak of being a more spiritual community – that is what the Bible says – a community that yes, is devoted to following Christ and His Mission (which we will look at next week) but all that will only happen as you are in a community devoted to that.

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