The Games - Training

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.  1 Corinthians 9:24-27

The Olympic Games begin in 5 days which means that for 2 weeks our focus will be on athletes, medal counts and the inspirational stories of those who have overcome tremendous odds to be able to compete at the highest level.  The Olympic Games have always captured people’s hearts and minds and inspired people to live differently and as we heard last week, it was the Apostle Paul who compared our faith not just to a race but to the larger life and journey of an athlete.  Paul used the games as a means of talking about faith when he wrote to the people of Corinth because they knew all about the games.  Corinth is about 125 miles east of Olympia, where the ancient Olympic Games were held, but the games they were more familiar with were the Isthmian Games, held in the year before and after the Olympics on the Isthmus of Corinth.

Because these games were so much a part of the people’s lives, Paul used them as a metaphor for faith which still speaks to and inspires our lives today.

Last week we heard that God calls all of us to run a race of faith and that no matter who we are we need to get into the game.  Being in the game means Believing in God and Trusting in Jesus and we know we are running the race of faith when every day we are striving to Love God and Love Others.  Today we are going to talk about the training needed to live out our faith.  Every athlete will tell you that the only way to improve and be able to compete at the top level is to train.  Training doesn’t just mean working hard at your individual sport; it also means setting goals, visualization and motivation.  Training is all encompassing.  Athletes train their physical bodies but they also train their minds and spirits for the competition.  Top athletes work with psychologists to help them break through barriers, overcome nerves and visualize winning the gold.

Training in our faith also means that we need to visualize and set goals.  While athletes often have to visualize themselves competing well and winning the race we need to visualize what our lives of faith should look like.  The Bible tells us to do this by looking to Jesus, Hebrews 12:1-2.  We need to set aside everything else and fix our eyes on Jesus because it is looking at Jesus that we see how we are supposed to live.  Jesus sets the example for us in so many ways and if we can picture ourselves living the way of Jesus it gives us inspiration and motivation to move forward in our faith as well as an example to follow.

Visualization is important and so is setting goals.  If we want to move forward in our faith we need to identify the steps that will help us get there.  Today I want to offer three goals that Christians have been using since the days of John Wesley to grow in faithfulness.  These are known as the general rules of the church that Wesley helped to establish, but they are also goals that we can use to help in our training.  I want to invite you to take out the next steps because you might want to make some notes about the goals you want to set and you might want to fill in some blanks so you will know what you can do to train for the race of faith.  

The first goal we need to set is to Do No Harm.  This means we need to avoid all evil and all those things that harm us, but it also means we need to avoid those words and actions or ours that harm others.  This is what the author of Hebrews means when he says that we need to throw off everything that hinds us and the sin that so easily entangles us.  Sin is evil and it entangles us, it slows us down and trips us up and keeps us from running strong.

When John Wesley said that we need to do no harm and avoid evil he said that we need to especially avoid those things which are generally practiced or common among people and he gave a list of some examples.  I was amazed at how many of the evils Wesley listed are still problems for us today.  For example, he names drunkenness and alcoholism and other addictions clearly slow us down in faith.  They are evils that can destroy our health, relationships and lives.  He also mentions fighting and returning evil for evil.  He specifically said we should avoid speaking evil of political and religious leaders, something we might want to consider during these next 3 months.

Wesley also stressed avoiding entertainment and activities that promote things other than the knowledge or love of God, today that would include much of what we see around us. So much of what the world says is harmless entertainment might be things we need to avoid.  Think about just two things that are prolific in our society and becoming more and more accepted - gambling and pornography.  These are things that people say aren’t that bad and can’t really hurt us  as long as we can control how we use them.  The problem with both of these things is that they pull us away from the life God wants for us.  When we aren’t happy with our lives or relationships, instead of turning to God we will turn to the fantasy world that gambling and pornography create in our minds and in time these activities can take over our reality and destroy our families, our jobs, our reputation in the community and in time our faith.  What might start as some harmless fun or diversion can become an addiction that takes over our lives but more importantly it takes over our hearts and slowly forces God out.

This week I want to invite each of us to set a goal and identify one thing that we know is evil that we should avoid.  I am not asking you to overcome it this week, just identify it and ask God to help you lay it aside.  When we can name the evil at work in our lives it helps us be honest about what it is and how it works so that we can see what the dangers are and this can help us find the strength and the motivation to avoid it and overcome it.  To set the first goal you can simply fill in the blank on this prayer that you will find on the next steps.

God, please help me lay aside__________ which hinders my race of faith.

The next goal we need to set is to attend upon the ordinances of God.   The word ordinance means an authoritative order or a decree; so the ordinances of God are those things that God has told us we should do in order to grow deeper in our faith.  Wesley gave us six practices that we need to follow and they are:

• Public Worship
• Reading and reflecting on God’s word
• Holy Communion
• Public and Private Prayer
• Searching the Scriptures
• Fasting

Now let me be clear and say that we don’t follow these things because we have been ordered to by God, we practice these things because this is what helps us grow in our faith.  This is what gives us stronger spiritual muscles.  These are the things that help us run more faithfully in our faith and help us love God and love others more and more each day.

The good news today is that each one of us at least has one of these down right now and that is the first one, public worship.  We are here and so we are in training and have something to build on, but we need to commit to public worship.  I have heard so many people say that you don’t have to worship with others to be part of a church or a faithful follower of Jesus and while that might be true, not worshiping with others means that we will not grow in our faith.  When we don’t worship with others we begin to look like the grass we see around us these days.  We go dry and dormant.  Weekly worship keeps us spiritually healthy and strong.

There is something powerful about meeting together that we cannot ignore.  Jesus said when two or more are gathered in his name then He is there among them so every time we come together, Jesus is here and if Jesus is here we have the best opportunity to hear him and receive his grace and mercy and power.  Corporate worship is important and we can not neglect it and expect our faith to grow, it really is the foundation of our training.

Reading and reflecting on God’s word is also a powerful tools God uses to really stretch our faith.  In recent studies, the one thing that helped people grow in their faith at every stage, from those just starting out to those who have been walking with Jesus for years, is the reading and reflecting on God’s word.  It was a Bible study where I first grew in my faith and I am still most encouraged and excited in Bible study.  After 20 years in ministry I am still learning new things and finding new truth in the word of God and so we need to commit to reading God’s word and even Searching the Scriptures which means really digging in to the Bible with others.

Wesley also talked about Holy Communion which is the one sacrament of the church which we can share in over and over again.  Like worship, every time we share in communion we are saying that God is present in the meal in a very specific and powerful way.  The fullness of God is present in the bread and cup and it is a means by which God fills us with his grace and gives us the power to run with faith.  It is the food that prepares and sustains us for the competition.

Wesley also mentions both private and public prayer and what is most important in our times of prayer isn’t talking to God but listening for God.  Prayer is an important means of communication that God has opened up to us and it allows us to connect with God in every moment of every day.  Too many times we think prayer is just one way communication, but it is not.  Silence and learning to listen in prayer is something we need to train ourselves to do.  The last ordinance is fasting; not something we talk much about, but can be a powerful experience in our lives.  When we are willing to give up something important for a period of time we are saying to God that we have stopped trusting in ourselves and in our strength, power and understanding and are looking to God to be our source of help and strength.  Fasting can draw us closer to God which draws us closer to the life God has for us.

What I hope you see in this list is that God gives a variety of ways to train because we are all different.  Some people will find times of prayer will help them the most while for others it will Bible Study.  While worship and communion are important for all and are done as part of a larger community, fasting is something that is to be just between us and God and so again, our difference are taken into consideration.  We all learn and grow differently and so God offers us a variety of ways to grow – but we can’t neglect any of these.  Athletes will tell you they need to cross train in order to get their entire body into shape and the same is true for our faith.  While we might find one of these ordinances really helps us the most, we need to be taking part in all of them so that our faith will develop the way God wants it to.

As we follow these ordinances, we will find our faith growing stronger which gives us the ability to consider our third goal which is to Do Good.  Wesley said our goal should be to do all the good you can as often as you can to as many people as you can.  On our own, we can’t do all the good we can we can to all the people we can as often as we can, but as we grow through the ordinances God has given us, we find strength from God to do more than we ever thought or imagined.  Unlike some other religions, our faith is very practical.  Being a Christian is not just what we believe or who we trust, our faith is also very much about how we live because of what we believe and who we trust.  Paul said that we were created and called by God to do good works Ephesians 2:10.  James said that faith without works is dead or not faith at all James 2:14-17, and Jesus himself said that we are to do good works to reveal the glory of God, Matthew 5:16.

So training for the race of faith means visualizing what our lives need to look like and we do this by looking to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.  It means setting goals and working hard.  This week focus on three goals.

Do No Harm
Attend to the Ordinances of God
Do Good.  

If we train hard this week our faith will be stronger and our lives will look different when we gather again next Sunday.

 
Next Steps
The Games – Training

John Wesley gives us three goals to help us train for the race of faith.

1. Do No Harm
Name one habit or activity you know is not healthy and you need to avoid.  Give it to God each day with the prayer:
God, please help me lay aside____________
which hinders my race of faith.


2. Attend upon the ordinances of God
John Wesley names 6 ordinances that can help us develop our faith.
Public Worship
Reading and Reflecting on God's Word
Holy Communion
Public and Private Prayer
Searching The Scriptures

Pick one ordinance to focus on and follow this week.  Each week add another ordinance to your training routine.


3. Do Good 
Read Matthew 5:16, Ephesians 2:14-16, James 2:14-17.
Identify three good works you can do during the Olympic Games that will give glory to God.

The Games ~ The Race

Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.  Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14

In the midst of concerns about the Zika virus, terrorist threats, polluted waters and an uncertain social infrastructure in Rio, the Summer Olympic Games will begin in 12 days.  For 2 weeks all eyes will shift away from political conventions as we focus on 10,500 athletes from around the globe competing in 306 events in familiar sports like swimming, gymnastics and track and field as well as sports like the trampoline and the canoe slalom.  I always think it’s great that they have sports like table tennis and badminton in the Olympics because it makes me think I might have a chance at competing in the games, until I actually watch them play table tennis and badminton and realize that I have as much chance of winning there as I would in weightlifting or boxing.

But the games are fun to watch and they inspire and motivate people around the world and they have done that for centuries.  The first Olympic Games were held in Olympia Greece in 776 BC and there was only one event in one sport.  There was one race, a 200 yard dash and that distance was known as a stadia, which is where we get the word stadium.  People from all over the region came to compete and it wasn’t for professional athletes because the first winner of the race was a cook.  Everyone had so much fun that they decided to do it all over again in 4 years and thus was born the Olympics.

They slowly added more races at different distances and then other sports.  Equestrian events were some of the first sports added to the races and then came things like the discus throw, the javelin and wrestling.  When the athletes and communities came together, with them came the poets and artists and so in time it became a huge social event that touched every part of society.  The Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, but they gave birth to other games in other locations.  One of those games was known as the Isthmian Games which were held the year before and after the Olympic games.  The Isthmian games were held on the Isthmus of Corinth which is 130 miles east of Olympia and it was these games that the Apostle Paul was most likely thinking about when he compared our faith to a race.

Paul was the apostle who formed the church in Corinth and he stayed there as their leader for 18 months which was longer than Paul stayed anywhere, and Paul wrote more letters to the church in Corinth than any other church.  We have two letters in the New Testament, which many scholars believe is actually three letters that was edited into 2, and there was a 4th letter that Paul wrote to that church as well.  Paul cared deeply about this church and he knew the people and community well and he did all he could to encourage them in life and faith.

The Isthmian games would have been a big part of the Corinthian culture and community, think Penn State Football in Centre County.  Paul knew the games and perhaps attended them and enjoyed them when he was there.  What we do know is that even though the games were dedicated to the Greek and Roman god’s, Paul used the games as a metaphor for the Christian faith and that image has endured to this day.  Paul could see athletes training hard and giving everything they had to run the race.  He could see the commitment and sacrifice needed by athletes to compete well and win and Paul could see how all of this could be linked to the living of our faith.

Following Jesus and living a Christian life is not something we can casually approach and succeed in any more than we could jump in a pool and compete alongside Michael Phelps.  Our faith is something that requires training, commitment and sacrifice.  It requires energy and effort.  To be strong in our faith and diligent in following Jesus we need to be committed and train hard day after day after day.  Most Olympic athletes will tell you that they train 12-14 hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week for years in order to compete in the games.  They eat, sleep, breathe and live a certain way in order to excel in their sport.  The sport consumes them and everything about them.  It defines who they are, what they do and how they live and Paul is saying that our trust in Jesus and the living out of our faith needs to look the same way.

Living out our faith needs to be something that defines us.  Being a Christian is not something we do one hour a day, one day a week, it needs to give direction to every thought, every decision and every action of our lives.  Following Jesus isn’t something we do as much as it is something we are and the life that we live and it means that we need to always be moving forward and pressing on in order to do it.  In his letter to the Philippians, Paul is saying that even he is not done running the race and that even he has to keep straining forward and giving God his all.  As much as Paul did during in his life, he was not content and he was not done – there was more to give.  Like all athletes will tell you, they want to leave it all on the court or on the track or in the pool and Paul wants to give his all to God.  

Even the Olympic motto tells us that we need to keep straining forward.  The Olympic motto is three Latin words – citius – altius – fortius which means faster – higher – stronger.  It’s not fastest, strongest or highest because the goal of the Olympics is to be always improving and the goal of our faith needs to be always growing into the likeness of Christ.  Like Paul, we are not there yet but we strain forward to win the prize to which God has called us.

Let’s talk about this prize for a moment.  In the Olympic Games the prize was an olive wreath but in the Isthmian games that Paul is referring to the wreath was made of celery. How long do you think a wreath of celery lasted in the hot sun?  Not long.  So the prize they worked for was something that didn’t last but Paul says we are striving to win a crown that will last forever.  That crown or the prize we strive for is to hear God say to us at the finish line of life, well done my good and faithful servant.  The goal in our faith is to please God and bring glory to God.  We strain forward and train hard to experience the peace and the joy that comes when we serve God and serve others.  These are rewards that can begin today but last into eternity.  These are things that Paul says we need to strive for, sacrifice for and give our all for.

In perhaps the greatest Olympic movie all time, Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddle was a Christian missionary who was also a fast runner.  He struggled with a decision to run in the 1924 Paris Olympics or go into the mission field.  In a conversation with his sister Eric decided he needed to run in the Olympics because, in his words, he felt God’s pleasure in him when he ran.   For all of us, the prize of living the Christian life is feeling God’s pleasure in us when we live for, worship, serve and love God.  Again, the Apostle Paul said to live is Christ, it is to honor Christ, glorify Christ and feel the joy and pleasure of Christ as we run the race.

So the question we need to ask today is:  Am I in the race?  Have I gotten off the couch and onto the track?  Have I made the decision to enter the faith?  Starting the race involves 2 things; the first is Believing in God.  Do I believe there is a God who created the world and placed me in it?  Do I believe that God wants me to live a certain way and follow a certain path in life?  Am I created for something more than catching pokemons and amassing followers on twitter and friends on facebook?  Am I here to do something more than work at my job with the hope of retiring someday?  Believing in God is actually a choice we make.  We may have grown up believing there is a God, but at some point we need to make this decision for ourselves.  It’s important to make this decision because when we choose to believe in God we are choosing for ourselves to live a life that is defined not by the world but by God.  We are choosing to run a race of faith.

If you have never made that choice, make it today.  Whether you are 9 or 90; make the choice to believe in God and step out to begin a race and life of faith.

The second thing that being in the race means is Trusting in Jesus.  Trusting Jesus means that we believe Jesus is the fullness of God so that when we look at Jesus and read about his life we know that we are looking at God and seeing how God wants us to live.  Trusting Jesus means knowing that we have fallen short of how God wants us to live but that God forgives us through Jesus.  The cross is how God forgives us because that is where Jesus paid the price for our sin by taking on our sin and dying for us.  Trusting Jesus means knowing that the spirit of Jesus, or the Holy Spirit, is at work to help us to be more like Jesus.

In the weeks to come we will talk about how training, teamwork and perseverance are all needed in our faith to be victorious, but today we need to ask ourselves if we are in the race.  Do we believe in God?  Are we trusting in Jesus?  If we are then every day we need to do two things – love God and love others.  Have we entered the race of faith?  Every day are we saying, Here I am God, I am yours and I am here for you.  I love you and I want you to help me love others.  If we are in the race it means that every day we sacrifice and give all we have to live the life God has for us.  If we are in the race then it means that every night we ask for forgiveness and the grace to be faithful tomorrow.

If we are in the race it means that every day we strain forward to use all God has given us for his honor and glory.  If we are in the race it means we find ways to use the gifts God has given us, the unique talents and skills that God has given us, to honor God and bless others.  During the Olympics we will see the unique gifts and talents that God has given to different people.  They are all so different and they use what they have been given to compete in their own way and the same is true for us.  To the people in Corinth who understood these games, Paul said that we all have different gifts and abilities but that we need to use them to honor God and bless others.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

We all have different gifts and running the race of faith means using those gifts for God’s glory and to bless others.  We saw this lived out here just a week ago with VBS.  Some people used their gifts of art and design to create the cave we lived in for the week.  Some people used their gifts of teaching to explain the story of God and the power of God to the children.  Some people used their love of children to guide them through the activities of the evening, some used their organizational skills to pull it all together and some used their gifts of photography to share it with the rest of us.  All those people were in the race.  They were straining forward to honor God and bless others.

Are you in the game?  Are you running the race?  At Faith Church our motto isn’t faster – higher – stronger it is connect – serve – grow.  Are we connecting to God in worship?  Have we stepped onto the track to connect with God by saying we believe in God and trust in Jesus?  Are we running the race by serving God in some way, anyway, and serving those around us?  Are we straining forward to grow in our faith?

Straining forward is not a burden, but a joy.  It takes hard work and lots of training, but it brings with it a great joy.  Eric Liddle did run in the Olympics and in his final race as he runs for the gold he shows us what straining forward looks like. Chariots of Fire

Are you in the race?  Do you want to feel God’s pleasure in you as you run with faith?  Are we straining forward and experiencing the full joy that comes when be believe in God and trust in Jesus?  Let us enter the race and give it our all so we can receive the crown that doesn’t wilt away but lasts forever.


 
Next Steps
The Race

1.  Make sure you are in the race of faith.
• Choose to believe in God.
• Place your trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

2.  Running the race of faith means loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
• Express your love for God in one tangible way this week.
• Commit to one act of love for others this week.

3.  Every athlete has special gifts and talents that they use to achieve victory. Read about the God given gifts of the spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and Ephesians 4:11-16.
• What gift has God given you?
• Commit to using this gift in the life of Faith Church this summer / fall.

4. Running the race means ongoing work and training.
• Commit to being in worship for The Games sermon series to learn how to keep running the race.  • Place post-in notes reminders in your home and office with the word “running” to remind you that you are always running the race of faith.
• Memorize Philippians 3:13b-14.

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  
Philippians 3:13b-14

Cave Stories - Elijah

Once again this morning we find ourselves in a cave and while you could see that this cave was a fun and exciting place for the children all week, cave stories in the bible weren’t always fun and exciting.  In fact, many times the people who find themselves in a cave were there because things had been difficult for them and they didn’t know what else to do or where else to go.  Last week we heard about David who was being pursued by Saul so fled into the wilderness and hid out in a random cave to try and save his life.  Today we are going to hear about the prophet Elijah who was also running to save his life but unlike David, Elijah doesn’t hide in a random cave, Elijah ran to a very specific cave in a very special location.  Elijah hid himself in a cave on Mt. Horeb which was known as the mountain of God.

Elijah’s story is found in 1 Kings 19 and it says Elijah was running from Queen Jezebel who wanted to kill Elijah because he had all the false prophets who were loyal to Jezebel killed.  1 Kings 19:1-3a  Elijah was exhausted and afraid so started running but unlike David who ended up in a random cave, Elijah ended up at Horeb, the Mountain of God, 1 Kings 19:8-9a.  Elijah teaches us an important lesson here.  When we are alone and afraid, it’s ok to run but we need to run to God.

When we need rest, strength or help, were do we run?  Where do we turn?  Too often we run straight into the world looking for the answers to all that we need.  We run to find our sleep number so we can get better rest.

We run to fad diets or the latest herbal supplement to give ourselves strength.

We run to find the newest self help book to find the advice and wisdom we need.

Too often we turn to the world to find our answers instead of turning to God, but Elijah turned to God.  When he was afraid and in need, Elijah ran and in time God led him to the best place to hide out, the Mountain of God.

While we can’t run to Horeb when we are in need, we can still run to God by turning to those times and places where we can experience God.  That’s what Elijah really wanted; he wanted to experience the presence of God.  Elijah wanted to hear God’s voice or feel God’s power and presence and Mt. Horeb was the best place to find that.  When we are in need we need run to those places where we can hear, see or feel God’s presence and power.  For some this might be a quiet place in the woods, for others it might be in the word of God alone or with a group.  For some it may be moments of silent prayer but for others it might be in songs of loud praise.  When we are afraid, tired and in need of help we need to run to God with the expectation of meeting God when we get there.

Once Elijah got to Mt. Horeb he tried to just sit and wait for God to do all the work, but for Elijah to experience God he had to do his part and the first thing Elijah had to do was physically get up.  1 Kings 19:11a.  Elijah had to get up and go out to the mouth of the cave.  Elijah had to physically move and change his position.  Sometimes if we are going to experience God we also need to get up and get moving and change our position.  It is too easy to just sit and do nothing waiting for God to come and do all the work in changing our bad situation, but God calls us to get up and be part of changing our lives.

If we want to hear and see the fullness of God then we need to get up and put ourselves in places where we can experience God.  If we want to feel God’s direction in our life then we need to start moving and let God’s hand guide us.  A friend of mine had a great saying, he always said, it is easier to steer a moving car than a parked car.  In other words, if want to know God’s direction for our life then we need to get up and start doing something and let God direct us.  If we are looking for God, then we need to get up and go look for him; trust me, we won’t have to look far or long because the power and presence of God are all around us. If we want to experience God then we need to move.  We need to move into small groups and learn, move into missions and serve.  We need to move into worship and sing and pray and hear God’s word.  We need to take an active part in our faith and change our position, change our perspective.  If we will move, God will meet us on the way.  

Not only did God tell Elijah to get up and move but he also told Elijah to look and listen because God was going to pass by.  God told Elijah to open his eyes and look around because God was going to be there.  He told Elijah to open his ears and listen to see if he could hear God speaking and he told Elijah to open his heart so that he could feel God’s presence.  Elijah had to be open to God, he had to be searching for God with all his senses with the expectation that God would be there.

Are we open to God?  To experience God we have to open our eyes to see God and open our ears to hear God and open our hearts so that we can feel God moving in us and around us.  Elijah opened himself up to God and searched for God so when a mighty wind blew on the mountain, Elijah listened for God in that wind but he did not hear him.  Then there was an earthquake and Elijah felt to see if God was present in the movement of the mountain, but God was not there.  Then there was a great fire and Elijah looked to see if God was in the flames but God was not.  Elijah was tuned into God – he was searching for God.  He was listening and watching and even opening himself up to feel God’s presence in all that was going on around him but God was not there.

Elijah kept searching, however and because he remained open to God, Elijah finally heard and experienced God in the sheer silence that settled on the mountain.  It is often in the unexpected times and places that we experience God most powerfully.  It is often in the most unlikely people and events that we hear God or sense God’s presence.  In my own life it was the simple hug of a child that brought me the power of God’s healing.  It was the ramblings of an Alzheimer’s patient that spoke God’s truth and it was through the devastation of a storm that God’s hand gave direction.  It’s not always the silence that brings God’s presence it’s the unexpected.  It is in the unlikely times and places that God often tries to offer us help and if we are open to God then we will experience God.


Think about Jesus.  God came into the world in a very unexpected way, born to an unknown and unlikely couple in the little town of Bethlehem.  Jesus lived an unassuming life and didn’t act like the religious leaders of his day.  And how unlikely that it would be the Roman death penalty and a wooden cross that would be the means by which God would redeem the world.  For those who had eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to feel God in those days – they were able to see God in Jesus.

It is important that we stay open to God and that means asking God to help us see Him at work in all the moments of our lives and asking God to help us hear him above all the noise of our culture.  Being open to God is living each day with a sense of expectation that God is still moving and anticipating that we will see and hear and feel God each and every day.  God promises us that we will hear and see and feel him if we will search for him.  God said, you will find me if you search for me with all your heart.  God doesn’t hide from us – God is here for us to see, hear and experience if we will open our eyes, ears and heart.

Experiencing God’s presence and power was not the end of the story for Elijah, he was then told to leave the cave and get back to work.  As much as staying in the safety of God’s mountain must have been inviting for Elijah, God sent him back into the world, but God didn’t load down Elijah with all that had to be done, he just sent him out to take the next simple step.  Elijah was afraid to leave because he felt like he was the only one left in all Israel who was faithful to God and everything that needed to happen and change in the world was overwhelming.   Elijah felt hopeless, but God simply told Elijah to go out and anoint one person to be the king of Aram.  Then Elijah was to anoint one more person to be the king of Israel and then Elijah was to anoint one more person to be the prophet who would follow him.  That’s all Elijah had to do, go out and anoint three people.  God would then use those three people to turn everything around.  

When we feel overwhelmed by life and are tired and afraid of all that we see going on around us, God doesn’t always tell us to go out and take on the world, sometimes God just says, go out and take the next simple step.  What’s the next step God has for you today?  Maybe it’s to keep worshipping as a family.  Maybe it’s to continue to bring your children to Sunday School and Children’s Church.  Maybe it’s to support missions through the Ice Cream social on Friday or the VBS offering.  Maybe the next step is to go on a mission trip and serve those in need in Clearfield or in other places of need.  Maybe it’s to open our own eyes and ears as we read God’s word alone and with others in small groups and studies.

The needs of the world are overwhelming  Terrorism in France, Political unrest in Turkey, Political and Social divisions at home and what can we really do to change any of it?  It all seems too big and too complex and too overwhelming, but God is just calling us to take the next simple and faithful step.  We aren’t done yet, God can use us if we will allow God to.  Our story is not over.

Elijah’s story was not over, in fact, one of the most important things in Elijah’s life was to anoint Elisha to be the prophet who would follow him so that the work of God could continue.  Maybe the next step we have is to help train and bless and anoint those who will follow us in mission and ministry.  If the work of God is to continue at Faith Church and in our community it is going to be because all of us are looking for and inviting others to step up and serve God.  You may be the one needing to step up and serve or you may be the one needing to anoint those stepping out to serve, but for all of us, our story is not over, there are more steps to take – important steps to take.

In the troubled times we face as a nation and world and with our own doubts, fears and anxiety at work in our lives, let us run to God today and let us open ourselves up fully to experience God’s presence and to feel God’s power so that like Elijah we can take that next step in faith.


Next Steps
Cave Stories – Elijah

1 David ran through the wilderness, Elijah ran to Horeb, the Mountain of God.  Name three ways you can run to God.
•
•
•


2. God told Elijah to get up and move in order to experience God.  In what way might you need to move in order to experience God?
• What might you need to leave behind to experience God?
• What might you need to take up to experience God?


3. Where do you most see, hear and feel God’s presence?  How can you go there more often?


4. Elijah had to open his ear, eyes and heart to experience God in the silence.  How might you open yourself up to the fullness of God’s presence during this week?


5. Elijah was told to go back to his life by taking the next faithful step.  What is the next faithful step in your life?  What one thing is God asking you to do this week?


6. Join us on Friday for an Ice Cream social as we support the future mission work of Faith Church.  Bring the family along to watch Finding Nemo and make it a night of fellowship and fun.

Cave Stories - David

Since I will be standing in a cave for the next two weeks I decided that we would look at some cave stories.  The geography of the holy land is such that there are caves everywhere.  Caves were important because they provided some of the only shelter for people in the desert.  Caves can provide relief from the heat and cold, protection during storms as well as safety for both people and livestock at night.  When I was in Bethlehem we huddled in a cave to hear the story of the shepherds and the angels on the night Jesus was born because it makes sense that the shepherds out in the fields that night watching over their sheep would have taken those sheep into a cave so that they only had to watch the open door.

Caves where homes for people and caves were graves for people, it’s where they lived and died and were buried.  So caves were important and yet there are not as many cave stories in the Bible as you might think, but there are two important ones that we are going to look at and the first one is the story of David hiding out in a cave in the region of Ein Gede, which is along the Dead Sea.  This is a true wilderness area with lots of caves tucked up into the hills, in fact the picture you see here is from that general region and you can see a couple of caves which would have been similar to where this story takes place.

David was hiding in a cave because things had not been going well for him.  While the prophet Samuel had anointed David as the King of Israel and David had amazing success as a military leader, there was already a king in Israel name Saul and Saul was not giving up his throne and authority to David.  Saul had become very jealous of David so set out to kill him.  Because of Saul’s pursuit, David had lost connection with his family, been separated from his troops and had to flee from his home.  David had lost his wealth and power and friends and ended up sitting alone, hiding from Saul in a cave.

There are times when all of us have felt like we were sitting alone in a cave.  Maybe it was when we lost a job or had a financial setback so were forced to downsize or even leave our home and friends.  Maybe it was when gossip spread about us that wasn’t true but there was nothing we can do to defend ourselves and we were feeling left out and alone.  Maybe it was when our dreams for the future were crushed or when someone said no to our ideas or ended a relationship.  There are times we all end up alone in a cave and find ourselves in a dark and hopeless pit of frustration and despair.

Caves are a REALITY of life for all of us.  We all end up there at times.  We all feel empty and alone and with nowhere else to turn we feel like the best thing we can do is sit down and pout.  We might have every reason in the world to feel the way we do and we might be justified in our complaint to God and others and if we need to, we can speak this reality to God.  While he was sitting in a cave, David shared his reality with God.  From the cave David cried out to God and we hear his cry from Psalm 142:1-7.  There is an introduction to the psalm that tells us that this was written while David was in the cave.  David was hurting and broken and frustrated and he shares his reality with God.

It is important to know that it is always ok for us to share our reality with God.  We don’t need to pretend everything is ok, we don’t need to act as if we have no problems.  We can be honest and real with God.  David was frustrated and tired and was at his wits end and he shares all of that with God.  When we are sitting alone in a cave we can be real with God.  What would your cry to God be today?  What reality do you need to share with God and what pain or frustration do we need to be honest about?  Whether it is a situation beyond our control or a mess of our own making, we can share our frustration with God.  If we are angry or frustrated or feeling hopeless because of the injustice, hatred and violence we have seen this week, it is ok to share that with God.  Whatever is it, we can share our reality with God and trust that God will not forsake us but forgive us and that God will not reject us but revive us.

David cries out to God and made his reality clear and while he is frustrated and feeling vulnerable he was clear that God was his refuge.  Psalm 142:4-5.  If the cave is our reality then we need to take REFUGE in God.  For David, taking refuge in God didn’t mean hiding in a cave unit the danger was over, it wasn’t about being in a secure location it meant David was trusting God to act on his behalf.  David was taking refuge in God and asking God to save and redeem him.  We know this is what David meant when he talked about a refuge because there is another psalm David wrote while in this cave which goes into more detail about God being his refuge and it is Psalm 57.

Psalm 57:1.  David is looking for God to be his refuge but he isn’t talking about the strength of the cave but the strength of God himself.  The refuge isn’t the physical rock but the shadow of God’s wings.  The refuge that gives David strength is the power of God, a power David experienced at other times in his life and a power David knows will be there for him now and into the future.  David knows God loves him and he knows God has fought for him in the past and so he is trusting in that love and power to save him now.  This is where we need to take refuge as well.

In the midst of our own problems and pain we need to make God our refuge, which doesn’t mean running to a secure location to hide but trusting in God to help, trusting God to help us through.  We need to keep living and moving forward, but with the faith that God is on our side.  David could look back to his many victories given by the hand of God to help give him confidence to trust God moving forward and we need to do the same.  We need to look back in our lives and identify God’s faithfulness in the past so we can trust God for the future.  David marked many of his victories with psalms and then he used those psalms to remind him of God’s love and power, maybe we need something similar.  It may not be that we write songs or psalms but can we make a list of all the ways God has shown us his love and power and then turn to that list when we are in need.  That’s part of what it means to take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings.

David not only took refuge in God but his faith and trust allowed him to make a REQUEST of God.  Psalm 57:2-3.  David cries out to God and what he asks for is success.  He is asking for help.  He is asking God to physically help him in the situation he faces which means turning his enemies away, but he is also asking God to fulfill the purpose God has for him.  Other translations say in V.2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.  God’s purpose for David was for him to be the king of Israel.  

When we are sitting in a cave it’s important to trust God but it is also important to ask God for help.  Our faith and trust can give us confidence to ask God for the support we need.  We need to pray and ask God to help us overcome the problems we face but we also need to pray and ask God to help us achieve our purpose in life, of course this means we first need to have an understanding of what God’s purpose for our life is.

For David, knowing his purpose was easy because God had anointed him king through the prophet Samuel.  While Samuel was clear, the problem David faced was that there was already a king in Israel so how was God going to work this out.  For many of us, we may have a sense of God’s purpose and like David not see how God could possibly work out the details, or we may not have a sense of God’s purpose at all.  We may not have clearly heard the call of God in our lives or heard the direction of God’s spirit telling us where to go and what to do and who to be.  If that is where you are and you want to have that sense of purpose then I would encourage you to make that request to God and if you have already made it and still don’t have a clear answer, then just keep asking.

While we often want to know our purpose and plan now, God often leads us to it in his time.  I knew I wanted to serve God with my life in the fall of 1982 but it wasn’t until the spring of 1992 that I finally realized that God’s plan for me was in the local church.  10 years I walked and wandered and searched and prayed and while it took some time, God was faithful and answered my prayer.

David also had to wait for God to fully provide for him.  Scholars believe it was 15 years between the time David was anointed king and then became King of Judah, which was only half of the kingdom of Israel.  It would be another 7 years before all the tribes of Israel made David their king.  I’m sure there were times David questioned and doubted and cried out to God like he did here, but God was faithful.  We can question and doubt and cry out to God all we want but like David can we do it with faith and trust that God will answer us and redeem us and fulfill God’s purpose and plans for us.

One sign that we are waiting in faith is if we are able to REJOICE, even if we aren’t fully there.  David wasn’t the king and he wasn’t even in a good place but he rejoiced in God, Psalm 57:7-11.  David is doing all of this from a cave where he has had to run from the enemy and where he is questioning why God hasn’t helped him yet.  Even from the darkness of a cave, David rejoices and he rejoices because he knows that God is faithful and powerful.  Even when David is uncertain, he sings God’s praise which helps hold his heart steady and keeps his heart focused.

In our own times of darkness we need to rejoice.  We may not feel like it, but worship isn’t about how we feel it is about who we trust and what we believe.  My heart may not feel like singing God’s praise but if I can praise God and remind myself why God is worthy of praise, it helps keep me focused and faithful.  The apostle Paul tells us that we need to rejoice in the Lord always, not just when things are going well.  We can rejoice in a cave because God is there.  We can rejoice in a cave because we know that the cave is not the end of the story, it’s not the end of God’s story and it is not the end of our story.

The cave was also not the end of David’s story.  While David first arrived in the cave rejected and alone, slowly David got his support back.  In time his family came to him and then his friends and supporters arrived.  Eventually there were many people hiding out with David in this cave and in time Saul heard that David and his men were hiding out in this area so he went looking for him.

The story goes that as Saul was looking for David he entered into a cave to “relieve” himself and it just happened to be the cave where David and his men were hiding.  If you ever wonder if the Bible is true, I look at stories like this and say to myself, you can’t make this stuff up.  It must have been a big cave for Saul not to notice or hear David and all the people gathered with him, but while Saul was otherwise “occupied” David crept up and while he could have killed Saul in that moment, he didn’t.  Instead, David cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.  David spared Saul’s life because no matter how evil Saul had been to David, David knew that Saul had still been chosen by God to be the king.  While Saul had disappointed God and God had now chosen another, David was not going to be the one to kill Saul; David was going to leave that in God’s hands.

After Saul left the cave and was getting ready to leave the area, David came out of the cave himself and showed Saul the corner of his robe.  David told Saul that while he could have killed him, he didn’t and that David was not going to kill him.  1 Samuel 24:10-12

David now has the strength and power to leave the cave and in time Saul was defeated by the Philistines and David took the throne as the king of Israel.  There would be more problems for David, more days where he felt abandoned and alone, more days when he felt like he was again living the darkness of a cave, but in those days David was able to turn to his own words which told him to find REFUGE in God, make his REQUEST to God and REJOICE in God.   Perhaps David even used his own words and songs to rejoice, words that were written in a cave –

Be exalted O God above the heavens
Let your glory be over all the earth.  
Psalm 57:13


Next Steps
Cave Stories – David

For background on the story of David, read 1 Samuel 18-23.  The story of David in the cave is found in 1 Samuel 24.  The two psalms David wrote in the cave are Psalm 57 and 142.

1. David shared his reality with God.
What reality do you face today?
Are you living in the darkness of a cave or the sunshine of the mountain top?  Somewhere in between?
How can you share the reality of your life with God?  

2. David took refuge in God.
A refuge in God is a not a physical location but a confidence and trust in God’s power.
What specific power of God do you need to experience today?  Healing, hope, direction, forgiveness…
What power of God have you experienced in the past?
How can you record and remember these so they can help you trust God for today and tomorrow.

3.  David made a request of God.
What request do you need to present to God?
Do you know the God given purpose for your life?
If not, ask God to reveal that to you and then wait with faith until God will provide.

4.  David rejoiced in God.
Read again Psalm 57:5-11.
Name 3 attributes of God for which you rejoice.
How can you help spread the glory of God in all the earth?
Take time in the morning and evening to rejoice in God’s love and power.

America The Beautiful

Picture courtesy of   Shannon Allison

Let me be clear about a few things before I begin.  This is not a political sermon, and by that I mean it will not tell you who you should vote for or against or what side of the political aisle you should be on if you are a true follower of Jesus.  There are people who love Jesus on both sides of the aisle.  This is also not a sermon on national pride – although I take pride in our nation.  America is a beautiful place for many reasons. The physical beauty of our country is clear to see, but all nations have beautiful scenery.  The freedom of our nation is a beautiful thing and a blessing for us all, but again, many nations enjoy similar freedoms.  The people of our nation are beautiful in spirit but there are beautiful and inspired people around the world.  When I talk about America the beautiful I am not implying we are better than all other nations, but it is our nation and I hope we will work to keep it a beautiful place to live.

While America is beautiful, we have the potential to become a pretty ugly place during the next 128 days.  That’s how long it is until the presidential elections on November 8.  Presidential elections can get messy, even downright ugly.  One side will talk about their opponent having an explosive temper which would make them a reckless and dangerous leader and the other side will portray their opponent as an elitist who spent a life in politics and excels at drawing upon their family name.  And just in case you think I am talking about our two current nominees, I’m not.  I’m talking about Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams and the presidential elections of 1828.

Those were the issues that came up during that election, so you can see, ugly elections are nothing new.

But this year is shaping up to be ugly because there are deep divisions not just between the right and the left but even on the right and the left.  We are finding less, if any, common ground on which to stand even among those with whom we agree.  In dialogues and conversations we seem to have few common ideas, dreams and visions on which to build.  Social media and the ease of commenting on everything anonymously not only adds to our division but helps makes things ugly because it gives people the opportunity to say things that they might never say to a person face to face.  Like many of you, I have seen all kinds of pictures, stories and memes that don’t try to honestly discuss the issues we face but simply put down the other side in harsh and cruel ways.  I don’t know about you, but when I see all of this – and at times from people I respect – I begin to lose hope.  Is mean spirited mudslinging the way we will treat those with whom we disagree?  Is there another way?  Is there a better way, a more beautiful way?

As Christians living in America we must not conform to what we see around us but live lives that will transform our world.  Jesus calls us to be salt and light and the aroma of life and hope and peace in a world that is dying.  Today I want to offer a different way, a way of living during this campaign season that will help keep America beautiful.  If we can follow 5 simple lessons that come from our faith, we can help make sure America is a beautiful place for everyone.

These 5 lessons come from the book of Colossians where Paul is reminding the people of God how to live as a beacon of light and hope in the world around them. He is telling them how to be beautiful.  Colossians 3:13-17, 23-24.

There are 5 themes we can pull out here that all speak to how we need to live during these next few months and the first is to have an attitude of humility.  Colossians 3:13-14.  Be humble.  Bear with one another.  Forgive as we have been forgiven.  When many around us are going to be shouting about why they are right and everyone else is wrong, we need to be gentle and humble.  This doesn’t mean we can’t hold strong opinions and it doesn’t mean we can’t advocate for our views, but we need to do it in ways that honor and respect the other person.  In Philippians 2, Paul reminds us that we need to reflect the humility of Jesus and we do this by considering others better than ourselves.  I would be happy if as a people we would just treat one another as equals and not as enemies.

An attitude of humility requires us to see everyone as a valuable person created in the image of God.  Regardless of people’s political positions, social views, sex, creed, color and orientation, we need to see everyone as people of sacred worth and be willing to treat them that way.  An attitude of humility means being willingness to see that at times everyone is right at times everyone is wrong – even ourselves.  Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, joys and sorrow, gifts and brokenness and we need to value all that we see in each other.  If we find ourselves really struggling with people who view things differently than we do, we need to ask God to forgive us and open our eyes so that we can see them the way God does, as his creation and loved children.

It is only our humility and love that will allow us to have a spirit of unity that will hold us together.   Colossians 3:14-15.  One of the truly beautiful things about America is our unity in diversity.  While we are all different, we have always found ways to come together as one body, one nation.  Today there are so many things that divide us and force us apart that as Christians we need to show the world a better way, which is to live at peace with one another despite our difference.  We don’t all have to agree; in fact at times our disagreements on issues can lead to greater clarity and wisdom because it is when we challenge one another that we all grow.

Proverbs 27:17 says, as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.   If we aren’t willing to stay close together, we can’t sharpen one another.  If we aren’t willing to respect one another, talk to and listen to one another and if we aren’t willing to remain as one body or one nation, we can’t learn from one another or share with one another or grow together as a people.  Let me also say that it is diversity that often creates beauty.  Think about stained glass or mosaics or even the colors of creation.  The beauty comes from diversity being held together as one.

To remain together we need to develop a language of love.  Jesus said the words that come out of our mouth flow from our heart, Matthew 15:18.  If our words cut others down, what does that say about our heart?  Perhaps more than anything we need to watch our words during this campaign season and use a language of love.  The Bible makes clear that our words are important and powerful and that we need to guard them carefully.  Colossians 3:16, 4:6

Ephesians 4:29 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up.  

Ephesians 5:4 - Nor should there be obscenity, foolish tlk or coarse joking which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

James 3:8-10 - No man can tame the tongue  It is restless evil, full of deadly poison  With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father and with it we curse men who have been made in God’s likeness… this should not be.

1 Peter 3:10 - Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.

Matthew 12:36 - I tell you that all people will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken

God makes clear that we need to watch our words and not allow our language to destroy one another.  We are living in a culture where people feel free to say all kinds of evil things because they can tweet or comment anonymously, but God always knows and God hears and God weighs our words and the heart from which they come.

We might not think that our words have power, but to God, words always have power.  When God speaks – things happen.  When God speaks, worlds are created.  When God speaks, people are forgiven.  When God speaks, God keeps his promises.  Words have meaning and consequences for God so we need to evaluate what we say and season our words with salt and use a language of love.  Again, this doesn’t mean we can’t hold to our political views, but can we share them in ways that help bring understanding?

Our words need to bring peace and they can if we are willing to share our different ideas in ways that foster dialogue and bring us together.  We won’t all agree on politics, economics or the social issues we face, but can we all agree to listen to one another and respect one another?  If we can live together despite our deeply held differences, then our nation will be a beautiful place.  God says that unity always bring beauty and a blessing.  Psalm 133:1

Along with a language of love we also need to have a heart of thanksgiving.  When we become frustrated and bitter, we need to stop and give thanks.  When we feel like we are being pulled into a pit of hopelessness and despair, we need to stop and give thanks.  It doesn’t matter what you give thanks for, just find something because once we start to give thanks – the spirit takes over and shows us more and more to be thankful for.  Look at Colossians 3:17
This weekend we can give thanks for our freedom to disagree and our freedom to worship.  Can we give thanks for the freedom that comes with forgiveness and our freedom to gather as families and communities with safety and security because of so many men and women in our military and in our police force are willing to serve.  We are blessed and we need to give thanks for all those blessings.

Let me lift up one thing that can always help keep a heart of thanksgiving.  No matter the outcome on November 8, God is sovereign.  No matter how bitter the contest becomes, God is in control.  No matter what happens in the world around us, God is present and is a constant source or help and strength.  Psalm 46:1-7.

And God is sovereign over all the rules of the world.  While we may doubt this when we see evil rulers gain a foothold, the Bible tells us that God is still in control and is sovereign over all leaders.  Listen to what the Prophet Isaiah says about rulers – Isaiah 40:21-24.  In these past few months when I have begun to feel hopeless and helpless in our national elections, I have reminded myself that God is in control and that God always has been and always will be and for this I give thanks.  Giving thanks lifts our heads and our hearts and allows us to move forward with joy.

The last thing we need to do during these months to keep our nation, community, church and homes beautiful is have hands that serve.  Colossians 3:23-24.  Whatever we do, we need to keep serving.  Whatever we do we need to keep working for the Lord and working to make our families and communities beautiful places to be.  The great thing about serving is that it gives us a sense of accomplishment and control.  While it is important to vote and I encourage everyone to vote, sometimes we think, what does my one vote really accomplish?

When so much seem out of our control working for the common good and to lift others up gives us a sense of control.  We can do something to make America and our world a beautiful place to live.  When we serve God through the church we are making the world more beautiful because we are drawing people to Jesus.  When we serve at VBS we are adding beauty to the lives of children and families.  When we serve on a mission trip to Clearfield we are adding beauty by giving hope to a family who has lost so much.  When we serve in the community we not only lift our own spirits but we lift up the lives of our friends and make our neighborhoods beautiful.  Serving makes a difference in us and others and the world around us and it ensures that our world remains beautiful.

While our community and nation may get ugly, we can be a beacon of beauty showing the world a different way and a better way to live.  During these next 4 months I invite you to commit to these 5 principles that can make all the difference in our lives and keep America the beautiful a truly beautiful place to live.


 
Next Steps
America the Beautiful

Commit to living beautiful lives during the next 128 days by embracing these 5 principles.

1. An Attitude of Humility – Colossians 3:13
• Ask God for eyes to see yourself honestly.
• Ask God for eyes to see others the way God does.
• Pray for people on the other side of the political and social spectrum and seek opportunities for dialogue.

2. A Spirit of Unity – Colossians 3:14-15
• Read Proverbs 27:17
• Who has God placed in your life to sharpen you?
• Who can you sharpen?
• Commit to staying in fellowship with one another.

3. The Language of Love – Colossians 3:16
• Read a passage each day to remind you to guard your tongue and use words that build up and not tear down.
• Matthew 15:18 Colossians 3:16 and 4:6
• Matthew 12:36 Ephesians 4:29 and 5:4
• James 3:8-10 Titus 3:2

4. A Heart of Thanksgiving – Colossians 3: 17
• Begin and end each day by giving thanks to God for one specific thing.
• Thank God for being sovereign and in control.
• Read Proverbs 19:1, Colossians 1:16, 2 Peter 3:9

5. Hands of Service – Colossians 3:23-24
• Serve God in the church by helping at VBS.  ALL are invited to serve on the first night.
• Sign up to be part of a team serving in Clearfield.
• Serve at the food-bank, Faith Centre or Soup Kitchen.