Today I want to speak to you about vision...

... but in the context of missions. In Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)   “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” The same verse in the NLT says: Proverbs 29:18 (NLT)   “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild…” Of course, my purpose of writing this article is to motivate you to catch God’s vision for the lost and also the vision of Life Church...obviously it is my vision.  Let us please get past the idea of whether missions is God’s will or not because it definitely is.  

To have the heart and the willingness to be “all-in” for missions will require you to understand, especially when it has to do with the lost:  No vision...no life. No life...no hope! God says that He is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance. Guess what? He has placed on us the responsibility to catch the vision to reach the lost, and then, to be cheerfully obedient to pray, to give, and to go!  We must answer these two questions: What is your vision?  How will you get vision?

1. You must see God as He really is in His glory and majesty...you must have an encounter with Him and His resurrection power.  Once this happens you will cry with Isaiah, “Here I am, Lord, send me!”  This encounter with the living God has carried me through the last 41 years of my life with a passion to do all I can personally and as a pastor to see missionaries supported and the lost reached.

2. You must see yourself and your limitations without God!  Die to yourself!  The reality is that when you see God as He really is...you will see yourself as you really are! You will say with your pastor...without God I can do nothing!

3. You must see what might be...see your potential in Christ!  It is when we catch God’s vision and we step out in cheerful obedience (take that leap of faith) to give sacrificially to make sure everyone hears this gospel.  

All of us, if we are honest with ourselves...

...., have weaknesses and even sins that easily harass us.  As I am writing this I am watching a hawk try to dry it wings while sitting on a fence. A pesky mockingbird does not think the hawk should be resting or drying out so he feels it necessary to fly at him over and over. What is that thing in your life where the enemy is attacking you and constantly harassing you so you cannot rest in the Lord? 

Maybe you have trouble loving someone...been there, done that and have the t-shirt.  Has life sucked out your joy and you are having trouble coping with one day at a time?  Peace is far from you because of trouble in the family or the events coming on our world. You have no self-control when it comes to saying “no” to the temptation of the enemy or “yes” in your obedience to Jesus. What are we to do?

In Galatians 5:22-23NKJV the Apostle Paul says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” As we seek God and are filled with the Holy Spirit, He will provide everything we need for life and godliness!  Again Paul says “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”  Be filled with the Spirit and walk in the Spirit and you will Live in Freedom Every day!  Galatians 5:16 NKJV 

I have always challenged our staff...

... our Board of Deacons, and our department heads to make a commitment to Jesus to be “All in!”  This is borrowed from Mark Batterson’s book of the same name. I believe in light of what is happening in our world and with the soon coming of Christ, that it is time for all of us to give our all to Jesus.  Matthew 16:24 26 (NLT) Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.’ The disciples found out how serious Jesus was about laying their lives down for Him.  All of them died a martyr’s death except John.

Though the gospel may not cost us anything...it demands everything!  We are saved by grace but we are called to follow Jesus giving all that we are and hope to be to Him. God has pretty good promises for those who follow Him with all their hearts...here is one.  Psalm 84:11 (NKJV) “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.”

 Sounds like selling out to God is a good deal for us...it is the best deal by far. Sometimes we think we are sacrificing so much but is it really sacrifice if we get more than we give?

I am challenging all of us to be “All In” for the One (Jesus) Who has given His all.

1. I am asking you to pray and seek God like never before!

2. I am asking you to love like never before those you minister to!

3. I am asking you to prepare...to study with all diligence like never before!

4. I am asking you to give like never before...your tithe and missions!

5. I am asking you to be faithful to God’s House and to be an example to others!

6. I am asking you to love God with all your heart and soul!

7. I am asking you to be “All in” for the One Who gave it all for you!

Missions 2018!

Mission’s Faith Promises! Missionaries speaking in so many services! Challenges to give to Missions…challenges to give more every year! Challenges to pray for our missionaries and to support the General Missions of Life Church! Pastor Rick, all we hear is Missions Missions Missions! Why? Why is this such an emphasis at our church and why does there seem to be an obsession with Missions at Life Church? What a great question and I could give you all the reasons I believe Missions should be a priority but let me defer to the One Who has greater authority and wisdom about reaching the world with the Gospel…Jesus!

Jesus said in John 3:16-17 (NKJV) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” The reason Jesus wants to reach the world and we should want to reach the them is because God so loved the world that He gave Jesus!

Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.” How much more do we need to be motivated to emphasize Missions than what Jesus has said here? He said “Go!” We can’t all go. True. In Romans 10:14-15 (NKJV) “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" We can’t all go but we can send missionaries all over the world!

Finally, Jesus said in Luke 19:10 (NKJV) “…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." If that was what Jesus was doing, shouldn’t that be what we are doing? Enough said!

Seven Principles in Giving

Seven Principles in Giving

2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (NLT)

In this article I would like to introduce you to our Distinctives here at Life Church, and then, give you Seven Principles in Giving. This short study will prepare you to be faithful during our Mission’s Emphasis and be faithful in general to the Lord. I will be preaching this on Wednesday night January 31, 2018.

Our Distinctives:

1. We are passionate about reaching the lost! 

2.We are passionate about Home and Foreign Missions! 

3.We are passionate about being filled with Holy Spirit power!  

4.We are passionate generous givers! 

5.We are passionate about worship!

Seven Principles of Giving

1. There must first be the dedication of self.  2 Corinthians 8:5 (NLT)

2. There must be a willingness to be extra-ordinarily faithful even when we are going through hard times ourselves. 2 Corinthians 8:2-4 (NLT) 

3. There must be the desire for excellence. 2 Corinthians 8:6-7 (NLT)

4. There will be a proving of how genuine is your love. 2 Corinthians 8:8 (NLT) 1 Corinthians 13:3 (NIV) 

5. There is an identification with Jesus. 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NKJV) 

6. There must be a right attitude in our giving. 2 Corinthians 8:10-12 (NIV) 

7. There will be sowing and reaping. 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 (NLT) 2 Corinthians 9:10-15 (NLT) 

What if someone would give...

... you $10,080 dollars each week of your life. It would be up to you how you spent your money. You decided. What if you had to spend that money every week and what you didn’t spend would be lost. We all have 10,080 minutes.  What we don’t use we lose!  We all have the same. We need to give to Jesus TIME!

1. We need to give Jesus the gift of Time. Time to pray.  We may not all have the same amount of money but same time to pray…pray without ceasing. Time to be benevolent.  Go out of your way to bless someone else. Do random acts of kindness! Time to be thankful and remember His gift.  Jesus! Don’t rush this time…Time to worship. Time to understand God’s plan for us! Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV) “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”

2. We need to give Jesus the gift of Intimacy.  Intimacy pertains to knowing the inmost character of a person…knowing them intimately. Philippians 3:10-11 (NIV) ^“ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Intimacy can only be developed through spending time with God in prayer. Talking and listening.

3. We need to give Jesus the gift of Meditation.   Meditation is continued thought and deep reflection on the Lord and His goodness. Always have Him on your mind and in your heart. Meditation on Him and His Word will be a guardian and a gift. King David saw it protecting him. Psalms 19:14 (NKJV) “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.”  Psalms 64:1 (NKJV) “Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.”

  4. We need to give Jesus the gift of Evangelism.  Evangelism is a zealous effort to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mark 16:15-20 (NKJV) And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Jesus last Words were to be filled with His Spirit, and then, go and preach. Go evangelize! Acts 1:8 (NKJV) "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." If we don’t have time for intimacy with Jesus, if we don’t meditate on Him, there is a good possibility we will not make time for evangelism. This Christmas…give Jesus the gift of TIME!

As we approach Christmas my prayer...

... is that all of us will keep the main thing the main thing.  We all know this but sometimes we need to be reminded that Christmas is about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He left the splendor and glory of heaven to be born in a manger, live His life among us, go to the cross, and be raised from the dead that we might have the most awesome gift of eternal life with God.  It should never be hard for us to worship Him at Christmas time when you consider all He has done for us.  A few years ago I preached a message “Wake Up! The Gifts Are Under The Tree!”  That is what my parents used to say to us on Christmas morning.  My sermon said for us to wake up because our gifts are under the tree...the cross!

Many get caught up with the pressure of making sure everyone gets a gift and unfortunately many go into debt to do so.  Christian financial expert Dave Ramsey says that we should never go into debt for Christmas but that we keep the main thing the main thing.  He said we spend what we have on those we can and trust that everyone will understand.  He goes on and tells parents not to get all stressed out over this issue but to sit down with their children and explain to them the best they can their situation.  He also says it is a great opportunity to share with them that the most important things are our relationship with God and each other.

  Mary (the mother of Jesus) had to learn Christmas was gaining and losing...how so?  She gained by being chosen to have the Christ-child conceived in her.  She had to be willing to lose her reputation and almost her husband.  Luke 1:35 38 (NIV) “The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.  For nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.” As we choose this Christmas to be the Lord’s servants let us choose like Mary to keep the main thing the main thing!