New Sermon PODCAST up from last week (May 16, 2013)

http://urbana.thevineyardchurch.us/sermon/share-your-story/

GATHER: Share Your Story - May 25-26, 2013

Open

Hello everyone.

·      My name is Adam Waters… Community Pastor at the Urbana Campus

·      The Lord is always working on His family.

o   A lot of the time, we (the church) are focused on growing people up into the fullness of His promises.

o   We feel that we are entering into a season as a church where the Holy Spirit is drawing more and new people to that growth.

o   So, we’ve started a new sermon series: “Gather.”

o   John 4:38 I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”

·      Last weekend, Happy started us off splendidly by encouraging us that Holy Spirit wants to empower us to “Gather the Harvest.”

·      Today, we will dive into how you and I partner with Holy Spirit’s power to “Share our Story.”

Prayer

ME

In 2001, I met a young man named Joe. He was the boyfriend of our friend Mary. He had no faith and he’d never been to church, but had met me one time and had what he called “questions.” He said that I seemed “normal,” so he couldn’t understand why I believed what I did.

We decided to meet one Tuesday. For an hour, he asked his “questions”… some of them really hard… like Bible college finals questions… like “why do bad things happen to good people?” I was completely taken back and felt super unprepared, but Holy Spirit was with me. At the end of the conversation, I gave him a Bible and he asked to meet weekly for a while. This could get interesting!

Every week I was nervous about what questions he might ask… after all, he had a Bible and there’s some tough stuff to understand in there. I knew that Holy Spirit wanted to work in Joe, so I made sure to listen to all his questions and do my best to share some of what happened with my life & how Jesus loved me and changed my heart.

A few weeks in, I started prayed a whole bunch… I realized God wanted to do something through this budding friendship even though I felt unprepared every time we me. Joe come in one week and I could tell things were different. It was clear that God was moving. We prayed together twice in the first half hour… the second time he prayed out loud to God for the first time. It was awesome.

By the end of the hour, he was asking about baptism… and this kid was smart. He pulled out the Philip/Eunuch story and said, “Where’s some water, can we do it now?” Holy Spirit in him was coming alive and he was on a mission. An hour later, we baptized Joe on a Tuesday morning: singing, crying and laughing at what God had done in Joe… it was pretty cool.

I can think of a lot of good news in my life.

·      The birth of my kids

·      The day we found out dad was cancer free

·      Celebrating new jobs

·      And more

The stories in my family are good. We feel very blessed… BUT, none of that news is anything compared to the gospel. The gospel can redirect someone’s life through a friendship, through a series of conversations, and even through a simple word in just a moment’s time…

The news of what Jesus has done for us… and what He’s done in us… and what He will continue to do through us… is SO MUCH BETTER than any news that we’ve ever heard or experienced.

WE

We are all called as Christians to share Jesus’ story… and to share what that story has done for us… so why don’t we?

I know that in my own life I’ve gone through seasons where I share with every person I meet… and seasons where I only talked with people rarely.

We’ve probably all made excuses not to share our story. Think about some of the fears I faced with Joe. We say things like:

1.     My story isn't good enough, I don't have anything to share

2.     God doesn’t want to use me

3.     I won't know all the answers

4.     I’m scared

5.     And even, “I don’t know anyone.”

Here’s the problem with all of those excuses:

·      Our focus is in the wrong place.

·      These ideas put the focus on my efforts instead of Holy Spirit doing the work.

·      They put the focus on my life instead of loving the person God wants to impact.

We’ve already learned that…

·      Jesus has provided a harvest (John 4)… it’s His job to open doors for us.

·      Holy Spirit wants to empower us to reap the harvest (Acts 2)… we have the same Spirit in us that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11)… so we have the ability.

We just need to say “Yes” to sharing with those whom God sends us.

·      Yes to what He’s done in our lives.

·      Yes to the relationships He’s given us.

·      Yes to listening to their stories.

·      Yes to sharing the hope of the story we’re now in.

We don’t have to be perfect… we simply have to share our stories in love.

GOD

Go with me to the book of Colossians. I think that Paul gives us great insight to what it looks like to “Share our Story” in this letter to the church at Colossae. Take a look at your Bibles or direct your attention to the screen. I’ll be reading from the NASB:

Colossians 4:5-6 (NASB)

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, (Define: Those outside the kingdom of God… who have yet to believe/receive Jesus.) making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Colossians 4:5-6 (NASB) Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders

·      We get to make a choice with how we act. Conducting ourselves with wisdom or folly.

·      What does Godly wisdom look like?

·      1Corinthians 1:30 “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.” This is an amazing picture of who Jesus is and who we are in Jesus… united with him. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

·      Do you hear what Paul is saying? Jesus is our wisdom. Jesus is our example. Jesus showed us the way to live towards those who have yet to accept Him (those outside the Kingdom).

·      Conduct yourselves like Jesus did. Remain in relationship with Him… connected to the head of the church… and Holy Spirit will flow through you with wisdom in the way we “Gather” others.

·      For 5 years, I helped manage a coffee house in Maineville, OH. Every day, I arrived at the shop early (5am early) to read and study the Word. After my time with Jesus, I would ask Him to help me through the day… which is super-helpful in the food-service world… especially when you’re dealing with people “before” they have their morning coffee.

·      I asked Him to use me as His witness to those who don’t yet know Him.

·      I asked Him to prep my heart for His kids in that community.

·      I asked for His wisdom and grace in every situation.

·      Each day, I was deciding if I actually wanted to share… and I didn’t always.

·      I wasn’t prepping for a sermon I was trying to…

Colossians 4:5-6 (NASB) “… making the most of the opportunity.”

·      We get to choose what we’ll do with each opportunity from Holy Spirit.

·      Do you know how many opportunities you have on a weekly basis to interact with people?

·      It’s staggering when you begin to think of the lives we interact with on a weekly basis.

o   Most of us have a family… our immediate family that we live with, plus our extended family.

o   Most of us have neighbors… if you live in a neighborhood and just interact with the 5-9 immediate houses, there are lots of people there.

o   Most of us have a job… whether it’s 5, 50 or 500 employees, God has given you a rich harvest field.

o   If you have kids, there are lots of opportunities through school or sports or other extra-curricular activities… every day, either Corrie or I stand outside of Thomas Paine with a dozen other parents to pick up our kids.

o   If you have a car, you can take an extra 5 minutes when you fill up each week and go into the gas station to meet your clerk… in fact, they like it because so many just put their card in and go anymore.

o   We all have to get groceries or eat out. We all need to go to Wal-Mart or Meijer for deodorant or new towels.

o   In fact, summertime will usually create even more opportunity: the neighbors are outside more… most of us like to have cookouts with friends… we go to parks, baseball games and the fireworks… This is Memorial Day Weekend

o   You don’t have to create relationships… God has provided them.

·      What Paul’s saying is “Don’t miss out on what Holy Spirit has given you!”

·      Simply reflect “Christ in you” to the world that’s already around you.

So, what do we share? That seems to be the thing we wrestle with. Where do I start?

Colossians 4:5-6 (NASB) “Let your speech always be with grace…”

·      We get to decide what we talk about…

·      Talk about grace!

·      The NIV says let your conversations be “full of grace.”

·      Now, we could read that and say that we must be gracious as Jesus was gracious to others… that’s true, but I don’t think Paul’s repeating himself here. I think he’s saying: This is all about what the Father has given us!

·      The Father has lavished undeserved favor on our lives. He’s shown us that we all are worth it.

·      He sent His only Son to become sin, so that we might become His righteousness.

·      The Father has empowered us to live a life free from sin and death…

·      This is all grace… This is all GOOD NEWS! News worth sharing with everyone that we can. (last month's wedding Illustration)

·      If you’ve never said “yes” to grace… “yes” to the good news of the gospel… “yes” to placing faith in Jesus and what He’s done for us, then today you can. It’s just that easy. Grace is that good… just believe and all the promises of God are yours in Christ Jesus.

·      What Paul is saying is this: If the message of grace has changed your life, then always let your speech reflect that… Good news needs to be shared.

YOU

Ok, so do we just learn to be preachers and the deep theologies of the Kingdom of God? Do we have to memorize all Scripture and know what Habakkuk is about? Those things are good, but no… Paul is not saying that… in fact what he’s saying is so much simpler… we are to be like little children trusting God to do the work.

Colossians 4:5-6 (NASB) … Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt…

·      Paul says to make the message flavorful… how do you and I do that?

·      In Matthew, Jesus tells us what “salt” is.

·      5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

·      Jesus says that you and I are the flavor of the message of grace! What does that mean?

·      It means that our stories matter! It means than not only is our story great for us, but it can be powerful for someone else.

·      It means that God will use our story and our interaction with someone: to call out the “gold” in their lives… to tell them what God sees in them.

·      Share some of my story here…

·      I can’t tell you the number of times Jesus has used my story to change someone’s life.

·      Corrie’s story has helped her mentor lots of young women toward the Lord.

·      Your story has nuances in it that could radically impact someone else.

·      You may have had a healing, a rebirth in your marriage, a financial miracle, or an amazing family legacy… all of these could be the key to someone’s heart connecting with your story.

Paul is saying that when you combine Jesus’ grace story with your grace story, you will have the “Right Response” for every question…

Colossians 4:5-6 (NASB) …so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

·      Doesn’t that take the pressure off?

·      We all can talk about ourselves J.

·      If the good news really is GOOD NEWS in your life, then you’ll get excited to share that too.

·      We just have to make sure to listen to them… that might be the hardest part.

·      Suddenly evangelism just got fun!

WE

Before we wrap up today, I want to get very practical with you by sharing something we use in our ALPHA class. It’s a very simple way to prepare to “Share your story.”

Put in plug for ALPHA at Urbana here.

Things to keep in mind…

1.     Listen first.

2.     Keep it short (just a couple of minutes).

3.     Keep it personal (what happened to you?).

4.     Keep Jesus at the center (we want to Gather to Him not us).

Three simple parts…

a)    What did life look like before Jesus?

b)   How did your life with Jesus begin? Through a friend, church invite, journey?

c)    What is different today?

In light of these ideas, we’re going to practice today. You’re going to turn to one person near you and share your story (I will time you for 1 minute). Then, you’ll switch and the other person will share. Make sure and acknowledge again there might be non-believers in the crowd… give them instructions.

·      My name is Adam

·      Before I met Jesus, I was bitter, angry and very selfish.

·      I encountered God’s love in a powerful way when He revealed His heart of grace to me when I had nowhere else to turn.

·      Today, I’m free to pursue a life of love, joy and peace as Holy Spirit helps me through every circumstance in my life.

PRACTICE TIME.

Remember: Sharing your story is the most important way for you to partner with Holy Spirit to “Gather” in the harvest. In fact, if you ask for God’s help in this, I guarantee you will be successful. Just look at the passage directly before the Colossians passage we read earlier:

Colossians 4:2-4 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

Pray about sharing your story & keep your eyes open. I guarantee Holy Spirit will give you at least one opportunity to change a life this week!

Prayer

MINISTRY TIME: 

Boldness is released when we get the revelation of the goodness of God.

ACTIVATION IDEA:

If you want prayer for this, I want you to stand up right now.

·      Prayer for open doors and opportunities in your life.

·      Prayer for the message of grace/the good news to flood your heart.

Preaching next weekend...

Hey friends and prayer partners...

One of our pastors had to go out of town suddenly, so I am filling in during our new series "GATHER" next Saturday night and Sunday (May 25-26).

Shout up some extra prayers as I prep for this new opportunity.

Adam

MAY 1, 2013 - Talk from High School (Revolution) Worship Service

When I first became a Christian…

• ·      Tell of what changed in me.
• ·      What was I seeking that I wasn’t before.
• ·      Parable of the pearl in the field.
• ·      God gets incredibly excited when we get hungry for him.
• ·      Seeking the Kingdom and His Righteousness (Matthew 6:33)

The world does not care that you are pursuing God’s kingdom and Jesus’ righteousness… in fact because we live in 2 Kingdoms you could say, “the world doesn’t like that you are righteous.”     James 5:1-6

As you seek “His Kingdom & His Righteousness,” God’s grace will produce fruit in your life!      James 5:7-12

• ·      Patience… Words that honor… Endurance… Integrity
• ·      In my own life, I had to “un-learn” my first 17 years of life. I hungered for the stuff of my life and my desires. Christ in me/Holy Spirit in me began to reshape my destiny.
• ·      The way I interacted with people.
• ·      The way I talked to people.
• ·      The way I cared about who I was at all times.
• ·      I wasn’t living for me, but for HIM alone.

As you seek “His Kingdom & His Righteousness,” God’s grace will produce fruit in other people’s lives (through you)!

James 5:13-20

• ·      As we begin to understand our identity… who’s we are vs. who we are… righteous sons and daughters of the King… we walk with new authority.
• ·      Matt 28 – all authority was given to Jesus & He gave it to us!
• ·      Christ in You/Holy Spirit through you is powerful.
• ·      To heal persecution…  To release joy… To heal the body…  To forgive…  To save souls!
• ·      “Your prayers are powerful.”

Activation in large group à unlock your potential

• we took a few minutes and prayed (for those willing) for Holy Spirit to unlock in each of them the ability to walk in the favor afforded to them.
• also, to unlock their hunger for "kingdom & righteousness"

Activation in small groups à anoint them with oil

• sent each small group with a small container of oil
• anoint and pray for each member for where they are al "healing, joy, forgiveness, lost, etc."

Came back for worship and ministry. Finished with a call for 2 things:

1. For God to help them with integrity.
2. For Holy Spirit to release joy in all things.