Are YOU using the influence God gave YOU?

Mike Hosey, Elder

The Bible has a great deal to say about influence.  Consider how almost every major protagonist in the bible is blessed by God, or placed by God in some situation or another in order to influence the world around him or her.

Moses was placed in the house of Pharaoh so that he could use his influence to assemble the people of God and lead them out of Egypt, and thereby defeat the greatest human powers of the day.  The impact of that placement of Moses still has influence thousands of years later.  He placed the prophets in positions of public speaking to influence people and Kings to make sure their relationship with Him was right.

And in the New Testament, He took every day, blue collar workers, like fisherman with no education or sophistication, and placed them in positions that influenced the entire world so profoundly that their teachings and deeds are woven into the very culture that governs us today.

The purpose of placing these people in positions of influence was to impact a dying and evil world, and help reconcile the people in it to a good, loving, and faithful God. This idea of influence is something He instructs the prophet Jeremiah with. He tells Jeremiah that once he is reconciled to God he will influence the people around him, but their sins will not influence him (Jeremiah 15:19).  He was telling Jeremiah that he would be in the world, but not of it.

Jesus touches on that concept as well.  He prays to God in John 17:15-20.  Jesus prays NOT for God to take the disciples out of their evil world, but to protect them from evil while they are IN that world. Why? The reason is in verse 20.  Jesus knew that others would be influenced by the word they delivered.  He knew they would have an influence for the Kingdom of God.

If you are reading this, then God has placed you, (just like those disciples) in a unique place, in order for you to use your unique presence to influence those around you for good.  Who are you influencing?

What is Worship?

Mike Hosey, Elder

Worship is a powerful expectation of God in regards to his people.  In fact, Jesus wastes no time reminding Satan of this truth by directly quoting to him from Deuteronomy.  Satan foolishly tempted Jesus with the kingdoms of the world and told Him that He could possess them if He would simply offer His worship. Jesus aptly responded that worship was only for the Lord God (Luke 4:5-9), and continued on with his fast. Jesus places another premium on worship in John 4:23, when He proclaims that God seeks true worshippers.

This might lead one to ask at least three questions.  First,  one might ask, "What is worship?"  Well, Paul defines this for us rather concisely.  He tells us in Romans 12:1 that acceptable worship to God is offering our bodies as living and holy sacrifices. Essentially, this is what Jesus did with Satan. He continued to sacrifice His body in the midst of Satan's temptations (and His own discomfort) by continuing in His service and fasting to God.

So the kind of sacrifice that God finds acceptable is the sacrifice in which we put our own comfort aside and proclaim His supremacy to the world.  This can manifest itself in many, many ways.  It can manifest itself in a Sunday morning song service, or in giving up some of your money to support a missionary, or in becoming a missionary.  Worship isn't just singing praise songs. It's bowing your life to the God of your life. In fact, people worship everyday.  Too many worship lesser gods.

Secondly, one might ask, "How can one worship like that?"  The best way is to be aware of God.  In the Bible, any time people become aware of God they bow down and worship.  In fact, even creation will sing his praises (Luke 19:40)!

So that leads us to a third question: How do we get that awareness? The bible tells us that whoever seeks will find, and who ever knocks, the door will be opened (Luke 11:9-10).  God wants us to seek Him, and be aware of Him.  One, of the best ways to seek Him is by studying his word. Afterall, in the beginning the word was God (John 1:1). And when we've really sought him, He will renew our minds, and we will be able to discern His will. We will be God-aware (Romans 12:2), and we will worship with our lives.

Reviewing the Spiritual Gifts

Mike Hosey, Elder

For the past few weeks we've been looking at spiritual gifts. In that process, we've determined that spiritual gifts are different than talents. Talents are those abilities that we're born with, or that we've learned over time. They can be used for our own benefit, or for the benefit of others. In fact, we often use them to make our way in the world. Spiritual gifts, however, are those abilities that God has blessed us with after we have become Christians. These gifts are used for building God's church in the world. These gifts exist for the promotion of the common good of the church, rather than for our own personal good (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Here are some of the gifts (there are many more) that we've surveyed in the past few weeks:

Helps and Service (Romans 12:7, 1 Corinthians 12:28): These gifts exist for the maintenance of an established or growing church. They allow a person to use their resources or talents to bolster, support, or aid the ministry or condition of someone else. The people with this gift see a need and meet it without having to be asked.

Equipping Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11): These are gifts like pastoring/shepherding, prophecy, teaching, wisdom, or knowledge. These gifts exist for the building of the church. They all overlap. In it's plainest form, prophecy is being able to understand and proclaim the word and will of God to the people. Teaching is being able to organize the word of God, and and convey it to the people in a way that they can learn it. Wisdom and knowledge is being able to remember the word of God, understand it, and use it in one's daily walk. And pastoring is being able to guide and protect God's people with knowledge and understanding of his word.

Prayer and Worship Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10): These gifts are also for the building up of the church. They include things like healing, miracles, prophecy, and discernment. The person with a gift of discernment, for instance, is able to tell when lies are being told, or when the intentions of someone are not pure, or when the bible is being twisted to fit an end for which it was not intended.

The Greatest Gift: But greater than all of these gifts is the singular gift of Jesus. Without Him as the head of our individual lives, or as the head of our church body, then there is no real church body to build up. The bible tells us that that God is love (1 John 4:8), and Paul tells us that love is the greatest of all spiritual elements (1 Corinthians 13:13). Once a person receives Him as the greatest gift, then he can be flooded with so many more.

A River Runs Through Them

Mike Hosey, Elder

Any land that has a river running through it is nourished, fertile, usually beautiful, and is teeming with life.  It is the river that grows the land, moves the inhabitants of the land, shapes the land, and in many ways holds the land together. A land without a river is often dead, or dusty, or dry.

The land of spiritual gifts is exactly the same way. There’s a river that should flow through any body of believers as they exercise their spiritual gifts. Consider how Paul addresses this river reality to the Corinthian church. He does it in an odd way, spanning three whole chapters. Paul spends a good a bit of time in 1 Corinthians 12:4-31 explaining to them that spiritual gifts are diverse and have many different purposes, and that this diversity is necessary and good. Everyone should practice the gift they have been given. Then, he spends an entire chapter on the concept of love in the “Love Chapter” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). In chapter 14, he returns to his discussion of the spiritual gifts, and takes some time to explain how some of those gifts are more important than others (1 Corinthians 14:1-40) and how their use within the public setting of church meetings should always be done decently and in order.

This construction seems to be for a reason. The Corinthian church was a church in which people seemed to abuse their spiritual gifts (among other things – 1 Corinthians 11:30). This abuse was probably for personal profit. But Paul tells them in chapter 13 that love should nourish all their gifts. Without love, he tells them, their gifts are empty, noisy and meaningless – in a word, they are dry.

Paul seemed to know that the person who loved – that is the person who was committed to the wellbeing of others and to the edification of the church -- would use his gifts appropriately. If each person concentrated on his or her own gift instead of using it for the building of the church (1 Corinthians 13:26-33) then no one is actually helped. Without actual love, there is no river to nourish those gifts, and the people that those gifts are designed to grow.

Paul places a great premium on the gift of love. When all other gifts pass away, he argues, love will remain and is the greatest gift of all. (1 Corinthians 13:13). Paul was wise enough to know that God is love (1 John 4:8), and that with Him as the river, a church can grow well (Psalms 1:3).

Are You Talented, Or Are You Gifted?

Mike Hosey, Elder

What are your spiritual gifts?  Think about it for a moment and make a mental list. 

Often, when people respond to that question and make their list, they answer it with an inventory of talents instead of a list of spiritual gifts.  For instance, they may say, “well, I can sing,” or “I can speak,” or “I can cook.”  But these are not spiritual gifts.  Instead, these are talents. 

Now, talents may be gifted to you by God, but they are not the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in the Bible.  You are either born with a talent, such as being able to sing, or being generally musical, or you learn and develop a talent on your own, such as being able to cook. You can then use those talents for your own benefit, or to benefit others.

The Spiritual gifts, however, are given to you by the Holy Spirit after you become a Christian, and are for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God, and for building up the common good of the church (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).  The Bible lists some of those gifts in Romans 12:3-8.  For instance, among others, Romans lists the spiritual gifts of prophecy, service and teaching.  These are broad gifts designed to build the church up.  Interestingly, God may then use your talents to manifest those gifts.

For example, you may be talented with the ability to speak well, God may then gift you through the Holy Spirit with prophesy. You would then use your talent of speaking well to share your prophetic gift by declaring the will of God clearly to other Christians.

You may have a talent for business and making money, but a spiritual gift of generosity. You would then use your talent of making money to implement your gift of generosity. Some gifts, such as service, don’t come with any distinguishable talent.  You may simply be gifted with a desire and ability to serve those around you, even when they appear unlovable.

So what gifts has the Holy Spirit given you? You can begin to answer that question by reading Romans 12:3-8, and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

Why God Hates Lies

Mike Hosey, Elder

I have always told my children that I hate lying. In fact, I’ve explained to them many times over that lying will get them (at least) double the punishment.  The reason is twofold.  First, they are going to get chastened for the wrong they committed.  Then, they are going to get disciplined for the second wrong of lying about what they did. If they tell me the truth from the beginning, they are only going to get punished for the one thing they did wrong.

In human terms, there’s a very clear and understandable reason for my severity regarding untruths: lying destroys trust.   I explain to them that since I am not all knowing, a lie destroys my ability to entrust them with responsibilities or privileges in the future.   And I explain to them that such trust issues will bleed over to their other relationships as well. At some point, I argue, lies will render their friendships and kinships unreliable, and possibly treacherous.  

But these are all human reasons.  Our relationship with God is a bit different than our relationships with others.  Proverbs 15:3 tells us that God sees everything.  There is nowhere that we can go, and there is nothing we can do, and God not know about it. When we lie to God, the issue is not about trust. This is because God already knows whether or not we can be trusted.  The issue is one of respect.  If we tell God we did not do something, knowing that He was there to see the whole thing unfold in its naked truth, then we are showing God complete disrespect.

Unfortunately, the husband and wife team of Ananias and Sapphira learned this the hard way (Acts 5:1-10).  The congregation of their church was selling off property and giving it to a communal pool for distribution to the poor.  The congregation did this willingly and without coercion. But Ananias and Sapphira lied to God about the price for which they had sold their property. Perhaps they were trying to avoid the social judgment of their fellow church members. In any case, their disrespect was met with death.

Any time we lie to God we are disrespecting Him.  Anytime we lie to ourselves, or to others, we are disrespecting the image of God.  And with each lie, a bit of whatever goodness we have dies, as we find it easier and easier to lie.

Thankfully, we worship a God who is able to raise us from the dead.

When the Holy Spirit Speaks, There is Nothing Anyone Can Say

Mike  Hosey, Elder

Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 10:16-20 that he is sending them out into a dangerous world that will persecute them severely.  He tells them that they will be handed over to religious courts and beaten. He tells them that they will even be handed over to important political leaders, like governors and kings, because of their association with Him. Interestingly, He tells them that in this abuse, they will be witnesses for Him to the nations.

And most importantly, He tells them not to worry about what they will say in those situations. The Spirit, He says, will give them declarations in that very hour.  In other words, the Holy Spirit will witness through them in powerful ways.

And this is exactly the kind of thing the Holy Spirit does in the world.  He witnesses (Romans 8:16, 1 John 5:6-8, Acts 5:32, John 15:26). 

Consider how the Holy Spirit, through Peter and John, healed the crippled Man in Acts 3:6-8.  The Holy Spirit by healing him, made that man into a witness for the power of God. But the witness of that crippled man didn’t stop in chapter 3. In Acts 4:5-14, Peter and John (and that man) are brought before the religious leaders who want to know by what power, and by what name that man was healed.  Peter boldly WITNESSES that the man was healed by the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:10).  The Holy Spirit makes the mouth of Peter and the life of that man (once again) a witness to the world!  The witness of that man’s change was so strong that the religious leaders had nothing to say in response to Peter (Acts 4:14).

This very thing is also true of you, if you are a born again believer. There will be times when the Holy Spirit will make your life a witness for others.  Don’t resist that!  Whenever he heals you from a hurt, or from an addiction, or from a sin, or from a physical ailment, or from anything, jump up and leap and celebrate like the man in Acts 3:8 

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Instead of hiding that victory, be a witness for the nations! Know that even if people ridicule you, there is nothing they can really say about the gift of your victory.

No Silver or Gold, Give Dynamite Instead

Mike Hosey, Elder

Big things sometimes come in small packages. Yes, that's a cliche, but cliches are often true.  For instance, you are probably aware that a small stick of dynamite can make a big impact. Well, if you've got the Holy Spirit in you, then you are very much like a powerful stick of dynamite.

Consider an act that the Holy Spirit performed through Peter and John (Acts 3:1-26).  One day those two men were going to the temple, and when they arrived at the temple gate they encountered a crippled beggar who asked them for money. Peter famously replied that he didn't have any silver or gold, but what he did have, he would give to the man. Peter helped the man up, and the power of God healed him that very instant. Although Peter had no money for the man, he did have the power of the Holy Spirit.  And that man, once touched, became an example of the power of God to everyone who witnessed the event -- and more importantly, to everyone who knew that man! 

If you are submitted to Jesus, then you are no different than Peter and John. God may not have gifted you with healing power, but EVERY true Christian is gifted by God through the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 lists for us many powerful gifts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

You may not have gold or silver to give to someone, but you can give what you have. You can give love, joy, and peace. You can show patience, give kindness, demonstrate goodness, prove a faithfulness, be gentle, and exercise self control with people who are hurting. Sometimes this can even heal their hurt.  And when it does, everyone who witnesses it, and everyone who knows that someone, will be impacted like they were hit with a holy stick of dynamite!