This Weekend's Message: Changed by God's Word

About 10 years ago the movie Mystic River was released. The movie was based on the bestselling book by Dennis Lehane. I had read the book multiple times and highly anticipated the movie. After watching it, I glimpsed at an online forum in which people were discussing the ending of the movie. The ending involves an interaction between the characters played by Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon. A number of people found the interaction to be enigmatic. In the forum, people were posing their theories.           

Since I had read the book, the ending was not confusing to me at all. Dennis Lehane’s intention was clear in the book, even though some thought it was not completely clear in the movie. So, out of my deep desire to help, I posted on the forum. I let them know what the ending meant. After all, it was not a mystery. The author of the story had spoken on the subject. Oddly enough, the people in the forum seemed to shrug off my post. They continued on with their theories. I was mystified by this. So I posted again, explaining that the author of the story had made the ending clear. Once again, my post seemed to fall on deaf ears. They missed out on the opportunity to understand the story, and opted to generate their own theories.
           
We all want to make sense of life. There are all kinds of theories concerning how we understand the reality around us. But if the author of the story has spoken, wouldn’t it seem wise to consult him?
           
God has spoken through His Word, the Bible. The Bible is not a set of rules or a how-to manual. The Bible is God’s communication about Himself and about reality. And when we allow the author of the story to inform our understanding of reality, this changes everything about the way we approach life.

Dan

Getting Things Resolved

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching 

I was recently reading an article about New Year’s resolutions. It was not an encouraging article. It walked through the 10 most common resolutions and then gave statistical information on how most people fail to follow through on those resolutions. People join gyms in January, but by February, 60% of those memberships are unused. People vow to stop smoking, but only about 15% are smoke-free after six months. Similar statistics were given for those who resolve to get out of debt, travel to new places, or spend more time with their families. It painted a pretty bleak picture of people’s ability to follow through with their goals.

At the same time, most of us probably continue to look at the first of the year as a time to take stock and make goals. I want to take a moment to encourage us all to do this. Take stock and make goals. But I also want to encourage you that God gives us a different grid for how we will grow and move forward. Our hope for change is not in our own will power, but in the work of God in and through us. Because of this, I want to suggest three resolutions that are valuable for all of us.

Give yourself to God’s Word. The Bible is not God’s set of rules for us. God’s Word is His unveiling of who He is. God changes us through His Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18). We are transformed as we become increasingly clear on who God is (2 Corinthians 3:18). When we neglect God’s Word, the problem is not that we are breaking a Christian rule. The problem is that we are cutting ourselves off from how God has revealed Himself to us. When we read the Bible and think about it and pray about it and respond to it, we open ourselves up to the God who wants to break the chains of everything that enslaves us. So, how are you going to open yourself up to God changing you through His Word?

Give yourself to God’s people. About four years ago, I dropped some weight. I am convinced that the main reason I was successful was because I joined a group of a dozen others who were doing the same thing. People shared ideas and kept each other going. God has created us to be in relationships, and not to go it alone (Genesis 2:18). God created us to encourage one another (Hebrews 10:24-25), confess ours sins to one another (James 5:16), love one another (John 13:34), and experience unity in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13). When we join a LIFE Group, or connect with friends, or pray with others, we find that God uses other people to empower us to follow Him more closely. So, how are you going to open yourself up to God changing you through His people?

Give yourself to God’s work. For an athlete, the key to growth is not reading books or watching game film. The key to growth is action. This is true of any area of life. Those who speak in public improve when they get up and speak. Those who work in medicine grow when they practice medicine. If you want to grow in your relationship with God, the key is to respond to God in faith with simple steps of obedience. Whether this involves a mission trip or a service project, or whether it simply involves reaching out to a neighbor or writing notes of encouragement to people, God is calling everyone to take part in His quest to draw people to the freedom and life that He offers. So, how are you going to open yourself up to God changing you through His work?

As we begin 2014, I encourage you to approach this year with neither pessimism about your ability to change nor optimism about the power of your own will. I encourage you to approach this year with faith in God’s ability to bring transformation into your life, and with a faith-filled plan to open yourself up to His work in your life.

This Weekend's Message: Changed by God's Work

I love all the new and ever-changing technology at our fingertips. For example, the power and potential of smartphones is simply amazing. What I once could only do on my $1,500 desktop computer is now available (plus a whole lot more) on my $100 smartphone. But with this changing technology I've learned that unless I can have someone talk me through the process, I'm lost. I can't read a manual (if one even exists) and hope to fully use the power of my smartphone. I need to learn by doing. How about you?

I've also noticed that the same thing is true when it comes to joining God in His work. I can read books about it. I can hear other people's stories about it. But unless I get out there and do it, I don't experience the full power of what is available. As we continue with our series "Changed" this week, we'll see what Jesus says about participating with God in the work He's doing. We'll also learn about how we can participate with God this year, throughout the world or right here in our own community.

See you Sunday!
Gary

This Weekend's Message: Changed by God's People

A surprising trend that has been taking place recently is the emergence of atheist churches. Yes, atheist churches. They are assemblies that gather together to sing songs, hear motivational speeches, experience community, and raise money for causes. They are, as one congregation puts it, “godless congregations that celebrate life.”

These atheist churches drive home a reality about humanity. That reality is that we are hard-wired to long for community. We aren’t simply machines that need food and water and information. We need relationships. And the most profound relationships take place when we share a transcendent belief in something. For Christians, that belief is that the true God has revealed Himself in Jesus. For the atheists who gather, it is some belief about humanity or the world or nature. Either way, we long to lock arms with people of like faith and support one another.

We live in a world that allows us to increasingly isolate ourselves. We rarely need to leave our homes because more and more things are personalized and available. But Scripture tells us that there are certain reasons why we need other Christians. This Sunday we will delve into a passage of Scripture that explores the connection in our lives between transcendent truths about God and the important role of God’s people.

Dan