Sermon
5-26-13 Romans 12:5-15 the calling part 3
Veterans
please stand and be recognized.
5
so
in Christ we, though many, form one body,(J) and each member belongs to all the
others. 6 We have different gifts,(K) according to the grace given to each
of us. If your gift is prophesying,(L) then prophesy in accordance with
your[a] faith;(M) 7 if it is serving, then
serve; if it is teaching, then teach;(N) 8 if it is to encourage,
then give encouragement;(O) if it is giving, then give
generously;(P) if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy,
do it cheerfully. 9 Love must be sincere.(Q) Hate what is evil; cling to what is
good.(R) 10 Be devoted to one
another in love.(S) Honor one another above yourselves.(T) 11 Never be lacking in
zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,(U) serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful
in hope,(V) patient in affliction,(W) faithful in prayer.(X) 13 Share with the Lord’s
people who are in need.(Y) Practice hospitality.(Z) 14 Bless those who
persecute you;(AA) bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice
with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.(AB)
Sermon
series that we are in
Pt
1…leaving your nets
Pt
2 .. called toward christ. Called to live as he lived.
Showing
empathy, feeding people, extending grace
Today
Pt 3, what you can specifically do
Part
1 - Your call to every person……..
We
talk about this a lot
That
is because it is the core of the Christian life
It
is no longer enough to believe and sit
It
is no longer enough to insist that we are right and have the special knowledge
Me
must learn to live missionally
On
a mission from God
Daily
living it out. In your home, in your place of work.
Lets
talk about the workplace
If
you are a Christian, you don’t have a secular job
Questions
to God’s people:
How
many of you start your work week and are already thinking about Friday and the
five days of your work week behind you?
How
many of you, now retired, couldn’t wait until that final day of work was over
and your “retirement” could begin?
-
versus -
How
many of you wake each week and can’t wait to use the gift you have a passion to
care about God’s people
Stats: [what is the
source?]
Unhappiness
on the job affects ¼ of the American work force
¼
of employees view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives
43%
of employees feel anger toward their employers often or very often as a result
of feeling overworked
70%
of employees go to work without much enthusiasm or passion – lacking the “have
a super-sparklee day” passion
How
do these statistics change when you are doing what God intended for you to do
and performing those tasks to His glory and not our own?
We
have divided the world into the sacred and the secular.
Does
God love the redwoods and hate the badlands?
Does
god love the grand canyon but hate Siberia
Or
is all of it our fathers world.
Does
jeff have a spiritual job because he is a pastor
So
god loves the church but hates sprint? The ford plant?
Isn’t
all of this our father’s world?
Jesus
didn’t have a spiritual life and a secular life
Imagine
asking jesus, how is your spiritual life?
What?
Everything
is spiritual
Everywhere
you go grace can flow thru u
And
that includes the work place
Part
2 - Ministry calling in the local church…….
How
do you pick your specific thing?
Hitting
that “Sweet Spot” in your life! Golf, Tennis, Baseball – it just feels
perfect and you can’t wait to do it again – like when you use your gift from
God to care for someone in his name
What
drives your passion?
If
you could get paid to do what you love…what would that be?
Story:
the holy land omelet makers in Tiberius
The
book – Fish!
What
were your favorite things to do as a child?
Did
you spend your time reading books…
Or
playing a sport…
Or
drawing pictures…
Or
playing games…
What
keeps me awake when I should be falling asleep at night?
A
person…
A
task…
An
event…
A
thought needing to be expressed…
The
answer will expose what drives you, what makes you cry, and what lingers
in your mind when the world goes dark.
What
wakes us up when we should still be sleeping in the morning?
A
person or people…
Your
work…Heaven’s calendar has seven Sundays a week!
A
specific task you can’t wait to get started on…
An
event you’ve been waiting for…
A
statement you feel led to deliver…
A
belief that God wants to use you
The
answer will uncover what you value, what you’re committed to and
what excites YOU!
Characteristics
that God blesses us with to take up His calling:
Maybe
you have an uncanny
ease with numbers
Maybe
you have an quenchless
curiosity about chemistry
Maybe
you look
at a blueprint and drool
Maybe
you have A
mind that understands quantum physics
Maybe
the Colors
at the Home Depot paint department excite you
Maybe
Music sets you on high
Today
I want to share with you some specific needs in our church right now
You
might be called to help with a mission through our church:
1)
We
have a new community garden this year. Help is needed to tend the garden,
and then pick the produce, clean it, and bag it for families in need in our
community.
2)
Our
church is adopting a village in Nicaragua. There will be many
opportunities to serve both here and in Nicaragua.
3)
You
can make the difference in the life of a child by serving as a mentor or book
buddy at Spofford Children’s Home.
4)
Hillcrest
Transitional Housing is always in need of budget counselors for the residents
living there. They also have a thrift store which needs helping hands.
5)
Our
annual Back to School Drive is coming up. Hundreds of kids around the
city need tennis shoes, clothes, and school supplies. You can help with
this effort.
6)
During
the school year, our church provides BackSnacks each weekend to over 100
children. Help is needed to bag the food and deliver to the schools each
week.
When
we first moved into this building there was so much to do…..
We
used to have Sundays where the entire sermon was about ways that you can
help. What you might be called to. at the end of the sermon, you
could go to any of the 4 corners and sign up
Hospitality
team. Reading to we care children, repair and paint crew, landscape team.
There
are opportunities to work with people. Opportunities to work with plants.
Opportunities to build things
Pick
up the pamphlet at the info desk. Go online and search. There are
literally hundreds of things that you can do. take a look. See what
speaks to you
Part
3 - Vocational calling..
Finally
are you sensing a call to……….vocational calling
Pastor,
missionary, chaplain etc
This
is where I need you to talk about the calling that you felt……
This
is where I am going to talk about the time that I quit ministry….
Sometimes
people feel a calling to this. You are gripped.
It
doesn’t go away
Romans
11:29
The
gifts and calling of God are without repentance KJV
29 for
God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. NIV
God’s gifts and God’s call are under full
warranty—never canceled, never rescinded- the msg
Someone
here -you may have this aching feeling.
Fan
the flames. Stir up the gift.
Pray
about it
Talk
to God
Visit
with one of our pastors.
Conclusion
Connecting
to your call is Finding the best you
Finding
purpose. Usefulness. Peace.
The
promised land. For this I was created.
Reflecting
on this great line, author and pastor John Ortberg says, “This sense of
having been called — the worthiness of it, the glorious goodness of a life
lived beyond an individual’s agenda — is a precious thing. As we locate the
warm embers of God’s calling inside ourselves, we must faithfully fan those
flames. God desires for a sense of mission to burn within us, driving us
forward in the perilous journey we call life.
The
holy spirit leads you outside of your comfort zone into daring places for God.
Let
us leave our nets Let us lean into jesus. Let us follow the leading
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