Why me! We all ask this question at certain times and for various reasons. Why did this terrible thing happen to me? Why do I have to be the one to fix this? Why is everyone looking to me for an answer?
Don't worry, you are in good company. Moses asked God the same question. People questioned God when he chose David, the scrawny youngest son of Jesse to be the next king of Israel. All throughout the Bible we find people asking, "Why me?" or, "Why them?" Growing in acceptance is about changing the question from "why" to "how". Don't ask why God has called you or why he's given you a certain task. Instead, accept that you have a part to play in the Body of Christ and ask How he wants you to get it done. How has God equipped and prepared you to serve his purpose and his plan.
#5 in our vision series: "Growing Pains"
Ask your friends what you are passionate about and I'm sure they will be quick to answer.
Maybe it's your love of a particular football team or a particular sport. Maybe its cars, surfing, knitting, fishing, cooking or some other hobby that people would identify first. Maybe it would be your friends and family, your relationships, that people would know are most important to you. Whatever it is that get's your blood pumping and gets you excited and passionate, it's usually not hard for people to see it. We want to talk about those things we love, we want to share them and clear out schedules to make space for them in our lives. So why is it often different when it comes to Jesus and his invitation to experience fulness of life in him? We're going to explore this week as we talk about 'Growing in passion'.
#4 in our vision series: "Growing Pains"
They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and 'they' are kind of right.
Many people know the ten commandments and the laws given to Moses by God, but many of those same people mistakenly use those laws as a means of criticising and belittling others and elevating their own status, rather than using them as the means by which God intended humans to flourish in community with himself and with one another. True wisdom, comes not only from knowing the laws of God and his decrees, but in knowing the God who made the decrees in the first place. Wisdom comes through lived experience together with academic knowledge and formal learning. It is only as we live in relationship with God and in obedience to him, that we really begin to understand the wisdom of his ways, and that's what we'll explore today.
#3 in our vision series: "Growing Pains"
'I can't wait until I'm old enough to...' Most of us had something that we wished we were old enough to do back when we were children.
Whatever it might have been for you, was it all that you had hoped for when you finally arrived? As children we don't often recognise the freedom that comes with our age or the responsibility that comes with being able to do 'grown-up' things. Being able to drive is great, but you take on the responsibility of paying the insurance and registration, and filling the car with fuel, not to mention the responsibility for the safety of those in your vehicle and all the others with whom you share the roads. Maturity as a child of God is no different. It is not just about you and your relationship with God, but also about how we relate to one another. Real Christian maturity occurs as we grow together in Christ.
#2 in our vision series: "Growing Pains"
Hinge moments. They are all around us. Those moments of transition that stretch us, challenge us, unsettle us, inspire us. These hinge moments can either open or close the door leading to very different pathways in our lives. Here at LifeWay, today is a hinge moment. A moment of transition or change that God has prepared and will use to both unsettle and refocus us at LifeWay for the vision and mission to which he has called us - a vision to live in and share the fullness of the life that he has given to us. Jesus closes the gate to all that would diminish our lives and opens the gate to a life that enables us to flourish and grow through every hinge moment we encounter, So today we will look at Growing through change.
#1 in our vision series: "Growing Pains"
Those of you who enjoy gardening and caring for plants, especially those that produce fruit and vegetables, will appreciate how important it is for those plants to have access to regular clean water, good fertile soil and deep roots that keep the plant firmly planted right where you, the gardener planted it.
The Bible describes those who delight in the Word and Law of the Lord as trees planted by streams of water. Healthy trees that bear fruit in every season.
Even when seasons change and the winds of change blow, those who remain in the Word of God are like plants with deep roots and strong healthy limbs that can get blown around but have both the strength and flexibility to endure in every season of change. That's what we'll explore today as we talk about remaining in the word, amidst the winds of change.
#4 in series: Winds of Change
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" as the saying goes. Why make something better when it is perfectly functional the way that it is now? Have you ever wondered that? Have you experienced the headache of installing an update for your phone or computer which promises to make your user experience so much easier, faster and enjoyable, only to discover that after downloading and installing the update, things now don't work like you expect and you wish you hadn't bothered.
Sometimes this is what it can feel like moving with the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit brings us the "resurrection life update", some of the old programming has to go. Some of the operating system that has been directing our lives up until that point needs to be re-written. These kinds of changes can feel uncomfortable; sometimes we wish God would just leave us alone and stop 'updating' us, we believe we were fine just the way we are. But God loves us too much just to leave us where we are, especially when he knows what fulness of life really is and what it would look like if we just embraced life on his terms. So, he gives us his Holy Spirit to guide us into that new life and to help us navigate the change from death, to life in Christ. That's what we'll explore more today as we talk about moving with the Spirit.
#3 in series: Winds of Change
"You're in!" There's nothing quite like recieving that kind of news. You're in the band, the musical, the team. Hopefully any of our recently graduated Yr 12 students are celebrating that they 'got in' to the university course of their choice after years of hard work. Being 'in' is something that we all strive for and at times the desire to 'fit in' or to be included and belong to something drives us to do things we might later regret. I'm sure each of us have photos that reflect some poor 'fashion' choices we adopted to 'fit in' back in the day.
Fitting in with others is a risky business; people's ideas and preferences change like the wind and in a society and culture as fickle as ours, what's 'in' one day can be 'out' the next.
The phrase 'in Christ' or 'through Christ' appears over 150 times in the New Testament. Being 'In Christ' is a significant part of what it means to be a Christian and the good thing about it is that the goalposts don't change. In fact, the criteria for getting 'in' don't even rely on you. So when your circumstances change and the places and groups you were once 'in' no longer accept you, there s always a place where you will be welcomed in - in Christ. That's what we're going to unpack today.
#2 in series: "Winds of Change"
"When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, while others build windmills." It's the translation of an old Chinese proverb that says some people respond to change as something to be resisted, while others see it as an opportunity. Maybe you know the truth of that! Sometimes change hits us rapidly and gives us little time to adjust. The sudden or unexpected death of a loved one, or the unexpected termination of employment. For us at LifeWay, change in our Leadership after many years of consistency. At times like this, it is common to seek some kind of shelter from the chaos and change. At other times, like on a hot summer afternoon, a 'change' carried on the ocean breeze is a welcome thing and something we long for, it brings relief and comfort from the oppressive heat of a sweltering summer's day.
Today we unpack what it means to 'Rest in the Father' in the midst of the change and chaos that life can bring. God shows us that he is both our shelter in the storm, and also the cool summer breeze that brings comfort in the midst of the change.
#1 in series: Winds of Change