What in the world keeps us going?

We started a new series on Sunday titled, "What in the world keeps us going?". The focus of our series is about righteousness; specifically our righteousness through faith in Christ.

The journey to grow in this understanding of righteousness begins by taking a look at what we currently use to keep us going. Paul says that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17). So what in the world keeps you going? The world we are talking about is the old nature, your past. Are there things from your past, like hurts, judgments, fears, and lusts that still control or drive you today?

The joy that I foresee in this series is that many will begin to understand freedom like they've never known before. I'm excited!

So like any good adventure we must start off properly and with this adventure of righteousness and freedom I thought we'd go right after everyone's favorite topic: sin! If we want to walk in the righteousness of Christ and reign in life, then we must deal with the bondage of sin.

So, what is sin? According to 1 John 3:4-5 sin is lawlessness; literally meaning unrighteousness or rebellion. Jesus came to take away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29). So what is it that Jesus is taking away? The offense of our effort to do our will that causes us to miss the mark of His will and purposes. The term sin has its understanding in the archery world when the arrow "misses the mark". So when we take actions into our own hands and rebel against God's word, we miss the mark: we sin.

So, how does God deal with sin? Well, not like most of the world believes. God is in a good mood and if He wanted to He could of left mankind to just waste away in the separation of His glory. But He didn't leave us; He had mercy on us and extended to us His grace. Romans 5:18-21 states that through one man's sin (lawlessness) condemnation and judgment came to all men, but through one man's righteous act (Jesus) justification for life was come. God hates sin, yet God does not hate sinners. We must distinguish between the two if we are going to walk in His fullness.

Jesus came to save the world because of His love. He came to serve and be a ransom for our debt. (Jn 3:16-17, Mt 20:28)

So, how do we deal with sin? The same way God does. Love the sinner, hate the sin. Extend mercy and grace. Take the offer of redemption, thru Jesus Christ, and know that whom the Son sets free is free indeed. (Jn 8:34-36). No longer walk in the ways of sin, but by the Spirit of God. (Gal 5:16). We’ll get into this more in the coming weeks.

Here's a little tool I've come up with to help us deal with sin. I call it CPR for the spiritual heart. It's simple. C is for Confess your sins, P is for Pronounce the truth and repent, and R is for renounce the lies and spiritual ties that tempt us t sin. It's like closing the door to a path that doesn't glorify God.

For example: “Lord I confess that I’ve been caught up in fear regarding my finances. I know that you are my provider (pronounce truth and find a scripture) according to Philippians 4:19 I know you to be my God who will supply all my needs according to Your great riches in the glory by Jesus Christ. I turn toward you and trust that you will give me the strength and wisdom to pay all my bills and put food on the table. I renounce the lie and spirit of fear that I have believed and close the door to walking in that manner anymore. Amen.”

Remember it's not a formula, but a way to build relationship with God. Try it out and let the Holy Spirit lead you into the joy of knowing Christ and all that He has done for you, because He LOVES YOU!!!

Mission Sunday

Sunday January 31, 2010

Hey check out a quick video blog about Sunday's service or read about it below. I'm trying something new with the video!

On Sunday we dedicated our morning to the mission field. It's always good to look beyond ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to stir us up and remind us how blessd we truly our. I've also noticed that when we focus on the things of God that are bigger than us we gain a better perspective of His amazing power and love.

Here at HCL we say: Hope Chapel Lewiston is committed to equipping all people, through the love and power of Jesus Christ, so that communities, cities, and nations will be transformed by the glory of God. This is our mission and purpose statement as a local congregation. It is through this mission that we are taking the gospel beyond the walls of our church buildings.

Romans 5:5 says that "hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." This love is available to all mankind and we have been commissioned, according to Mt 28:18-20, to take this love to the nations.

Our focus on Sunday was on Kenya with the Leister's and on Haiti. Though many of us may never set foot in Haiti or Kenya, we are still called to take the love that has been poured out and disciple others who through our prayers, discernment and encouragement will find their calling.

The Leister's are doing well. The children's home continues to move along. The walls are all plastered and setting up to be tiled and painted. Once that is done then the flooring will go in. A few prayer requests they had were: health, paper work for the title on the land, paper work on a few of the kids, and their organization license to all be processed and placed in their hands.

As for Haiti, Foursquare continues to use a local Foursquare church there as a gateway to send relief aid and missionaries to help care for the overwhelming needs. Find out more on what is going on in Haiti and Foursquare at: Foursquare Missions Int. That's the Sunday overview - we are headed next is into a series on righteousness titled "What in the world keeps us going?"