Treasures of the Heart, part 2

This post is a sermon I preached at MRWC on Sunday, Nov. 18. It is part two in our 4 part series called ToH. Enjoy.

Last Sunday evening we kicked off a brand new sermon series called Treasures of the heart.

       This new series will focus on money and possessions and our response toward money and possessions. 

            Our key verse for this entire series comes from Matthew 6:21. These are the words of Jesus: “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (NIV)

            If you want to take a peek into a person’s heart and see what is important to them, all you have to do is look at what they treasure.

            We proceeded to unpack this just a little bit, by looking at the first worship service recorded for us in the Bible—the story of Cain and Abel—and we came to the conclusion that it’s better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left (over).

            Cain gave God left-overs. God didn’t want leftovers, any more than I want leftovers when I come home from work… God wanted what was right, and Abel gave God what was right, not what was left over.

            We give God what’s right when we give Him the best part of our time, the best part of our talents (abilities) and the best part of our treasure (income).

            Anytime we refuse to give God the best part of our time, talent and treasure, we are giving God the leftovers; and God doesn’t want leftovers.

            This morning we want to examine a story in the New Testament that teaches us that it’s better to God what’s right, not what’s left (over).

            If you have a Bible, I invite you to turn to Mark 12, beginning to read at verse 41.

            If you don’t have a Bible, please follow along as I read this passage:

            “Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts.

42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions.

44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44, NLT2)

Have you ever felt like someone was watching you as you put your money into the offering plate?

Well, the Bible tells us that Jesus was in the Temple, in the area called the “Court of Women” watching people put their money into the Temple’s treasury boxes.

These boxes would have been strategically placed all thought the Temple, allowing people to come up to one of the boxes and deposit their money and go about their business.

As Jesus watched the people put their money in these boxes, He zeroed in on two people: the rich person and the poor person.

Both rich and poor do the same thing: they both put their money in the offering box, but this is where the similarities end.

As Jesus watched the rich put their money in the offering box, He probably noticed how they were looking around to see who was in the Temple, and if anyone was noticing them giving a gift to God.

ILLUSTRATION- These people are what I like to call a Look-at-me-personality.

            They wait until the spotlight is shining on them before they act, and when the spotlight is shining on them, they act.

            While they might not have shouted “Look at what I am putting in the box” you can be certain they were thinking this, for the rich people gave to be seen.

            As the rich people were putting their money in the offering box, Jesus also noticed a poor widow depositing her money in the offering box.

            Now, Mark gives us a couple of indications as to how poor this woman truly was.

The first indication is the word that he used for poor.

            The Greek word for poor- Ptōchos—is used to describe someone who is so poor that they can only obtain money by begging. A poor (Ptōchos) person has nothing at all.

            Mark also tells us that the money that this woman did have was the smallest currency in circulation at that time. It was “worth only a fraction of a penny.” (Mark 12:42b, NIV)

            The two coins that this woman deposited into the treasury didn’t amount to very much at all.

            It would appear that the bigger gift was much more valuable to God, to the people counting the money and to the Temple itself, because bigger is always better, right?

            But I’ll have you notice which gift caught the attention of Jesus.

            It wasn’t the gift of the rich that Jesus used as a springboard to teach His disciples; it was the tiny gift of a very poor woman.

Jesus said to His disciples: “…this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.

44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-- all she had to live on." (Mark 12:43-44, NIV)

Jesus told His disciples that it was the gift of the poor widow, not the gift of the rich people that mattered; it was the spirit in which the widow gave the gift that mattered more than the gift itself.

She was giving to God what was right, not what was left (over).

The rich people were giving out of obligation, they gave because they were told to give, but the widow gave because she wanted to.

So, how does this fancy little story apply to us?

Well, I think this passage should cause us to look inward and help us examine our motives when we give. 

Are we giving God what’s right, or are we giving Him what’s left (over)?

Are we giving God our time, talent and treasure because someone has told us that’s the right thing to do, or are we giving our time, talent and treasure to God because we know it’s the right thing to do?

You see, this account is all about the heart… are we giving to God reluctantly or willingly?

When you give your time, talent and treasure to God, are you doing it to be seen by others? Are you giving to God to be noticed by other people?

This is what the rich people in our story were doing; they were giving in order to be seen.

If you are giving to God in order to be noticed, Jesus has a warning for you:

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.

² When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.

³ But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

⁴ Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4, NLT2)

While it’s better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left over, it’s also the disposition of your heart that matters just as much as the gift itself.

If you are giving just to be seen, that is all the reward you will ever get, but if you are giving because your heart is in the right place, God will reward you for your gift.

Bible commentator Adam Clarke reminds us that: “Christ sees all the motives which leads people to perform their good deeds.

He knows whether they act through vanity, self-love, ambition, hypocrisy... or through love, charity, and a hearty desire to please Him.

            “He observes the motivations which accompany our actions—whether we act with care or negligence, with a ready mind or with reluctance.” (taken from my files)

            There are many people who are willing to give God credit, but few who are willing to give Him cash!

            There are many people who are willing to give God some—even much—but few people are willing to give God all.

            There are many people who are willing to give a tithe or an offering... but few are willing to admit that all our possessions—including our bank account balance- actually belongs to Him.

            If God rewarded our giving on the basis of motive, not amount, would He make little ado about much, or much ado about little?

            How you give to God matters just as much as what you give to God.

       So, are you giving God what’s right with a right heart, or are you giving God the leftovers with a left-over heart?

            Jesus reminded us that what we treasure the most is where our heart is, so when you give to God where is your heart? Is it in the right place? Or is it in the wrong place?

            Are you giving of your time, of your talent and of your treasure to be seen by everyone, or are you giving of your time, talent and treasure to be noticed by God?

            Are you giving to God what’s right willingly, or are you giving to God what’s left (over) reluctantly?  

            We don’t know how the story in Mark 12 ends. We don’t know if God blessed this woman for giving all that she had, with the spirit she had, but we can know how our story will end today.

            If we are giving to God out of out of obligation—or even with an expectation of getting something back—then we are giving God what’s left.

            If we will make a commitment to give the best—OUR best—to God, He will bless your life with His presence.

            So consider today not only what you are giving to God, but how you are giving it.

            Are you doing so willingly, or reluctantly?

            It’s better to give to God what’s right willingly, than what’s left over reluctantly.  

            As the band comes back, I want all of us to take a few moments and ask God to search our heart.

            Is it in the right place? Are we giving to Him with right motives, or are we giving with wrong motives?

            If our heart happens to be a little askew, this is the perfect time to confess it and seek to correct the attitude of our heart, because it’s always better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left (over). 

Treasures of the Heart

We started a new series this past Sunday. for 4 weeks, we're talking about money. Here is the first message in this new series. Enjoy!

 

            Well it’s great to have you all out on a Sunday night! And you’ve chosen a great time to come to church, because we’re starting a brand new series called Treasures of the Heart.

            Over the next four weeks, we are going to be looking at various scripture lessons that all have one thing in common; they all speak about money!

            It has been said that the top two issues plaguing our culture today is sex and money; so we want to take a proactive approach and let you know what the Bible has to say about money.

            As we being this series, I want to give you the key thought; or the main theme that will tie each message in the series together.   

            If you’ve got a writing instrument, you might want to write this down: It’s better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left (over).

When someone asks you about the sermon tomorrow morning, you can tell them that “It’s better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left over.”

            Throughout this series, we are going to be examining at least 4 different Bible lessons that deal with our money and possessions, but they will all be connected together by our key Scripture verse.

            It’s found in Matthew 6:21. Jesus said: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (NIV)

            To find the immediate context of this verse, we have to back up 2 verses.

       Jesus is teaching His followers about money and possessions and He said to them: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, NIV)

Jesus was telling His followers not to let our love of stuff take the place of our Love of God.

If you want to take a peek into a person's heart and see what is important to them, all you have to do is look at what we treasure.

Things in and of themselves aren’t necessarily bad, but they can become bad when we value them more than we value the Giver of things.

Eventually what we have will either rot or be stolen, but Who we have will last forever, so it’s time for us to take stock of what we have and what we’re doing with what we have.

To begin our examination of what we have, we need to go all the way back to the first worship service recorded for us in the Bible.

It may not have looked exactly like our services do today, but it was worship, because at its core, worship is giving to God what’s right, not what’s left (over)

So, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 4.

Just to bring you up to speed with what is going on leading up to this chapter, God had created the world and everything in it, and when He came to man, He said that it wasn’t good for man to be alone, so God created a helpmate for Adam. 

Adam and Eve were given instructions as to how they were to live in the Garden, and they were told that there was one tree that they were not allowed to eat from.

They didn’t do what God had told them to do, and as a result, sin entered the world, and we’ve been dealing with the effects of sin ever since.

Because of their decision to disobey God, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and Adam was forced to work the ground and provide for his wife.

In Genesis chapter 4, we are told that Adam and Eve decide that it’s time to start a family and their first child, Cain, is welcomed into the world.

At least nine months pass by, and their second child, Abel born.

We’ll pick up the story in the 2^nd half of verse 2:  When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground.

3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord.

4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

 6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected?

7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

 8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

9 Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”

“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood.

12 No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.” (Genesis 4:2b-12, NLT2)

The Bible tells us that the children of Adam and Eve grew up to be productive members of society. They both held good jobs… Cain was a farmer, and Abel was a shepherd.

When the time of harvest had come, “Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock.” (Gen 4:3b-4a, NLT2)

Both brothers brought an offering to God, one brought “some” while the other brought “the best”.

There it is! Our Key thought is expressed once again, in the first few pages of the Bible: It’s better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left (over)

““Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock.” (Gen 4:3b-4a, NLT2)

One brought Brussel Sprouts; the other brought filet mignon (which as you know is wrapped in Bacon!)

One took left overs to God; the other one took the first helping to God.

One gave the best to God; the other one kept the best, and gave God the rest.

One gift was received; the other gift was rejected: “The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift.” (Gen.4:4b-5a, NLT2)

With his gift, Abel demonstrated that it’s better to give to God what’s right than what’s left (over).

Abel valued God more than he valued what God had entrusted to him, so he have God the best, while his brother gave God the rest.

Friend, this is an excellent opportunity for all of us to look with in and see what we are giving to God.

Are we giving Him what’s right? Are we giving God the best part of what we have: the best part of our time, the best part of our talent (abilities) and the best part of our treasure; or are we giving God the leftover’s of our time, talent and treasure?

One or the other very clearly dictates who we treasure (value) the most.

If we are giving God the best part of our time—the time when we are the most alert to read our bible and pray; we are offering Him what’s right.

If we are using our talent (the abilities) that God gave us to serve Him by serving others, then we are giving God what’s right…

If we are giving God the best portion of our income—the first 10%-- then we are giving God what’s right.

However, if we are not giving God the best part of our time, the best part of our talents (abilities), and the best part of our treasure, then we are giving God what’s left (over).

The Bible tells that Cain was “...very angry, and he looked dejected.” (Gen.4:5b, NLT2) at the news that God didn’t accept his gift; he was upset that God didn’t want his leftovers.

ILLUSTRATION- The scariest night of the week for me is when I come home after work and ask my wife what is for supper.

            Most of the time my wife will let me know that she has slaved over a hot stove to make a fantastical meal, and I’m going to love it…

            But every once in a while she will say one word that will send a chill down my spine… She will tell me that we’re having: “Leftovers”

            I hate leftovers. I will only eat leftovers if there is nothing else to eat! I don’t like left-overs, and I don’t want left overs!

(I hope, I’m not the only one who has a general distain for left-overs….)

            Why should we be surprised at God’s refusal to accept Cain’s gift ? God didn't want left overs, He wanted what was right, not what was left (over).

            God even reminded Cain of what He was looking for: “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” (Gen. 4:7, NLT2)

            Cain had a choice to make; he could have done the right thing; he could have gone back to his produce stand and selected some of the best parts and given them to God, and God would have accepted him and his gift.

            Because Cain refused to do what was right, he became bitter and he ended up taking the life of his very own brother:

            “One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.” (Gen. 4:9, NLT2)

            If left unchecked, sin has a way of destroying all of us, and if we are giving the left overs to God, we will one day be picking up the broken pieces of our lives.

            If you boil this story right down to its core, Cain wanted more of his stuff for himself; which is why he gave less of his stuff to God.

            This brings us back to our key verse in Matthew 6. Jesus said: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:21, NIV)

            What is that thing that you are hanging on to so tightly? What is that thing that you are refusing to give over to God?

            It could be your income. It could be your talents and abilities. It could be your time.

It could even be your very life.

       If you are holding out on giving any aspect of your life over to God, you are giving Him the leftovers of your life.   

            The story of Cain and Abel teaches us that it’s better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left (over).

            So, again I ask: what are you giving to God? Are you giving Him the best part of what you have, or are you giving God the rest of what you have?

Paul wrote in 1^st Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (NIV)

The account of Cain and Abel is a warning about how we view our stuff and what it does to our attitudes and our behaviours.

Abel’s desire to please God made his offering acceptable to God.

Cain’s desire to please Cain made his offering unacceptable to God.

How does all of this apply to you and me? Well, I would like for us to consider the things that we treasure—Jesus said the things you treasure the most is where your heart is—so consider what you are giving to God:

Are you giving Him the best part of what you have, or are you giving Him what’s left (over)?

If you are giving God what’s left (over),know that it will lead you down a path you don't really want to go down...

But, I also want you to know that you can make a commitment tonight and give to God what’s right; because it’s better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left (over).

 

So, what are you giving to God, what's right, or what's left over?

 

Now What?

This message is a follow up from our SoulShift series, as well as a Vision casting sermon. It's where I believe the Lord is asking us to go. Enjoy!

 

            For those of you who are reading the SoulShift book, you will notice that chapter 8 begins with a question. This question is perfect for us today.

            Just to bring you all up to speed, for the last 8 weeks, we have spent time looking into our souls. We’ve spent some time in Mark chapters 8-10 and saw how Jesus called His disciples to be more; to do more.

            Jesus called His disciples to a different way of life. He asked His disciples to move from:

Ø Me to you- this is a shift from being inward focused to being others focused;

Ø Slave to child- this is a shift from serving God to loving God;

Ø Seen to unseenà this is a shift from embracing temporary things to embracing eternal things;

Ø From Consumer to Stewardà this is a shift from acquiring things for ourselves; to offering what we have to other people;

Ø From Ask to Listenà this is a shift from asking others to listening to God;

Ø From Sheep to Shepherdà this is a shift from simply following Jesus to leading others toward Jesus

Ø And from Me to Weà this is a shift from being individuals to being the Community.

            Jesus wanted these shifts to occur in the soul of His disciples, because the soul is the place where God does His best work.  

Pastor Steve DeNeff says that “A SoulShift is a change in the deepest part of our being, usually after we are saved, and before we die, that makes us more like Christ and less like our old selves.” (DeNeff) 

In order for us to become all that God wants us to become; in order for us to experience all that God wants us to experience, we’ve got to change.

Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3, NIV)

I trust that many of you have allowed the Word and the Teaching of God to speak to your soul and you are experiencing a SoulShift. 

Well, this brings us to chapter 8 of the SoulShift book. Perhaps you’ve noticed that this chapter begins with a question. It’s a very simple question; but very thought provoking.

If you were to open your SoulShift book to chapter 8, you would notice that the title is: “Now What?”

It’s a great title for a chapter, especially after we’ve been exposed to the 7 shifts that God wants His people to experience.

I want to encourage those of you with this book, to continue on in your reading to figure out how to implement these shifts.

I would like to take the next few moments and answer this “now what” question with what God has been doing in my heart over the last three years that I have been your pastor.

-PRAY-

ILLUSTRATION- AS some of you may know, I am one of 10 pastors from the maritimes to be included in a Coaching Network.

            Rev. Tim Guptill is our leader, and he is mentoring us and challenging us and our churches to move beyond ordinary and expect extra-ordinary things from God.

            He is teaching us that God wants to do greater things in the churches of the Atlantic District, but we can’t do what we’ve always done and expect what we’ve never had.

            Pastor Tim is challenging us to do the hard work and lead our churches out of the past and into the present and future.

            The rationale behind this challenge is very simple. People who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are lost, and they will spend eternity without Him.    

            So, I have been challenged to seek God’s face for direction for our local church, because I believe that the Local Church, when it’s working right, is the hope of the world.

            Brad Powell, in his book, Change your Church for good, says: “The Church should be offering and expecting life change. It should settle for nothing less.

I believe that churches aren’t seeing people’s lives transformed today because they’re not expecting anyone’s life to be transformed.” (Powell, 2007, 46)

Every Sunday that I come to church, I’m expecting God to change lives. When Pastor Mike and I get together to pray, throughout the week and on Sunday Morning's we pray for changed lives.

I believe that the same God, who brought back Jesus Christ from the dead, has the power to change lives.

I believe that my God is changing Lives. I know this to be true, because I spoke to several people last Sunday, and they shared with me their stories of how God is working in them, how God is changing them. 

Thank-you to each one of you for responding so positivetly to God's life changing message.

God is changing the lives of the people of MRWC.

But, you know what? I’m also expecting God to change the lives of people who have yet to walk through our doors.

So allow me to share with you what I’ve taken from my prayer closet as a “Now What” direction that I believe the Ridge church is to take.

In reality, this simply verbalizes the approach that I have tried to take over the last few years as your Pastor.

Please understand; I’ve spent many hours before the Master, crying out to Him for a fresh vision for our church, because, “Where there is no vision, the people perish….” (Prov. 29:18a, KJV)

I’ve spent time seeking the Face of God for our “now what” Chapter.

As many of you know, the Mission of our church is: “to Know Christ and to make Him known”

This is our why. This is why we exist. This is why I come to work each day. I want to know Christ Make Him known.

I didn't take this mission statement out of thin air; this mission statement is rooted in the Bible.

One day Jesus was asked as to which commandment was the greatest, and He replied by saying: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV)

There is nothing of greater importance than loving God with our entire being. It’s why we were created.

Paul said: “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10a, NLT2)

Knowing Christ personally and intimately is the mission of the church; but it’s only half of the mission.

We are also here to “Make Him known”.

Just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus gave His disciples this command: “go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NLT2)

Not only are we commanded to love God with all we have, we are also commanded to tell others about Him.

Which clearly brings us to the “now what?” question, or more specifically, the vision.

If the Mission of our Church is to Know Christ and to Make Him known, then the vision—what I believe God is asking us to do to fulfill the mission; and what I have been trying to accomplish over the last couple of years is “Become a church that unchurched people want to attend”

This is our now what. We want to become a church that unchurched people want to attend.

This is where I believe God is asking us to go. This is what I believe God wants us to do, and what I have been trying to lead us toward over the last couple of years.

I believe that we need to become a church that unchurched people want to attend.

But why? Because lost people matter to God.

One day, Jesus was travelling through the towns and villages of Galilee, teaching, preaching and healing. Suddenly, His holy heart broke for the people of His day.

Matthew tells us that: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matthew 9:36-38, NLT2)

Jesus’ heart broke for the people in that town; He saw that they needed hope and He challenged His disciples to pray for more workers for the harvest fields.

John Wesley once said: “I look on all the world as my parish...in whatever part of it I am, I judge it…my bounden duty, to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation.”(http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Wesley)

Wesley believed that wherever he was that was where he was to preach the Gospel.

We who believe in Wesley’s God are to do the same.

We want to become a church that unchurched people want to attend.

Why? Because Lost People Matter to God!

So, what’s the best way to do this? Well, I see at least three steps that we are taking that is putting us on the path to becoming a church that unchurched people want to attend:

In our Sunday Gatherings.

To become a church that unchurched people want to attend, we need to continue raising the bar on the Sunday morning experience.

We need to continue learning new songs; we need to continue hearing solid biblical preaching, we need to move forward on an audio and visual system…

Sunday morning is still the primary outreach tool that the church has to offer, and to become a church that unchurched people want to attend, we must continue raising the bar on Sunday morning.

Remember the Bible says: “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere…” (Ps 84:10, NIV). If we believe this to be true, then we have a biblical command to make Sunday’s awesome.

Pastor Tim once said: "A Higher Calling Deserves Higher Standards" The Church has the highest calling there is, and we need to continue making great gains on Sunday Morning.

So thanks Worship team for doing an AWESOME JOB. You continue to hit it out of the park...

And thank-you folks for coming to church, and taking part in this vision...

The second way that we can become a church that unchurched people want to attend is in our Student Ministries.  

We are blessed to have a great cadre of people working with our Children and teens.

Pastor Mike is doing a great job at helping our volunteers think outside the box and make Youth Group and the Ridge Kids a place that children and teens want to attend.

But we need more volunteers. We need at least 4 or 5 people who are willing to forgo a Sunday or two each month to help our kids meet Jesus.

Some of you listening to my voice can work with our students; you just don’t know it yet. I want to encourage you to move out of your comfort zone and be willing to be used by God to expect Changed lives.

The Third way that I see our vision being accomplished is by helping people realize their full redemptive potential.

Right now, I am looking at God’s plan to reach the world. There is no plan b. Or even a plan c.

When we realize that Found people find people, we will take an active part in the life of our church and move from sheep to shepherd and help people meet Jesus Christ.

I was talking to a lady in our church about someone who the Lord was asking me to wittness to... we all have an active part to play, even the preacher.

Again, I've heard stories of how several of you are already doing this.... Keep up the Great work!!!

If you have ever read your Bible, you will notice that God is no respecter of ages.

He will use anyone who is willing to be used by Him, from the youngest to the oldest, God can and will use people of all ages to accomplish His plan to reach the world.

You see, we all have an active part to play in helping our church become a church that unchurched people want to attend, and it will take all of us working on the mission to realize the vision.

ILLUSTRATION- Have you ever lost your luggage? Chances are if you have travelled by air you have lost your luggage, or you know of someone who has lost their luggage.

When I travelled to Ghana in 2010, our entire team lost our luggage.

We had been stranded in London due to a snow storm, and had to disembark the plane and thousands of people were stuck at the airport all because of 10 centimetres of snow…

            When we finally arrived in Ghana two days later, we realized that our luggage didn’t arrive with us, so we headed to the lost luggage desk and had to describe what our bags looked like, and what was in our suitcases.

            Much to my surprise, the luggage people weren’t upset by the fact that we had lost our luggage.

       They didn’t care that we were in a foreign country without our luggage.

It didn’t matter to them, because it happens all of the time; they are not concerned about lost luggage!

Sometimes we can act more like luggage handlers than children of the God Most High.

Sometimes we can be more concerned about what we like, what we want, than about the things that are lost.

            God is concerned about what is lost in this world. The Bible says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…” (John 3:16a, NIV)

            We need to remember that people are lost, and it’s our responsibility to partner with God and find people, because found people find people.

            Jesus said in Luke 19 that: “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (19:10, NIV) We who have been saved by God’s grace are to do the same.

            Lost people matter to God; and lost people should matter to the church as well..